# My betta is floating and his face is pale.



## sharka91 (Mar 8, 2011)

Please help! my betta is floating uncontrollably and he really tries to swim down but he keeps floating up. his face has also gotten pale just today and it keeps changing back and forth from dark to pale. he may have eaten too much today which is why his swim bladder's acting up so i read that i shouldnt feed him for a bit, but the face is whats getting me worried. should i be worried? please help!


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## BettaFriend15 (Mar 7, 2011)

*Sounds like swim bladder...*

Sounds like swim bladder, i'm new but my girl just recovered recently from it, today actually. Anyway if it is swim bladder you just need to isolate him so he doesn't get attacked by other fish while he's down then fast him for a few days after a few days and he still isn't himself feed him a little bit a shelled cooked peas really tiny bits (that's what i did). As for the pale face fish normally pale out when their stressed i can only imagine how scary and stressfull it must be to float and not be able to take controll of your own body so maybe that's it if not i'm very sorry i hope your little friend get's back on his feet (or fins, haha) soon 
Good Luck


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## BettaFriend15 (Mar 7, 2011)

Sorry didn't read the whole thing i was in a hurry but wanted to help so yeah would say it's just the food making him like it, what do you feed him? any treats, bloodworms or something? if you do i would cut down a bit but if not just try fasting, again
Good Luck.


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## sharka91 (Mar 8, 2011)

I feed him bettamin fish flakes once in a while for color but mostly i just feed him a couple floating pellets a day for this very reason. he eats like a litlle piranha. he's not pale anymore today. i'll keep him off food for a bit but if this continues, i'll go with the cooked peas.


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Fast him for at least 3 days. His face could be pale for many reasons.

Please answer these asap.
Housing 
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)? 

Your post is in the wrong section..

If your tank is under 1 gallon and you dont clean it each day, he is probably ill from poor water. 

When these are answered, we may be better able to help.


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## Panthera (Nov 2, 2010)

Yeah it sounds like Swim Bladder Disorder. This can be caused by constipation, or by a bacterial disease. Does he look bloated at all? If so, then as BettaFriend15 said; it's best to fast him for about 3 days. Don't worry, betta's can go 3 weeks without food and survive. Also if you have epsom salt, add about a teaspoon per gallon depending on what size tank he is. This will help clean out his system. Also a de-shelled pea will work, just feed a bit tho, not much. 

If its not better in 3 days with these treatments and daily water changes, it could be bacterial, which in this case I would buy Maracyn and Maracyn II. They have these at Petsmart, not sure if Petco carries it. Follow the directions on the box and keep up with the treatment for a week-10 days. Hopefully its not bacterial, but if it is, good luck. I've had 3 fish with SBD and they're all recovered now.


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

*DO NOT FEED THE PEAS.*

This is not a good idea, sharka and bettafriend.

*DO NOT FEED THESE.*

Fast the fish- dont be lazy, just wait a few days.


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## Panthera (Nov 2, 2010)

Peas have no harmful effect on the betta, if he is bloated and constipated this well help his digestive track flow and clear him out. Its not like he'll die from eating a bit of pea.


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

No, on the contrary, this treatment is controversial, especially if you do it wrong.

Peas are not in their natural diet, and if not prepared correctly or given too much to a stressed system, it might and likley will do more harm than good.

Just fast it.

Urgh.


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

PewPewPew said:


> No, on the contrary, this treatment is controversial, especially if you do it wrong.
> 
> Peas are not in their natural diet, and if not prepared correctly or given too much to a stressed system, it might and likley will do more harm than good.
> 
> ...


I agree, and I think it's better to be safe than sorry. Fasting him is the best way to flush out his system.


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

I have something to suggest, which worked for my baby betta girl. She was floating tail up in the water and hadn't eaten for three days.

Mix 1 TABLESPOON epsom salt to a gallon of fresh, conditioned water.
Find a container you can float in the betta's tank. Put the treatment solution in the container and float until water temperature is equalized with the tank.

Put your betta in the treatment for 10-20 minutes, a couple times a day, for a couple of days. This (along with fasting) will help clear constipation without using the peas at all. 

If the SBD-like symptoms are due to constipation, this should help. If the symptoms don't clear in a couple days, then something else may be afoot (or afin, as the case may be).

Good luck!


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