My fish cant stop floating up? Wtf?

BD2003

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
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One of my betta fighting fishies seems to be unable to keep himself off the top of the water. Every time he struggles to swim down, he floats back up, and its obviously against his will.

Wtf, and how can I stop it?
 
Jul 1, 2000
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He's a goner. I had a betta do that too just before he swam towards the light ;)

Flush him now, and Just go to Petco...
 

Jzero

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
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Bettas breathe from the surface....maybe it only looks like he's struggling?
If not, he's probably about to kick the bucket.
 

BD2003

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
16,815
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He did this one before, but then when I came back from class he was just fine. Now he's doing it again...

Guess he was just too much of a bastard...

No way I'm flushing up till he's belly up though.
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
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fobot.com
its a common fish aliment called Air Bladder Disease
he might get better, but will probably die

another linky

SYMPTOMS: The fish has a buoyancy problem and may float to the surface, sink to the bottom, swim with it's head down, do somersaults through the water or do headstands in the gravel. In the later stages of the disease, the fish may lose its balance or swim upside down. The key to swim bladder diagnosis is that no other signs of disease are present and the water conditions are ideal. Since enviromental conditions can affect the equilibrium of the fish, pay special attention to the density and temperature of the water.

TREATMENT: There is no specific medical treatment for swim bladder disorder and I have never been able to cure this disease. If the origin of the problem is not from disease, a fish may recover on it's own. If the water conditions are normal and the fish is eating, and no signs or symptoms are noticed, the cause may be from a bacterial infection. The best treatment to try is a broad spectrum gram negative Antibiotic such as Furan or Kanamycin Sulfate. Treatment in a hospital tank is recommended.
 

ThaGrandCow

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2001
7,956
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Your fish is dead... go out to the pet store and buy another male beta... Let the new one take the old one out in a glorious (for fish) fight. At least he'll go out in style.
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
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The problem with Bettas is that everyone thinks it is ok to keep them in a shot glass. The problem is that his crap pollutes the water. The solution? changing the water - except that giving him new chlorinated water every couple of days is bad too. PPour yourself a pitcher of water and let it stand for a day or to to evaporate the chlorine. Then use that water to changes his water. If he lives that long, he'll prbably be much better for it.
 

loup garou

Lifer
Feb 17, 2000
35,132
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Originally posted by: gopunkwell take him to a vet if it's really bugging you...
LOL, it may sound cruel, but if you brought a $1 Betta to a vet for treatment, they'd likely laugh you out of the office.

Plus, there's really no treatment for air bladder problems, as FoBoT posted.
 

Jzero

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
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The problem with Bettas is that everyone thinks it is ok to keep them in a shot glass...
Absolutely. And bettas poop a LOT.
Another thing that p!sses me off is those people that think they are all "crafty" and sell a vase with a betta and a lily and they say you don't have to ever feed the betta b/c it eats the roots.
Riiiiight.
Maybe you could live on lettuce if there was nothing else to eat, but you would certainly not be healthy.
If you own one of these things, do the poor fish a favor and pay $2 for some real betta food. The stuff lasts near forever.

*Jzero keeps his bettas in 2.5-gal tanks...2 to a tank (divided, duh).
 

BD2003

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
16,815
1
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I feed em blood worms for the most part. Also have those little pellets. The water is crystal clear.

And even in this state, I guarantee you he'll murder any other betta. He's already got 5 confirmed kills, and he's an angry mother focker.

I only give them bottled drinking water.
 

wnied

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
4,206
0
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He's having problems with his air bladder. Get ready to flush him.

Agreed.


Get out another $1.50, he's on the way out.
~wnied~
 

Copperman

Platinum Member
Feb 20, 2000
2,888
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I say buy a 20 gallon tank with a decent filter and put him in...........

let the fish enjoy the last bit of his life on top of the water in a big tank

 

Jzero

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
18,834
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Originally posted by: BigDee2003
I feed em blood worms for the most part. Also have those little pellets. The water is crystal clear.

And even in this state, I guarantee you he'll murder any other betta. He's already got 5 confirmed kills, and he's an angry mother focker.

I only give them bottled drinking water.

Well if he's been in 5 fights, how healthy could he possibly be?
Honestly, I've got a few "pure-bred" bettas that could put the smackdown on any petstore fish.
 

BD2003

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
16,815
1
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Well, he wasnt killing other bettas, just poor defenseless little fish. Anyone ever seen a one eyed goldfish? :D

I was training him for the big fighting day, but all of my friends we'rent able to keep theirs alive long enough.
 

BD2003

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
16,815
1
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Looks like he's getting better. He can swim almost totally freely now! Still floats up but not as much. Sweet! :)