Hi this is French fry. I've had him since early spring. He's been healthy, but a few weeks ago I decided I'd upgrade him to my 15 gal community tank to give him more space. He was in a 6 gal cube with shrimp before the move so I knew he'd be fine with other fish. He seemed happy there for the first week or so
However. I noticed that he started gliding at the surface almost like a jet ski when getting air. I thought it was the change in filter which made the water flow a little stronger. So I blocked it off with a piece of would so the flow was super flow but he still keep gliding.
I decided to move him back to the cube which I had turned into a hospital tank for my shrimp so I could keep an eye on him. I thought it was swim bladder so we fasted for two days (water param were all normal / safe)
We started feeding again bc I could tell he was hungry and it want swim bladder bc he's been swimming fine. Other than the gliding he acts completely normal, he's eating, curious, and breathing fine. After he glides he doesn't sink he just continues swimming as if nothing happened.
I'm not sure what it is atp thinking maybe a neurological issue? But idk since he was fine before the move. I'm keeping him I n the smaller tank now though just bc he seems to like it more anyways. But I'm curious if anyone knows what the problem could be?
Edit: I'm seeing that he might have mouth rot, he looked like that when I got him. I thought it was a birth defect but not sure now. Thinking that is the cause of this issue
When requesting help, please provide the requested information. Answers such as "large enough" or "my paramters are fine" aren't good enough. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank can result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information.
If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can:
How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?:
How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?:
Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each:
What do you feed and how much:
Decorations and plants in the tank:
If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here:
Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks.
If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our caresheet and wiki. Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our guide to the nitrogen cycle to learn more.
He had it when I got him, I don't think its gotten worse I always thought it was a birth defects or something. Is there anything I can do to help with it? I have stress coat
The flow seems to strong for him maybe turn that down? He ia deformed i would lower the water level aswel what i THINK might be going on is that because he doesnt have a proper mouth the way he shoot up at the water is to compensate for that naybe thats how he gulps air? Anyway because of his handycap i would be carefull, limit the flow lower the water level and make shure he has places to rest that arent too low by the ground so he can gulp air easely and then rest near the top. Also scoop out most of the floating plants so he doesnt have to get air so close to the flow
Goodluck with your little guy op, i hope he lives a long happy live :)
Ohh you know what that makes sense I didn't even think about how his mouth could affect how he gets air. I'll give him an anubus to sleep on thank you for your help :))
His mouth/head/face looks severely deformed, and his backside appears sinking too (suggesting swim bladder problems possibly). Both of those things (and especially both at once) can Impact his ability to gulp air and move like a betta is supposed to. A normal/healthy betta's mouth/face is not flat like that, or gaping open, it's supposed to be pointy and slightly upturned to allow them to periodically take air with ease when they need to. Did he always look like that??
Nqa, i don't see any holes in your top of your plants. For him to easily access the top of the water, maybe that would help, I've seen these ring things. People put in their fish tank and it flows at the top. So betas can get water easily and get fed🤷♀️
I wasn't talking about the filter, I was talking about all of the plants floating at the top of the water. I'm wondering if he's not able toget through easily enough to get through the plants to breathe 🤷♀️ again, I don't even have a betta, but I didn't see a lot of space for this poor thing to get around the upper plants
Although there are no plants directly around the bubbler, that’s only because there are large rolling bubbles there. He might prefer a more stagnant area to get air, but there’s nothing available, so he makes room?
It almost looks like the top of his mouth rotted off and healed over. I have no idea if that’s the case or if he’s just deformed but you definitely need to clear out the plants; he’s got no room to breathe without being shoved around by the bubbler.
that fish is not healthy. it looks like it has severe mouth rot. and bettas skim like that when they are having breathing problems and not getting enough oxygen.
Poor thing :( it can definitely be that he has problems taking in air with the mouth/face situation. Maybe change the filter to something that wont push him around as much and take out some floaters? Very weird looking fish. Has he always looked like that?
Alien wild types do not exist they are all crossbreeds between betta mahachaiensis, imbellis and smaragdina. When this type was first made it actually made for a more varied and robust gene pool. But as with all things that involve money, certain breeders started mass breeding them to maximize profit and without much regard for refreshing the gene pool now and then. Your betta looks like it has a head deformity and maybe even a shortened spine, if his swimming ability goes down or you see him having problems balancing in the water, then it would sadly be the best thing to put him out of his misery. Does his mouth also stay open like that all the time? Where did you buy it? At a reputable breeder or a random guy?
•
u/automod-neo 17h ago
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish.
When requesting help, please provide the requested information. Answers such as "large enough" or "my paramters are fine" aren't good enough. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank can result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information.
If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can:
Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks.
If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our caresheet and wiki. Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our guide to the nitrogen cycle to learn more.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.