He keep floating to the top...

[XLindsayMariieX]

I got a betta for Easter and he's always been a good fish. Last night I cleaned his bowl like normal, and today I noticed he's staying at the top of the bowl. He sometimes goes to the bottom but he struggles with it and goes straight back up to the top. Any suggestions??

[dramaqueen]

Hello and welcome to FishForum. It sounds like he has swimbladder disorder. How much do you feed him and how often?

[XLindsayMariieX]

I feed him every other day and not that much about the size of my pinky nail amount, and he keeps taking breaths when hes at the top too

[dramaqueen]

Most people feed their bettas pellets, 2-3 twice a day. Bettas breathe air at the surface so that may be what you are seeing him do. Swimbladder disorder can be caused by constipation. Fasting for a few days and then feeding daphnia, either frozen or freeze dried can help. Frozen should be thawed first and freeze dried should be rehydrated. I hope this helps.

[kelly528]

How often are you cleaning the bowl? Ideally it should be every 2 days... In a smaller bowl, all the waste that the fish produces (which turns into a toxin called ammonia) is far more concentrated than it would be in, say, a fish tank. You should check this thread out http://www.fishforum.com/betta-fish-...are-faq-20058/ to find out why upgrading to a small tank will save you tons of time and keep your betta in top shape!

[AngelicScars]

I betta's stomach is the size of it's eye, so feeding him a pinky nail amount each time seems a bit much.
As was said before, feeding your betta 2-3 pellets twice a day and fasting at least once a week is ideal.