I can't determine what is wrong with my fish. It started about a week in a half ago when I noticed he was breathing harder than usual. I wouldn't call it gasping, butI could clearly see his gills moving with what looked like deep breaths. He doesn't always breathe that way, sometimes it's a lot less noticeable. Another thing he does is swim to the top, then sink to the bottom. He'll do this several times before he can stay hovering at the top. He spends about an equal amount of time on the top and bottom of his tank. His energy level and appetite are normal, it's just those 2 things that I'm worried about. The only thing I was able to find with his symptoms is swim bladder disease, but he's not bloated at all, and I only feed him 3 pellets a day, replacing two pellets with bloodworms twice a week, plus I can see poop at the bottom of his tank so it's unlikely he's constipated. But I'm fasting him anyway right now to see it it'll help. I just can't figure out what's wrong with him, and I don't want to treat him with any medications until I know for sure.
Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 78
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? Yes
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Pellets & freeze dried bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? Twice a day
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 3 times a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100% once a week, with two 25% partial changes during the week
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime water conditioner
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? None
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Heavy breathing. Swimming to the top than sinking to the bottom of the tank
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A week and a half ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Fasting
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Just mild fin rot
How old is your fish (approximately)? Probably around 3 years
Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 78
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? Yes
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Pellets & freeze dried bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? Twice a day
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 3 times a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100% once a week, with two 25% partial changes during the week
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime water conditioner
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? None
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Heavy breathing. Swimming to the top than sinking to the bottom of the tank
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A week and a half ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Fasting
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Just mild fin rot
How old is your fish (approximately)? Probably around 3 years