Adamu is acting weird :/

[Panthera]

Sorry for swarming this forum with different topics, but this is kind of bothering me. Adamu isn't swimming around like he normally does, he'll just float near the surface of the water, and come up every minute or so for air. He'll move if I get near him, but then he'll find a different spot and just stay there, no swimming around at all :/

Housing
What size is your tank? (5.5 Gallons)
What temperature is your tank? 78 degrees
Does your tank have a filter? Yes, but its too powerful so I put a sock on it to baffle it, but then took it off until I get a sponge for it. Filter is currently off.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? yes - 25 watt submersible heater
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? HBH Betta Bites (Pellets)
How often do you feed your betta fish? Twice a day, usually 2 pellets in morning, 2 pellets at night.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every day- every other day.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 20-30%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Splendid Betta complete water conditioner, and some Stress coat.

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

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness: N/A
Alkalinity: N/A

I have strips that I bought, but I don't really get how to read them. All I know is that I have hard water :/

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? None
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Will stay near the surface of the tank like he's staring at the water, and won't move unless I get near him. Been doing this for an hour or 2.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A few hours ago
Have you started treating your fish? Well I did pretty much a 100% water change yesterday since I got him pleanty of new stuff. I also put a bit of Aquarium salt in his tank just in case.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? None.

Again this might be nothing, but I worry really easily, and I just wanted to make sure this wasn't a disease or something since he's never done this before.

Thanks!

[Panthera]

Do you guys think it could just be stress? I've changed his home a lot lately with adding new stuff and getting the filter figured out this morning, it probably just took a toll on him. I don't know, I just worry a lot about my pets since my cat who I had since I was a 5 died at the age of 21 in June :(

Guess Adamu just needs some time to rest up, at least I hope thats the reason he's acting like this.

[Adastra]

Hm, I'm worried about you putting a sock in his tank. It might still be carrying perfume/detergent/fabric softening chemicals from when you last washed it.

If you have not already, remove it and do a large water change--add a little extra dechlorinator to the water than usual. It will help remove residual toxins in the water. If your filter came with carbon in it, it might be a good idea to let the cartridge sit in the water if you're not using the filter since the carbon will help absorb toxins as well.

Remember to let your fish acclimate to the new water slowly.

The dip strip test probably came with a comparison chart for you to put the strip against to determine what your results mean. Sometimes it's on the back of the label itself, so examine the bottle carefully. I don't normally recommend dip strips because they're extremely expensive per test, and for all that money, they're not accurate at all. They can tell you positive/negative whether you have ammonia/nitrite/nitrate, but they're terrible at telling you how much. When you run out of those, you should definitely get a good liquid master test kit instead. They are much, much more cost effective and they are extremely accurate.

[Panthera]

Okay thanks Adastra, I did about an 80% water change just now and he seems to still be doing it. I added declorinator and stress coat to the water, and its the same temperature. But he just seems to be pointing towards the surface with his tail down. He stays there and then lets himself float down a little, but then swims right back up.

I also think he might be breathing a bit heavy. I don't really know the signs, but his gills seem to be moving really fast. Please if anyone could respond soon, I'm worried about him and I want to make sure I have what he needs since I'm leaving for the pet store in about ten minutes. Thanks!

[Panthera]

Update: He's doing much better since I came back from doing some shopping about an hour ago. Adamu isn't doing the floating towards the surface anymore, and he's swimming around the whole tank and checking stuff out :D He even made a nice bubble nest on his heater ;)

My mom was extra generous and bought me the API test kit, so now I can monitor all the levels. The PH I think was 7.4 and the Ammonia was about .25 ppm. I think those levels are a bit high, but not bad. Correct me if I'm wrong please. I also bought a few aquarium sponges for the filter since the sock was a horrible idea. I think I'll wait until later tomorrow to put the filter in though, Adamu has had enough change for one day.