Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hi, good evening. I'm fairly new to fish-keeping. I've had three fish so far, and my latest one is Vodka, a male betta. He's been really active and curious since I got him, always aware of his surroundings and rushing to eat whenever I feed him. Recently, though, he's been less active and hasn't been eating at all, which I found pretty weird.

About five days ago, I noticed him swimming oddly. I've been keeping a close eye on him since then and I've seen him float sideways a few times. Today was really concerning - he was just floating there, looking like he was dead, but when I approached the tank, he suddenly swam back to his hiding spot behind the water heater.

I've also noticed that he's a bit bloated on the sides and bottom. I'm worried it might be something to do with his swimming bladder or maybe dropsy. Does anyone know what could be causing this? Is there anything I can do to help him? He's about a year old, and his tank is a 10-gallon one with a filter and a heater. He's the only fish in the tank.

I think it's crucial we take a closer look at Vodka's environment. To better understand what's going on, could you please share your water test results? Specifically, we'll need to know the levels of ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite. This will give us a clearer picture of what might be causing his symptoms.

A 70% water change is a good starting point, always helps to rule out any water quality issues.

Do daily 75% water changes for Vodka, and add some aquarium salt to his tank.