Who Gives A Fish Forums

My betta's been floating weirdly at the top of the tank, kinda sideways. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate. Tank's a 5 gallon with a sponge filter, heated to 78F. Been feeding him pellets twice a day. Any ideas what's up?

Sounds like swim bladder disorder. Could be from overfeeding or constipation. Try fasting him for a couple days, then feed daphnia or a peeled pea to help clear him out. Also, check if the pellets are sinking too fast, might be gulping air.

Stefan wrote: ↑Sat Aug 02, 2025 11:05 am Sounds like swim bladder disorder. Could be from overfeeding or constipation. Try fasting him for a couple days, then feed daphnia or a peeled pea to help clear him out. Also, check if the pellets are sinking too fast, might be gulping air.

Yep, this worked for my guy last month. I also lowered the water level a bit so he didn't have to swim as hard to get air.

My betta did this too. I just cut back on food and he got better in a few days. Didn't even need the pea thing.

Yo, my fish was straight up vibing sideways like a drunk sailor. Tried the pea trick, but he just spat it out. Switched to frozen daphnia and boom, back to normal in two days. Maybe your dude's just picky.

Had the same issue with my betta. Turns out the pellets were too big. Crushed them into smaller bits and now he's fine. Also, make sure the water flow isn't too strong, might be stressing him out.

tworoses wrote: ↑Sat Aug 02, 2025 2:15 pm Yo, my fish was straight up vibing sideways like a drunk sailor. Tried the pea trick, but he just spat it out. Switched to frozen daphnia and boom, back to normal in two days. Maybe your dude's just picky.

Lol, 'drunk sailor' is spot on. Mine did the same until I soaked the pellets before feeding. Less air, less floaty problems.

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Gonna try fasting him first, then the daphnia if that doesn't cut it. Appreciate the help!

Keep us posted. If it doesn't improve, might be worth checking for internal parasites. Sometimes they mess with the swim bladder too.

Also, make sure the tank's not too deep. Bettas with swim bladder issues struggle in taller tanks. A shallow setup can help them recover faster.