Bettas mostly swim horizontally. Even though Betta doesn’t typically swim straight up and down, vertical swimming can nevertheless surprise aquarists. If your fish is acting similarly and you desperately need advice, you’ve come to the perfect place.
Observing this action of your Betta, several questions, such as Why is my fish floating vertically head up? Is my pet sick? Is it just the common nature of the Bettas? Or is this the terrifying swim bladder syndrome you’ve heard of? It might arise and begin to concern you.
Well, because of an underlying condition, including swim bladder sickness, constipation, or infections, betta fish generally swim vertically. This also occurs if the tank is limited or the water quality is inadequate. However, up and down swimming in bettas might even be a subject of personality.
This article will walk you through a list of helpful remedies to maintain the health and well-being of your finned pals and provide an understanding of the aspects that can cause Betta to change its swimming pattern from horizontal to vertical.
Factors That Cause Betta To Swim Vertically
Vertical swimming is typically considered to be unnatural. Bettas shouldn’t be swimming up and down. Furthermore, you need to determine why your betta is swimming in this manner. Here are some factors for why your Betta is Swimming vertically.
Personality
Betta fish is a peculiar creature. You can’t always predict Betta’s personality. Not every distressed betta swims up and down the tank. This behavior may be quite typical for some fish, specifically if it is frequent. It should not bother you unless it is associated with other indicators of trouble.
If you want to make sure that your betta fish swims that way because of personality reasons, you should pay close attention to how it behaves. For instance, you should take your betta’s swimming habit seriously if it also appears lethargic and bloated.
Poor Water Quality
Betta fish cannot survive in filthy, neglected tanks. They require a pH of 7.0 and temperatures between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Both too hot and too cold water is prohibited. An abrupt temperature change could scare the fish to death.
You must maintain a nitrite and ammonia level of 0. Nitrate levels should also be below 20 ppm. You can’t let the ammonia build up. If it occurs, the bettas will suffer, their gills will burn, they will become ill, and eventually, they will die. However, before they pass away, they will respond in ways that show how uncomfortable they are, such as swimming vertically.
Swim Bladder Sickness
Your first assumption should be swim bladder sickness if your betta is floating irregularly. This is because of the disease’s connection to the gas-filled sac, which has an impact on the fish’s aquatic equilibrium.
The betta’s capacity to swim decreases whenever the swim bladder is damaged or under attack by an illness. That is so because the fish are made to float by the trapped gas. Therefore, any inconsistent swimming on a fish’s part should raise concerns regarding the swim bladder.
If your Betta is floating vertically, keep an eye out for any indications of stomach expansion as well as tiredness and an unbalanced posture. Swim bladder disease is a condition that can be brought on by poor water quality, infections, constipation, and injuries. But it’s not spreadable.
Constipation
An unsuitable diet or overeating can cause constipation. The illness may not seem dangerous, but it has the potential to affect your betta’s swimming abilities and cause abnormal behavior like vertical swimming.
If your betta gets constipated, its stools will be stringy and linger from it instead of sinking to the bottom. When constipation becomes severe, it inhibits a betta’s ability to swim. Moreover, the fish will start to droop.
Small-Sized Tanks
Betta fish may appear to be easy to maintain, but you can’t just put it in a bowl or a tank that is less than five gallons in size. Your betta fish will experience stress in a small tank and may be more likely to accumulate toxins, which may cause it to stand up straight.
Additionally, keep in mind that bettas enjoy exploring and are territorial. However, you shouldn’t overdo the decoration in their tank because the bettas enjoy exploring; otherwise, they could get hurt when they swim into rough edges or other attractive elements.
Overfilling
Another probable reason for ammonia buildup is overfilling. More fish means more food consumed and more waste produced by the fish. You should also think about oxygen deficit in addition to ammonia.
When a tank is overrun with bettas, the oxygen cannot be replenished quickly enough to fulfill the needs of the residents. In addition to limiting the betta’s freedom and promoting algae and pest snail infestations, the stress brought on by all of these variables can induce bettas to swim vertically.
Tankmates
Betta is an aggressive fish. It has a track record of brawling. So it’s important to carefully consider your tankmates. The Betta must be kept with species that get along well with others and aren’t notorious for biting other fish fins. Otherwise, your betta will become stressed if the tank is unfriendly. Glass surfing may occur under stress.
However, you should avoid those companies for your Betta that swims quickly and might nip your betta’s fins at all costs. Mollies and cichlids are a bad choice because of this. Additionally, you ought to avoid keeping more than one male betta fish in the same tank.
What Causes My Betta to Swim Vertically with its Nose Up?
Any of the above causes could be the reason why your Betta is moving vertically with its nose up. When Betta finds it difficult to breathe, it often swims vertically, heads up.
This can occur when Betta is under stress, when the water is dirty, when Betta is pregnant, or when it has swim bladder illness.
The most frequent cause of a Betta swimming in the vertical direction with its nose up is swim bladder illness. Bettas in this kind of situation swim up to inhale air into their swim bladders, which increases their buoyancy.
The Betta begins to rise toward the surface as it becomes more buoyant. As a result, it will appear that the Betta is swimming up while sticking its nose out.
What Causes My Betta Fish to Swim Head Down Vertically?
Fish with swim bladder illness are always seen swimming vertically with their heads down.
Fish breathe air by swimming upward, whereas they release air from their swim bladder by swimming downward.
If your fish is swimming vertically with its head down, it is attempting to expel air from its swim bladder. As your fish travels below, you’ll also see that air bubbles are flowing out of its mouth.
How Should I Treat Bettas Swimming Vertically?
Once you know why your Betta is swimming vertically, you can help it so it can swim regularly once again. Providing the assistance that your Betta requires quickly could perhaps save its life. Here are some points listed below that may help you to treat the Betta swimming vertically:
Make Sure Water Is in Good Condition
To survive, your betta fish requires clean water. The betta fish releases ammonia into the water every time it eats, which causes the water’s quality to be poor.
For instance, ammonia must be maintained at zero. However, you can’t use your instincts to detect this ammonia as you can’t see it or smell it. But if ammonia is found in the tank, action must be taken right away to get rid of it. If you frequently change the water in your tank, ammonia won’t be a big concern. That is the simplest method for keeping the tank clean.
It would be ideal if you vacuumed the substrate as well. In addition to the garbage, all the unfinished food sinks to the bottom. If the substrate isn’t cleaned, the debris and leftovers will decompose and bring poison to the tank which will harm your Betta. So, you should maintain a routine for cleaning your tank often.
Treatment of Constipation
If your betta develops swim bladder disease due to constipation, you can aid in the recovery of its stomach by denying it food for a day or two before giving it a pea. You don’t need to worry about a betta going without food for a day because they can go up to ten days without eating.
Peas are a good source of fiber and can help with constipation. After your betta has been fasting, boil a pea for five to fifteen minutes, remove the shell, and cut the pea into tiny pieces. The pea can also be crushed and added to the tank one piece at a time. You only need to feed your Betta half a pea, but you can give them more if required.
Epsom salt, which has calming, laxative, and antibacterial properties, can be used instead of the pea if your betta won’t eat it. When utilizing this as a treatment, using a tiny container as a medical tank is advised as using one tablespoon of salt per water gallon.
After overcoming constipation, ensure that your betta only eats the recommended feeding portions. It can be fed once or twice daily. If you feed your betta bloodworms, you should only give them up to three pieces per feeding session. Pellets should only be consumed around three to four pieces every feeding time and should be immersed in water for a minimum of 10 minutes before ingestion.
Appropriate Tank Size
For the majority of bettas, a 5-gallon aquarium should be adequate. But you may require a larger tank if you have additional fish or a huge number of fish together. In the same way, consider keeping an eye on your betta: some bettas like larger settings and will typically stress out about living in a confined place.
Avoidance Of Excessive Feeding
Bettas’ stomachs are very small. You can’t let them eat too much. Preferably serve them no more than two meals per day. You should also choose one day per week as a fast day. Due to this, the risk of disorders such as swim bladder dysfunction and constipation would be reduced.
Maintain a Stable Temperature
If the summer heat in your area is an issue and the tank temperature keeps rising, add a cooling system. By blowing over the water’s surface, it will regulate the temperature. If the problem worsens, you may need to take more serious measures, such as putting ice cubes inside a zip-top bag.
You should check the water’s temperature occasionally using a thermostat. If you don’t already have one, install one. In doing so, the water will be prevented from dropping below the necessary temperature threshold. Furthermore, the gadget should minimize temperature fluctuations in the water, which could be hazardous to betta fish.
As we have discussed earlier, the main factor affecting your Betta to swim in a vertical direction is swim bladder disease. Therefore, it is crucial to understand swim bladder disease, the available treatments, and how to avoid it.
What Is Swim Bladder Disease?
Swim bladder disease is a widespread and serious ailment that affects much fish. The fish’s abdomen contains the swim bladder, a gas-filled organ. This organ aids the fish’s ability to stay buoyant. Since the fish’s digestive system controls the gas in its swim bladder, any digestion issues will also have an impact on the swim bladder, which will damage the fish’s buoyancy.
Swim bladder disorders can be brought on by a variety of reasons, including bacterial, viral, and parasite infections, constipation, and excessive nitrate and ammonia levels in the water.
A fish’s swim bladder will spontaneously release air if its digestive system is in good shape. However, fish with intestinal issues will find it difficult to let the air out of their swim bladders, which makes them float. These fish may have trouble maintaining neutral buoyancy and will frequently struggle to control their swimming.
Typical Symptoms of Swim Bladder Disease
There are several signs you might notice if your fish have swim bladder illness. Some of them are listed below:
- Fish settling to the tank’s bottom
- Fish are seen circling the tank’s top
- Fish swim in the vertical direction
- Fish struggle to breathe
- Fish have an enlarged belly
- Complete inability to move
- Fish have curved back
Causes Of Swim Bladder Disease
The swim bladder disease can be caused by:
- Constipation causes the swim bladder to be pressured by extra food.
- Eating while inhaling air from the tank’s surface.
- Eating unsuitable foods, which causes the stomach to ferment
- Unusual temperature variations
- Bacterial and parasitic infection
Treatment For The Swim Bladder Disease
Antibiotic therapy can help eliminate the underlying infection or parasite and resolve the swim bladder issue in cases of infections or parasites.
On the other hand, the best course of action is to temporarily fast your fish for at least three days if the strain on the swim bladder is brought on by an expanded intestine. Likewise, set the water’s temperature to 79 degrees and maintain it there for the duration of the three days.
Pick up a few frozen peas and defrost them the next day. The peas should then be boiled in fresh water for less than a minute, skinned, and fed to your fish. Feed your fish boiling peas for the next three days until you see that it is swimming properly. Also, lowering the water level can make the fish swim more effectively. However, to get rid of parasites, you can add aquarium salt in small quantities to the tank.
Some of the best options for you are:
- API AQUARIUM SALT Freshwater Aquarium Salt 16-Ounce Box
- Instant Ocean Reef Crystals Reef Salt For 160 Gallons, Enriched Formulation For aquariums
You also can reach out to an aquatic veterinarian in addition to all the previously discussed treatments. An experienced veterinarian can diagnose the cause of the issue and speed up your fish’s recovery.
How Long Can A Betta Fish With Swim Bladder Disease Survive?
If a fish contracts a viral or bacterial illness, swim bladder disease may only be transitory. However, in rare circumstances, this swim bladder condition becomes permanent. If not, you may help your fish live a happy and healthy life despite having swim bladder illness by making simple lifestyle changes.
Along with some nutritional adjustments, changes to the tank’s design, and adjustments to the way you feed them, you will need to maintain immaculate water conditions. Your fish can have a long life if you take good care of your swollen fish.
However, if your fish suffered this illness due to a bacterial infection and you didn’t treat it with medication, you will regrettably be unable to cure the illness. Your fish will eventually start to get weaker and possibly perish.
FAQ
Does Betta Fish Sleep In A Vertical Position?
Due to the lack of eyelids, Betta remains immobile while sleeping with its eyes wide open. Betta fish can sleep in a variety of ways, including curled up just like a cat, along one side, or perhaps even upright with the head facing downwards which is a natural mode of its self-defense. Betta fish may also lose its color while dozing off.
Is Swim Bladder Disease Communicable?
Fish cannot spread a swim bladder disease to other fish. To cure and monitor your sick fish, it’s ideal if you relocate it to a different tank. For you to be able to view the fish’s condition properly, the tank should be clear of gravel or plants. Use fresh water alone; do not use the fish tank’s water since that could have contributed to the issue.
Conclusion
Bettas swim vertically when they are anxious, pregnant, or have swim bladder illness. While the first two scenarios are common and simple to fix, the other is far more challenging and may be harmful to your fish.
Since swim bladder illness is one of the main causes for your Betta to swim in a vertical direction, it must be treated as soon as symptoms are identified to avoid fatalities. Swim bladder disease can be treated in a variety of ways, but the most effective course of action is to identify the underlying reason for the swim bladder disorder.
By identifying the underlying reason, you can ensure a speedy recovery for your fish and prevent swim bladder disease from recurring in the future.
