My beta fish is dangling from the top of the bowl !!

Question
I have had my male beta for a year now, and for the last 4-5 months he has progressively began just floating at the top of the bowl...not belly up either....it's like he's dangling: his tail is at the top and his body is hunched over with his head facing the bottom!  It's such a sad sight...I keep making sure he isn't dead everyday. But my little fish is a fighter...and a dangler! He's in a gallon tank/bowl that I change every week and add Auqua Safe water conditioner. He's fed a few beta pellets twice a day which he eats at his leisure.  Any ideas what this condition could be due to ?

Answer
Hi Heather;

It sounds like a digestive issue that has affected his swim bladder. When a betta overeats or doesn't get enough variety and fiber in his diet, he gets constipated. When he is constipated his swim bladder can become inflamed and/or blocked. The swim bladder is an organ just below the spine above the digestive system that controls buoyancy. When it is irritated or blocked, it can't work properly so the fish floats, or some fish sink to the bottom and can't get up to the top without struggling.

To start getting his digestion in shape, do not feed him at all for 3 full days. Then feed him a couple of tiny chunks of a cooked and peeled green pea. Feed a couple of tiny chunks every day for 3 or 4 days. Even if he doesn't eat it at first, keep trying. Net out anything he doesn't eat right away. Fish are just fine with no food at all for 2 weeks or more. His digestive system needs to clear itself out.

One very important thing to look at is his diet. There should never be leftover food floating for him to eat beyond about 5 minutes. Pelleted and other dried fish food spoils very quickly and it could be contributing to making him sick. Only feed him 4 or 5 pellets every day. Once a day is plenty. If you really want to feed twice a day, give him only 2 pellets twice a day. A betta's stomach is only as big as his eye. Feed other foods besides the pellets too. Frozen or dried brine shrimp, frozen or dried blood worms are good supplements for him. Give a different food than pellets every other day.

Followups welcome.....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins