odd behaviour in beta fish

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
I've had a male beta fish since September 2008 and kept him in a 1 gallon glass bowl with weekly water changes and a heater.
I went away for two weeks and left my parents to take care of him. I came home to a completely different fish.
They bought him a new home and it looks great- it's a 5 gallon plastic tank, with new gravel and plastic plants. But they didn't realise that the heater for the 1 gallon tank doesn't heat a 5 gallon tank properly, so the water was cold. (They did however treat the water and let it sit to room temperature for 24 hours, then filtered it 24 hours before putting him in). They also had a power filter running for 3 hours a day- it has a strong current that the fish fights against and he was totally stressed out. They tell me he hasn't been eating for the past couple of days.
I've stopped using the filter and bought a proper filter. But he's still not doing well.

He used to swim around a lot, come to greet me whenever I came in the room and wiggle at the glass. He'd build bubble nests and jump at his food.

He only ate one pellet tonight, usually he eats 4, and he seemed to have a hard time swimming to it. He was swimming slightly sideways and kind of somersaulted to the bottom of the tank, but I can't see any physical problems. Now he's just drifting listlessly at the surface, one fin out of the water, barely moving and not responding to me at all.
What can I do? I love this fish.


ANSWER: Hi Christine,

First of all, make sure that you're leaving the filter on for the whole day. Filters must be run 24/7, and preferably not turned off. The filter supports a variety of beneficial bacteria that remove toxins, and by turning it off, the bacteria dies, and your fish could die from toxin buildup. Just in case you haven't gotten the heater, you need a 25W heater.

Change 30% of the water right now.

He seems to have Swim Bladder Disease. This is characterized by trouble going to the bottom of the tank, sideways/abnormal swimming, etc. Swim Bladder is usually caused by bacteria infecting the Swim Bladder (a membrane-covered pocket of gas, used to float and sink). I would recommend buying a medication at your local fish store that treats bacteria, such as Maracyn. Follow the directions on the bottle carefully, and don't forget to remove the carbon from the filter (if you have it).

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks!
I've changed the water, and also got a thermometer to make sure the heater is working. I've done ph and ammonia tests- the ammonia is near 0 and the ph is only slightly high.
He got better after I tried the pea trick, but hasn't eaten much for two weeks. He was doing great yesterday, going to the bottom and top of the tank with ease and acting normally. Today he's hanging at the top barely moving, and when he sees me he tries to swim over but can't propel himself at all. What's left for me to do?

Answer
Hi Christine,

I'd try changing another 30% of the water. Hanging at the surface is sometimes a sign of low oxygen level, so make sure the filter is set to its maximum output, and if possible, get an air pump.

If you see any signs or symptoms, don't hesitate to tell me!

Good Luck, and Hope he recovers!