my betta wont sink

[AngelaOlsenFan]

He's having trouble swimming- staying around the top he's fine, but if he tries to swim down, he struggles. It's like there's a helium balloon in him, making him unable to sink.

He's only been like this since yesterday. Water conditions are good (1.5 gallon tank, 25 degrees, water completely changed once a week)
He looks healthy otherwise. I haven't fed him anything different lately.

Can I do anything to help him?

 

[QTOFFER]

Try feeding a pea, microwaved for 30 sec with the skin removed. Then, don't feed anything for a few days. This helps relieve constipation, which can prevent the swimbladder from working properly. In the future, make sure the betta is getting a varied diet - too much meaty meals like bloodworms can cause constipation. I've found that Hikari betta bio-gold pellets are a great staple diet.

I hope it's just constipation. Internal bacterial infections that cause similar symptoms are hard to cure. Keep the water really clean and look out for signs of abdominal bloating and dropsy (scales sticking out like a pinecone).

Just in case, get some epsom salt (found in any drug store) and Jungle Fungus Clear, so you can start treating as soon as symptoms appear. One teaspoon per gallon of Epsom salt can relieve bloating by drawing water out of the abdominal cavity. Dropsy is a tough ailment to cure (I've had no success), but I believe it's always worth a shot using something like Fungus Clear.

 

[blazeyreef]

also, I would not suggest changing all the water once a week, just change 50% or so, not all of it

 

[Zagz]

Definitely try the pea, also add some epsom salts right away to the water to help with his buoyancy issues, I agree with blazey 50% wc not 100%. I'd do it twice a week though with that small of tank.

 

[AngelaOlsenFan]

Thanks for the tips. He was fine the next day, and has been since- not sure what was wrong, constipation maybe. I'll definitely try the pea trick if it happens again!
(He will be moving into half a 6 gallon tank, as soon as I figure out how to divide it.)