Betta Fish Vertical Death Hang: Top 4 Causes & Remedies

betta fish vertical death hang
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Last Updated: July 12, 2022 by Flora Gibbins

It’s normal for fish to play in their aquarium, but what if you see your betta fish floating vertically head up? Is it a cute new trick or something serious? Does it only happen to bettas, or is it the dreaded swim bladder disease you’ve heard about?

Well, here’s the thing: only a handful of fish ever swim vertically, such as trumpetfish or shrimps. So, if you find your betta fish swimming vertically, see it as a sign that something is wrong, and fix it ASAP. Many fish owners call this the vertical death hang, and we’ll tell you why.

Why Is It Called Betta Fish Vertical Death Hang?

betta at the bottom fish tank

They call it the death hang because it usually kills the fish if you don’t act quickly. It’s this sign that says, hey, your fish is sick, struggling, and basically just hanging there until it dies unless you do something about it.

Swim Bladder Disorder: The Main Culprit

The betta fish vertical death hang occurs when your fish develops swim bladder disease.

This illness affects a fish’s swim bladder, a gas-filled sac in bony fishes that allow them to float neutrally without swimming. If it’s affected, your fish would struggle to float properly or stay upright.

Many things can cause swim bladder disease, including poor water conditions, filtration issues, wrong tank sizes, and constipation. We’ll discuss those here and show you how you can fix those issues and possibly save your betta.

Betta Fish Vertical Death Hang Causes And Cures

betta fish on top of fish tank

Swim bladder disorder is always to blame when you see betta fish standing straight up. To help your fish recover quickly, figure out the swim bladder causing factors and make the necessary adjustments before attempting to treat your betta.

Poor Water Conditions

Unclean tank water can cause bacterial infection, which can affect your betta’s swim bladder. However, did you know poor water conditions don’t simply mean unclean water? Bad water conditions can also mean you’re using incompatible water, the wrong temperature, or exposing your betta to the wrong pH level.

Incompatible water like tap water may contain chlorine and other heavy metals that can harm your betta. Meanwhile, the wrong water temperature is anything that falls below or above 76°F to 81°F.

Changes to these temperatures can cause an increase or decrease in metabolism, which will affect your betta’s digestive system and eventually cause a swim bladder issue.

Likewise, exposing your betta to the wrong pH level will have your betta fish’s vertical nose up. This will physically damage your fish and interfere with its swimming patterns, which would lead to the death hang.

A too-low pH level would result in burns or lesions, while a too-high pH will increase algae and possibly force your betta into acting erratically enough to rub against tank decorations and injure itself.

Factoid: One way of helping you in determining if your pet fish has a disease is by observing its behavior in the water. If your fish keeps on swimming upwards and staying at the top, then this is a sign your aqua buddy is having problems. We have an article about this — Betta Fish Staying At Top Of Tank: 6 Reasons They Float Up — that explains this peculiar behavior.

How To Fix Toxic Water Conditions

cleaning the aquarium with vacuum

If you suspect that bad water condition has your betta fish floating vertically head up, you can help your fish recover by doing a few things. Keep your tank’s water clean, clear out algae, and observe regular water changes of at least 10 to 20% every week.

Then, invest in a water heater and thermometer to make sure your betta’s tank remains at optimal temperatures. Additionally, keep the aquarium’s pH level somewhere around 6.8 to 7.5. You can add peat moss or driftwood to your tank to lower its pH or use limestone or coral sand to promote an increase in pH.

Filtration Issues

dirty aquarium filter

As you may already know, manually cleaning your aquarium isn’t enough, and that’s where filters come in. However, not every aquarium filter is created equal, so there’s a chance that your current filter affected your fish badly enough for it to stay in a vertical position.

This may be caused by an incompatible filter, a filter that hasn’t been maintained properly, or a filter that isn’t capable enough when it comes to removing the tank’s toxins. An incompatible filter would be high flow and damage your fish’s fins.

Meanwhile, an unmaintained filter can cause swim bladder disease since it’s unable to do its filtration job. The same goes for a filter that lacks the capacity to clean your tank, which might be a chemical filter that doesn’t filter the fish’s produced toxins as good as a biological filter.

How To Deal With Filtration Issues

biological aquarium filter with pump

When taking care of betta fish, invest in a good biological filter. While chemical filters with activated carbon and such may sound attractive, it’s still best to pick a biological filter.

Chemical filters work best when you’re medicating a fish and wish to filter its tank. while biological filters more efficiently clean a tank’s toxins.

It’s also best to remember to clean your filters as needed. If you notice some clogging or dirt accumulation, unclog the filter as soon as possible or replace it. Also, make sure that your filter is low-flow: low-flow filters are more delicate on your fish’s fins than high-flow ones.

Tank Size Problems

betta in fish bowl

While betta fish may seem simple to care for, you can’t simply stash them in a bowl or a tank smaller than five gallons. A small tank will stress your betta and be more prone to accumulating toxins, which could result in betta fish standing straight up.

Also, remember that bettas are territorial and love to explore. However, their love for exploration shouldn’t make you overdecorate their tank: an overdecorated tank will not allow a betta to roam freely and may even cause injuries when your fish swims past sharp edges or other decorative parts.

How To Find The Right Tank Size

An aquarium with a 5-gallon capacity should be enough for most bettas. However, if you have other fish or plenty of fish together, you’ll need a larger tank. Likewise, try observing your betta, too: some bettas prefer larger spaces and will tend to stress over living in a small space.

Consider using a separate tank or an aquarium divider if you notice your fish fighting.

Overfeeding Or Constipation

A betta fish may also hang vertically if it’s overfed or constipated. You probably already know not to overfeed fish, but there’s a chance you’ll get carried away when feeding your betta.

Bettas are predatory and tend to eat everything given to them, which may make them look hungry and coerce you into feeding them more.

Likewise, their store-bought food usually consists of dry pellets, bloodworms, or brine shrimp, which barely contain moisture and cause the betta to swell if they overeat.

When a betta fish is overfed, it becomes constipated and develops a bloated abdomen. This swelling then blocks much of everything else, which puts pressure on the swim bladder and makes the betta fish float vertically.

How to Help A Constipated Betta

If constipation causes swim bladder disease in your betta, you can help your betta’s stomach recover by fasting it for a day or two and then giving it a pea. A betta can survive for up to 10 days without eating, so you don’t have to worry about not feeding it for a day.

Once you’ve fasted your betta, boil a pea for 5 to 15 minutes, remove its shell, and cut it into tiny portions. You may also just crush the pea and place it bit by bit into the aquarium. Half a pea should be good enough, but you may feed more if necessary.

Peas are high in fiber; work well for treating constipation.

If your betta refuses to eat the pea, you may also use Epsom salt, which acts as a relaxant, laxative, and a bacteria-fighting substance against infection. We recommend using a small container as a hospital tank when using this as treatment and using one teaspoon of salt per gallon of water.

After surviving constipation, make sure your betta only consumes proper feeding portions. You can feed it one to two times a day. If you’re feeding your betta fish bloodworms, limit their consumption to just two or three pieces for each feeding session. Pellets should be soaked in water for at least 10 minutes before consumption and limited to two to four pieces for every feeding.

Fun Fact: You’d be surprised to know that not only does the aforementioned illness strike bettas but others, too, of different forms and in different ways. Learn about Betta Fin Rot vs Fin Loss – Main Differences And Treatments for additional knowledge on betta health problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do betta fish die easily?

Betta fish don’t die easily, but they need proper care to thrive in their tanks.

How do you know if something is wrong with your betta fish?

Betta fish love moving around, so if your betta starts showing signs of lethargy, something may be wrong. Besides this, a sick fish may also suffer from a loss of appetite, discoloration, damaged fins, and labored breathing.

Why is my betta fish swimming vertically?

Betta fish often start swimming vertically when a condition or event affects their swim bladder. A swim bladder is an organ that allows them to stay afloat without much effort, so any damage to it affects your betta’s ability to balance itself in the water.

Your betta fish can develop swim bladder issues when exposed to poor tank conditions, filtration issues, tank size problems, or overfeeding and constipation.

Bottom Line

Plenty of factors can force your betta fish into a vertical death hang, so consider the things we listed above to help your fish recover from it. And once your fish fully heals, stay vigilant and ensure that you maintain the tank properly so it never has to happen again!

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