Betta keeps staying at the top of tank

I’ve been noticing this new odd pattern with my betta fish, the edge of his fins are slowly starting to get clear and he’s been staying at the top more often, I checked the water perimeters and there was no nitrite or ammonia but he still is at the top of the tank, I would consider him lethargic but he moves around perfectly fin, like if I add a new plant he will go and check it out but then after he’ll just go back to the top, same happens when I feed him, I was suspicious of it being swim bladder but I feed him every couple of days and when he goes downward it’s not like he will float back up to the top, he can go down just fine, I have a heater for them and a couple live plants but I am not sure what the problem with him is…

Water perimeters right now
Nitrate 20
Nitrite 0
GH very hard
KH 110-180
Ph neutral
Ammonia 0

I also just did a water change last week

I add Seachem Prime to my aquarium and Seachem flourish

The tank size is 4 gallon divided aquarium with a other betta (Background info, there tank is divided because my old 10 gallon split tank broke and I had to get them a immediate tank for them)

They are surface breathers anyway but you can always add another oxygenation source such as venturi on the filter or a basic bubbler...there does not appear to be any surface movement on the water, so that needs to be sorted

Smaller aquariums are much harder to keep water chemistry sorted, so bi-weekly water changes would be beneficial til you can get a larger aquarium

He needs some surface plants. The nitrate level is a concern, and they don't like hard water. What is your pH exactly is it 7

wasmewasntit said:

They are surface breathers anyway but you can always add another oxygenation source such as venturi on the filter or a basic bubbler...there does not appear to be any surface movement on the water, so that needs to be sorted

Smaller aquariums are much harder to keep water chemistry sorted, so bi-weekly water changes would be beneficial til you can get a larger aquarium

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I’ll see if I can find a cheap air pump and a air stone for him.

itiwhetu said:

He needs some surface plants. The nitrate level is a concern, and they don't like hard water. What is your pH exactly is it 7

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My ph exactly is 6.8 and for my nitrates I’ll do a water change, but the water has always been hard, I think it’s just how the water in my city is, im not sure how to soften the water though, how should I soften it?

Mixing that water with rainwater or distilled water, some people use RO systems. You can plant the tank heavily and see if that helps. Check your substrate and make sure that it is not adding to the hardness of your tank.

How often and how much water do you change in this tank? His fins are in pretty rough shape indicating a possible water quality issue. I would suggest increasing you water change amount and frequency to help with it.

Bettaguy08 said:

My ph exactly is 6.8 and for my nitrates I’ll do a water change, but the water has always been hard, I think it’s just how the water in my city is, im not sure how to soften the water though, how should I soften it?

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No need to soften your water as long and your source water is a consistent pH the fish will adjust. I have very hard water at pH 7.8 and my betta of 3 years has had no issues. Most mass bred betta splendens are actually used to harder water than found in the wild. Messing with your water chemistry will likely cause more issues.

Valkyrie_Lips said:

How often and how much water do you change in this tank? His fins are in pretty rough shape indicating a possible water quality issue. I would suggest increasing you water change amount and frequency to help with it.

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Usually once every 1-2 weeks is when I do a water change, I think I should probably do them a lot more often.

Valkyrie_Lips said:

No need to soften your water as long and your source water is a consistent pH the fish will adjust. I have very hard water at pH 7.8 and my betta of 3 years has had no issues. Most mass bred betta splendens are actually used to harder water than found in the wild. Messing with your water chemistry will likely cause more issues.

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I know that having soft water for a betta can help them thrive even more but I don’t think it is the main problem for how my betta is acting, I’ll still try to get a water softener pillow if I can but right now im definitely gonna do more water changes more often just to try and keep the water quality high so they can heal.

He doesn't look healthy to me, suggesting some sort of water quality issue. 2G is also pretty small for a betta in my opinion.

Bettaguy08 said:

Usually once every 1-2 weeks is when I do a water change, I think I should probably do them a lot more often.

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Yes, especially since you have two fish in a small tank. I personally would do at least 2-3 50% water changes weekly in a tank like that. I only have 1 betta in a 5 gallon and I do a 50-60% water change weekly. Water is pristine and I have never had any issues in the 3 years that I have had him. I really think increasing your water changes will help. Best of luck!

Edit: I just found these weird small red worm in my aquarium and removed it, I was thinking it might be a parisite but it was bright red and easily tore apart just by me moving it, anyone know what this might be or if this could be related to the way my betta is acting?