Betta breathing at surface: Normal?

[beccykit]

My Betta has been spending a lot of time at the surface lately. Is this normal behavior? The tank is a 5 gallon with a sponge filter, kept at 78 degrees. I do weekly water changes, about 20%, and use Seachem Prime. There's no ammonia or nitrite, nitrate is around 10 ppm. Tankmates are just a few Nerite snails.

[caninefan]

Bettas are labyrinth fish, so they do breathe air from the surface. But if it's constant, might be worth checking oxygen levels. What's your surface agitation like? Also, how old is the Betta? Older ones tend to hang at the top more.

[sandok]

Yep, gotta agree with caninefan. If the sponge filter isn't creating much movement, the water might be low on O2. Try adjusting the flow or adding an airstone. Also, what's your feeding routine? Overfeeding can mess with water quality even if params look good.

[beccykit]

Bettas are labyrinth fish, so they do breathe air from the surface. But if it's constant, might be worth checking oxygen levels. What's your surface agitation like? Also, how old is the Betta? Older ones tend to hang at the top more.

Thanks for the advice. The Betta is about a year old, and the surface agitation is minimal. I'll look into an airstone.

[caninefan]

A year old is still pretty young, so I'd lean toward the oxygen thing. Sponge filters are great for Bettas but don't always cut it for surface movement. An airstone should help. Also, double-check your heater settings, sometimes they act up and raise temps too high, which lowers oxygen.

[sandok]

If you're gonna add an airstone, keep it chill though. Bettas don't like strong currents. And yeah, heaters can be sketchy. I've had one spike to 85 degrees outta nowhere. What brand are you using?

[caninefan]

If you're gonna add an airstone, keep it chill though. Bettas don't like strong currents. And yeah, heaters can be sketchy. I've had one spike to 85 degrees outta nowhere. What brand are you using?

Good point about the current. I'd go with a low-output airstone and maybe a control valve to adjust it. Also, seconding the heater question. Some brands are just unreliable.

[beccykit]

The heater is an Aqueon 50W. It's been steady so far, but I'll keep an eye on it. I'll pick up an airstone tomorrow and see if that helps. Appreciate all the suggestions.

[sandok]

Aqueon's usually decent, but yeah, watch it. Let us know how the airstone works out. Sometimes it's the simplest fixes that do the trick.