# siamese fighter fish stays at top of tank



## Ice fish (Dec 18, 2012)

I'd like to know why does my siamese fighter fish always stay at the top of the tank


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

She's probably trying to take in more air. Siamese fighters have a special organ that allows them to breathe air from the surface, as well as through their gills in the water.

It's normal for them to come to the surface and breathe air from the surface every now and then, but if she's staying there constantly, it's probably because the toxic ammonia and nitrite in the water (because it's not being broken down by good bacteria in a filter) have damaged her gills and internal organs, which means she can't get enough oxygen through her gills 

Also, as has been said before, the bowl shape means that there's not much surface area compared to the volume of water, which means there won't be much oxygen in the water.

Please, please get a filter for your fish, and ideally a better tank. Also, please keep changing a large percentage of the water every day until the filter is cycled. (If you take a sample of the tank water to your aquatic shop, they should be able to test it for ammonia and nitrite. Make sure you ask them _exactly_ what the results are - if they're not zero, it's not cycled yet. Better still, you can buy a test kit yourself.)


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