Still don't know what it's for? The swim bladder plays an important role in the fish's buoyancy, helping it stay balanced without straining its muscles. It is a bag that accumulates gases and is found between the organs.
In the event of an imbalance or damage to the bag, we can observe how the animal swims uncontrollably and dies shortly after. If you have also observed these symptoms, don't wait any longer and discover on our site how to solve and cure a fish's swim bladder
Remember that time is short so take note of these tips and put them into practice now:
Causes and symptoms of swim bladder
The main problem that causes an imbalance in the swim bladder is the consumption of dry scales but it is not the only one cause. It can also happen for genetic reasons, due to the appearance of a virus or due to problems related to other organs.
We will know that our fish is suffering from a related problem when it behaves in the following way and presents these symptoms:
- Uncontrolled float
- Unbalanced float
- General swelling
- Apathy
- Cannot feed
- Cannot poop
Other symptoms related to this he alth problem may or may not appear, the most revealing is undoubtedly observing flotation problems. In the following image you can see where the swim bladder is located:
What should you do
Whether or not you're sure your fish is having a problem with its swim bladder, the first thing you're going to do is separate it from its matesand place him in a "hospital fish tank" where he can recover without stress. It will also prevent contagion if it were a virus.
Keep reading to know how to act in each of the cases that we have mentioned above.
Bad nutrition
Poor diet is the most common cause of swim bladder-related problems and tends to occur in fish that only feed on scales.
The first thing we will do is fast our fish for a period of two days so that it can evacuate all stools and gases accumulated. Some hobbyists even leave them for three or four days, observe it and move on to the next point if you see improvements.
If the fish's buoyancy improves, you can start offering it food but it will be very important to completely change its diet and discard the scales and commercial products altogether. Find out what it needs depending on its species:
- Goldfish
- Dwarf Pufferfish
- Clownfish
But before you start preparing a variety of natural food porridges, you should offer him boiled peas (from which you will remove the skin) so that his intestinal system recovers little by little.
What should I do if I don't see improvement?
It may happen that you think it is a bladder problem but in reality it is something else. With a simple photograph or video, the professional of any establishment will be able to guide you and will advise you on medicines from your own country or home remedies that work. It may also happen that this does not work if you have detected the problem late, you should take this into account.
Diseases
The following symptoms will tell us if our fish is suffering from any disease:
- White Dots
- Black spots
- Bubbles with feces
- Apathy
- Lack of appetite
- Broken Fins
- Loss of scales
In the face of these symptoms it is recommended that you go to a professional so that they can guide you and explain what steps you should follow in your specific case. As we have explained before, it is of vital importance to separate the patientfrom his congeners to prevent the spread of a possible virus
Other causes
The genetic diseases that can lead to organ problems or that these occur naturally is possible. The constant crossing of related specimens is the most common cause, although it can occur spontaneously.
These cases are isolated and recovery is unlikely. Kidney problems, for example, are difficult to detect if we are beginners in the world of aquarium hobby.
Dismissing the aforementioned will be essential to bet on these causes and pay attention to the basic care of our fish and make sure that we comply with them rigorous way. An erroneous PH can make a fish sick very quickly, so much so that we can confuse it with this disease. Pay attention to all the details to make sure you're doing it right.
