What is swim bladder?

The swim bladder is an air-filled organ inside the fish which is used to maintain the fish’s position and direction in the water.

When the swim bladder is malfunctioning, fish are unable to maintain their buoyancy. They may sink and remain at the bottom of the pond, or they may go belly up and float on the surface of the water upside down.

Fish who have swim bladder will exhaust themselves trying to become the right way up or stay the right way up and feed.

Ultimately its hard to treat swim bladder effectively but there are things you can do to alleviate the symptoms.

Unfortunately many fish may die of starvation and exhaustion. However, we have seen fish live for many years with this ailment.

How to identify and diagnosis.

The swim bladder disorder is primarily diagnosed through observation of the fish. In most instances the fish will rise to the surface and will unfortunately be upside down and unable to return to a normal position without treatment. The fish could in some circumstances sink to the bottom of the pond in a nose-diving position and remain there. Unable to leave due to his poor health.

The appearance of the fish can change due to the impairment of the air bladder.

The belly of the fish may appear to be bloated or swollen.

The back of the fish may look curved due to the strain of the gas filled organ.

In the worst-case scenario, the fish could inevitably die without treatment.

Causes

Flip over can be caused by several factors.

The type of fish you own may play a part due to the genetics. Fancy goldfish are the most prone to be affected by this ailment.

There are a few factors that can cause this problem in your fish.

  • Poor water quality.
  • Overeating/ over consumption.
  • Low water temperature.
  • Bacterial infections.
  • Parasites.
  • Constipation.

While these are the most common causes of the flawed swim bladder function, there may be other reasons as to why it is not working to its fullest capacity.

How contagious is it?

NOT CONTAGIOUS

Although the swim bladder is not contagious it is best to separate the poorly fish for more effective treatment, observation and to be able to monitor the food intake of your fish more accurately.

If you already have a setup mature quarantine system.

How to treat?

There are a few ways which will help to improve the condition.

  • Separate the affected fish into a separate tank to monitor and observe their condition for improvements or in worst case scenario any signs of deterioration if you have a already set up mature quarantine tank.
  • Check the water quality and adjust as necessary.
  • Raise the water temperature of both settings if possible.
  • Ensure the affected fish is fasting for no more than three days.
  • Continue to monitor.

If the above does not help to remedy the illness call Dave at pond medic northwest for assistance ass additional treatments may be needed.

Tel: 07737 674417

Prevention

In order to help prevent further swim bladder issues the following can assist.

  • Your Content Goes Here
  • Attain and maintain the ideal water quality conditions for your pond.
  • Have regular maintenance for a healthy clean pond.
  • A healthy balanced and nutritious diet for the fish.
  • Low stress levels for the fish.
  • Be aware of how natural pollutants can affect the water quality. For example

    • Heavy rainfall can affect the PH level.
    • Soil and debris can be washed into the pond.