What is wrong with my fish?

Question

I don't know what kind it is but for the past 3 weeks he has been laying either on his side or back on the bottom of the tank and sometimes he swims in sommersaults for awhile.

Answer 1

Sounds like a swim bladder or constipation problem. They both cause fish to swim erratically and either not be able to rise off the bottom or leave the top. You might try feeding him a cooked, green pea. That works well for constipation. Unfortunately, if it is really a swim bladder problem, there most likely isn't anything you can do for him. Below is a link on constipation and how the pea thing works. The site speaks about bettas but it works for all fish.

Answer 2

First check the nitrate level, the ph and the temperature. Thwn look for white specks on your fish. If they have that thats ick so you would need to buy a mixture from the pet store to fix it. If you feed him more than once a day he may be sick so feed him once a day or every two days. If you dont have a filter you should change the water if none of this works ask someone at the pet store to help you.

Good luck!

Answer 3

It could be a whole lot of different things. The first thing you should do is be aware of the care you are taking of the fish. Do you check the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels? Do you check the pH, alkalinity, temperature? Are you over feeding it and creating a bad environment for your fish?

Not knowing what type it is, what it's kept in, the water chemistry, etc... all these things make it extremely hard for us to give you any answer.

Answer 4

well we really need to know what time of fish it is, and you should to so you know how to properly care for it. is there anyway you could post a picture of it? if not at least describe it? tank size, filtered or not, how often you feed it, water temp, ect... would also be helpful. any info you can give.

it could a few things, simplest and least harmful being constipation causing swim bladder problems.

Answer 5

he might be i'll