swim bladder?

Question

Can anyone tell me what swim bladder is and what can be done about it? I have some fry that are about 3 1/2 months old..the other day I fed them some blood worms as usual and 2 started to swim unbalanced...I checked my water and nothing was wrong with that...I added some stress coat just because it seemed like the thing to do ... one of the fry were fine later that night....the other one is still swimming a little to the side...got any ideas? could it be swim bladder?

Answer 1

A swim bladder is an organ that some (but not all) fish have that give a fish buoyancy - that is, helps it to float or stay at the same position in the water.

Swim bladder disease is when this organ isn't working properly. The fish either float or have a hard time getting off the bottom of the tank. And it can be related to the diet.

Are the bloodworms freeze dried or frozen? If freeze dried, soak them a little before you feed them to the fish - this can help in the future if this was the cause. Depending on the species, bloodworms may not be appropriate for them to eat, or you may have overfed them (and they're constipated). With the fast onset and recovery of the one fry, it doesn't seem that if would be a bacterial infection.

Double-check on the types of food your fry should be getting, and try a bit of a mashed cooked pea.

Other than those, I'd just make sure you have the correct temperature and there's no buildup of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate in the tank (dirty water can lead to bacterial infection which could cause an infection of the swim bladder).

Answer 2

The gas bladder (also fish maw, less accurately swim bladder or air bladder) is an internal organ that contributes to the ability of a fish to control its buoyancy, and thus to stay at the current water depth, ascend, or descend without having to waste energy in swimming.

It could be the swim bladder but more like to be over indulgence of food thats too big for them to cope with just yet. If it is the swim bladder the frys bladder will usually stay damaged so it will always swim funny.

Answer 3

It's possible that it's a swim bladder infection but I seriously doubt it. You mention that it seemed to get better for one of them and that's something that a swim bladder infection wouldn't do. It won't just get better and go away. I think your fish are more likely to be a little constipated, especially if you feed bloodworms a lot. Since they are very young fish, it will be a little tougher to treat, but try adding some finely crushed flake food to their diet and also try feeding them a hulled pea or two. I might take them several tries before they know it's food, but keep trying.

MM