Swim Bladder disease??? - Paw Talk

Mousey · #1 06-21-2007, 04:20 AM

I saved a gold fish from my mom a few months ago. When I got him he was swimming sideways and and kinda titled. I read up on it and found out that it was a bladder disorder. Well today when I went to clean the tank bubbles was upside down. He still tried to swim and eat he can't swim very well though. I had to help him eat. Does anyone have any advice? Will he get better?

sara8 · #2 06-21-2007, 09:30 AM

Usually when fish start having problems swimming they are pretty far gone. Not always, I had a friend who's goldfish swam like that all the time and it wasn't sick or anything. If he starts laying on the bottom then you know he is really sick but by then it may be to late. Are you sure it is a bladder disease and not something else?? I am not sure how you treat that. I've actually never seen it before.

**Dragonrain** · #3 06-21-2007, 10:17 AM

My grandma had a goldfish once that she had for a crazy long time, and when it got older it started swimming upside down and sideways sometimes - she kept thinking it was going to die but it lived like that for a few years. I think hers had a problem with it's swim bladder too because it was healthy otherwise and lived like that for so long.

Mousey · #4 06-21-2007, 06:52 PM

Yeah I know it's swim bladder disease. I was use to him swimming sideway and stuff but not upside down. now his breathing has slowed almost to a stop but not quite. He's pretty motionless I don't think he'll make much longer but you never know about these things. I just thought I'd see if anyone knew of anything I could do for my little guy.

LuvMeBre · #5 06-22-2007, 08:40 PM

How is the little guy doing today? How big of a tank is he in? Hold back his food for a day, and put him in a 10+ gallon tank with a filter that's flow and sucking power is NOT very strong, strong enough to clean up the water debries but not strong enough to give him trouble with swimming or to pull him towards it. A cheap, used one would probably do the trick for a little while until he gets better. When you do feed him, remember you are holding back his food for a few days, don't use flakes unless you make a few sink!

And also put something in there that he can swim under or into, but if it's something that he can swim into make sure he can get out of it easily, too.

It's only swim bladder if he is swimming down and then floating back up. If he doesn't float back up, it is not swim bladder.

Goldfish need a lot of oxegen, so be sure you put a filter in and maybe a used water-blower thing too, if you don't know what I'm talking about it's a tube-like styrafoam looking thing that blows out air when you turn it on. Make sure it's preassure isn't too strong, though. Just a used one that lets out a little air will do the trick.

LuvMeBre · #6 06-22-2007, 08:44 PM

I've had four or five fish that suffered from the horrible swim bladder disease, and the level of treatment it needs is different depending on the fish. Some get rid of it relatively quickly, others take longer and others never recover. I've had a betta that never got rid of it no matter how long I tried to stop it, I've had a goldfish that has died from it and I've had fish that recover from it as quick as ever.

It is almost 99.9% preventable though. And swim bladder has a lot of causes:
1) Eating from the surface of the water can cause it. If the food does not sink then they suck in air while eating while is not good for them, it is esspecially bad for goldfish and bettas. Simply hold the food underwater pinched in your fingers for a little while and it will sink.
2) It's best to have a filter before, while & after you fish has swim bladder, it can prevent it and it can help it recover and keep it from coming back.

Vanilla_Rat · #7 06-23-2007, 12:16 AM

Swim bladder is especially common in the fancy,fat bodied goldfish,like fantails and moors.They take in alot of air when they eat food at the surface of the water.

How is he doing?

Mousey · #8 06-23-2007, 11:52 PM

He was a fancy gold fish I had him in a ten gallon with a filter already. He passed away.

Vanilla_Rat · #9 06-24-2007, 12:44 AM

I am so sorry.

LuvMeBre · #10 06-27-2007, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mousey


	He was a fancy gold fish I had him in a ten gallon with a filter already. He passed away.

I'm sorry for your loss

sara8 · #11 06-27-2007, 06:17 PM

I'm sorry to hear that!!