swim bladder problem
In the anatomical structure of fish, there is such an important organ as the swim bladder – special white sacs filled with gas. With the help of this organ, the fish can control its buoyancy and stay on duty at a certain depth without any effort.
Its damage is not fatal, but the fish will no longer be able to lead a normal life.
In some ornamental fish, the swim bladder can be severely deformed through selective body shape change, and as a result, it is most vulnerable to infections. This is especially true for Goldfish such as the Pearl, Oranda, Ryukin, Ranchu, as well as Siamese cockerels.
Symptoms
The fish is not able to keep itself at the same depth – it sinks or floats, or even floats belly up at the surface. When moving, it rolls on its side or swims at an acute angle – head up or down.
Causes of the disease
Swim bladder injury often occurs as a result of severe compression of other internal organs that have increased in size due to various bacterial infections, or due to physical damage or short-term exposure to extreme temperatures (hypothermia / overheating).
Among Goldfish, the main cause is overeating followed by constipation, as well as obesity.
Treatment
In the case of Goldfish, the sick individual should be moved to a separate tank with a low water level, not fed for 3 days, and then put on a pea diet. Serve slices of blanched green peas frozen or fresh. There were no scientific papers on the effect of peas on the normalization of the work of the swim bladder of fish, but this is a common practice and this method works.
If the problem occurs in other fish species, swim bladder damage should be considered as a symptom of another disease, such as advanced dropsy or internal parasite infestation.
