I know you might think this is absurd or not possible. But believe me, temperature plays a vital role in the metabolic activity of the fish in the tank and their natural habitat as well. You might end up lowering the temperature of the aquarium or sometimes increasing it beyond the ideal point. High temperature speeds up the metabolic activity making fish hungry more.
This will lead to overfeeding and obesity in aquarium fish which in turn cause constipation and other diseases in the same fish. Lower the temperature, lower is the digestion of food in the stomach of fish. When the food eaten by the fish remains for a longer period in their stomach, your fish will start to suffer from constipation. The undigested food will make the gastrointestinal tract larger than it usually is.
The enlargement of the gastrointestinal tract and constipation will put pressure on the swim bladder of the fish. The effect of the pressure on the swim bladder will make the fish lose their balance and control over their swimming naturally.
Water change leads to temperature change and temperature change affects the whole swimming process. Sometimes, mistakenly you will injure your fish during the water change. The physical change in the aquarium environment can physically affect the fish too. The flow of the water during the water change can push the fish here and there. But the change in the water flow or the instantaneous speed of the water current can push the fish to collide with other aquatic animals.
Sometimes, the collision can take place between fish and the wall of the aquarium or the decoration in the tank. These unplanned and unintentional collisions can rupture or damage the swim bladder of the fish. Hence the fish will start to swim upside down or just float upside down.
Well, there is no definite or evident treatment other than keeping them in another tank with ideal water parameters. I know it might look scary to know there is no treatment for this problem. But hey this is what happens when you are not careful enough. Some problems in fishkeeping are way scary than it feels like. You might think your fish swimming upside down will be for a time being only. But yes, if you maintain the aquarium water that is fish well-adapted to, then there is a chance your fish will be happy and normal after a while.
Why to even let the fish behave abnormally in the first place. A little caution beforehand can go long way then you can imagine. If you are careful enough while taking every step related to aquarium and fishkeeping, trust me no problem will ever arise. Every little thing matters and you have to be careful enough with all the things. Well, the truth has been spoken already. Overdoing anything can lead to severe damage and improper work.
If you take care and measure the water while changing it, then the chances of fish behaving abnormally are nearly zero. I know you might think a little more water change will not affect your fish. But boy, how wrong you are? Even the slightest hint of water change can affect the fish so think about overdoing it.
No wonder why your fish will go out of the way to show things you are doing wrong. Stick to 20 to 30 percent of water change once a week every week. Frequent water change or exceeding the percentage of water to be changed can be fatal to your fish let alone swimming upside down.
Have you ever moved across the place to a pollution-free environment after living in polluted surroundings for years? Your body cannot adjust to a new environment immediately. So, you have to change the environment gradually and not instantly.
The same thing happens with the fish after a water change. They might be used to living in water with certain water parameters and have adapted well to it. So, when you perform the water change without testing the previous water parameters, the shock can be unbearable. So, check and test the water parameters of the tank before performing the water change and adjust fish gradually to the new water.
Now, when you are done testing the aquarium water, it is equally important to test the new water you are going to pour into the tank. You may think nitrate poisoning will be solved once you remove all the nitrate from the tank. But read the article above and see how wrong you are. Slow and gradual decrement of nitrate ions will not affect your fish.
So, you need to take measures to solve the problem slowly. Use live plants that will consume the nitrate ions present in the tank slowly. Do not give a shock to your fish and mess up their osmoregulation. Aquarium beneficial bacteria will perform the aquarium nitrogen cycle and convert the ammonia present in the tank into essential nitrate ions. This nitrate ions will be, in turn, consumed by live plants present in the tank and hence no unnecessary measures lower too much nitrate.
When you have a definite schedule for doing everything in the aquarium, your fish will adjust to the schedule. In a way I mean I will help you to cure swim bladder disease or disorder whatever you like to call it in the fish. Preventing disease is a piece of cake honestly if you know what you are doing. So, I am here to guide you to prevent the disease from occurring in the first place. This is the best way to save your fish, trust me. Let me make fish keeping and preventing swim bladder disease your cup of tea too.
Here is what you need to do:. Depending on the causative agent of the swim bladder disease, it can stay for a while and getaway on its own once everything is back to normal and ideal.
There are many instances where the fish has lived a long life happily even though it was detected with permanent swim bladder disorder. To be honest, if the swim bladder disease is caused by parasites or bacteria present in the water and is strong enough to infect one fish then it can be contagious to other fish too. So, it is wise to quarantine the sick fish as soon as possible. Yes, actually intestinal parasites can invite swim bladder disease in the fish along with constipation and bacterial infection too.
But I know the feeling when you see your fish suddenly swimming upside down. God, it is like living through a nightmare and a flashback of all the aquarium and beginners mistake you made. Everyone messes up on the beginning days, I did too. So, just sit back and give your fish what it wants. See how happily your fish will entertain you and enlighten your fish tank.
March 9, 8 Mins Read. Table of Contents. August 20, August 18, Do Fish Shed Their Scales? July 19, Save Your Fish!! June 9, June 3, Submit Type above and press Enter to search. For many fish species, it could be a case of adapt quickly or perish.
Scientists estimate that upside-down catfish have been working out their own survival strategy for as long at 35 million years. Besides their breathing and feeding behavior, the blotched upside-down catfish from the Congo Basin has also evolved a dark patch on its underside to make it harder to see against dark water.
So the mystery of the upside-down catfish persists, for now, as a puzzle for future scientists. Search-Icon Created with Sketch. KQED is a proud member of. Always free. Sign In. KQED Inform. Save Article Save Article. Deep Look.
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