Is This Swim Bladder Disease?

[Ashleigh]

I've had my crowntail, Candy, for a week now and I think she has swim bladder disease. At first I thought she just had a peculiar way of swimming, but now I've come to think it's more than that. Most of the time she's resting on the gravel but when she does swim higher the lower part of her back droops down. Her body's kinda at a 45 degree angle when she swims up. When she goes to the surface to breathe it looks like it's taking her all the energy she has, then when she takes a breath she will slowly sink back down to the bottom and go back to resting on the bottom. If this is swim bladder disease I've heard it's uncurable, is this true?

[Sakura8]

It's true that swimbladder disease can be uncurable but that depends on the severity and what caused it. For instance, a fish whose swimbladder was permanently damaged by aggression or by having bloat for a long time probably can't be cured. But some fish experience swimbladder disease suddenly and with no apparent reason. My guy suddenly lost the ability to swim downward after I fed him his meal. It turned out he was constipated and a few nights in epsom salts cured him. Other fish will get swimbladder disease as a result of temperature shock - once they acclimate, they regain their buoyancy.

It's hard to say what might be causing Candy's swim problem so if you could fill out the stick that would help a lot. Also, is she eating all right and does she seem bloated? And finally, have you seen her poop?

[DarkMoon17]

Yep, pleasure fill out the sticky and included the brand of food are you feeding her.

You can try treating her with 1tsp/gal Epsom Salt (not aquarium salt-it's sold in most pharmacies including walmart) for a week and see if that helps. IMO this sounds like a birth defect, not an illness. As long as you provide for her special needs she should live a relatively normal life.

[Ashleigh]

Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 22 degrees celcius
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Hikari Betta Bio-Gold Pellets, frozen bloodworms, a pea once a week
How often do you feed your betta fish? Twice a day, 1 day of fasting a week

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Once or twice a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50-80%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: N/A
Nitrite: N/A
Nitrate: N/A
pH: N/A
Hardness: N/A
Alkalinity: N/A

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? It hasn't
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Lying on the gravel, having trouble getting to the top
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A few days ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? I got her a week ago and she's pretty small, so not old

[Sakura8]

At only 22*, she might be rather cold. Ideally you want somewhere around 26-27* so you may want to pick up a heater for her. Does she seem to be having any trouble breathing? Is she bloated at all?

[DarkMoon17]

^Agreed, your betta needs a heater. At cooler temperatures she will have more trouble digesting food which in turn can lead to constipation and chronic bloat. Try to pick up a heater asap.

Otherwise, Hikari isn't the best food. It is high in wheats and low in meat so it is known to cause constipation, impaction and bloat. If you can, pick up a new food like New Life Spectrum or Omega One Betta Flakes.

For now, treat conservatively with Epsom Salt at 1tsp/gal to see if there is any improvement. If there isn't don't worry too much. It sounds like it might be a birth defect.

Good luck!

[Ashleigh]

She isn't bloated and she's been eating normally. I haven't SEEN her poo but I'm not sure. The temperature changes depending on the time of the day.

[Ashleigh]

I'll try and get a heater for her. I'd heard some good things about Hikari, so I though it was a good choice. I don't have any Epson salt so I'll see if I can pick up some of that as well.

[DarkMoon17]

If you haven't seen poop, then she is probably bloated. Epsom salt will clear that up. It's really cheap.

Originally Posted by Ashleigh

The temperature changes depending on the time of the day.

^this isn't a good thing. You want a constant temperature. Temperature fluctuations are stressful and increase the likelihood of your girl getting sick. Heaters prevent that so they are really important.
Good luck with her!

[Ashleigh]

Originally Posted by DarkMoon17

If you haven't seen poop, then she is probably bloated. Epsom salt will clear that up. It's really cheap.


^this isn't a good thing. You want a constant temperature. Temperature fluctuations are stressful and increase the likelihood of your girl getting sick. Heaters prevent that so they are really important.
Good luck with her!

I'll moniter the temperature changes throughout the day and let you know the results.