Swim Bladder problems are easily treated. Peas are the answer to everything.

Swim Bladder problems will cause your goldfish to act very strangely.

Are your fish floating at the top of the tank, or sunk to the bottom? Are they having problems rising, or do they try to wedge themselves under your ornaments to stop themselves floating to the top of your aquarium like a helium balloon? If so, they have Swim Bladder problems.

This really isn’t a disease, which is a relief. Solving your fish’s buoyancy problems is easy too, which is also a relief.

But, what’s happening to make your pets act so strangely?

The swim bladder is a gas filled sac in the dorsal area of your fish. This is what allows your goldfish to swim freely. The strange behavior of your lovable pet is caused by over eating or constipation.

If your pet has gouged itself silly, its small stomach swells and puts pressure on the swim bladder hence the strange behavior. Or if your goldfish is constipated its digestive tract is clogged up, and again putting pressure on this important buoyancy organ.

How do we solve this problem?

Your pets need to go on a fast, for a few days. Don’t worry they can live over a week without food. Fasting should help solve both types of problems. You then need to give them a variety of different foods, such as peas, (peas seem to be the wonder food for your fish) spinach, lettuce and cucumber, as well as their fish pellets or flakes. If you give them pellets, pre-soak them before giving them to your fish. And last of all, don’t over feed your goldfish. Too much food is bad for them.

To find out about other diseases in goldfish please click on the problem in the following list: Ick, Fin Rot, Fungus, Constipation, Dropsy, Pop Eye, Anchor Worm, Fish Lice, Swim Bladder, Body and Gill Flukes, and Hole-in-the-head Disease.