Swim Bladder Disorder
Due to their deep bodies, Fancy Goldfish in particular, are prone to SBD. It can be caused by deformity, constipation, bloat, egg impaction, bacterial or viral infection, water pressure, nitrates and fluid retention, amongst other things. It is not always treatable, but as many causes are common, it is often successfully treated.
As Goldfish are so prone to SBD, symptoms may be recurring and long term treatment should be looked into. Your fish may appear very floaty or it may sink completely, listing and unsteady swimming are also symptoms. Your fish may swim butt up, or head up and may struggle against even the mildest of currents.
As it's causes are so varied, a range of different treatments should be used to try and combat the cause.
As Goldfish are so prone to SBD, symptoms may be recurring and long term treatment should be looked into. Your fish may appear very floaty or it may sink completely, listing and unsteady swimming are also symptoms. Your fish may swim butt up, or head up and may struggle against even the mildest of currents.
As it's causes are so varied, a range of different treatments should be used to try and combat the cause.
Sakura is prone to SBD. This is one of her bad days. Her diet has to be very specific, or she will go belly up.
Treatment
☆ In the first instance, test the water. Should you have any spikes, perform a water change and dose Prime. Continue to monitor daily until the spikes cease.
☆ Fast the fish for 3-4 days. If the fish can be quarantined during this time, you can continue feeding the tank. If not, fast the entire tank during this period. If the SBD is being caused by egg impaction, this should encourage the female to reabsorb them into her system. If she has food, there’s no reason for her to reabsorb. If she is impacted with eggs, the aim is not to produce fry, but to protect her.
☆ Increasing the temperature of the tank, increases metabolism so what has gone in, comes out faster, relieving any pressure caused by constipation.
☆ I recommend quarantining the fish in shallow water. As Fancy Goldfish have such deep bodies, the water depth can apply pressure onto their swim bladder. I quarantine my fish with SBD in no more than 6” of water. This may be a long term thing, for some, deep water just isn’t manageable.
☆ After the fast, feed a laxative food such as Daphnia, Duckweed or shelled peas. I have found that Daphnia is a much better laxative than peas, so I feed daphnia at this time. If the SBD is being caused by pressure from constipation, this should help to ease it.
☆ You may consider eliminating freeze dried foods from the diet completely, either short term or potentially forever. The air trapped inside such foods can cause bloat and affect the swim bladder. A gel food/fresh diet may be a better option for your Goldfish.
☆ Epsom salt (Magnesium Sulphate) is good for treating SBD. It acts as a muscle relaxant, which can ease constipation if the fasting and laxatives haven’t helped. These properties can also help a female to release eggs, if fasting has not encouraged her to reabsorb. It also eases fluid retention which may be applying pressure to the swim bladder. Perform baths/dips daily dosing 1teaspoon of Epsom per USG for 15-30minutes. The fish may list during this time, but should be able to right itself if given a little nudge. Should your fish not be able to do so, remove the fish and place it back into the aquarium.
☆ Aquarium salt (Sodium Chloride) will have the opposite effect to Epsom. Occasionally, the use of aquarium salt is to blame for fluid retention. Should your fish display and symptoms of SBD, remove any aquarium salt in the aquarium or quarantine the fish in fresh water. Do not use Aquarium Salt instead of Epsom as it will not have the desired effects and may exacerbate symptoms.
☆ Methylene Blue can be used as a dip. Dechlorinator can remove MB, so if you have dechlorinated the water, wait 30+minutes before adding MB. Do not add MB directly to your tank as it destroys beneficial bacteria and you will lose your cycle. A dip using 1 teaspoon per 5USG can help to eliminate bacterial infection. Perform the dip for 30 minutes twice daily.
☆ Should the SBD be caused by bacterial infection, antibiotics may be needed. In many cases Metronidazole is sufficient and should be attempted first. If there is no improvement after a week on Metronidazole, Kanamycin may be needed as well. As we can’t be sure what bacteria is causing the SBD we may need to treat both gram negative and gram positive bacteria. Gram negative bacteria isn’t as common, which is why we use Metronidazole first. Kanamycin will treat viral infection whilst metronidazole will treat bacterial infection. They are both very strong antibiotics and should only be sought after other options have been attempted.
☆ In some cases, deformity or infection can cause irreversible damage and there is no cure. Sometimes, symptoms may ease and the fish can live somewhat happily. In other cases, euthanasia may be the best option. This is down to you as an individual fish keeper and it isn’t easy, nor is it a pleasant decision to make.
Please do not make life jackets for your fish. They may aid buoyancy issues, but they will wear away at the slime coat very quickly and leave behind open wounds, leaving the Goldfish susceptible to infection.
In most cases, SBD is short term and treatable, so don’t be overly concerned should you spot any buoyancy issues, but be sure to look into treatment as soon as you can.
☆ Fast the fish for 3-4 days. If the fish can be quarantined during this time, you can continue feeding the tank. If not, fast the entire tank during this period. If the SBD is being caused by egg impaction, this should encourage the female to reabsorb them into her system. If she has food, there’s no reason for her to reabsorb. If she is impacted with eggs, the aim is not to produce fry, but to protect her.
☆ Increasing the temperature of the tank, increases metabolism so what has gone in, comes out faster, relieving any pressure caused by constipation.
☆ I recommend quarantining the fish in shallow water. As Fancy Goldfish have such deep bodies, the water depth can apply pressure onto their swim bladder. I quarantine my fish with SBD in no more than 6” of water. This may be a long term thing, for some, deep water just isn’t manageable.
☆ After the fast, feed a laxative food such as Daphnia, Duckweed or shelled peas. I have found that Daphnia is a much better laxative than peas, so I feed daphnia at this time. If the SBD is being caused by pressure from constipation, this should help to ease it.
☆ You may consider eliminating freeze dried foods from the diet completely, either short term or potentially forever. The air trapped inside such foods can cause bloat and affect the swim bladder. A gel food/fresh diet may be a better option for your Goldfish.
☆ Epsom salt (Magnesium Sulphate) is good for treating SBD. It acts as a muscle relaxant, which can ease constipation if the fasting and laxatives haven’t helped. These properties can also help a female to release eggs, if fasting has not encouraged her to reabsorb. It also eases fluid retention which may be applying pressure to the swim bladder. Perform baths/dips daily dosing 1teaspoon of Epsom per USG for 15-30minutes. The fish may list during this time, but should be able to right itself if given a little nudge. Should your fish not be able to do so, remove the fish and place it back into the aquarium.
☆ Aquarium salt (Sodium Chloride) will have the opposite effect to Epsom. Occasionally, the use of aquarium salt is to blame for fluid retention. Should your fish display and symptoms of SBD, remove any aquarium salt in the aquarium or quarantine the fish in fresh water. Do not use Aquarium Salt instead of Epsom as it will not have the desired effects and may exacerbate symptoms.
☆ Methylene Blue can be used as a dip. Dechlorinator can remove MB, so if you have dechlorinated the water, wait 30+minutes before adding MB. Do not add MB directly to your tank as it destroys beneficial bacteria and you will lose your cycle. A dip using 1 teaspoon per 5USG can help to eliminate bacterial infection. Perform the dip for 30 minutes twice daily.
☆ Should the SBD be caused by bacterial infection, antibiotics may be needed. In many cases Metronidazole is sufficient and should be attempted first. If there is no improvement after a week on Metronidazole, Kanamycin may be needed as well. As we can’t be sure what bacteria is causing the SBD we may need to treat both gram negative and gram positive bacteria. Gram negative bacteria isn’t as common, which is why we use Metronidazole first. Kanamycin will treat viral infection whilst metronidazole will treat bacterial infection. They are both very strong antibiotics and should only be sought after other options have been attempted.
☆ In some cases, deformity or infection can cause irreversible damage and there is no cure. Sometimes, symptoms may ease and the fish can live somewhat happily. In other cases, euthanasia may be the best option. This is down to you as an individual fish keeper and it isn’t easy, nor is it a pleasant decision to make.
Please do not make life jackets for your fish. They may aid buoyancy issues, but they will wear away at the slime coat very quickly and leave behind open wounds, leaving the Goldfish susceptible to infection.
In most cases, SBD is short term and treatable, so don’t be overly concerned should you spot any buoyancy issues, but be sure to look into treatment as soon as you can.