savannahsuch
New Member
(This is a more advanced topic, so novice fish keepers, please don't respond with information that is readily available on the internet) Hi all, recently, my betta fish has been having some problems with buoyancy which I believe is being caused by an issue with his swim bladder (though if you think it's something else, please let me know). He sinks to the bottom and has a hard time swimming towards the top. Right now, I have some water wisteria on the surface and he often sits in those plants, off of the substrate. This wasn't a sudden thing, I gradually noticed him swimming funnier and funnier but it got more pronounced recently and I realized that it wasn't normal and he was having difficulty. I think it could've been caused by one or both things. About 4 months ago, he jumped out of his tank while I was feeding him. He wasn't out for long at all, but he could've damaged his swim bladder? Although I don't remember him displaying symptoms right after the fall. The other thing is I also found out recently that too many plants with low light affect oxygen levels, and hypoxia can cause a loss of equilibrium/buoyancy, which is probably the actual cause. When I found that out, I removed a lot of the live plants, added an air pump, and treated the water with a little bit of h202. I also order a new better light which is arriving today. I've done so much research in the past few days and I'm worried about him. He seems happy (he's interactive with me, his colors are bright, his fins are up, he explores his tank, and he still loves to eat) but I feel bad because he can't swim around a lot. I can't find anything on google about treating negative buoyancy in fish, only treating swim bladder disorder with positive buoyancy, which he does not have. If anyone has information on treating this condition, PLEASE let me know. I don't want it to get worse, or to have to put him down, because he seems happy and he's a sweet fish.
(This is a more advanced issue, so novice fish keepers, please don't respond with information that is readily available on the internet, because I've all read about well-known topics)
(This is a more advanced issue, so novice fish keepers, please don't respond with information that is readily available on the internet, because I've all read about well-known topics)