"My fish is upside down, what should I do?"

It is not the first time we have seen a fish upside down. No, what we are saying is not a joke at all. On more than one occasion we have gone somewhere and we have seen how the aquatic animals were looking bad, swimming (or trying) backwards, face up. What does this mean? What should we do in the event that we are in this situation? We fear that we have bad news for you.

In this article we are going to tell you what are the reasons why the fish is upside down and how to deal with it.

What does it mean to see a fish upside down?

Basically when a fish is upside down it means it has a disease, generally related to the swim bladder. This is, at first, it's a bit serious. Although we do not have to put our hands to the head. Normally, if we have the animal like this, it is necessary that we treat it in a special way, trying to cure it as much as possible.

There are several cases that may have to do with this problem, although the truth is that we are not going to risk too much in our advice. Taking into account that the solutions can be several, we recommend that you call your veterinarian or to a specialist who can help you out. With just a few adjustments you can help the animal, although it is vital that you move as quickly as possible. Even a simple glance will help you treat the fish.

You should know that fish can have a lot of problems with health, some of which can be quite serious. If you see that their lives are in danger, the most effective thing will be to contact a professional in the shortest possible time.

Swim bladder disease

When you see a fish swimming upside down it looks like it is doing a comical number. However, it is that he is ill. This disease comes from the swim bladder and is one of the most common diseases found in fish. It can be easily diagnosed as the fish affected by this disease will begin to swim backwards. The belly will be located up. The consequence of swimming like this frequently is that he will continue to hit everything that crosses his path since he does not have the same capacities for anything or the same balance.

In these cases we must know that it is best to go to a specialist to treat the one as soon as possible. However, we are going to see some essential aspects of this disease to help the fish as much as possible. We must know that the Swim bladder is a membranous organ that is shaped like a gas-filled sac. This organ is in charge of the fish having a good balance and being able to float in the water without reaching the surface. In order to change depth, the fish fills or empties the swim bladder with gases.

The disease that these fish will tell occurs mainly from a severe neglect of the aquarium water conditions. If we are not continually taking care of the temperature conditions, cleaning, pH, oxygen level, etc. from the aquarium the fish may acquire this disease To a lesser extent, it may be due to congenital problems. And there are some fish that have a genetic predisposition to suffer from this disease in the swim bladder.

Consequences of the fish upside down

The disease is contracted through a virus that causes inflammation and thickening of the tissue that surrounds the swim bladder. Due to the presence of this virus, the fish is unable to make gases enter or leave through this swim bladder. Because of this, it remains floating without being able to maintain its original position. The larger the bladder inflammation, the less stable the fish will have.

There are some fish that according to their morphology are more prone to contracting this disease. Those fish that most frequently have this disease are those with a balloon shape. If we have detected the fish to make me swim bladder age, the first thing we must do is set up a separate aquarium as a quarantine. It is here where we must place the sick time so that it does not infect the rest.

Once we have isolated the sick fish, we must go to a specialized store and buy a specific treatment for both the main aquarium as well as the quarantine aquarium. We must also correct those variables of the main aquarium that have been the cause of the contraction of the disease. As we have mentioned before, the quality of the water may have been altered, its levels, the amount of oxygen dissolved, the pH, etc. These levels must be continually reviewed as well as analyzing the proper functioning of all the aquarium accessories such as centers and thermometers.

When the fish is fully cured we will return it to the main aquarium.

Prevention tasks

Before curing a disease and having to go to a specialized store to incorporate a good treatment, it is best to prevent the disease. Fish generally don't require as much work or attention. But nevertheless, the aquarium we must attend to it constantly. If we have the water balanced with the adjusted levels and the appropriate temperature for the types de peces that we have, there will be no problems with it.

Each time we incorporate a new fish or a new plant, we must have it in quarantine for a while before adding it to the main aquarium if we have even had this swim bladder disease before. The quarantine period should last between 14 and 21 days until we see that the fish is fully recovered.

Another of the recommendations that will be more frequent is to avoid the contraction of this disease is to moisten the dry food a little before putting it in the aquarium. It has been found that dry food causes the fish to block their intestines and can seem like this disease.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about what happens when you see the other way around.