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Name: Swim Bladder Disease, Swim Bladder Disorder
Scientific Name: Dependent on the cause. Secondary symptom.
Cause: Usually caused by gastrointestinal problems, overfeeding, parasite activity, a birth defect, egg-binding in female fish, physical trauma, and shock.
Visual Betta Symptoms: Buoyancy issues, swollen belly, s-shaped curved spine.
Behavioral Betta Symptoms: Inability to remain upright, stuck at the surface or sinking to the bottom, and loss of appetite.
Treatment: Dependent on the cause.
Betta Swim Bladder Disease Outlook: Favorable. Bettas with swim bladder disease generally recover.
What is Swim Bladder Disease?
Swim Bladder Disease (SBD) is a distressing condition that commonly affects bettas. The condition is not a disease but rather a secondary symptom of other betta fish diseases or ailments.
Swim bladder disease is also known as Swim Bladder Disorder or Flip-over and most commonly affects betta fish and fancy goldfish.
Fish with Swim Bladder Disease often float upside down, struggle to remain at the water surface, or sink to the bottom of their tank once they stop swimming. Affected fish develop an obviously bloated belly, which sometimes leads to misdiagnosis with other conditions such as dropsy.
Is Swim Bladder Disease Fatal?
Thankfully, depending on the cause, swim bladder disease or disorder in bettas is rarely fatal if treated promptly and appropriately.
How Does the Betta’s Swim Bladder Work?
Most bony fish species, including your betta, have a swim bladder or air bladder.
The swim bladder is a buoyancy organ located in the fish’s abdominal cavity and formed from a bulge in part of the fish’s digestive tube. The swim bladder contains oxygen gas and works as a ballast organ, enabling the fish to control its buoyancy and remain at its chosen depth without the need to expend energy in swimming.
Also, the swim bladder acts as a resonating chamber to receive or produce sound.
Swim Bladder Disease Symptoms
Betta fish that are suffering from Swim Bladder Disease may display a variety of symptoms – mainly related to their ability to swim and remain buoyant in the water, including:
- Floating to the top of the tank
- Sinking to the bottom
- Floating upside down
- Floating vertically
- Floating on their sides
Other physical symptoms of the disease include a curved s-like spine, and a swollen abdomen. Sometimes, affected fish will continue to eat normally or are unable or unwilling to feed at all.
Swim Bladder Disease Causes
Swim Bladder Disease can have various underlying causes, all of which cause compression of your betta’s swim bladder. This results in the fish’s inability to control its buoyancy by inflating or deflating the chamber.
Digestive Problems
The most common cause of Swim Bladder Disease is digestive problems.
If your betta overeats or gobbles up his food too quickly, his stomach may become so swollen that it presses against the swim bladder. Constipation has a similar effect, as does gulping down air, which often happens with surface-feeders.
When your betta eats flakes, pellets, or freeze-dried bloodworms, the food expands on contact with water, which can cause a blocked intestinal tract or an enlarged stomach, which presses on the swim bladder, causing Swim Bladder Disease or Disorder symptoms.
Low Water Temperature
Bettas are very sensitive to water temperature. If the water temperature in your fish’s tank is too low, his or her digestive process will slow down. This may cause food to block the gastrointestinal tract, putting pressure on the swim bladder.
Make sure to check the water temperature, and adjust the thermostat on your heater if necessary to ensure a range of 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit.
Shock
Shock is caused by sudden temperature changes or fluctuations in water conditions and can result in swim bladder problems and fin clamping.
To prevent shock, keep your tank clean by vacuuming the gravel, carrying out weekly partial water changes, and regularly monitoring the temperature, pH, and water hardness.
Swollen Abdominal Organs
Sometimes, the fish’s abdominal organs can become enlarged, affecting the swim bladder. For example, cysts or growths can form in the liver and kidneys.
Parasitic or Bacterial Infection
More rarely, bacterial or parasitic infections can attack the betta’s swim bladder and cause it to become inflamed. In that case, the betta’s feces will be stringy and pale in color, rather than dark brown and firm.
Physical Trauma
A betta’s swim bladder can also be damaged by physical trauma.
For example, an injury sustained in a fight with a tankmate, or becoming stuck in decor or filtration units. Physical trauma may also be sustained as the result of a fall if your betta leaps out of the tank during routine maintenance. Bettas can jump, so always proceed slowly and carefully when you’re working in your pet’s tank to avoid startling your betta.
Birth Defects
A betta fish may be born with a birth defect that affects the swim bladder. In these cases, the betta’s problem usually appears early, and the condition is often fatal. It is also more common amongst double-tail bettas.
Swim Bladder Disease Treatment
The treatment that you use to treat Swim Bladder Disease depends on the cause of the problem. You must first try to isolate the cause before you can treat your betta.
Gastrointestinal Problems
If an engorged stomach is the cause of your betta’s Swim Bladder Disease, the treatment is simple. There’s no need to remove your betta to a quarantine tank for his or her treatment, and it won’t affect any other fish or tank mate in the habitat.
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- Do not feed your fish for three days. Fasting won’t harm your fish, and it allows the betta’s digestive system to process any food that’s still lingering inside without adding to the blockage.
- If you have other fish living in your betta tank, you will need to isolate the betta in a cup for a few minutes while feeding tankmates.
- Keep the water temperature in your betta’s tank between 78 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the treatment and during your pet’s recovery period. A slightly elevated temperature can accelerate the betta’s metabolism, help move the food through the digestive tract, and alleviate any blockages.
- On the fourth day, feed your fish a blanched skinned pea to aid in digestion. Daphnia is also a great natural food choice to help increase fiber intake.
For an additional 2-3 days after treatment, do not feed your fish dry pellets or flakes. Monitor throughout and after for improvement in the condition.
Infection
If a bacterial or parasitic infection is thought to be causing the swim bladder disorder, you’ll need to carry out some detective work to establish the culprit. For example, the parasite that’s responsible for fin rot can sometimes cause Swim Bladder disease symptoms.
In the absence of an obvious cause, it can be effective to treat the fish with a broad-spectrum fish-specific antibiotic (like Maracyn II) that you’ll get from your veterinarian or online.
When treating your fish with antibiotics, it may be best to move him or her to a quarantine tank for treatment. This is mainly so that plants and other tank mates aren’t exposed to the drug. Administer the medication as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Note that you will need to carry out daily 25% water changes and it’s recommended to equip an air bubbler in the tank. Most antibiotics reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen that’s available for your betta in the water. If your betta is having trouble getting to the surface for air due to buoyancy issues, this becomes critical to their health and recovery.
Supportive Therapy
While your betta is receiving treatment for Swim Bladder Disease, there are some supportive therapies you can use to keep your fish comfortable during recovery.
To aid your betta’s recovery, pay close attention to the water conditions in his or her tank:
- Keep the water clean and free from harmful ammonia and nitrites by maintaining your filtration system properly. Make sure nitrate levels remain below 20ppm (parts per million) by carrying out partial water changes as needed. Avoid abrupt changes to reduce the risk of additional stress and shock.
- Adding a small amount of aquarium salt (not table salt) or stress coat to your tank can be beneficial to help reduce swelling, promote healthy slime coat production, and improve overall immune function.
- While your betta is recovering, it can help to reduce the water level so that it’s easier for your fish to swim around the tank and get to the surface for air.
- Ensure that the water flow is kept to a minimum to reduce the effort your betta has to make to swim.
- If your betta tends to float with one part of his body continually exposed to the air, apply a small amount of stress coat to the affected area to guard against the development of ulcers and skin and scale dehydration.
- Hand-feeding may be required if your betta is struggling to take food from the surface.
In very severe Swim Bladder Disease cases, when the fish shows no sign of recovery despite extensive treatment, euthanasia may be the most humane course of action.
Prevention of Swim Bladder Disorder in Bettas
Bettas are sensitive to poor water conditions and abrupt changes in water parameters. Living in a dirty tank will stress your pet, compromising their immune system and leaving them vulnerable to attack by parasites and bacteria. Keeping your aquarium clean and carrying out partial water changes can help prevent Swim Bladder Disease.
Maintaining the water temperature at a constant 78 degrees Fahrenheit will help your betta’s digestion and immune function. Avoid large swings in temperature.
Feed your betta only high-quality foods, and soak any dried foods for a few minutes in some tank water before you feed them to your fish. This will help them pre-absorb water and expand before entering feeding. Thaw frozen foods before you offer them to your betta as well.
Do not overfeed your betta! Feed small portions several times a day, rather than giving your pet one large meal, and include one “fasting” day each week when you don’t feed your fish at all.
In most cases, Swim Bladder Disease can be prevented. Ensure that your betta’s tank is kept clean, and the water conditions remain stable. Don’t overfeed your fish, always soak dried foods before feeding them to your pet, and don’t feed your betta on one day each week to allow his digestive system to rest.
