Possible swimbladder disease?

[Danielsj]

Hey everyone, so my tank finally finished cycling after about a month and i just got my two first fish yesterday which i'm very excited about! But im now noticing that my smaller clownfish is generally swimming at an angle and it's making me a bit worried that he may have something wrong with his swimbladder. I have attached a video where he can be seen swimming. Does it look normal? and if not what can i do to help him get over this? Also they are both eating well.

- A worried reefer

 

[Sharkbait19]

Would you be able to post a video linked to YouTube?
Without seeing it, my guess would be that this is either normal behavior with the clown, they do weird things, or it is being harassed by another fish, likely another clown (if there is another one).
Fwiw my male sitting in qt sits near the top all the time and is completely healthy.

 

[Danielsj]

Would you be able to post a video linked to YouTube?
Without seeing it, my guess would be that this is either normal behavior with the clown, they do weird things, or it is being harassed by another fish, likely another clown (if there is another one).
Fwiw my male sitting in qt sits near the top all the time and is completely healthy.

Working on that youtube video right now. I should also mention that from observing him for quite a while it looks like he falls towards the bottom as soon as he stops swimming. He's working quite hard to stay afloat, atleast compared to my other clown..

 

[Danielsj]

Would you be able to post a video linked to YouTube?
Without seeing it, my guess would be that this is either normal behavior with the clown, they do weird things, or it is being harassed by another fish, likely another clown (if there is another one).
Fwiw my male sitting in qt sits near the top all the time and is completely healthy.

Here's the youtube video https://youtube.com/shorts/xrxaV6Y5pek?feature=share

 

[Sharkbait19]

Does it over swim directly into the flow? How strong is the flow? Any white marks or patches?
Nothing visibly looks wrong with the fish, though I’d agree it does look to be struggling a bit.

 

[Danielsj]

Does it over swim directly into the flow? How strong is the flow? Any white marks or patches?
Nothing visibly looks wrong with the fish, though I’d agree it does look to be struggling a bit.

The flow is quite calm, and he swims like this in all directions even when the flow is turned off. And no, no white marks or patches he looks just as healthy from the outside as the other clown..

 

[Sharkbait19]

I would just observe for now then. Young clowns do swim weird, as they get bigger it gets calmer.

 

[Danielsj]

I would just observe for now then. Young clowns do swim weird, as they get bigger it gets calmer.

Roger that, i will continue keeping an eye on him!

 

[vetteguy53081]

While they sometimes do, they also get internal parasites such as worms
If you drop food and fish goes after it and is able to eat, keep an eye on it
Assure flow is not too strong forcing it to fight current
I can’t open video on my phone

 

[Danielsj]

While they sometimes do, they also get internal parasites such as worms
If you drop food and fish goes after it and is able to eat, keep an eye on it
Assure flow is not too strong forcing it to fight current
I can’t open video on my phone

Theres a link to a youtube video in the fourth post. And he does eat right now, just as well as the one swimming normaly i assume thats a good thing?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Theres a link to a youtube video in the fourth post. And he does eat right now, just as well as the one swimming normaly i assume thats a good thing?

Eating’s always a good sign. Keep an eye out for white stringy poop as well. Mysis shrimp will cause white poop too, so keep track of what you feed.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Theres a link to a youtube video in the fourth post. And he does eat right now, just as well as the one swimming normaly i assume thats a good thing?

Usually confined to individual fish and eating eliminates possibility of internal issues in which fish would struggle to eat or not at all
I can’t open any video on phone as my device is company owned

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Swim bladder issues can create either positive or negative buoyancy in fish. The key way to diagnose this is watch the fish when it isn't actively swimming (perhaps at night). If the fish sinks strongly to the bottom, or tends to bob upwards, then there is a buoyancy issue.

In this case, the fish could be negatively buoyant, or it may just be stressed....

Jay

 

[Danielsj]

Usually confined to individual fish and eating eliminates possibility of internal issues in which fish would struggle to eat or not at all
I can’t open any video on phone as my device is company owned

I'm glad to hear. I have read that having internal parasites usually does not speak well for the fish's future..

 

[Danielsj]

Swim bladder issues can create either positive or negative buoyancy in fish. The key way to diagnose this is watch the fish when it isn't actively swimming (perhaps at night). If the fish sinks strongly to the bottom, or tends to bob upwards, then there is a buoyancy issue.

In this case, the fish could be negatively buoyant, or it may just be stressed....

Jay

From observing him i would definitely say he is negatively buoyant, he is fighting to stay up as soon as he stops flapping his little fins he goes towards the bottom of the tank

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

From observing him i would definitely say he is negatively buoyant, he is fighting to stay up as soon as he stops flapping his little fins he goes towards the bottom of the tank

Sounds like it is negatively buoyant then. As long as it is still eating, that is a better scenario than being positive. Fish can live long lives in this condition. It is often a result of an internal genetic or developmental deformity.

Jay