fishlover78

Hi everyone, my friend doesn't feed her fancy goldfish flake because she said it causes "swim bladder disorder" is this really true? what happens to the fish does it make them swim sideways and up side down or something? just wondering. thanks again!

Lucy

The swim bladder is a gas filled sac inside the fish with is responsible for helping them maintaining buoyancy.
If I remember correctly, the sac inflates and deflates as the fish wants to go up or down. When something happens to the swim bladder the fish is unable to control it.
I'm sure there's more technical ways to explain it.

Diet and water quality can both effect the swim as bladder.

If I'm off on this, I hope someone will correct me.

fishlover78

thanks Lucy!

angelfish220

Flake food by itself dosent cause anything, its just when you use flake food as a diet in whole and dont use anything else when it can cause issues.

pepetj

I have read that most fish food we use that is dry -e.g. flakes, crisps- would be better if we dip them in water first, so they get moisture back in and any air trapped in there would be released. Some delicate fish, like Bettas, might be sensitive to this as causing health issues as swim bladder disease.

I guess I would try doing that with all dry food, including pellets -you know, another excuse to be around the tanks a bit more time!

Pepe
Santo Domingo

Beeker

I feed my goldfish flakes. I just put the desired amount of flakes in a cup and add water, swish it around a little and pour their dinner in.
Swim bladder problems are mainly caused by poor water quality and lack of swimming space. When my one of my goldies was having some trouble with her swim bladder, it was quickly corrected by getting a larger tank. She needed more room to swim to work out excess gas, and more water to dilute hormones and nitrates. Back then I didn't know that goldies needed 20 gallons for one fish. It was a good thing I thought fast, and had the money to buy a larger tank!
I do not believe that SBD is solely caused by ingesting or gulping air. My mama goldie gulps all the time (and has done it for 10 years as a way to call me over to the tank) and she never has any problems. I have noticed that when they gulp air, it merely comes out their gills.