fish not swimming

Question
I have a 5 gallon tank in my daughters room. I'm not sure the
type of fish. I will checl levels, but the other fish in there is fine.
Iread another question you answered about swim bladder. If that
is the case, is there a cure? The fish has been like this for 5 days.
I don't know what to do. We've had them for over a year with no
problems. Could it still be eating?  I don't like knowing it could
be suffering if there is not a cure.

Answer
Hi Sheryl;

Make a water change and see if he feels better. The swim bladder is an organ inside the fish below the spine that controls buoyancy. If it has failed there really isn't anything you can do. It just has to heal itself. Even if it has failed from infection and you treat the infection with "Maracyn 2" the swim bladder still has to repair itself. Consistently clean water helps fish recover and stay healthy of all disease so change 25% of the tank water at least every week. The fish is usually not suffering, it just can't go up in the water anymore. They usually eat anyway unless something else is wrong. They get over the insecure feeling of the limited movement and act more normally as time goes by. Unless the other fish is harrassing him. Weaker fish are often bullied so watch for that. They will have to be separated if he is.

There are many causes for swim bladder failure. Stress, temperature shock, infection, old age, cancer, etc. Without knowing what kind of fish it is I really can't say. Some are more prone to it than others. What does the fish look like? Shape, size, color, behavior, dirty water, inadequate diet, etc., would be helpful. You could even stop by your local fish store and see if there are others there like yours. Ask them what the fish are called and let me know.

I hope he gets better soon...

At Your Sevice;
Chris Robbins