Swim bladder disease
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Swim bladder disease, also called swim bladder disorder or flipover, is a common ailment in aquarium fish. The swim bladder is an internal gas-filled organ that contributes to the ability of a fish to control its buoyancy, and thus to stay at the current water depth without having to waste energy in swimming.[1] A fish with swim bladder disorder can float nose down tail up, or can float to the top or sink to the bottom of the aquarium.[2]
Swim bladder disease is a very common illness within aquarium fish that results in the bladder not functioning properly causing the fish to swim upside down. This disorder can be due to multiple factors such as physical abnormalities, environmental, mechanical, or in some cases due to fishes being inbred.[3][4] This disorder is commonly known to be seen in goldfish and bettas. With this element being impaired, it will affect the way that they travel and balance themselves throughout the water which is important to how they keep afloat. In worse cases, this disease can result in fish death.
A swim bladder is an organ that goes by the name air bladder or gas bladder. This organ is created during the embryonic stage from the out-pocketing canal. Within the fish air bladder is two different halves. The front half (dorsal) side covered in a thick tissue, which does not allow for much movement or fluctuation. The bladder is tightly linked to the spine, which prevents it from shifting position. The other half (the ventral side) of the swim bladder is located closer to the tail. When there is air in the bladder the ventral side can vary substantially in size depending on how much gas is present. The chamber of the swim bladder is only linked to the dorsal chamber by a tiny duct, and its position can shift according to a variety of factors.