Fixing Swim Bladder Issues in Our Fish

While most swim bladder issues are encountered when a rare fish is hauled up from the deepest parts of the ocean, hobbyists do occasionally run into them in their aquariums. These issues can be a carryover from decompression issues from the collection process, but they can also be disease related. Regardless of the source, the swim bladder swells with air and prevents the fish from swimming properly. And if left unchecked, the issue could lead to the fish’s slow death. Fortunately, swim bladder problems can be remedied with the use of a syringe and a little knowledge of fish anatomy. As demonstrated in the video above from “splashsea”, a black cap basslet with an obvious swim bladder malfunction is being treated. The fish is placed above a light source to allow the swim bladder to be more easily seen and a syringe punctures the bladder, allowing the air to be forcibly removed. After all is said and done, the basslet is placed back into the aquarium where it can swim properly. While this procedure is mostly harmless, it can have some negative side effects, most notably infections.