# Let's Talk: Swim Bladder Disease vs. Disorder



## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

*Let's Talk: What is Swim Bladder Disorder vs. Disease*​

_Hello and welcome to another edition of "Let's Talk" focusing on facts, research, and discussion! Please read through the article first and then discus with everyone in the following comments if you'd like! I do not want this thread to be a "HELP, what does my fish have!" but just an informative thread and questions on the actual topic at hand!_


First let us go over what the Swim Bladder organ does and how the fish uses it. The organ in a Betta is located at the end of the body and is an elongated tube-like inflatable organ (see figure 1). It fills with gas to help the fish regulate it's buoyancy which helps the fish remain at a certain depth without using too much energy to keep swimming. It is also used to keep the fish in the upright position. It is akin to our equilibrium which keeps us balanced properly in the event it is working correctly. And the last use of the swim bladder is to amplify and receive sound.

Figure 1


Some fish have evolved to not even have a swim bladder, most of these are bottom-dwelling fish like the saltwater Blenny, they use their pectorals and other fins to keep themselves propped up and in the horizontal position. Cartilaginous fish such as Sharks and Rays also do not have swim bladders; they can use natural oils and fats to help regulation.

So we know what the function is but _how_ do they use their swim bladder organs? Quoting from Wikipedia for the ease of this article: 
"The swim bladder normally consists of two gas-filled sacs located in the dorsal portion of the fish, although in a few primitive species, there is only a single sac. It has flexible walls that contract or expand according to the ambient pressure. The walls of the bladder contain very fewblood vessels and are lined with guanine crystals, which make them impermeable to gases. By adjusting the gas pressurising organ using the gas gland or ovale window the fish can obtain neutral buoyancy and ascend and descend to a large range of depths. Due to the dorsal position it gives the fish lateral stability."

The above text is for the Physoclisti group of fish, there are two types of fish swim bladders, the first is Physostome which is a fish that's bladder is connected to alimentary canal or the gut, and this allows the fish to manually pull air in to inflate their bladder or push it out to deflate it. The other type is called Physoclisti where that duct between the bladder and the alimentary canal is lost so they do not manually regulate. Instead they use a specialized organ to add gas called a Gas Gland and then to release gas is called an Ovale. Bettas are in the Physoclisti group, they do not fill their bladders when they gulp air, they are just using their specialized organ; the Labyrinth Organ to breathe.

So now we know what the Swim Bladder does and how they do it, let's look at the things that can affect the bladder now.

*Swim Bladder Disorder/Issues*​The first type is not a disease or a real illness but rather a disorder, an issue, problem that could go away on its own or be there forever. These come from a few different events such as a severe fight with another fish that leads to wounds and damage to the internal organs, large falls, and birth defects. Birth defects is one of the larger issues when it comes to SB issues, bent spines can result in pushing against organs which can make regulation hard for the fish. Or the fishes organs could be shortened much like fancy goldfish, this could lead to buoyancy problems as well if severe enough. Other effects could be tumors or cysts pushing against the bladder or growing in the organ itself though, these you would not be able to detect without radiology which is near impossible for small ornamental fish with an average lifespan of 2 years.

*What would help these fish?* Well it depends on the problem; if it's a birth defect then there won't be anything you can do for the fish. Epsom Salt will do nothing for this kind of defect since ES is a laxative and we're not trying to draw fluid out from the bladder since it is effectively, all gas in the chamber. The best thing you can do is provide a heavily decorated tank for the fish to rest on periodically and help to keep itself upright. Lowering the water level may also help if the fish is having trouble swimming downwards.

Double tailed Bettas often have trouble with their swim bladders because of the natural deformity that they are, generally their bodies are shortened which can mean that organs up front are pressing back on the bladder which can create some buoyancy issues. DT's are a host of issues though if the body is not well formed, they can also have trouble digesting food if their GI tracts are squished as well. Again, lowered water lines and lots of decoration for them to rest on will be helpful. For the food issue, it depends, if the fish only eats 4 pellets and doesn't poop for a few days then don't feed him every day but wait until the stomach shrinks in size again. Fasting like this will not kill your fish; in fact it will be healthier for him. As always, make sure your food is high quality, which is key in feeding a DT; if you feed a food high in fillers it will only add to the digestion issues since Corn and Soybean (two out of three fillers) are indigestible for Bettas.

Another thing that can happen is excessive gas buildup in the bowel, many times it can be released through the vent but in this case, antibiotics will not help.

*Swim Bladder Disease*​Swim Bladder Disease is often caused by a bacterium that infects the organ, causing it to over-inflate. There are abnormalities with this as well, not all of it is caused by bacteria but on occasion it just happens, or the thin membrane happens to swell which can cause floating as well. If the fish is floating or trying to swim downwards and popping back up like a cork, this is an example of an over-inflated swim bladder and you should consult antibiotics in the event of bacteria causing the abnormality in the fish.

The opposite end of this is fluid buildup in the organ, generally caused again by bacteria of some sort which can cause granulomas in the fluid and other acid-fast bacteria. This primarily causes the fish to sink like a rock. There is a difference here though, many heavy tailed Bettas will fall to the floor of their tank just because they can, the difference is in how fast. Most of the time they will more or less gently let themselves fall whereas a fish affected with SBD and fluid will fall literally like a rock and not be able to get up well or easily. Again, antibiotics here should work unless the bacteria are resistant or the organ is already damaged in which case death is generally inevitable. In these cases it will help to lower the water level and Epsom Salt may be used but antibiotics should be purchased as soon as possible. 

*What isn't SBD or a version thereof?* Bloating, bloating is not exclusively part of SBD. Swim Bladder Disease or Disorder will not cause the fish to bloat at any time, even if the chamber is filled with excess gas, the swelling is a completely different issue. However a fish can become bloated from internal parasites or an intestinal infection, the swelling can affect the swim bladder but it is in itself _not_ SBD.


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## obiordi (Jan 31, 2014)

Thank you for that, it was very informative.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Glad to be of help!


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## aselvarial (Feb 21, 2014)

wow, that is awesome.


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## Zhylis (Nov 4, 2014)

Awesome Lil!

Looking for opinions/discussion. Here's a question I have a hard time answering. Exhibit A: Mr. Betta displays an extremely distended stomach, looks like s/he swallowed a marble. Region is smooth scaled but visible loss of pigmentation, lethargic, refuses food.

OK, honestly, my gut says (regardless of the initial cause) at this point, we're looking at massive kidney failure resulting in loss of osmoregulation, possible multiple organ damage. Quality of life: poor. 

Euthanize or kanamycin? Has a fish ever recovered once it's reached this stage? I've had fish recover from dropsy (pinecone-ing) but I've never personally seen the smooth-scaled bloat version that betta seem so prone to. Alternatively, could you do a tap through the abdominal wall to relieve the pressure to buy more time for the antibiotic to work?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Zhylis said:


> Awesome Lil!
> 
> Looking for opinions/discussion. Here's a question I have a hard time answering. Exhibit A: Mr. Betta displays an extremely distended stomach, looks like s/he swallowed a marble. Region is smooth scaled but visible loss of pigmentation, lethargic, refuses food.
> 
> ...


Well, it could be loss of liver function, unlike kidney failure, it may not swell as much and pinecone from what I've read/know. I believe they could still swell but it wouldn't have the traditional pineconing at least. Alternatively, yes, it could be bacteria infecting one of the organs or intestine track to swell up.

I'm not too confident in recommending a surgical procedure, so I think you'd know more about taps than I would. I know the function but I feel like you'd need to know what is potentially swollen to know where to tap? Sorry if that's wrong lol.

Has he been defecating at all? He's pale, lethargic, won't eat, does he swim at all? Float at the top, stay towards the bottom? Those questions don't particularly pertain to one thing, just trying to get bearings on him. I would go with the antibiotic for a few days to see if it has any effect on him. If you can get him to eat at all, soak the pellets or even freeze-dried bloodworms work perfect for soaking up medicine. You can have a single freeze-dried bloodworm soak in a dose of KanaPlex and some garlic juice for stimulation and try that, if not, just put it into the water.

I'm sure you know, but for anyone one else, Kanamycin (KanaPlex) is best used when the fish can consume it, so soak your pellets in it for a few minutes or if you use frozen foods or the freeze dried foods, soak it at least half an hour and feed with tweezers or whatever you have (I like tweezers because you can pick it up and move it around, make it wiggle to attempt to stimulate the fish into thinking it's live).


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

great information! 
thanks for making this!


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