Help Tetra Trouble

[bananapeel22]

3 of my five tetras have enlarged bellys and act like they are wearing a life jacket they keep floating up when they want to swim down i recently released swordtail fry into the community tank and i beleive they ate them or something because they are SUPER fat and im really afraid for my fry and my tetras any information please help oh and another strange thing is that 3 tetras are doing this but i only put 2 fry in the tank.

 

[backtotropical]

Hi Bananapeel,

From the swimming difficulties you describe, it sounds like there is indeed a problem. It could be a host of different issues for many different reasons.

I suggest we start by figuring out if the basics are all ok in the tank? That may lead us to the problem.

Can you please tell us

Size of the tank?
List of all the fish?
Which filter are you using?
How long has the tank been set up?
Did you cycle the filter (do you know what cycling a filter is)?
Current readings for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH?

This will give us a much better idea what we are dealing with.

I am also moving this to our 'Emergencies' section where we deal with this kind of thing all the time.

Regards

BTT

 

[bananapeel22]

it is a 20 gallon tank with 2 swordtailsand 5 tetras there may be two more swordtail fry hiding but i think they may have been eaten. i am using and elite hush 20 filter the tank has been set up for about 4 months and i lost many fish in the first month because of the amonia levels but i got a packet and they are back to normal ph and everything is normal the tank is at 76 degrees always no fluctuations and if by cycling you mean water change i do about a 15% each week please help thank you

i just got home and still no sign of the fry but the tetras are still very fat and the crazy swimming has calmed down a tad but they are still doing it

 

[bananapeel22]

its calms dwon during the day but comes back every time i feed them? plese some one help does this hurt them?

 

[WILDER]

What test kit are you using?


What do you feed the fish?
Are scales sticking out?
What does it look like when the fish go to the toilet?

Feed some shelled peas.
Cook frozen peas for a few minutes. Let cool down and pop out of shell.
Mush into small pieces and add to the tank.

Swim bladder can be caused by bad water quality, unstable diet, to many dried foods, internal parasites, bacterial infection of the swim bladder, injury, birth defect, unstable temp.