# What the..! Fish suddenly floating after eating



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

I just fed my fish today, no more than usual and at the same time. Now TWO of my neons are swimming in a decidedly "down" fashion, if they stop they float belly-up to the surface, but they're trying to not stop. I don't understand why this is happening. I didn't feed any more than I usually do and I only feed every other day. What happened here? Did these two simply eat too much? 

If there any way to help them, will they get better on their own, or are they goners?


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## clau74 (Apr 21, 2012)

Hi , 
The problem is the bladder, kept under observation.
Air bladder, named popular "fish bladder", serves as a reserve of oxygen for breathing, but also acts as a hydrostatic apparatus. Bladder is directly related to the intestine through a thin channel. When the fish wants to rise to the surface air bladder is full and you want to leave the bottom it is compressed.


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

I figured this had to do with the swim bladder, but I couldn't figure out why this happened immediately after eating. Is it possible they simply ate too much and that is causing? I soak the flakes before I feed so they don't gulp air at the surface. They seem like they're getting tired of swimming.


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## clau74 (Apr 21, 2012)

Ok, you took every precaution, if you rarely eat fish, they become greedy. Could this be the problem.


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Ah okay. I only feed them every other day so maybe they were just particularly hungry today. I'll hope they'll be fine. So far they're both still trying to swim down.


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## clau74 (Apr 21, 2012)

Avoid feed them once a day with more food, more than twice a day and little food. Expect results!


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Okay, thank you!


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## clau74 (Apr 21, 2012)

I'm glad I could help.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

What are you feeding them? Try feeding only frozen critters for a while.


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## TWA (Jan 30, 2012)

Flakes will expand in the stomach, if they ate too many flakes before they became waterlogged they could be bloated, or they could have gulped in a ton of air while feeding


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## Bettatail (Feb 12, 2009)

You have some healthy neons, they feel comfortable to grab food from the surface and swallow air with the food.
I had some 20 neons in the old tank before, when I only floated the flake food on surface, half of them floated after the meal. a couple fat ones even floated upside down on surface.
funny to watch.
other tetras knew how to spit the air when they grabbed the food from the surface, but not the neons.

just don't feed them from the surface they will not float after the meal.


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## Akechii (Jun 3, 2017)

Should i worry? 2 of mine stole alot of food and keep swimming down but floatas up, been like this the entire day, sometimes they just float at the top, i push them down and then they continue trying to swim down, if i leave them floating will they die?


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