It swims, but not a fish. The main reasons why fish in an aquarium lie on the bottom, and how to deal with it. In what cases can it be treated in a community aquarium, and when is it better to remove a sick fish?

Every novice aquarist faces a problem when the fish ends up at the bottom of the aquarium and breathes heavily or shows no signs of life at all.

Why do fish in an aquarium lie on the bottom - on their abdomen or on their sides? We will tell you the main reasons for this behavior in fish and consider the necessary methods to eliminate this situation.

Why did they fall down, lie on their belly or on their side?

If the fish are lying on the bottom, then it is possible that the volume of the aquarium is too small for them. Very often, novice aquarists give their preference to newfangled aquariums, without thinking about how the fish will feel. This situation can lead to poor health in the pet.

Also, the reasons for this behavior may be the following circumstances:

Let's consider other reasons:

Change in water quality

If the fish lies on the bottom, then you need to conduct a test that will determine whether there are ammonia, nitrates, ammonium compounds in the water, and what the general condition of the liquid is.

Water parameters that should be measured:

If testing shows a deviation from the norm, then first of all you need to ensure an influx of clean water by making a partial replacement.

You can also refresh the water with a special reagent., which quickly neutralizes harmful impurities. You can buy such a reagent at any pet store.

Temperature violation

Violation of water temperature is another significant reason why the fish lies on the bottom. If the water changes its temperature by about 5 degrees Celsius, then the fish receives a so-called temperature shock, which disrupts the immune system.

Sudden changes in temperature can adversely affect fish, so it must be constant. Temperature fluctuations during the day are allowed within 2 - 4 degrees Celsius.

The water temperature in the aquarium should be about 24-27 degrees.

Diseases

If the fish sank to the bottom, but the living conditions are not disturbed, this indicates that the fish has been injured or infected.

Signs of infection:

If there is more than one fish in the aquarium, it should be removed from there and moved separately to prevent infection of the remaining fish.

New house

One of the most common reasons for this behavior in fish is when they are introduced into a new aquarium. where there is no required balance of the aquatic ecosystem.

Early launch causes shock in ornamental fish. In a new aquarium, the nitrogen cycle does not function, so the concentration of nitrites often increases.

If the fish is on the bottom, you should immediately check the water temperature, the basic parameters of the liquid, and carefully inspect all the fish.

Water parameters that need to be tested:

• rigidity;
• acidity;
• ammonia concentration;
• ammonium concentration;
• concentration of nitrites and nitrates.

Bottom representatives

In nature, there is a type of aquarium fish called bottom fish. It is normal for such individuals to be at the bottom of the aquarium.

Types of bottom fish:

If the above species live in your aquarium, then you should not worry if the fish lies on the bottom, because this is its direct behavior, and everything is fine with it.

What to do?

With fish

First, take a closer look at the fish: maybe it’s not lying at the bottom, but studying it, is engaged in digging up soil, or, as mentioned above, this is her direct behavior.

But if the fish is not a bottom fish and does not explore the bottom, then observe its physical condition and pay attention to the condition of the water.

If the fish at the bottom is dead, then it must be removed quickly, otherwise the process of rotting will begin. This situation can contaminate the water, which will endanger other healthy fish.

With an aquarium after the death of an inhabitant

In an aquarium where there was a dead fish, it is recommended to change 30-40% of the water, clean the filter, and wait for the aquatic ecosystem to recover.

If the cause of death of the fish was an infection, then it is necessary to drain the water from the aquarium and wash it, and then fill it with fresh water.

In the first days, the water may become cloudy, but this phenomenon goes away on its own. The fish can be released after two weeks, when the water becomes clear.

Useful video

Why the fish in the aquarium lies at the bottom and what to do, the video will tell you:

Conclusion

There are many different reasons why fish sink to the bottom.. It is very important for novice aquarists to study in detail not only them, but also the rules of action in such a situation.

The most important thing is to notice problems in time, so that later it is not too late, because the lifespan of a pet depends on the attentiveness of the owner.

01/3/2020 at 19:07 · VeraSchegoleva · 370

10 interesting facts about fish that you might not know

The earth is covered by 71% water. - the indigenous inhabitants of these expanses of water, who over billions of years of evolution have completely adapted to environmental conditions. They learned to obtain oxygen from water, hunt and find food, live in various types of bodies of water, attack and camouflage.

Currently, scientists know more than 35 thousand species of fish. But this is not the limit, because every year more and more new species are discovered, surprising with their diversity. An entire branch of science, called ichthyology, is devoted to the study of these creatures. Today's rating is dedicated to the most interesting facts about fish.

10. New species are constantly appearing

Thanks to ichthyologists, humanity discovers about five hundred inhabitants of rivers, lakes, seas and oceans every year. The great work that scientists do every year and every day is bearing fruit. Reports of the discovery of previously unknown fish species are appearing all over the world.

For example, in Tasmania alone in 2018, one hundred new underwater inhabitants were entered into the directories. In addition to new ones, the list of existing ones is also expanding. Thus, a new species of shark was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico, and a species of puffer fish was found in it.

9. Sizes from 7.9 mm to 20 m

In addition to their diversity, fish can surprise with their size. Everyone knows how huge the fierce predators of the seas – sharks – can be. The largest individual reaches twenty meters. We know this giant as the whale shark, she loves to bask in tropical waters and poses no danger to humans. Her diet includes only plankton and she is indifferent to human meat.

Despite its formidable size, it is a fairly friendly fish and will even allow an impudent diver to ride on its back.

The smallest fish, whose body has a modest size of 7.9 mm in length, lives in Indonesia.

8. More than half of vertebrate species originated from fish

Evolution is a very long, mysterious and complex process. Living beings adapted to new living conditions, acquired or lost abilities. It is known that more than half of vertebrate species originated from fish. Most likely, this happened during the Paleozoic, which began 541 million years ago. This era lasted for almost 300 million years.

Fish learned to “walk” on the seabed, under water, and when they came to land, they only continued their long evolutionary path.

7. Three types of reproduction

Reproduction is common to all living beings on the planet. The simplest formulation of this complex process is the reproduction of one’s own kind. Typically, a species has one specific type of reproduction. But fish surprise us in this too, having three different types of self-reproduction.

The first type, which is familiar to us, is bisexual reproduction. With it, it is easy to determine who is a male and who is a female. The roles are clearly distributed, each sex performs only its own reproductive functions.

The second type is hermaphroditism. In this case, more surprising things happen for us and the sex of the individual changes throughout life. Having been born, for example, as a male, a fish, by a certain age, is rebuilt and continues to live and function as an absolutely full-fledged female.

The third type is called gynogenesis. This is a process in which the sperm performs only the function of launching the reproductive system, and is not a prerequisite for reproduction.

6. Some fish can change sex

Pisces do not necessarily need surgery to change their sex. Some species have a special body structure in which their sex changes throughout life.. This system predominates, for example, in sea bass and wrasses.

5. The seahorse is the only fish that swims vertically

Pipits are small sea fish, whose genus includes up to 57 species. Seahorses got their unusual name because of their resemblance to a chess piece. Warm water lovers live in the tropics and are afraid of cold water, which can kill them.

But their most remarkable feature is that they do not move like everyone else. If all fish swim strictly horizontally, then seahorses stand out from the crowd, moving exclusively vertically.

4. Patty is a long-lived eel, age 88 years

Another amazing fish that looks very similar to a snake is called the European eel. This snake-like fish is even capable of covering short distances on land.

For a long time, the eel was considered a representative of viviparous fish due to the impossibility of finding fry and a spawning site. One of the representatives of this species was caught in 1860 in the Sargasso Sea and placed in a museum aquarium in Sweden. The approximate age at capture was three years. This living exhibit was even given a very cute name - Patty. The most amazing thing in his biography is that he died only in 1948, becoming the longest living fish, living as long as 88 years.

3. A sailboat swims at speeds of up to 100 km/h

The fish with the beautiful name sailfish lives in tropical and temperate waters of all oceans existing on Earth. It got its name thanks to its dorsal fin, which is very similar to the sail of a ship. The fin can be twice as tall as the fish itself.

The sailboat reaches three meters in length and weighs up to one hundred kilograms. The fish is a real speed record holder, gaining up to one hundred kilometers per hour. Such high values ​​are achieved by the streamlining of the body, coupled with the fin retracting into the back and energetic movements of the tail.

2. Piranha is the most dangerous fish

A fish that terrifies many people and has become the hero of horror films and thrillers. Piranha is rightfully considered the most dangerous fish living on Earth. The name comes from the Indian language and literally translates as sawfish. There are more than 50 varieties of these monsters, but all of them live only in the waters of South America.

Exactly imitating sharks, piranhas are able to sense blood in the water. even if it is just a drop at a great distance from them. The powerful jaws of these monsters are capable of tearing pieces of meat from the victim, and a school of such fish will tear apart cattle in a matter of minutes. But alone, fish are very shy and can lose consciousness from loud and sudden noise.

1. One of the early symbols of Christianity

One of the early symbols of Christianity was the familiar fish. The fact is that, translated from ancient Greek, fish sounds like "ichthys" which is an acronym. “Ichthys” stands for a phrase, the approximate translation of which means “ Jesus Christ God's Son Savior”.

The appearance of such a mysterious message is associated with the persecution of early Christians by the Romans. The laws of that time prohibited the propaganda of Christianity, the open profession of this religion, the creation and wearing of symbols that indicated belonging to the faith.

The image of a fish was a secret sign indicating a person’s religion. The symbol was applied to clothing, the body and homes, and was also depicted in caves where secret services took place.

Fish often appears in scripture and in many parables. The most famous story related to fish tells how a huge number of hungry people fed on one fish. In that era, Christians were also compared to fish because they followed the flow of faith in the waters of eternal life.

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Ternetias have good resistance to various diseases, but poor care and improper maintenance conditions negatively affect their health.

The owner needs not only to know how to cure fish from a particular disease, but also to understand what caused the unpleasant misfortune.

To get rid of a specific disease, it is necessary to establish an optimal environment for the fish or use certain medications.

Swims sideways or rolls over on its side

Sometimes aquarists notice that one of the fish cannot stay in one position for a long time: it seems to fall on its side on its own. During swimming, strange deviations are also observed; he may swim sideways or make unnatural movements.

To prevent the disease, you need to be especially careful about the sanitary treatment of plants, soil and shelters.

New fish should first be placed in a quarantine tank to eliminate the possibility of infection.

In some cases, Ternetia falls on its side when contracting tuberculosis. As a rule, it is useless to treat affected individuals; they should be immediately removed from the aquarium.

Growth on the lip

If a black dot appears on Ternetia’s jaw, which soon turns into a noticeable bump, then this may be a sign of various diseases. If the fish behaves as usual and does not lose appetite or mobility, then the growth is most likely a tumor, which is best left untouched. If desired, the growth can be cut off and cauterized with betadine, but doing this at home is problematic.

If black dots begin to appear all over the body, then Ternetia is affected by a fungus(Ichthyosporidiosis often manifests itself this way). The diseased individual should be placed in a separate container and treated with fungicides, for example, parachlorophenoxytol. Its dosage is about 1 gram per 1 liter, and the medicinal solution must be added to the water at the rate of 40 ml per 1 liter of aquarium. The solution is added several times over 3 days, after which all the water is replaced and the condition of the fish is monitored.

A preventive measure, as in the previous case, is the treatment of all foreign objects in order to prevent infection from entering the aquarium.

Growth on the head

Growths in Ternetia can appear not only on the lips, but also on the head, sometimes they affect the change in the shape of the fish as a whole.

If the individual behaves normally, eats well and swims actively, then the reason may be a banal overpopulation of the aquarium: there should be at least 10 liters per fish. In this case, it is worth unloading the container, or providing more thorough care.

If Ternetias are kept in good conditions, then the growth is most likely of fungal origin. In this case, the fish must be quarantined and treated with special baths. Add 1 tsp to 1 liter of settled water. soda and 2 drops of iodine, after which the fish are put in there for a couple of hours. This procedure is recommended to be carried out every other day for a week, after which Ternetia, as a rule, recovers and can be kept in a common aquarium.

Swims upside down

This behavior often indicates hypoxia - oxygen starvation. It is also worth thinking about the population of the aquarium and the quality of care. If the situation is bad, then the stronger fish damage the weaker ones, and they, in turn, lose their sense of balance. Accordingly, the owner needs to resettle the fish or take better care of them.

Swims upside down

Some bacterial diseases cause the fish to swim unnaturally: in jerks, in circles, crooked and tilted downwards (usually at an angle of 45°).

Such individuals must be placed in a separate container, where half of the water is taken from the aquarium, and the other half is added.

For treatment, use the drug “SERA Baktopur Direct” (take 1 tablet per 50 liters, dissolve in a small amount of water and add to the container).

After a couple of days, half the volume of water is changed to a new one and the medicine is added again, while the fish do not need to be given food for 2-3 days. After a few days, the symptoms should disappear.

Red gills

Sometimes fish have overly red gills from birth, which has nothing to do with various diseases. If the gills change their color in front of you, then this clearly indicates some kind of disturbance in the habitat of Ternetius. First of all, you need to make sure that the water is well oxygenated and changed regularly.

It is also worth testing the water for nitrates and ammonia (testers are sold in pet stores).

Red gills often indicate ammonia poisoning, so the aquarist will need to get the water levels in order.

Hexamitosis (thin string of feces)

In addition, ulcers and wounds often appear on the body of the fish, and the individual itself loses its appetite, becomes lethargic and loses a lot of weight.

If the fish is severely affected by the disease (almost stops swimming, refuses to eat, there are many ulcers on its body), then it is necessary to take medications, for example, metronidazole (it can be added directly to the general aquarium and not quarantined).

The dosage is 250 mg per 35 liters, and the medicine is added every day with a simultaneous change of 15-20% of the water volume. To avoid relapse, the duration of treatment should be at least 12 days.

White spots on fins

White spots that appear on the fins and bodies of fish are a fairly common infectious disease (ichthyophthyriasis, “semolina”).

If the disease was detected at the initial stage, then these measures are quite enough: after a couple of days the tubercles disappear. In a more difficult situation, the fish must be removed, salt baths taken, or bicillin added to the water.

Eye bulging

Bug-eye is another common disease of aquarium inhabitants. Typically, it occurs due to overcrowding, which leads to rapid water pollution and increased levels of nitrites and phosphates.

The aquarist needs to test the water indicators and reconsider his views on the conditions of keeping the fish. If bulging eyes are accompanied by other symptoms (plaque, growths, dots), then we are talking about infectious diseases.

In what cases can it be treated in a community aquarium, and when is it better to remove a sick fish?

After any illness, the community aquarium, in any case, must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

Pathogenic bacteria can remain in the soil or on other surfaces, as a result of which relapse often occurs.

What general prevention should be done to prevent the disease?

Ternetias are very resistant to diseases, but poor care and improper maintenance conditions can cause many diseases. The aquarist should avoid overcrowding and polluting the water. It is also important to disinfect all foreign objects, plants and soil, and new fish should first be kept in another aquarium in quarantine. Such actions will help avoid most diseases, and Ternetia will delight its owner for a long time.

Researchers from Australia have discovered another habitat for the red spadefish. Until recently, there were only eight such individuals in nature. It is unique in that it does not swim, but walks along the bottom with the help of its fins and does this very reluctantly. When they saw the fish on the Internet, they fell in love with it and were a little scared of its superpowers.

There are many creatures living in the depths of the ocean, and they all, like people, have different personalities. Some people are shy and that's why. Another shy species of the seabed are red spade fish.

The animals don’t look very happy, but all because they are a bit of strangers among fish, since they don’t swim, but walk. To do this, shovelfish use their pelvic fins, which they use to move along the bottom, moving quite slowly, writes the Guardian.

Until recently, scientists believed that there were only 20 individuals of red shovelfish left in the world and they were all found in one place near the coast of Australian Tasmania. But keen eyes and a little luck have helped the world find at least eight more of these fish.

At first, an amateur diver noticed the unusual inhabitant of the sea, and told the University of Tasmania about it. The researchers immediately rushed to search for fish in the place indicated by the diver. But hours of searching passed, and they were still unable to find anyone.

I already told my colleagues that we would now go up, and then, swimming through the seaweed, I noticed her,” one of the scientists, Antonia Cooper, told the Guardian.

The researchers knew that shovelfish live in schools, so they searched for two more days and found eight individuals, although they believe there could be more in total.

Interestingly, we found them in a new habitat (several kilometers from the known one), which means that shovelfish adapt well to changing environmental conditions and have a better chance of surviving.

When Internet users learned about the discovery, they first admired the beautiful fish with unusual crests, but then got a little scared.

But so far there have been no signs of transformation into land creatures in fish, and no particular activity either. As scientists say, fish swim very little.

They only swim if disturbed. Then they make a dash, swim about 50 centimeters, and then stop. It is very difficult for them to move.

The fact that spade fish really don’t like to be disturbed can be seen from their face (more precisely, their muzzle).

But now their worries are just beginning. Researchers want to take a few spadefish for themselves, breed them in captivity, and then release them back into the ocean. But it is unknown whether the red shovel fish themselves, who have hidden their home from human eyes for so long, will like this.

The World Ocean is home to many amazing creatures that can change our understanding of the animal world. Some of them are fish from the pipistrelle family, which swim poorly and reluctantly, but instead can walk along the bottom, using their fins as legs.

Batfish are small heat-loving fish whose size does not exceed 35 centimeters. The appearance of these fish is quite unusual: a huge head compared to the body, forward-looking eyes and a mouth with fleshy lips, which in some species have a very bright color. On top of that, their pectoral fins have an uncharacteristic appearance for fish. The dorsal and caudal fins of these fish are quite ordinary, but pairs of pectoral and ventral fins are used for walking along the bottom. The hind ventral fins of pipistrelle bats are somewhat reminiscent of the legs of frogs.

Batfish, of which there are more than 30 species, live in tropical and subtropical latitudes of the World Ocean. They lead a benthic lifestyle and live at depths from 30 to 1000 meters, depending on the species. Bats are predators that hunt small fish, crustaceans and marine invertebrates. But they are passive predators who prefer to hide or burrow into the ground, waiting for their prey at the bottom. Many species have an unusual growth on the head that secretes special substances and serves as bait for small fish. Batfish are solitary creatures that rarely venture beyond their habitat on the seabed.