Clownfish Blimp

[chazzman]

I have an Onyx Perc who is just like a dog when he’s being fed… he will break the surface and try to grab food from my hands. I’m sure many of you have similarly eager clowns.

Anyway, he was a bit more eager today than normal and it looks like he swallowed a bunch of air at the surface (his belly looks like extremely bloated). He’s having a hard time staying below the surface because the extra buoyancy keeps floating him to the top. If he stops swimming for a second, he floats to the top (tail first) like a cork. As a result, it looks like he's expending all of his energy just trying to stay under water.

Normally I wouldn’t worry, but because he is expending so much energy, I wonder if he will exhaust himself. Plus, because he is constantly swimming downward, he can't seem to get rid of any air bubbles.

Any thoughts / ideas?

[acbaldwin]

I read recently that someone had a different problem with their fish and among other things, they "burped" him.
I can only imagine this requires cradling the fish across your shoulder, patting him gently on the dorsal, and crooning gentle words like "there's my big fella" and "who's a big boy?," but I may be wrong.

[chazzman]

That's actually pretty funny, I gotta say. I don't imagine ingesting all of that air is life threatening by itself. I just fear that if he exhausts himself, he may end up floating to the top and getting sucked against an overflow or similar and the other fish will enjoy a Perc buffet.

[acbaldwin]

I was also going to suggest feeding him more to assist the, ahem, digestive processes, but then imagined him pooing out little bubbles and now I can't stop laughing.



I'm sorry I find this problem so funny. It's been a long day and the only cure is immaturity.

[KorL]

My very first maroon clownfish use to do the same thing. Whenever he ate, he would swallow too much air. After a couple of hours, he would swim normal again. If you feed flakes, don't let the food float, submerge the food underwater.

Your fish should be okay, at least mine was . . .

[sgriffin760]

I'm sorry I find this problem so funny. It's been a long day and the only cure is immaturity.[/QUOTE]

i with you on this kinda funny kinda not funny tho just to see him burb and air bubble come out :ohsnap: