One of the scariest things that can happen to you while fishkeeping is seeing your fish swimming abnormally. Mostly water change causes a slight change in the demeanor of fish but not that huge to make you worry. However, when you see your fish swimming upside down just after the water change, that’s when you have to worry. You have to start asking questions at this instant immediately. Why is your fish swimming upside down after water change? What are the factors responsible for that?
Environmental stress, instant shock, low water quality, etc. are the few factors that will cause the fish to swim upside down after water change. Not overdoing anything or taking care of certain parameters during the water change will help you in the long run in fishkeeping and keeping your fish healthy.
I know you want to know more about the reasons and causative agents behind your fish swimming upside down after the water change.
The piece of information might not help you wholly in solving the problem, so I have written an article dedicated to this topic below.
Why is My Fish Swimming Upside Down After Water Change?
Fish are sensitive and delicate than we think they are. A simple change in the environment they are living in will lead to a disaster you cannot imagine.
Water change, once a week, is a normal thing and appropriate thing to do. But when you overdo or underdo something, you might have to face consequences regarding fish health and normal behavior.
The malfunctioning of the swim bladder is the main reason for fish to swim abnormally or upside down.
There are various instances where the change of water in the tank leads to the malfunctioning of the swim bladder.
When the swim bladder stops doing its work, how can you expect anything less than fish abnormal behavior?
You might be interested to learn more about Why Is My Fish Floating Upside Down?
What Are The Causes Of Fish Swimming Upside Down After Water Change?
Here we are worrying about the abnormal swimming of your fish. But have you ever sat back and thought: this might be because of something I did?
Most of the time when your fish does something out of the ordinary the chances of your being the main culprit is overwhelmingly high.
Hey, I am not blaming you for all the stupid things that happen in the tank. I am simply stating the fact that fish generally don’t behave irrationally unless there is something wrong in the tank.
The same theory goes for the fish swimming upside down after the water change. There is a high possibility of you doing something wrong that resulted in the chaos.
Don’t worry once I point out the causative agents of this problem, you will figure out every tiny mistake yourself.
Now let us talk about the reasons that are causing your fish to swim upside down after water change.
Environmental Stress
When you change the water from the aquarium and add new water to it, the fish will have a hard time acclimating itself to the new environment.
You might to read an article on How to Acclimate Fish?
The change in the surrounding can affect human beings, these small fish are way more delicate than we are.
When the water change is done or overdone for some reason, this will give unwanted stress to fish to adjust to a completely new environment.
Sometimes, this stress can result in the irregularity of feeding and digestion. When the digestive tract is affected due to environmental stress, the damage or pressure to the swimming bladder is not far.
The improper functioning of the swim bladder or the unlimited stress in the fish due to instant change will give them a hard time swimming or behaving properly.
So, seeing your fish swimming upside down after water change might be due to simple and petty mistakes you made that in turn is giving your fish stress.
Instant Shock
Sometimes the instant change in water parameters can affect the fish in a way you cannot think of.
You may feel like a change in water once a week is something normal and your fish will adjust to this change automatically.
But that is not the case, trust me. Your fish will take its time to adjust to the new water mixture with old water.
And sometimes, the change in water can even shock them. They will not be prepared for the water change and the unannounced change will affect your fish and send them to the instant shock.
This shock can affect the internal organs of the fish and can also injure the swim bladder. With the damage to the swim bladder, you can imagine the worse situation.
Our fish not only swim upside down but will also start to act irrationally and stop eating food or doing any activities.
Undigested Food In The Fish Body
The unplanned and instant water change can affect the digestive system of the fish. There is an infamous yet important rule to not feed the fish 2 hours prior to the water change.
When your fish is busy digesting food when you are performing a water change, this will lead them to stress.
The stress of digesting food while adapting to new water will make it harder for fish to act properly or maintain proper natural behavior.
This will lead to indigestion of food and constipation in the fish. The enlargement of the gastrointestinal tract will follow constipation and indigestion making the swim bladder pressurized.
The pressure in the swim bladder will make it function improperly. And as you know the malfunctioning of the swim bladder will make the fish swim upside down.
Hence, the feeding frequency and time also decides whether the water change at a certain time is appropriate or not.
Low Water Quality
When you add water into the tank with very poor hygiene and full of contaminants, you are actually welcoming problems in the tank.
The presence of contaminants or pollutants in the tank water can make the fish sick and affect the whole ecosystem.
The change in the water parameters can affect the entire body of the fish and even the swim bladder which helps the fish to balance their body properly in water and swim.
The malfunctioning of the swim bladder will cause the fish to swim irregularly or strangely. You might not notice but your fish will be in great pain when the water quality is lowered.
The diseases, sickness, weakness, and stress brought by the low quality of water are incomparable and the fish swimming upside down might only be the starting point of the nightmare.
Here is an article on The Easiest Way to Clean and Maintain Aquarium
Removing Too Much Nitrate Ions
You may already know about aquarium ammonia poisoning. But have you come across nitrate intoxication in fish?
You might like to read more about How To Lower Ammonia In An Aquarium? Cause And Effect Of Increased Ammonia
Well, it is a real thing and can be fatal if it isn’t looked after properly. Yes, a high level of nitrate in the tank can kill your fish but think about what happens if you lower the nitrate level in the aquarium more than necessary?
I know nitrate can be toxic for fish if they are exposed to it for a long time. But remember your fish will also adapt to the presence of nitrate in the tank to some extent.
So, when you remove too much nitrate ions from the aquarium water during a water change, you will be impairing the osmoregulation of your freshwater fish.
Okay first let me tell you what osmoregulation is? The ability of your fish to manage the osmotic pressure in their body fluids is actually osmoregulation.
So, now think about the change or decrement of the nitrate ions in the tank instantly and the pressure it will bring.
This change will cause an imbalance in the osmotic pressure in the body fluids of fish. And this imbalance will cause the organs of the fish to swell and also affect their swim bladder.
The malfunctioning of the swim bladder will result in an imbalance in the fish body and their virtue to swim properly or straight.
So, even if you are planning to remove the nitrate ions from the tank water, do it gradually and slowly. You might not want to worsen the swim bladder disease, now do you?
Here is an article to help you with this problem How To Lower Nitrate In An Aquarium? Cause And Effect Of Increased Nitrate
Change In Temperature
The instant change in temperature can affect the digestive system of the fish. I know you might think this is absurd or not possible.
But believe me, temperature plays a vital role in the metabolic activity of the fish in the tank and their natural habitat as well.
When you change the water from the aquarium, there will be changes in the temperature too.
You might end up lowering the temperature of the aquarium or sometimes increasing it beyond the ideal point.
High temperature speeds up the metabolic activity making fish hungry more. This will lead to overfeeding and obesity in aquarium fish which in turn cause constipation and other diseases in the same fish.
Lower the temperature, lower is the digestion of food in the stomach of fish. When the food eaten by the fish remains for a longer period in their stomach, your fish will start to suffer from constipation.
The undigested food will make the gastrointestinal tract larger than it usually is. The enlargement of the gastrointestinal tract and constipation will put pressure on the swim bladder of the fish.
The effect of the pressure on the swim bladder will make the fish lose their balance and control over their swimming naturally.
Your fish will start to swim upside down or sideways due to the low-functioning swim bladder.
Water change leads to temperature change and temperature change affects the whole swimming process.
Physical Trauma During Water Change
Sometimes, mistakenly you will injure your fish during the water change. The physical change in the aquarium environment can physically affect the fish too.
The flow of the water during the water change can push the fish here and there. I know you don’t have the intention to hurt your fish.
But the change in the water flow or the instantaneous speed of the water current can push the fish to collide with other aquatic animals.
Sometimes, the collision can take place between fish and the wall of the aquarium or the decoration in the tank.
These unplanned and unintentional collisions can rupture or damage the swim bladder of the fish. Hence the fish will start to swim upside down or just float upside down.
How To Treat The Different Conditions That Cause Fish Swimming Upside Down After Water Change?
Well, there is no definite or evident treatment other than keeping them in another tank with ideal water parameters.
I know it might look scary to know there is no treatment for this problem. But hey this is what happens when you are not careful enough.
Some problems in fishkeeping are way scary than it feels like. You might think your fish swimming upside down will be for a time being only.
But yes, if you maintain the aquarium water that is fish well-adapted to, then there is a chance your fish will be happy and normal after a while.
How To Prevent The Different Conditions That Cause Fish Swimming Upside Down After Water Change?
“Prevention is better than cure,” someone said it way correctly than I can ever put it. Why to even let the fish behave abnormally in the first place.
A little caution beforehand can go long way then you can imagine. If you are careful enough while taking every step related to aquarium and fishkeeping, trust me no problem will ever arise.
Fishkeeping may seem like a cup of tea for most people, but truly it isn’t. Every little thing matters and you have to be careful enough with all the things.
So, keeping these far-sighted things aside, let’s talk about the preventive measures you can take to avoid fish swimming upside down after water change.
Do not Overdo Water Change
Well, the truth has been spoken already. Overdoing anything can lead to severe damage and improper work.
Nothing is good when overdone, either it is decorating your tank or changing the aquarium water.
If you take care and measure the water while changing it, then the chances of fish behaving abnormally are nearly zero.
I know you might think a little more water change will not affect your fish. But boy, how wrong you are? Even the slightest hint of water change can affect the fish so think about overdoing it.
No wonder why your fish will go out of the way to show things you are doing wrong. Stick to 20 to 30 percent of water change once a week every week.
Frequent water change or exceeding the percentage of water to be changed can be fatal to your fish let alone swimming upside down.
You might like to learn more about Is Too Much Water Change Harmful For Your Fish: How To Do It Safely?
Test The Aquarium Water Before Water Change
Have you ever moved across the place to a pollution-free environment after living in polluted surroundings for years?
How did your body react to it? Could it handle the instant change in the climate?
I don’t think so. Your body cannot adjust to a new environment immediately. So, you have to change the environment gradually and not instantly.
The same thing happens with the fish after a water change. They might be used to living in water with certain water parameters and have adapted well to it.
So, when you perform the water change without testing the previous water parameters, the shock can be unbearable.
So, check and test the water parameters of the tank before performing the water change and adjust fish gradually to the new water.
Test The Water You Are About To Pour In The Aquarium
Now, when you are done testing the aquarium water, it is equally important to test the new water you are going to pour into the tank.
Do not pour the water that doesn’t match the water parameters required in the tank or has many chemical components.
Gradual Decrement Of Nitrate Ions
You may think nitrate poisoning will be solved once you remove all the nitrate from the tank. But read the article above and see how wrong you are.
Slow and gradual decrement of nitrate ions will not affect your fish. So, you need to take measures to solve the problem slowly.
Use live plants that will consume the nitrate ions present in the tank slowly. Do not give a shock to your fish and mess up their osmoregulation.
Aquarium beneficial bacteria will perform the aquarium nitrogen cycle and convert the ammonia present in the tank into essential nitrate ions.
This nitrate ions will be, in turn, consumed by live plants present in the tank and hence no unnecessary measures lower too much nitrate.
Regular Water Change
When you have a definite schedule for doing everything in the aquarium, your fish will adjust to the schedule.
The chance of your fish getting shocked with the water change will be very less when you follow a certain timetable.
Once every week your fish will be ready for the water change and try to adjust automatically to it without any problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
I know the questions are never-ending. So, I have tried to answers a few of them for your ease.
Do Aquarium Water Changes Kill Fish?
Well, technically and figuratively speaking, No. No, aquarium water changes do not kill your fish until and unless you are doing something wrong during a water change.
Overdoing water changes, removing large portions of water, not testing the water before and after the water change, use of contaminated water during a water change, etc. are the main factors to kill fish.
These things bring diseases, stress, and other physical and mental damage to your fish after the water change.
Stressed, sick, or depressed fish can die after a while if you don’t take action almost immediately after an improper water change.
Should You Feed Fish After Water Change?
Actually Don’t. Feeding your fish after a water change is like giving them a slow poison to die. Even feeding fish a few hours prior to water change is fatal too.
When you perform water change while your fish is digesting food, this same food will bring many internal problems within their stomach and stomach lining. This will turn fatal pretty soon.
And when you feed them food after the water change, they will already be having a hard time adjusting to new water, they will have a serious problem with digesting food at that instance.
I know you don’t want your fish to die before or after a water change or even die at all. So, avoid feeding your fish 2 hours and 1 hour before and after water change respectively.
Conclusion
In conclusion, water change, when done wrongly, can invite so many problems that you cannot even imagine. Fish swimming upside down can be a deep-rooted problem that you might have ignored during the water change. You have to be careful with each and every side and factor related to the water parameters while performing water changes in the aquarium. Do not overlook the signs and symptoms your fish shows or the change in the behavior of fish after a water change, you might be dealing with something harsh.
Be careful and don’t let the changes in the tank make your fish turn into something abnormal. Follow the instructions I have given you and you will do great.
“Prevention is better than cure” remember that.
Good Luck!!!
Happy Fishkeeping!!!
