Odd behavior of neon tetras

[davidmold]

Hi, 5 of my 6 neons, which I've had 1 week, are behaving oddly. They have healthy appetites, but immediately after feeding their bellies appear to have a small swelling, in the middle just below the pectoral fins. This disappears after about an hour. For about 2 to 3 hours after feeding, they swim with their heads down at a 45 degree angle. They swim downwards but drift upward, as if too buoyant. Their colour is good, they have no spots and their fins look fine. They also chase each other a lot.

I have only had the tank a few weeks, but the water readings are zero for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. It's a new 20 gallon tank with no other fish and no live plants. At least one of the fish has been behaving a bit like this since day 1, but it does seem to be more pronounced now.

 

[bala_aquarium]

im not to sure but what are you feeding them and about how much?

 

[davidmold]

I'm feeding them Tetra Min flakes, 1 flake each twice a day.

 

[UP UP AND GUPPY]

Could they have a parasite because thats how my Platy acted when it had a parasite.

 

[bala_aquarium]

is it possiable that when they go to eat them they get a mouth full of air to.my barbs used to get blouted from eating to fast and when they got food from the surface theyd also i dont know fill up with air i cant really explain it so im hoping someone else chimes in and helps me out here or tell yous something dif

 

[UP UP AND GUPPY]

Yeah I know what your talkin about bala, its like when we eat to fast or drink to fast we take in too much air and it turns to hic ups, maybe they have air trapped inside that they release after eating.

 

[davidmold]

I agree, that's just what it looked like to me at first. I became concerned though, because it seems to be happenning for longer periods of time to more of the fish.

 

[UP UP AND GUPPY]

Well I hope everything works for the best.

 

[Lotus]

If you suspect they're swallowing air when they eat, you can mix the food with water in a cup before you put it in the tank, and see if that helps.

 

[davidmold]

If you suspect they're swallowing air when they eat, you can mix the food with water in a cup before you put it in the tank, and see if that helps.

Thank you, yes, I did that, and it has resolved the problem.

 

[Etheostoma]

Who'da thunk it? Fish with gas...

http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-72695.html
http://richmond.net/performingarts/output.aspx?Article_ID=2315475&Vertical_ID=2

Most noteworthy, however, are fishes in the herring family (Clupeidae) that are able to expel air from the swim bladder through a unique rear duct. Via muscular alteration of duct size and anal aperture, they can control the size of the bubbles streaming out, and hence, control the pitch. "In essence, these fish 'fart a tune,' used to confuse predators and communicate with conspecifics."

 

[Methylx]

Another quick method for that is to "pinch" the food and place it near the outbound water of a pump somewhere and it will keep it underwater too =D