Constipation (Swim Bladder Disease)

Guppies that are fed a very high protein diet can develop blockages in their intestines. They swell up and sometimes lose their buoyancy, swimming upside down or lying belly up on the bottom of the tank. This is sometimes referred to as Swim Bladder Disease because the blockage in the intestine can exert pressure on the swim bladder causing the guppy to swim erratically or go belly up.

Swim Bladder Disease can also be caused by bacterial infection of the swim bladder, which is difficult to treat.

The long term solution is to feed guppies a diet that is in the range of 35-47% digestible protein. Mixing animal based foods with vegetative foods is one way of reducing protein intake.

Feed live foods rich in fats and proteins sparingly. I feed juvenile and adult guppies only one feeding of BBS (baby brine shrimp or artemia) per day. The other two feedings are a good quality pellet food finely crushed.