There are around 32,500 species of fish across the globe which includes species of fish swimming at different depths.Fish are able to swim with the help of their bodies and tail by flexing them back and forth. Fish use their muscles by expanding or stretching them on one side of their body while they ease the muscles of the other side which helps them move forward and use their caudal fin (back fin) to push them forward.Among the 32,500 different fish species, each fish has there own way of swimming according to its shape and size. Fish that have slick and stiff bodies and a crescent-shaped tail, or the caudal fin, usually move rapidly through the water using their tails, like a propeller on a boat, from side to side. The tail is not the only fin that fishes use for swimming, they also use their pectoral fins which are placed horizontally, visible in many rapidly swimming oceanic fishes. The pelvis fin acts as a stabilizer preventing them from rolling while swimming in water. Fish moving slower for a long distance while swimming straight have their pectoral fins vertically on their bodies. These pectoral fins and pelvis fins are used to move forward, stop, and maneuver. Fish like damselfish and butterflyfish, live in coral or rocky regions and use their fins to swim and escape from predators by making sharp turns.Now that you know about fish swimming you might want to check out how are chicken eggs fertilized and chicken egg development facts.Fish Swimming Low In TankFishes such as catfish, and many more are bottom-feeders, spending most of their time at the bottom of the enclosure as they are good swimmers. Many fish usually sleep at the bottom of their tank.Any person of any age can start keeping fish as a pet and if you see your fish spending more time swimming at the bottom, it might be a normal behavior if it is sleeping or is a bottom dweller fish. If you find your fish looking tired and listless at the bottom of the tank, you should isolate it for the safety and health of the other fishes in the tank as it might be the sign of a disease. The common disease that may cause the fish to lay low at the bottom of the tank is the swim bladder infection, due to poor water quality and diet. The first course of action should be not feeding them for a couple of days or providing easy-to-digest foods like peas.If the water temperature in the aquarium is too hot or cold for the fish, they will become inactive and will lay low in the aquarium. You should always check your aquarium and keep the water quality and temperature according to the fish’s requirements.Fish Swimming Like CrazyIn aquariums where you will find fish swimming happily from one end to another, sometimes you might find a fish that has been swimming erratically. This may be because it is happy or playing around or there might be a few different reasons for it to do so, deteriorating health being one of the reasons.If your fish has been swimming erratically and looks to be unhealthy it may be caused due to poor water quality or the fish showing a sign of disease. First of all, for safety, you need to check the water quality of the aquarium, test the water of the aquarium for ammonia, pH, nitrates. If after checking all these things, if your fish continues to swim erratically then this may be caused by the parasites. To confirm it you should keep an eye on the fish to see whether it is rubbing itself against something in the aquarium and then swimming quickly away, if so then the fish is showing symptoms of having an external parasite.Fish Swimming On Top Of WaterMany times it has been noticed that fish come to the surface of the water and breathe, this may happen if the fish is either showing symptoms of having a parasite or the water quality of the aquarium is bad.You should always keep an eye on the activities of all the fish in the tank. Not all fish that swim and breathe from the surface are suffering from the water conditions. Few species of fish simply breathe air from the surface of the tank, and some of the common fish that mostly breathe from the surface of the tanks are Gourami and Bettas.If you find a pattern in which the fish is gasping for air by coming to the surface of the water and breathing, it may be normal behavior but if you find multiple fish doing the same then it is because the fish are either not getting enough oxygen, showing symptoms of parasites on their gills, injury or the water quality has degraded and the fish are not getting any oxygen in this dissolved water. If this is the case then you should use an aerator for the aquarium for mixing oxygen into the tank water. To make sure this incident never happens and for the safety of the fish you should keep a few things in mind :Water quality check- Do a regular water check every week for the pH level as it is one of the major factors affecting the fish. Try to find out other reasons for the aquarium being low in oxygen such as if you find the aquarium water to be cloudy it may be caused due to overfeeding or there is a dead fish in your aquarium that is polluting the aquarium water. You need to change the water of the aquarium more frequently.Overcrowding the aquarium- Too many fish and aquatic life in an aquarium can also cause the water to get polluted, if you put too many fish in the aquarium it can cause a low oxygen level.Aeration- The aeration of the aquarium should also be checked for better water conditions. If the tank water gets polluted the oxygen level of the water depletes and you will find the fish coming to the surface of the tank to breathe. To avoid the same make sure that a machine is present in the aquarium to regulate the air supply.Water temperature- For oxygen concentration inside the tank, the temperature of the water also plays a major role, as it is known that warm water contains less amount of oxygen compared to cold water. So make sure that the water temperature favors the fish you are keeping in your aquarium. Make sure to avoid the water temperature rising too high by regulating it with the help of a chiller or a tank heater.Swim bladder- swim bladder is a common disease among fish, which makes the fish visit the surface and breathe. The swim bladder affects the equilibrium of the fish and it makes them float to the top or sink at the bottom.Fish Swimming MechanismThe common locomotion of all the fish is swimming and this is achieved by different groups of fish by a variety of mechanisms which they use for propulsion in the water.Many fish simply use their body and tails to swim by making wave-like movements and there are fish that are specialized in using their fins to swim faster. Anguilliform is one of the major forms of locomotions, it is a form in which the waves pass proportionately along with their slender bodies. The subcarangiform is a form of locomotion in which the waves increase in proportion towards the tail and carangiform is the form of locomotion where the waves are concentrated near the tail which swings rapidly. Tunniform is the form of locomotion in which the fish swims rapidly with the help of this crescent-shaped tail. There are fishes that use their pectoral fins for locomotion by keeping their body stiff, sculling with their anal and dorsal fins, and the best example for this kind of locomotion used by a fish is the sunfish.Fish Swimming Really FastA fish swimming really fast could be a sign of it exercising or playing around.If your fish performs this on a consistent basis, it is likely because of poor water quality water and to fix this issue you have to change the water in the tank more frequently.Fish Swimming With Tail UpA fish swimming tail up and nose down can simply mean two things, firstly it can be normal behavior or the fish may be suffering from the disease known as the swim bladder.You need to first identify the cause of the swim bladder disease before fixing it or assuming that the odd behavior is natural for the fish. The headstander, is a member of the tetra family which swims mostly vertical hence the name. These fish swim with their tail up to forage on the ground. Many other species such as shrimp fish that are closely related to the seahorse, swim vertically to camouflage themselves. There are many jewels in the marine hobby and Lionfish is one among them that can manipulate and adapt their swim bladders and hang motionless at different angles. Most of the fish species use their organ known as the swim bladder to control their density, it allows them to move up and down without actually using their fins at all. The swim bladder is is an organ that is like a gas-filled sack and it can get damaged by parasites, shock, and injury. Selective breeding has produced some designer cichlids and goldfish with abnormally rounded bodies and swim bladder is one of the major issues which they face. Swim bladders can also be damaged due to fighting with other goldfish or while transporting, whereas shocks can also affect the swim bladder when you introduce the fish into a new environment.Fish Swimming Vertically After Water ChangeIt is a common sight for fishes to behave in this way, especially after a water change.This behavior is caused by the sudden change in water that leads to the fish being stressed. Swiming up and down is the way for a fish to show how stressed it is.Fish Swimming Up And DownSwimming up and down is called glass surfing, or pacing, with which fish display their emotions and they will swim up and down constantly. This particular behavior is caused by stress, which is predominently caused by poor tank conditions. This behavior can be prevented by ensuring the minimum tank size required by the fish is provided as a good tank can serve the fish to live a proper life.Did you know?If you are interested in keeping a clean and beautiful aquarium, the major factor that is always looked over before choosing the fish for an aquarium is the swimming level at which the fish prefers to be.To keep your aquarium attractive, it is best to choose fishes that prefer to swim at different levels. Doing this will make the tank look beautiful and the fishes will not have to compete with each other for space. Doing this will reduce the stress for the fish that mostly occurs when the fish fight over for their territories causing damage to their swim bladder.The upper level of the aquarium mostly is the less decorated place and fish dwelling on top of the water are mostly surface feeders and possess upturned mouth which is designed for feeding on the water surface. When choosing a fish for the middle level of your aquarium, be sure to get schooling fish as they are excellent for the middle level as it is the focal point of the aquarium. Tetras and a few species of barbs are the best swimmers for the middle level of the aquarium as they swim slow and always move in a group. For the lower level of your aquarium try to choose fish that have mouths pointing downward, which helps them to feed on the bottom of the tank. When feeding the fish make sure to provide food that sinks because if the food given to the fish does not sink, the fish that are suited for the lower level of the aquarium may die due to underfeeding.To prevent your fish from swim bladder disorder special needs are to be considered as it is well known that fish get this disorder mostly due to poor water condition, so keeping the tank clean, changing the water, and checking the water pressure regularly will help in preventing swim bladder disorder.Make sure to maintain the temperature of the aquarium at a higher level, it helps in the digestion of the fish and also avoids constipation and other potential problems. Feed your fish high-quality food and pre-soak the dried food for a few minutes before feeding the fish. If you are feeding your fish some frozen food make sure to thaw it properly before giving it to them. The most important thing to keep the fish and the aquarium healthy is to avoid overfeeding because the tank water can get contaminated due to leftovers, feed your fish in smaller portions so that they don’t overeat or leave the uneaten food in the tank.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for fish swimming then why not take a look at how do jellyfish eat, or how do jellyfish reproduce.
There are around 32,500 species of fish across the globe which includes species of fish swimming at different depths.