Recurrent swim bladder issues

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anniejensen

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Feb 23, 2009
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My big fantail is having problems with his swim bladder. I'm working on moving him to a bigger tank, but I'm wondering what I can do for him to make him more comfortable now. He will be OK for a day, then sick for a day and so on. This time, though, he's been twisted up for almost a week. I have him isolated and trying to get him to eat peas now. I ran Maracyn in the tank the last time he was ill and thought I had him fixed, but now he's back to this. It's hard to watch him suffer. What else can I do?
 

Somervell

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I think that feeding peas is about the only thing you can do. (They do work miracles, though!) I have heard of some people having success with making floating slings to hold them upright until the swim bladder problem passes, but I have never tried it. I have tried lowering the water levels to make it more comfortable for the isolated fish to stay upright. Doing that + peas worked for me. This might be difficult for a large fantail, though. They just seem prone to SBD, especially my Ryukins. Maybe one of the goldfish gurus will have a better answer.
 

Kashta

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Jun 24, 2008
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Sometimes it takes a while for this to clear up... not just a few days but even several weeks. But you're doing fine already from the sound of this, Annie. Keep up the good work here.. and just keep the water clean, that's most important. You could let him go a day or two (even three) without any food at all, then resume feeding peas again very slowly. You want to help clear out the food that hasn't passed through yet, rather than feeding a lot of peas too soon. Really, it just takes time. I know the fish looks sad and miserable like that, but the isolation and peace you're already providing is what he needs most right now. There's really not very much else you can do to treat this. It's more a matter of waiting it out and not filling him up inside with more food.

I'm not exactly sure what you meant by saying he looks twisted up. Is he floating at the top on his side or upside-down? Or mostly sinking at the bottom? Make sure the aeration in the tank is good so the oxygen level is high. That makes breathing easier and less stressful. A little aquarium salt in the water (dosage on the package) may be soothing for him.
 

anniejensen

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He's twisted to one side, nose toward tail. He's mostly laying on the bottom of the tank, then has burts of energy and flips around in circles. It's like he can't straighten out, like his swim bladder is lopsided and protruding to the one side.
 

Somervell

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Just thought of something, Annie-- the "tail/head" curling that you are describing can be a symptom of high nitrites/nitrates levels specifically, I think. Have you tested the parameters? (I'm sure that you have-- just thought of the curling thing and wondered if that could be contributing to your poor goldie's problem.) If you say it's recurring, and doesn't seem to be affecting the other fish, then it probably isn't that, though. If you are a goldie owner, you get used to frequent water changes, super filtration and very large tanks :)
 

Kashta

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Jun 24, 2008
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If you are a goldie owner, you get used to frequent water changes, super filtration and very large tanks :)
^^ Haha. That is so true.

When a goldfish is constipated or there's some other kind of blockage inside. This excess bulk displaces the air sac they have inside. That's the swim bladder problem you hear about. In more severe cases, it causes them to roll over to one side or even upside-down, depending on where it's been shifted. That could also explain the bended/twisted position you've described. I don't want to alarm you unnecessarily, but this might not just be a digestive issue. Your fish could have an internal tumor, pocket of infection, or parasites that's causing the problem. Still.. all you can do without knowing something more definitive is keep the water clean, leave him on a strict diet but meager diet of peas, treat with a wide-spectrum anti-bacteria medicine, provide a little aquarium salt.. and wait. I hope this gets better but we really can't be certain what is causing the problem.
 
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