Swim Bladder Disorder Contagious?

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

SoapDoctor

AC Members
Jun 11, 2012
68
1
8
Last weekend I picked up some API Root Tabs, two moneywort plants, two neon tetras and 1 glowlight tetra. They are all in my 10g tank now with the original 4 glowlight tetras and 3 neon tetras bringing the total to 5 and 5. I also have a few RCS in there. This was Sunday I think. The original fish in there have been troopers and had no problems for a few months.

Late Monday night one of the neons was swimming erratically, rolling and floating funny. The next morning, tuesday, a neon and a glowlight were laying dead in the tank. Everything else seemed normal and fine. Did a 40% water change at lunch on Tuesday. Wednesday afternoon one of the glowlights started swimming erratically and died in a matter of minutes. Today the same thing happened to one of the neons. None of these fish seem to show any sign, at least that I can tell, that something is wrong until they go.

I've done another water change today and we are down to 3 and 3 fish. One of the RCS also kicked the bucket but they are pretty new so no clue if that's related to this or not. Since they are displaying no real symptoms prior to going crazy and dieing is this swim bladder disease/disorder? If so, is it most likely bacterial since they seem to be succumbing at different times?

Water is 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 5ppm Nitrate, temp 76F, Ph 8. The PH has always been that high.

Any suggestions? Going to get the wife to pick up API Melafix in case it is a bacteria issue.
 

kissofcrimson

AC Members
Aug 14, 2012
100
0
0
North Carolina, USA
Are there any other symptoms? It sounds like something else. Swim bladder disease causes fish to swim abnormally and bloat but usually is fixable if you give them peas. It doesn't kill them that fast either.


Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 

SubRosa

AC Members
Jul 3, 2009
5,643
1
62
"Swim Bladder Disease" is a term mistakenly applied to any and all buoyancy problems in fish. Any fish cured of "Swim Bladder Disease" by peas had an intestinal blockage which caused gas to accumulate, increasing the fish's buoyancy. The fiber in the peas got things moving, the gas passed and the fish went back to normal. As often as not fish with a truly diseased swim bladder have the problem of floating motionless. They'll swim and feed almost normally, except that when they stop swimming forward they sink like a stone. Btw I have seen fish live long happy lives with this condition. The op seems to have deeper issues here. Perhaps a chemistry issue you don't have kits to cover? Sometimes water suppliers put a higher than normal "slug" of chloramine in the water. Water changes certainly wouldn't help if that were the problem......
 

SoapDoctor

AC Members
Jun 11, 2012
68
1
8
Thanls for the responses.

No other symptoms that I can tell. Everything's fine and 15 min later they are swooping and rolling and floating nose or tail up then they die.

Of course, this morning everything looks fine. Will see what happens at lunch and tonight.

How would I test for something like a chloramine slug or anything else for that matter? Also what would be the fix?

EDIT: Honestly it's the sort of thing that looks like they are eating something that causes them to fail miserably. It's very sudden and fast and as I said, 6 of them are still alive doing fine. I would expect if it was something like a Chloramine slug, which I honestly don't know much about, or something in the water it would affect all of the fish similarly as opposed to one or two being affected at random times.
 

authmal

Pseudonovice
Aug 4, 2011
2,621
62
51
Phoenix, AZ
It depends. Some individuals are just more hardy than others. Prime binds chloramines, so if you're already using it, try a double dose, otherwise, get a small bottle and give it a shot. Other than that, all I can do is wish you luck.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 

SoapDoctor

AC Members
Jun 11, 2012
68
1
8
Ok, thanks. Everything seems to be fine in the mystery tank of death at lunch today. Everyone's happy and playing around. Hopefully that will last for at least a day if not indefinitely.

I normally use prime so it should be taken care of. I'll go ahead and dose the tank tonight just to be on the safe side though.
 

Rbishop

Administrator
Staff member
Dec 30, 2005
40,727
452
143
70
Real Name
Mr. Normal
It may be hard to tell but are all the new fish dead? Always a good idea to QT new stock to minimize affecting existing stock.
 

SoapDoctor

AC Members
Jun 11, 2012
68
1
8
No way to tell. I know at least 1 of the old fish died since there are only 3 glowlights now. There's no telling on the neons. I'm inclined to think the new ones died since they seemed smaller.

I figured I would chance it again and no QT. Next time I'm QTing the new ones for at least a little while.
 

authmal

Pseudonovice
Aug 4, 2011
2,621
62
51
Phoenix, AZ
Not quarantining is a risk. Yes, I've done so, but I've only done so with the fish from one LFS, because I know they have their own quarantine procedure before you can even see the fish, and their fish are always spectacular. Even from them, though, I usually quarantine. It's only been two batches (1 koi angel, 11 rummy nose tetras in one and 2 EBR in another) that I didn't quarantine, and only because the EBRs were displayed in the same tank as the rummies, and I put the koi angel in with the rummies in my QT for a week, but the angel was not doing well, so I moved them all to the main tank and everyone was happy. Since they were all in the same tank together at one point or another, I just saw no reason to quarantine the EBRs when I already put the others in my display. If the EBRs weren't displayed with the rummies at the LFS, I would have quarantined them.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store