Fantail swimming on side and struggling to swim down?

Question

Hello all!

My black moor fantail fish is having slight problems at the moment of which i beilieve is swim bladder...my dad noticed this morning that he was swimming on his side and back, when ive got home i moved him to a shallow pool of salt water (mixed with his tank water).

He was struggling in his tank to swim downwards and kept floating upwards...is their any cure for this? can i help him any more?

How long do you think i should keep in the shallow pool? Ive put him in about an hour ago and hes swimming upwards now but struggling to keep upright. :S

all answers or suggests will be a huge help.

Thank you.x

Answer 1

The fish should be treated in his own tank with an anti internal bacterial treatment such as the one done by interpet.

Swimbladder problems are common in fancy fish. To prevent infections tanks should have a filter with a good air supply and the water should be changed and treated every week with tap water conditioner and a waste control such as 'cycle'

You can add aquatic salt to the water to help support the stress the fish is undergoing throughout treatment.

By moving the fish to another tank you are causing more unnecessary stress

Answer 2

I had a few fantails, You have to remove the sick one or they all will die for sure. Fantails are gentel so i dont think hill make it.

Answer 3

Your fish does have a swim bladder infection which is caused by a parasite and I'm afraid that there's not much you can do about it.  

As soon as you notice the balance is out, either give him some Tetra medication for swim bladder problems or as you've done, put him into salt water.  If you catch it soon enough you may be able to save the fish but unfortunately, it's one of those things they don't normally survive from.  

Keep him in there until he dies, which can be a while.  

Also, for your reference all fish have the parasite in them, stress causes the parasite to attach their immune system, very much like us.

You may also try some Tetra medication from your local pet shop that deals with fish

Answer 4

Why would you put it in salt water?  Goldfish are freshwater fish.  Swimbladder issues are most often caused in goldfish by poor water conditions and overfeeding.  Put the fish back into his appropriately sized tank (20 gallons per goldfish) and don't feed it anything for 2 or 3 days.  No food at all, nothing.  Then feed it a shelled, mashed cooked pea.  Fast it again for 2 days and resume feeding very small amounts of soaked food.  Goldfish are greedy and will eat way too much.  They only need as much food as they size of their eye once a day.  When they gobble food before it has time to absorb water it swells in their stomach and causes bloating which compresses the swim bladder.

Also if a goldfish is kept in a small space it cannot grow properly and it's internal organs become compressed causing the swim bladder issue.  They need a minimum of 20 gallons for one fish and excellent filtration.  Partial water changes of 25% should be done weekly along with gravel vacuuming.

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