Curing swim bladder disease

[dkfrosty1]

So I have received a new wrasse with apparent swim bladder disease. This is the second fish I have seen with it. I still have the damsel I received with it. I call him gimp. The wrasse is not doing well and medication doesn’t seem to be resolving it. So I want to see how often people actually get their fish to recover.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

So I have received a new wrasse with apparent swim bladder disease. This is the second fish I have seen with it. I still have the damsel I received with it. I call him gimp. The wrasse is not doing well and medication doesn’t seem to be resolving it. So I want to see how often people actually get their fish to recover.

Swim bladder disease is very frequently misdiagnosed. Can you post a short video taken under white light?

Jay

 

[dkfrosty1]

Swim bladder disease is very frequently misdiagnosed. Can you post a short video taken under white light?

Jay

I tried but they won’t play for some reason. I sent a video to the LFS and they diagnosed swim bladder.

 

[dkfrosty1]

Try again.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Try again.

Darn, that was what I was afraid of. That isn’t a swim bladder issue, but rather, a neurological issue that this group of fish is susceptible to. Nobody knows the exact cause, but the symptoms are always swimming in circles, upside down, or with a bent tail fin. In some cases, the wrasse still tries to eat. Most people feel that it happens due to the wrasse hitting its head on something. I don’t agree as there never seems to be any external damage to the fish’s head. I think more likely it is viral, bacterial or possibly even nematode worms.
I’m really sorry, but I don’t have a treatment to offer. Many people end up euthanizing their fish.
Jay

 

[dkfrosty1]

Darn, that was what I was afraid of. That isn’t a swim bladder issue, but rather, a neurological issue that this group of fish is susceptible to. Nobody knows the exact cause, but the symptoms are always swimming in circles, upside down, or with a bent tail fin. In some cases, the wrasse still tries to eat. Most people feel that it happens due to the wrasse hitting its head on something. I don’t agree as there never seems to be any external damage to the fish’s head. I think more likely it is viral, bacterial or possibly even nematode worms.
I’m really sorry, but I don’t have a treatment to offer. Many people end up euthanizing their fish.
Jay

thanks for the feedback. The store is insisting it’s bladder ….I don’t want to keep the fish suffering. Poor thing.

 

[Jekyl]

thanks for the feedback. The store is insisting it’s bladder ….I don’t want to keep the fish suffering. Poor thing.

Doubt your LFS is in the same league as @Jay Hemdal.

 

[Arthurfarris]

I was wondering why my Betta was swimming sideways. It is probably because they have bladder disease. The most common causes of this condition are constipation and overeating. What you need to do is give them a break for about three days to allow their digestive systems to heal and rest while also cleaning themselves. In the case of low water temperatures in the tank, this can contribute to your fish suffering from bladder disease when swimming. Low temperatures can slow down bladder function, leading to constipated fish. One of the reasons is a bacterial infection. In this case, I suggest you consult a fish specialist so that he will be the one to treat the fish.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I was wondering why my Betta was swimming sideways. It is probably because they have bladder disease. The most common causes of this condition are constipation and overeating. What you need to do is give them a break for about three days to allow their digestive systems to heal and rest while also cleaning themselves. In the case of low water temperatures in the tank, this can contribute to your fish suffering from bladder disease when swimming. Low temperatures can slow down bladder function, leading to constipated fish. One of the reasons is a bacterial infection. In this case, I suggest you consult a fish specialist so that he will be the one to treat the fish.

Do you mean a freshwater betta? Those are labyrinth fishes, so they have a special organ that holds air.

Jay

 

[wedward3]

Do you mean a freshwater betta? Those are labyrinth fishes, so they have a special organ that holds air.

Jay

Darn, that was what I was afraid of. That isn’t a swim bladder issue, but rather, a neurological issue that this group of fish is susceptible to. Nobody knows the exact cause, but the symptoms are always swimming in circles, upside down, or with a bent tail fin. In some cases, the wrasse still tries to eat. Most people feel that it happens due to the wrasse hitting its head on something. I don’t agree as there never seems to be any external damage to the fish’s head. I think more likely it is viral, bacterial or possibly even nematode worms.
I’m really sorry, but I don’t have a treatment to offer. Many people end up euthanizing their fish.
Jay

@Jay Hemdal. I have a pajama cardinal fish that has been in my tank~4 years and I got it when it was small and not full grown. It started loosing equilibrium a couple days ago. No external damage is visible. All other inhabitants are acting normal. No new fish additions for the past couple of years. I recently added two corals that I dipped followed by two rinses. I have also been running carbon during this time. Is this an infection, old age, toxicity?

 

[wedward3]

@Jay Hemdal. I have a pajama cardinal fish that has been in my tank~4 years and I got it when it was small and not full grown. It started loosing equilibrium a couple days ago. No external damage is visible. All other inhabitants are acting normal. No new fish additions for the past couple of years. I recently added two corals that I dipped followed by two rinses. I have also been running carbon during this time. Is this an infection, old age, toxicity?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

@Jay Hemdal. I have a pajama cardinal fish that has been in my tank~4 years and I got it when it was small and not full grown. It started loosing equilibrium a couple days ago. No external damage is visible. All other inhabitants are acting normal. No new fish additions for the past couple of years. I recently added two corals that I dipped followed by two rinses. I have also been running carbon during this time. Is this an infection, old age, toxicity?

Sorry, I can't really say without more information. It could be old age. Unlikely to be toxicity if the other fish and animals are doing fine. Likewise with an infection - unlikely to be that due to no recent history.

If you want to, you can post a problem report and we can get more eyes on it:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...sease-treatment-and-diagnosis-section.775547/

 

[wedward3]

Sorry, I can't really say without more information. It could be old age. Unlikely to be toxicity if the other fish and animals are doing fine. Likewise with an infection - unlikely to be that due to no recent history.

If you want to, you can post a problem report and we can get more eyes on it:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...sease-treatment-and-diagnosis-section.775547/

Thank you for the very quick reply and link.

 

[WaderJames1983!]

Came across this post. Could you comment on this yellow wrasse? Been in QT a week and was eating. As soon as I started copperpower it got a little more cautious. But now it's struggling to swim. It's body is crooked looking like you stated above Jay. It is at the surface tail straight down alot of time.

 

[WaderJames1983!]

 

[WaderJames1983!]

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

This could be the issue I was discussing in this thread. One key symptom for this syndrome is that the affected fish still show an interest in food, does yours?

I ended up doing a full write-up on UNWD:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/unknown-neurological-wrasse-disease-unwd.901856/

 

[WaderJames1983!]

Still eating but area where swim bladder is located does look to be protruding. Hard to tell...Because the wrasse is also crooked as you stated. I guess either way its a wait and see situation? Thanks for the response.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Still eating but area where swim bladder is located does look to be protruding. Hard to tell...Because the wrasse is also crooked as you stated. I guess either way its a wait and see situation? Thanks for the response.

Can you post clearer video under white lights? I can’t really see anything of note in the previous video.

Everything you’ve described points to UNWD, except the lump. If the lump is lopsided, then it isn’t the swimbladder, as those are located symmetrically, so would protrude equally on both sides. Also, if the swelling was gas, the fish would be having visible trouble staying submerged.