Swim bladder issue

Claire Austin · Mar 21, 2018

I've had this nice male erectus for about nine months. He recently had a bad case of exterior gas bubble disease, with both eyes covered with what looked like a pair of goggles. I treated the tank with Marine Melafix, and the bubbles eventually thinned out enough for him to rub them off. Now his swim bladder is involved. You can see just below where his head and torso meet, towards the ventral (front) side, he looks a little thick. If he unhitches, he floats in an upright position. I've been using Melafix again, but wondering if there is a better remedy?

vlangel · Mar 21, 2018

Claire Austin said:
I've had this nice male erectus for about nine months. He recently had a bad case of exterior gas bubble disease, with both eyes covered with what looked like a pair of goggles. I treated the tank with Marine Melafix, and the bubbles eventually thinned out enough for him to rub them off. Now his swim bladder is involved. You can see just below where his head and torso meet, towards the ventral (front) side, he looks a little thick. If he unhitches, he floats in an upright position. I've been using Melafix again, but wondering if there is a better remedy?

Claire, Melafix although containing some meds for bacterial disorders is probably not the best choice.

When I suspect a bacterial issue I use furan 2 or triple sulfa. I use a packet a day in a 10 gallon QT and do a 50% water a day. I do the treatment for 14 days if possible, (never less than 10 days) even if the symptoms clear sooner. I also use an open airline pump for vigorous aeration but no other filtering equipment.

I would also look at your seahorses tank critically and see if there are any areas of husbandry that can be improved...more water changes, socks or pads changed more frequently, a bigger protein skimmer or siphoning detritus/excess food out of tank or sump chambers. Something is apparently fueling bacteria and your pony will chronically be sick unless you find it, although just like us some pony's are more prone to disease than others. It's worth considering though.