Fat Platy Might Have Swim Bladder Disease... Help!

[TylertheGirl]

My oldest platy (about 2.5 years) has always been a bit chubby and I've always monitored her for constipation but she never showed any symptoms so I just let her be chubby. I went away for a long weekend (I have an autofeeder and autolights so they were all right) but when I came back today I noticed she was lethargic and wasn't eating and she was hiding behind the filter (she's usually very aggressive with food as she's the biggest fish so this was weird.) After watching her swim around, I noticed she was having floating issues and she keeps spinning upside down. Her anus looks like it's clogged with something so it's possible she's constipated. I'm thinking she has Swim Bladder disease (constipation can cause SBD, right?), but a second opinion would be great, and I need some advice on treatment. I have three other platies (sorority) in the tank with her and they are currently doing fine, but I'll watch them for any symptoms.

If it is Swim Bladder, what can I do for her? I have her in an isolation tank right now in case it's something contagious (I don't think it is) but I don't have a filter for the isolation tank so this can only be temporary. I'm going to fast her for a few days (I already know she didn't eat today, but I don't know if she ate from the autofeeder yesterday or not) and I have frozen peas I'll hand-feed her after fasting. Should I try to hand feed her peas today? Or should I wait? And I also read from some pages about adding epsom/aquarium salts, but other websites didn't recommend it. Should I? Any and all advice is really appreciated!

Tank size: 10 gallons
pH: 7.0
ammonia: .25 ppm
nitrite: 0 ppm
nitrate: 30 ppm (I know this is high-ish, I'm going to start doing water changes more often)
kH and gH: my kit doesn't test for this, sorry
tank temp: 78-80* F

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): her fins are a bit clamped, but I think that's just stress. She's floating every which way uncontrollably and spinning upside down and vertically, but she isn't sinking (she is still buoyant) Her back is also curved a bit and her stomach looks bloated. Her anus looks like there's some poop or something stuck in it.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% (2 gallons) every week.

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: No additives, media is Bio-Carb and Bio-Clear from Marina.

Tank inhabitants: 4 female sunset platy fish, 5 small moss balls

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): Added a bubbler a few weeks ago, but I haven't kept it on because the air flow is too heavy so I need to buy a valve to lower the air-pressure

Exposure to chemicals: None, I use a dechlorinator to fix the tap water but other than that I haven't added/changed anything.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

If it is (and it does sound like it) swim bladder disease/disorder, there is no cure and the fish should be euthanized.

I wish there was a cure, but euthanasia for the fish is the most humane way to deal with this, especially if it is floating/spinning/Upside-Down everywhere. I’m sorry...

 

[Stefan3289]

A myth that is supposedly suppose to help is you can try to feed it skinned peas and that will help with constipation. I’ve also read salt can help (like aquarium salt), but that’s didn’t work for mine since I always have it in. Otherwise, I think PheonixKingX is right... I lost my EBA a few days ago to the same thing

 

[PheonixKingZ]

A myth that is supposedly suppose to help is you can try to feed it skinned peas and that will help with constipation. I’ve also read salt can help (like aquarium salt), but that’s didn’t work for mine since I always have it in. Otherwise, I think PheonixKingX is right... I lost my EBA a few days ago to the same thing

Skinned peas unfortunately only helps with bloating, not a swim bladder disease...

 

[FishGuest5123]

Skinned peas unfortunately only helps with bloating, not a swim bladder disease...

@PheonixKingZ That’s not true. It won’t help with Dropsy but it certainly can help with swim bladder disease! Fast the fish for a couple of days and then feed a blanched peeled pea. The fish may continue to be prone to SBD but you treat as it occurs. Cut back in feedings too.

 

[FishGuest5123]

If it is (and it does sound like it) swim bladder disease/disorder, there is no cure and the fish should be euthanized.

I wish there was a cure, but euthanasia for the fish is the most humane way to deal with this, especially if it is floating/spinning/Upside-Down everywhere. I’m sorry...

Don’t euthanize for SBD. No! I have one that gets it about every 3 months. I treat and he goes back to normal.

 

[TylertheGirl]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. Deanasue, I think I'll do as you're suggesting and fast then peas. If she looks like she's doing worse/in a lot of pain in a few days I'll think about euthanasia as PheonixKingZ suggested. I'm sending her positive and healing vibes for now!

 

[FishGuest5123]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. Deanasue, I think I'll do as you're suggesting and fast then peas. If she looks like she's doing worse/in a lot of pain in a few days I'll think about euthanasia as PheonixKingZ suggested. I'm sending her positive and healing vibes for now!

I mean no disrespect but @PheonixKingZ knows very little about diseases.

-Fast for 2 days.
-Treat with Maracyn 2 or API General Cure according to package directions.
-Give fish an epsom salt bath twice daily with 1 tablespoon of epsom salt in a gallon of treats tank water. Leave him in for 10 minutes and then return to tank. This will pull fluid off the body. Be sure epsom salt is perfume free.

 

[AilyNC]

Can I ask a question about the ammonia levels OP posted? As they're 0.25ppm does that mean a water change is needed or is that only when newly cycling a tank?

@TylertheGirl I hope your fish ok & fasting helps.

 

[TylertheGirl]

I mean no disrespect but @PheonixKingZ knows very little about diseases and has been asked not to respond to such posts. He continues to do so. Here’s what to do for SBD.

-Fast for 2 days.
-Treat with Maracyn 2 or API General Cure according to package directions.
-Give fish an epsom salt bath twice daily with 1 tablespoon of epsom salt in a gallon of treats tank water. Leave him in for 10 minutes and then return to tank. This will pull fluid off the body. Be sure epsom salt is perfume free.

All right, thanks so much for this. I'll do this for sure.

 

[Essjay]

It doesn't matter whether the tank is cycling or not, any reading for ammonia or nitrite needs a water change. Having an ammonia reading in a cycled tank means that something is not right, and a water change is always the first thing to try. This is in addition to the usual 50%+ weekly water changes.

 

[AilyNC]

It doesn't matter whether the tank is cycling or not, any reading for ammonia or nitrite needs a water change. Having an ammonia reading in a cycled tank means that something is not right, and a water change is always the first thing to try. This is in addition to the usual 50%+ weekly water changes.

Thanks for clarifying. Learning with every thread! @TylertheGirl hopefully a water change helps too.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Can I ask a question about the ammonia levels OP posted? As they're 0.25ppm does that mean a water change is needed or is that only when newly cycling a tank?

@TylertheGirl I hope your fish ok & fasting helps.

It depends on what her city uses in city water, chlorine or Chloramine. If the latter, it is usually ammonium that is showing up in test, not ammonia. Ammonium is relatively safe. My ammonia always tests at .25 but it’s ammonium. Get a Seachem Free and Total Test Kit and it will show you how much actual ammonia you have. Mine is always 0 in there. I also keep a Seachem Ammonia Alert Monitor on my tank for added assurance.

 

[AilyNC]

It depends on what her city uses in city water, chlorine or Chloramine. If the latter, it is usually ammonium that is showing up in test, not ammonia. Ammonium is relatively safe. My ammonia always tests at .25 but it’s ammonium. Get a Seachem Free and Total Test Kit and it will show you how much actual ammonia you have. Mine is always 0 in there. I also keep a Seachem Ammonia Alert Monitor on my tank for added assurance.

Ah I see. I usually test my tap water to have a control test because the colours are a little tricky on the API Master Kit.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

If it is (and it does sound like it) swim bladder disease/disorder, there is no cure and the fish should be euthanized.

I wish there was a cure, but euthanasia for the fish is the most humane way to deal with this, especially if it is floating/spinning/Upside-Down everywhere. I’m sorry...

Please will you stop telling people to euthanise when you've no experience with this, and your information is wrong. Swim bladder disease, depending on cause, is very much treatable.

One of my guppies was showing some signs of swim bladder problems recently, I made a thread about it. It turned out to be the fry pressing on her swim bladder as she was so heavily gravid, and the day she dropped the fry, swim bladder problem instantly cured.

A large black molly in my dad's tank had a bad swim bladder problem. She was vertical with her head up, tail down. Even without treatment other than dropping the water level and target feeding, she gradually improved and is still alive and well today, churning out fry.

It's good to want to help people, and to give advice, but if you don't know something there's nothing wrong with saying you don't know. Don't assume the worst and give incorrect info, especially when you're jumping to the worst case scenario.