# URGENT - One of my red bellies are swimming "tail up



## magicprincess707 (Aug 18, 2005)

I have 4 red bellied piranhas and they are pretty large (almost 4 years old and ranging from 8 inches - 10 inches in length). The last couple of days one of them has been swimming really wierd, and has changed to a pale grey color. I thought this meant it was pregnant and getting ready to lay eggs, since my group has prduced eggs twice now, but just today its behavoir changed dramatically. it is still a pale grey color, and has been swimming with it's tail in an upward angle all day. Just within the last couple of hours is has been going completely tail up, completely vertical. When it swims it is still in a "tail up" angle, and seems to be having a lot of problems keeping its tail end down in a normal fashion. When it is stationary it goes completely vertical. It has tried to swim under some of the plastic plants I have in the tank to help keep it's tail end down, but nothing seems to work. It has even landed in the middle of a few of the plants, completely vertical with it's tail end up, and had a hard time moving out of the plants. All three of the other fish are acting normal and are their usual color... it is just the one (the biggest one in my tank) that is having major swimming problem. He doesn't have any wounds or known diseases...

Can someone please help me and give me advice on what I should do. I love my fish dearly and want to help the one that seems to be sick. I did a partial water change, just incase that was the issue, but nothing changed. I don't want to loose this fish as I have had them for so long and raised them since they were only 1/2 inches big.

Any help, suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciate.

Natasha


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## cueball (May 24, 2005)

could be a blatter problem "air stacks i belive are in places in the animals body to keep it floating the right way,,, most cases i here of this , for the fish its already to late,,, hows you water have you ever tested it? do you let the tank get messy with left over food?


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## magicprincess707 (Aug 18, 2005)

My water parameters are all within normal range... i check the water parameters quite often and take great care to make sure the tank does not get overly messy.  There are some times where I notice they do not eat all the fresh fish I give them, and in that case the sucker fish I have in there eats the left over food. There is never a time when food is left in the tank more then a couple hours after feeding them as they are all usually very good at eating everything I put in there.

His condition seems to be getting worse, so I have moved him to a smaller, isolated tank. His/her tank buddies are doing fine and look all normal, but the sink one is now completely upside down. I noticed that he/she seems to be floating upside down and verticle, and sometimes he/she seems to dropped to the bottom of the tank like a rock, and then slowly float upward again... all uncontrollable. I've been checking on him every couple of hours throughout the night and it just seesm to be getting work.

After franticly looking online, it seems that my fish has developed some sort of swimming bladder disease or disorder. Any advice on what I should do? All the sites I read said so many different things. I haven't fed him in 24 hours... once site said to try to feed him peeled pea, which I tried to do but he won't even look at them. Another one said to slightly raise the water temp... which I know how at about 78 degrees. One couple of sites said to soak him in an epson salt solution, but they all say different ammounts of epson salt per gallon of water... so I am scared to try it because I do not want to hurt my fish. Some sites said to increase the ammount of non-iodized salt I put int he water (which I will need to go to the store first thing in the morning to get more as I ran out after last night's water change of the main tank.) Some sites said to treat his tank water with Malefix medication (which again I will need to go to the store in teh morning to get.)

Can anyone give me advice as to what is the proper treatment or what I should do? The only pet store in town in Petco, and none of the employees there know anything about fish (the last time I went there asking where their carbon filters were, no one knew what I was talking about.)

Natasha


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Injured swim bladder

I dont think its really fixable


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## magicprincess707 (Aug 18, 2005)

Well, it's been less then 12 hours since my fish started swimming funny. I tried everything I can. I stayed up all night checking up on him every couple of hours. I moved him to an isolated tank and had perfect water conditions. Did more research about swimmiing bladder disease then I will ever need to know. Cried all night because I was so worried about him. I even lied and called in sick today so I can stay home to figure out what I can do. But less then 12 hours from when he first started looking sit he in now dead.

I know that constapation can cause this, but in my case it seemed so sudden. If he had an injured swim bladder, and not just a intestinal blockage, what causes the swim bladder to get injured? It happened so suddenly, I don't know if it is sumthing I did wrong, or if he hurt him self or what. How does a swim bladder get injured?

I have 3 red bellies left, all in great shape, and I just want to avoid the same thing from happening to them. I love my fish so dearly (probably a lot more then any normal person can love their pet fish) and I am really heart broken and crying over the loss of one of them. Any future adivce or suggestions would help.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

sean-820 said:


> Injured swim bladder
> 
> I dont think its really fixable


First thing that came to my mind to. Very possible. You can try isolating the fish and not feeding for a week or in a piece of catfish put a green pea in it so that when he eats it it will act as a laxative incase the problem is caused by constipation.


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