# Need Help Immediately!



## Piranhoia (Sep 18, 2008)

To start. I have two RPBs and have had them for a little over two years now. I recently moved and so a few months I moved a 30 gallon tank to my new place and filled it with water from my already established tank at home. I checked the water levels every day and when I didn't see a spike I moved them over. They've been in this tank for a little over a week now and the water params have never looked bad. (currently: Nitrate 20, Nitrite 0, Hardness 150, Chlorine 0, Alkalinity 180, Ph 7.8, Amonia 0). They've looked happy and healthy everyday (although a little cramped) until today when I returned from work and one of my guys is floating at the top of the water sideways. He's breathing normal and seems to try and swim to the bottom from time to time with no success. It seems like he's not using his tail fin to swim down when he does try though. My other RBP is acting completely normal showing no signs of stress or problems. PLEASE HELP!! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY BUDDY!!


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## Plowboy (Apr 9, 2008)

The only thing I every heard of that would sometimes help is feeding them peas, but it seems like it rarely works.

Hopefully someone knows something I don't that can help it. Sry about the bad news.


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## memento (Jun 3, 2009)

Sounds like a swim bladder disease indeed. If you have not changed the water temperature suddenly, it's likely a bacterial infection.
There is a possible cure I never got to test yet :

Keep the piranha is a small layer of water for a while. Keep in mind the filtering should be strong enough, since little water gets easily polluted.
Then increase the temperature with 2 or 3 degrees each 24 hours, 'till a max of 34 degrees Celsius. Keep teh fish like that for about a week and after that, slowly decrease the temperature again.
If that has not helped try it a second cyclus.

It actually is the only method I read about on curing a bladder problem. Some will suggest putting a hole in the bladder though, but even on a dead specimen I considered it hard to locate the spot....


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