Flowerhorn Tail Floating Up?

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rallysman

Polypterus
MFK Member
Aug 7, 2005
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My FH has been acting strange the past few days. He'll eat well, his colors are good, but when he swims his nose starts to dip unless he really whips his tail, and his tail seems to float up when he's swimming at a "normal" pace. He'll eventually do a headstand, whip his tail, and then go "sit" in the corner. He's never been still before, but it seems like he's being still as much as possible even though he "wants" to attack the glass.

He's a bit over 12" in a 110 tall with no tank mates, the temp is about 80, and the water test come out fine.

Could he be impacted? Bloated? Swim bladder issues?

In any event, what should I do? I'm thinking of adding epsom salt but I want to check with the pros first. What are your thoughts, and what can I do to make him better? Thanks in advance.
 
rallysman;2159108; said:
My FH has been acting strange the past few days. He'll eat well, his colors are good, but when he swims his nose starts to dip unless he really whips his tail, and his tail seems to float up when he's swimming at a "normal" pace. He'll eventually do a headstand, whip his tail, and then go "sit" in the corner. He's never been still before, but it seems like he's being still as much as possible even though he "wants" to attack the glass.

He's a bit over 12" in a 110 tall with no tank mates, the temp is about 80, and the water test come out fine.

Could he be impacted? Bloated? Swim bladder issues?

In any event, what should I do? I'm thinking of adding epsom salt but I want to check with the pros first. What are your thoughts, and what can I do to make him better? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
sound like bladder problem and the epson salt work fine for that
 
Swim Bladder Disorder
Symptoms:
Limited signs of bloat though usually no physical damage is found, fish struggles to balance itself sometimes going “belly up” due to lack of proper buoyancy

Causes:
Often indigestion with goldfish, blood parrot cichlid and “balloon” strains becoming more vulnerable to the disorder rather than most fish species, bacterial infections, damaged swim bladder, the use of floating foods which when ingested allows entry of air to the digestive system, congenital or development causes, birth defect, sudden trauma from sudden changes in water conditions or failure to acclimatize the fish properly.

Causes can be difficult to determine although possible causes are often leaned on the use of floating foods, indigestion and damaged organs by assumption. It has long been argued that floating foods should never be used at all especially for goldfish. It is in the best interest of the safety of the fish that sinking foods be used instead of floating foods or try to squish the foods until they sink.

Treatment:
Change of diet with foods containing high fiber content, fasting for several days or antibiotics. Unfortunately, there is no cure for such disorder although in some cases, the fish can recover depending on the cause of the disorder. Fish that suffer from this disorder due to sudden trauma from improper acclimatization usually will never recover at all. In this case, it is recommended to destroy the fish.
 
fast him for now
 
This also happens to fish when they overate. Especially when they are fairly new to the environment.

fast him, Add salt, and raise up the temp would be the first approach.
Hope he gets better!

JP
 
Thanks for the info guys. I'll add salt and bump up the temp. I started fasting a few days ago. How much salt should I add per gallon?
 
a table spoon per 5gal.
 
I've done everything as suggested........he's only worse. The only time he'll swim is to eat. This is very untypical for this fish. Salt and elevated temps haven't done a thing.. I hate to put him down, so is there anything else I can try? Even if it's risky or brutal, I'm willing to try since he's obviously sick.

Help me out guys and gals, I would hate to lose this fish, but I don't want to see him suffer. Clove oil is in the cabinet and I'll use it if all else fails:(
 
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