Sick Danio, Swim Bladder Problem??

[Jaynie]

Just wondering if this sounds like a swim bladder problem.

One of my female Danios, which I've had for approx 6 months, as gradually over the last few weeks begun to change appearance. To begin with her spine became arched (when looking from the side) and got a slight bend to it too (when looking from above). At first I wondered if she was full of eggs? She had been feeding ok so I've not worried too much, just kept an eye on her. But over the last week shes spent alot of time laying on the sand and seems to sort of fall over then swim a little, slightly erratically, and go back to laying on the sand, some of the male Danios have been nudging at her too. Over the past 2/3 days shes not managed to co-ordinate well enough to eat. So today I've made up a hospital tank for her, tried to feed her some peas and fine granules but she doesn't seem to be able to co-ordinate well enough to find the food. She's more active in the hospital tank though.

Also her tummy does look a little swollen.

Any ideas what wrong or what I can do to help her?

BTW all the water parameters are ok temp is at 24c.

[starsplitter7]

I am sorry to hear about your danio. I had on that lived as a bent danio for about a year. I didn't think he would make it, and I put him in a breeder under the filter, and he did well.

At the LFS I see bent Danios all the time. I do not know what it is or what to do besides make the fish comfortable.

After mine did well in the breeder and kept jumping out, I put him back in the tank, and he lived another 8 months.

[Diana]

Bent spines can be cuased by several items.
Vitamin deficiency is one cause, and Mycobacteriosis is the other cause. There may be other reasons, too.

[Jaynie]

Thanks for your replies.

I have read up a bit on Mycobacteriosis and the fish shows no signs of the disease except the bent spine, I also feed my fish a wide variety of foods so would hope that non of them would ever be vitamin deficient.

Does what I describe not resemble a swim bladder problem?

Tanja I was reluctant to remove her from the tank and was going to use a breeder but eventually decided to make use of the 20L tank I use for growing algae. I really wanted her away from the other fish proding her. She is more active now but still appears to struggle for food. I think she managed to catch a few tiny bits last night. She had no chance in the other tank for food.

I think I'll leave her in hospital until I'm happy she's feeding, if she ever does, I'm wondering whether to try and treat her with anything?

[Diana]

Swim bladder problems almost never show a bent spine. I suppose they might if there was a tumor or something pressing on both the spine and the swim bladder.

A fish affected by swim bladder problems will have trouble maintaining their place in the tank, and may sink to the bottom or float at the top, and may lean or even be upside down.

They may show as fat fish, for example if digestive issues are affecting the swim bladder. (More common in fat goldfish and other balloon shaped fish with distorted body shapes) Constipation may trigger swim bladder issues.

It sounds like the variety of food would answer the vitamin deficiency question.
If Mycobacteriosis is the basic problem then the fish may have other things going on, too. This disease is a slow moving one, and the fish at first simply is more vulnerable to other issues, so whatever the 'other' problem is, this will be the set of symptoms that the fish will show. For example a fish that has Ich might JUST have Ich, or it might have both Ich and Mycobacteriosis. All you see is the Ich, and a fish that does not seem quite as strong as the others. After a while the Mycobacteriosis symptoms start to show, and one of these can be skeletal deformities.
The fish may look too fat, for example a livebearer that looks pregnant, but never gives birth. The fish may look too skinny. The fish may die for no apparent reason, no symptoms, just dead one day.

The first of these links has a lot of info about Mycobacteriosis, the second is a link to one possible treatment that has worked for a very reputable fish keeper.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/VM055

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/foru ... -fish.html

[Jaynie]

Thanks Diana

I'll have a good read of the sites you have sent