Best treatment for damsel with swim bladder problems.

[asrux]

Hi,

I have quarantined a small yellow tail blue damsel that started off with losing fins and developed a cloudy popped eye.

After separation from the main tank, the cloudy popped eye has gone but he's developed what seems to be a swim bladder problem, he's pointing directly downwards at all times and beacause he has hardly any fins left at the moment, he has a real hard time. He seems to be positively bouyant.

What is the reccomended treatment for this, just leave him alone and see if he comes right? treat with an antibiotic?

Any other suggestions?

Ashley.

[billsreef]

Internal infections are tricky. The best bet is to feed with foods that contain antibiotics. The second best is to use tissue soluable antibiotics such as Nitrofuran, Kanacyn, and Mardels SW Maracyn 2.

[Terry B]

I vote for Maracyn-Two at the DOUBLE dose each day for 7 days.
Terry B

[asrux]

Certainly I would think that feeding with antibiotics would be the best way, as it gets the meds right into the fish, but unfortuanately this fish is currently not eating.

Good news though, today he's swimming normally and his fins seem to be starting to regrow. his breathing rate is back to near normal, was breathing pretty fast yesturday.

All I can say is this is one tough little fish. I can see where damsels get thier reputations for being hardy.

I'm pretty confident now that his fins will re-grow in a week or so (This is the second time this fish has had to regrow his fins so I know how long it takes him)


Would some meds still be a good idea to prevent re-infection?

[billsreef]

If he continues to improve you should be safe without treating. However get those antibiotics ready and at the first sign of things regressing put them to use.

[asrux]

Billsreef,

Yes that sounds like a sensbile strategy. I'm certainly keeping a close eye on him.

Thanks for the help.

Ashley.

[joezkool]

Not to be brutal and distasteful, but internal swim bladder infections are hard to treat. Once a fish has that most of the time they are scewed. Considering the price of a damsel, I would recommend the touchdown slam treatment :)

[billsreef]

Joe,

Yes internal infections are difficult to treat. But what does the "price" of the life in question really have to do with anything? Yes damsels are only a couple of dollars, but is that really a reason not to try your best to keep it alive?

[asrux]

It's kind of all academic now :(

Funny how things sometimes happen this way but the damsel recovered from it's swim bladder problem without the use of and meds at all, regenerated it's fins most of the way and started feeding again, all in a few days. But then somehow got stuck behind the corner filter in the Q-Tank and died.

Ashley.