Melanarus Swim bladder issue, recurring but now permanant.

[Fitz19d]

I've read elsewhere that I may be stuck watching it slowly die, but seeing if I have any options.

I've had a melanarus wrasse (some debate if it's one of the other very similiar ones) for close to a year. A couple months in he got a swim bladder issue where he'd be swimming upside down/sideways/etc with some difficulty. He'd look ridiculous a few days, then it'd go away a day, be back, and then gone for several months.

He had another small bout a few months ago. Now a couple weeks ago he got it again and bad. Basically he'll spend all his time under a rock and will come out to eat. Basically "leaps" in just spurts of movements to torpedo himself at food before drifting untill he finds something else. Then he'll power swim back down low to just lay.

He was coming out less and less and had the flame angel starting to harass him and after I saw fin damage figured the crabs are getting involved.

Moved him to my 9g nano I had running basically empty but for a little rock. He's now been there a week and hit or miss on eating. His color is dark and terrible with some damage from just constantly dashing himself under rocks and due to bad swimming scraping himself getting out/in. His fin on his back also had a chunk missing and I could see one fin bone. Not sure if it melted off or one of the 2 tiny damsels I had in there for a day did it. (They are out now)


I've debated trying to syringe feed him somehow, but if he doesn't get better, I don't see how this could last long term. I don't think he's backed up as the only food he's been eating is frozen instead of flake, so doubt the smushed pea would do much.

 

[Dmorty217]

You could try treating for a bacterial infection, which can cause swim bladder issues. Other than that I'm not sure what you can do either, I had a angel that developed the same problem and slowly died, it was sad. There are methods for fixing swim bladder issues in fish collected at depth and brought to the surface too quickly, but obviously this isn't going to help you

 

[triggreef]

I have a mccoskers wrasse with similar issues. I tried maracyn plus. maracyn 2, prazi, cupramine, metrodinazole, malachite green, all with basically no improvement. Mine would do upside down death circles all the time and just swim sideways and generally looked like it was hard to maneuver.

After 4 months of QT I moved him into display. He always ate like a pig and has fattened up a lot. You can tell he swims wierd and seems a little off but most of the time he looks decent and swims normal. He is not 100% since I still see him swim strangely once in a while but not totally upside down in a long time.

I was told to put him down a long time ago but i, glad I did not.

 

[Fitz19d]

The first few times, He could sorta swim upright and normal for a little while just loopy.

Right now when he sprints for food, it's upside down and sideways half the time. He only attempts swimming to eat. Like I said way worse from before (and why this is first time removing him from the DT.) Another way to explain how bad it is, I just go in and grab him, no need for net etc.

If he holds out another week but still looking this bad or worse I may have to go ahead and put down.