My Lineatus is floating and swimming upside down but still eats!!! Please help

[ghstrider]

Guys my fish is acting like he has a bouyancy problem or broke his back! Swims vertical then tips over and swims upside down. He was normal yesterday and late last night this happened. I saw him being blown around by the pumps in my main tank so i was able to catch and relocate him to the sump. Im gonna post a video. What is going on???

Hes reacting to food quick and swims his way over to it and eats well. So i dont know what happened. Also i dont see any illness or injury. All his fins move but he cant stay upright.

 

[ghstrider]

Hmdjd.

 

[ghstrider]

<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid1156.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fp566%2Fghstrider%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2F7AB17553-B597-42DA-804E-0FC5A6E8D52D_zpsljclcvlk.mp4">

 

[ghstrider]

 

[ghstrider]

http://s1156.photobucket.com/user/g...7-42DA-804E-0FC5A6E8D52D_zpsljclcvlk.mp4.html

 

[snorvich]

Swim bladder problem. History of this fish?

 

[ghstrider]

The fish was in my quarantine tank for three weeks and then was moved to my main tank a week ago and was doing great. During quarantine he was in copper at .4 to .5 level for three weeks and then to my main tank. Hes always eaten well and never had any issues at all. I just came home and found him gasping the other night and swimming upside down and floating all over

 

[snorvich]

The fish was in my quarantine tank for three weeks and then was moved to my main tank a week ago and was doing great. During quarantine he was in copper at .4 to .5 level for three weeks and then to my main tank. Hes always eaten well and never had any issues at all. I just came home and found him gasping the other night and swimming upside down and floating all over

While your quarantine protocol is not a good one, (3 weeks of copper does little good even if it were constantly at therapeutic level), that is not the problem. I have seen this occur with fish that were improperly decompressed either through pinning or inadequate decompression. I do not know of any solution to swim bladder issues.

 

[ghstrider]

Snorvich, it seems my wrasse doesnt have it as bad as others ive seen n read about here since he eats well and is not totally upside down. Any chance of it self correcting with time? Have u heard of others with success?

 

[snorvich]

Snorvich, it seems my wrasse doesnt have it as bad as others ive seen n read about here since he eats well and is not totally upside down. Any chance of it self correcting with time? Have u heard of others with success?

I have never seen this condition self correct. Some people have tried pinning but I have never done so myself.

 

[ThRoewer]

LiveAquaria recommended me to feed boiled green peas for a fish with a swim bladder issue. Back then it was a Red Sea Regal Angel that wasn't eating, so that suggestion wasn't really helpful nor can I confirm that it actually works.
But if the fish is still eating it may be worth a try.

There may also be the option that the fish swallowed air. In such a case it would usually resolve itself in a day or two.

 

[phc567]

There's a video on how to release swim bladder air.

 

[ghstrider]

Where is that video

 

[ghstrider]

Spoke with a fish expert and showed him the video. Said hes pretty sure its not a swim bladder issue. Appears to be an injury in the back. His tail isnt moving at all even to swim and no bloating or floating to the top

 

[ghstrider]

Really sucks because i dont think he can recover from this but ill keep feeding him and caring for him so lets see

 

[ThRoewer]

I would not use a needle to puncture internal organs - too much can go wrong.

 

[Deinonych]

I agree with your fish expert friend - looks like a spinal injury (swimming only with pectoral fins, drooping tail with little to no movement). Typically, spinal injuries are caused by jumping and hitting something like a glass cover or canopy. Do you have a hard cover over the tank?

The fact that he is eating is a good sign. Keep feeding, keep stress levels low and hope for the best. Beautiful fish - hope he pulls through.

 

[ThRoewer]

I agree with your fish expert friend - looks like a spinal injury (swimming only with pectoral fins, drooping tail with little to no movement). Typically, spinal injuries are caused by jumping and hitting something like a glass cover or canopy. Do you have a hard cover over the tank?

The fact that he is eating is a good sign. Keep feeding, keep stress levels low and hope for the best. Beautiful fish - hope he pulls through.

I'm not sure. To me it looks like he has at least some control over his tailfin.
I've had paralyzed fish before and they swim differently if they swim at all.
The flipping over and not being able to balance points more to a control loss over it's buoyancy - which usually points towards a swim bladder issue.

http://s1156.photobucket.com/user/g...7-42DA-804E-0FC5A6E8D52D_zpsljclcvlk.mp4.html

Please flip the phone on the side next time - vertical videos are less informative (and outright annoying).

 

[snorvich]

I'm not sure. To me it looks like he has at least some control over his tailfin.
I've had paralyzed fish before and they swim differently if they swim at all.
The flipping over and not being able to balance points more to a control loss over it's buoyancy - which usually points towards a swim bladder issue.

This.

 

[Deinonych]

I'm not sure. To me it looks like he has at least some control over his tailfin.
I've had paralyzed fish before and they swim differently if they swim at all.
The flipping over and not being able to balance points more to a control loss over it's buoyancy - which usually points towards a swim bladder issue.

Only thing that makes me lean more toward an injury is the fish's orientation. If it were a swim bladder problem, the fish would be oriented tail up and would be struggling with being too buoyant. Fish with swim bladder problems often wedge themselves under objects to prevent themselves from floating. Improper decompression causes the swim bladder to expand (Boyle's Law), or gas to be released into the internal cavities of the fish, both of which cause the fish to be too buoyant. That's not what is shown in the video. Plus, the fish was fine for several weeks according to the OP, so an injury seems more likely to me. The fact that it has some control over it's tail may indicate an injury from which it can recover, not complete paralysis. Just my $0.02.