Purple Firefish not doing well

[carlos_fb]

I got a Purple Firefish last week that came with Ich. I put it in a QT as soon as it arrived and started a Hyposalinity treatment. After 3 days into the treatment I got him to eat some Cyclops.

Ever since I got him I noticed that he was not swimming normally but I didn't think much of it.

Tomorrow it will be a week since I started the Hyposalinity treatment and the white spots are pretty much gone, the fish is still eating but it keeps swimming funny so I'm starting to think that it might have a Swim Bladder problem.

Please advice.

 

[dfs/la2]

Carlos_fb,

Thank you for your post. It is certainly possible that your Firefish has a Swim Bladder issue of some sort. The easiest way to treat this is to feed a parboiled pea, either frozen or fresh. This can be mashed up and treated with a garlic supplement to increase its palatability. As swim bladder issues often lead to bacterial infections, we recommend following up with an anti-bacterial treatment.

Nate M.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[carlos_fb]

Thanks for your response. Can you please be more specific on the treatment that you recommend?

 

[dfs/la2]

carlos_fb,

We are sorry to hear that your Purple Firefish is swimming funny. It is difficult to make a precise diagnosis of swim bladder with the information given. Swim bladder disease can be caused by a number of different causes. The most common causes are external factors such as being bothered by another fish, as well as rapid changes in the water parameters in their tank or rapid temperature increases or decreases. These changes can occur in shipping and may have further intensified the symptoms of swim bladder disease. Proper nutrition is also a consideration in Swim bladder disease. Poor diet can lead to constipation, which in turn can lead to swim bladder problems, as the swelling of the abdomen will prevent the swim bladder from working properly. Swim bladder disease can also be caused by a number of different bacterial and parasitical infections in the fish.

An improved diet can often help the fish recover, unless the problem has progressed too far. You should make sure that you give the fish their preferred environment if you discover swim bladder problems. This would include slowly raising the specific gravity back to an ideal level of 1.024-1.025 and maintain pristine water conditions. The Purple Firefish may gradually improve with time or may adjust to its swimming condition.


Luci Z
LiveAquaria
Drs Foster & Smith

 

[carlos_fb]

Unfortunately my Firefish died yesterday. He was doing so much better; I got them to eat properly and was swimming a lot better. Yesterday morning I fed him and he look ok, when I got home in the afternoon he was dead. I double check all the parameters in my quarentine tank where he was by himself and everything was good.

The saddest part is that he was only 1 week away from completing the hypo salinity treatment so he was going to be in the main in a few days.

This was my first order with Liveaquaria and honestly I do not regret it because I understand these things happen but it is still very sad and disappointing.

 

[dfs/la2]

Carlos_fb

Thank you for sending the updated information. We apologize to
hear about the loss of your Firefish and we understand your
disappointment. We ask you to PM us your order information so we may compensate you. If you would prefer, you may call our
Technical Support Department at 800-562-7169 extension 225 for
assistance.

Pat S.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith