Help!

[frostpixie]

i'm freaking out cause my fish McKay is acting really strange! he's not able to swim down into the bowl (as it appears quite difficult for him) but when he is down there he just floats back up.... his gills are going crazy and looks as if he can't breathe all too well - even tho the water has been treated with conditioner, left to sit so i know it's the right temp after i checked, there are salts in the bowl and everything.

he keeps floating around the top... and i think he looks a little bloated except his scales are fine... his body contorts a little when he stops then he swims again around the top of the bowl

under his gills it looks like a patch of white and i'm not sure if that is a good thing or not, but considering he's a red fish... i doubt it's good

he's got some black specks on his body and normally they are blue

guys... any help in diagnosing would be much appreciated! i want to make sure that i know what he has and can get him better ASAP!

thanks!

 

[Amunet]

Sounds like maybe something is wrong w/ his swim bladder.
Is he still eating? Try fasting him and giving him some cooked deshelled pea then fast him again for another day or so.

 

[frostpixie]

he still eats.... especially if i drop in food...

how do i give him the deshelled peas?? i guess i mush them up right?

 

[Amunet]

Then definitely fast him.
Don't feed him anything for a day
Then give him a cooked, deshelled pea. Just a small chunk of one should be enough. (make sure it's not hot though )
Then I would fast him one more day after that.

Hopefully if he is constipated, that will clear him up and he'll be ok


I would also lower his water lvl so he'll have an easier time getting around. Do you have a real or fake plant in the tank w/ him? Just something he cn rest on?

 

[devon_charm]

Defo sounds like swim bladder, the pea should help but if it doesn't you will need to get some medication for him. I hope he gets better

 

[frostpixie]

thanks! right now he has a fake plant in there and he seems to like resting near it

actually... he's doing a lot better now! i saw him this afternoon and i'm looking at him right now... he's not as bloated and he's able to swim down and not float back up to the top so i'm thinking the fasting is working. i'll get the pea as soon as i can and feed it to him then let him fast another day hopefully that should clear it up