Infections With Long-term Effects

@ombomb

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My female Blue Ram has been a sickly little thing and in the entire time I've had her (6 months) she's never really seemed 100%. She has recently had a bacterial infection (again) which cleared up about two weeks ago (coloured up well / normal poo) but she seems to have difficulty swimming. She gets around OK, but doesn't swim strongly as she used to / should do and spends a lot of time resting on tank decor. She's eating well and looks healthy again bar the problem swimming. No other fish have shown any signs of illness, there has been no sign of parasites and nothing has been added to the tank for about 2 months. My first thoughts were this could be a case of TB, but seeing as the rest of my stock remain healthy, I'm not so sure.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
 
To be honest if she spending alot of time at the bottom she not sounding good, as they do that when they are dying, is she bloated, sounds like swim bladder, have you tryed her on shelled peas and daphnia, bless her.

Not the writer of this information below.
Swim Bladder Disorder



The Swim bladder is a gas-filled sac located inside the fish’s body cavity just above most of the other internal organs. This sac is what gives the fish buoyancy and controls equilibrium. The amount of gas in this sac changes as the fish rises and sinks in the water, enabling it to swim, hover and move in the water. Without the use of the Swim-bladder organ a fish is unable to control it's own movements.



Symptoms:

Fish with a swim bladder disorder appear to have an abnormal swimming pattern, usually with their tail end up. They also appear to have difficulty maintaining equilibrium. They may even float upside down or appear to be stuck at the surface of the water, being unable to swim down, or they may lie on the bottom, unable to rise. Fish with a swim bladder disorder will continue to try and feed, showing a normal appetite.



Cause:

The most common cause of swim bladder disorders is improper diet. An improper diet can lead to intestinal gas or intestinal blockages. Intestinal blockages can irritate the bowel, giving bacteria or other parasites an entry point where they can then cause damage to the swim bladder. Swim bladder disorders are most common in the larger, deep-bodied varieties of Goldfish. Fish also fed a lot of dried foods, especially pellets, are most susceptible. This condition is frequently observed in the later stages of Malawi Bloat, which is primarily due to an improper diet as well and intestinal irritation.



Treatment:

Because this disorder is due principally to an improper diet, a change in their feeding needs to be made. Dried foods with lots of protein should be kept to a minimum. Pellets and other dense foods should be soaked prior to feeding or completely eliminated from their diet. Foods with lots of fiber should be introduced, such as zucchini, squash, spinach, romaine lettuce, peas, and grated carrots. If you suspect that the fish is victim to a bacterial infection, treat the fish with a medicated food.




I have a fancy goldish with swim bladder and i control it on a good varied diet, but it will get her one day, just hope not yet, she was bought that way, bless her.
 
I'll stick some peas in, but as I said, she actually looks in the best health since I bought her. She seems quite happy sitting on top of her piece of slate, competes well for food and is just getting on with it.

What do you think could be the cause Wilder?

Agreed that it's Bacterial?
 
Yes i would go with bacterial, she might have damaged her swim bladder even the lfs people could of done it while they were netting her, just keep her on a very good varied diet and see if that helps, i no they operate on goldfish now with swimbladder saw it on a link, they remove the swimbladder and add a stone, weird but meant to work.
 
Reading through the swim bladder symptons, I'm not 100% sure. She's having no problem maintaining her balance, it's almost as though she just has to make more effort to swim than it used to and sitting on the bottom is just less effort.

Diet includes: Flakes / Sinking tablets / Daphnea / Brine Shrimp / Bloodworm
 
I see as though she dosn't have the strength to swim properly, to be honest she dosn't sound good, can you issolate her, so you can put her in a smaller tank so she dosn't need to use all her effect to get to the top, then i would try a bacterial med on her.
 
Can't isolate I'm afraid, just making sure she manages to eat. She has the strength, but just can't seem to swim as well as she used to, the technique seems wrong if you see what I mean.

She seems OK for now, but don't have high long-term hopes. =(

Thanks for the advice.
 
Sometimes with antibiotics they are justing fighting the infection prolonging there lives, as once you take them off the meds, it soon comes back again, to be completely honest i doubt there is much to be done now, as she sounds like she is losing the battle, sorry, just try and keep her nice and comfortable, is there a way you could float a container in the tank.
 
I think you're right, she would probably have been a goner several months ago if things were left to take their natural course.

As long as she is eating OK and not getting bothered by the male, who has been ignoring her, I will leave the status quo. If things change, I will float a container for her.

Poor thing. :/

Thanks again for the advice.
 
Good luck bless her, at least you have done everything possilbe for her, just make her comfortable.
 

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