Poorly Festivum

[bricko]

Hi,
 
I got in yestersya to find my Festivum head standing in some of my plants.  Looks like he has swim bladder problems when stationary, this has happened suddenly as the fish was swimming perfectly normally on Sunday morning.
 
 
Tank size: 400l
pH: 7
ammonia:0
nitrite:0
nitrate:0
kH:Not known
gH:Not known
tank temp:23.5

There are no other signs of illnes and it is not even showing stress bars, even chasing off the blue acara from his corner still.
 
Volume and Frequency of water changes: 25% water change twice weekly

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants: 1 Blue Araca, 9 Denisoni barb, 6 Zebra loach ,4 Britlenose pec and 3 SAE

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): 3 SAE

Exposure to chemicals:  The only medication I have in currently is Myaxizin and salt.  I have commenced a course of the anti bac and gradually increasing the salt to 1 TBS per 40l ( I know this is only half recomended dose but I have read that loaches are not too accepting of salt - please correct me if I am wrong)
 
Unfortunately my hospital tank has cracked and I cannot afford a replacement so am having to treat the tank.  No other fish are exhibiting any signs of illness, the only new additions are 3 SAE that were introduced 3 weeks ago but I am certain they are healthy.
 
I had performed a filter clean on one of the external I run on this tank (I run 2 x Eheim 2080 and perform filter maintenance every 3 - 4 months roughly 1 month apart for each one), changing the wool pad and rinsing the media in tank water while performing a water change on Saturday.  Maybe I had a mini cycle on Sunday while I was out all day but no trace now.  I have had the Festivum for 5 years so really want to do all I can for him / her, any help will be greatly apreciated.
 
Many thanks
 
Mark

 

 

[star4]

One thing you can try if it is swim bladder. Have you got a bucket? put the fish in a bucket with very low water level and change some of the water every couple of hours, if the fish starts to fall over gently put your finger near it, but not on it to make it move. It can be stressful keeping the fish moving but doing so with the water changes and low water level will flush through the swim bladder and help it to regain the correct swimming position. I have just been through this with 3 gourami and I pulled all 3 through, it took about 4 hours to get them from flopping over on their sides to swimming semi normally without assistance, the following day they were swimming more normally. You wouldnt need to worry about a filter in a bucket, and airline would be a good idea but very gently, a heater is not necessary as you are changing the water so often, but you would need one over night if you can get it in the bucket, but remember to cover it so the festivum does not lean on it.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Nitrate 0?? I'd expect to see some levels of nitrate in a mature tank so that would worry me a little.

 

[star4]

If you do not have nitrates in your tap water and you are doing larger frequent water changes you can have 0 nitrates.

 

[bricko]

Its a planted tank and there are traces of nitrates, my bad typo should have read around 10.
 
Star4, thanks for the tip, might give it a go but he is a big fish and would need a big bucket

Would you add the salt to the bucket also or just fresh water?

 

[star4]

With my gourami I did nothing but shallow water, only 3" deep and clean water nothing else added, their recovery time was incredible. With a festivum you are of course going to need deeper water so it is covered, but when you are trying to move it watch the spines on the dorsal fin. My festivum got me once it hurts!! You dont need a lot of space a normal 30l or so bucket would do, but watch as it gains strength (hopefully) that you can cover the bucket in case it jumps. I have also saved a koi carp with this method too.