Swim Bladder Problem With My Oscar

[Sky042]

Ok so my oscar developed a problem with his swim bladder about 2-3 weeks ago.
tried melafix for 2 weeks no change.
my lfs reccomended an elaborate method of getting the fish propped upright and then tying him in place..tried this but it's very difficult with a 11" oscar.

so I need to know if there's another way to cure this or if not whats the best way to put him down humanly. the lfs reccomended freezing but to me it sounds like the fish would suffocate before it froze.

 

[england]

I would try small multiple water changes to decrease most of the organic content of the water and feed with food soaked with the appropriate medication.
try changing his diet or do you already feed good quality food?
try feeding him on desheeled peas...

how big is the tank?
what tank mates?
whats the filteration you have?

[URL="http/www.aquariumlife.net/articles/fish-diseases/40.asp"]http/www.aquariumlife.net/articles/fish-diseases/40.asp[/URL]

http/www.mypets.net.au/flex/general_fish_afflictions/128/1

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Not much you can do for swim bladder. Add some salt to the tank. Feed him a de-shelled, cooked pea. I would try a lot of blood worm and brine shrimp, as they are good for helping to clear digestive tracks.

 

[Sky042]

I would try small multiple water changes to decrease most of the organic content of the water and feed with food soaked with the appropriate medication.
try changing his diet or do you already feed good quality food?
try feeding him on desheeled peas...

how big is the tank?
what tank mates?
whats the filteration you have?

<a href="http/www.aquariumlife.net/articles/fish-diseases/40.asp" target="_blank">http/www.aquariumlife.net/articles/fish-diseases/40.asp</a>

[URL="http/www.mypets.net.au/flex/general_fish_afflictions/128/1"]http/www.mypets.net.au/flex/general_fish_afflictions/128/1[/URL]

been doing multiple water changes the oranic level/nitrates are low.
Tank is 150 USG.
tank mates are
1 6-7" Jack Dempsey
5 Clown Loaches of various sizes betwee 3-6"
1 Bala(an old tank mate ate the others)
3 Pictus cats
Filtration is as follows
2 x Cascade 1200 filters
1 x 7g wet/dry filter with a rio 2100 return pump
1 x 36 watt UV filtration.

Food is all Hikari products
Typically Chiclid gold alternated with cichlid bio gold
also Hikari sinking carnivore pellets(a favorite of the loaches and the oscar)
also occasionally some cucumber or squash blanched the oscar has never liked the frut/vegtable foods though only pellets.
Never fed live food.

Not much you can do for swim bladder. Add some salt to the tank. Feed him a de-shelled, cooked pea. I would try a lot of blood worm and brine shrimp, as they are good for helping to clear digestive tracks.

I have to be careful with salt with the cats/loaches in the tank.
he's never liked peas or any other veggie I can try it but likely someone else will eat it. No way to force feed an 11" oscar and keep my thumbs.

Digestive track seems ok he's going to the bathroom regularly and has zero lack of appetite. The second I even look like I'm walking to the tank he'll get off the sand and swim agressively around the top of the tank hoping I'll drop food in there.


Sad I may not be able to fix this.....and really sucks that it then leaves me with a single Jack Dempsey as my main fish in the tank as it'd be hard to introduce a tank mate he won't eat.

 

[england]

hope it will work out for you mate,,,,dont strap him to the side that will make it worse,imagine if he tries to brake free from the rope

just keep up with the water changes/keep trying with the peas, i do this atleast once a week then theyll get used to them,
whats the tank temp?maybe up it for a while,gradually obviously

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Mix the pea in with some food and drop it right in front of him. You should really give this a try, it will clear everything out of him. It is good to do this for the last feed of the day, then skip a day of feeding. If all the organs are cleared then it might improve the swim bladder.

 

[Sky042]

hope it will work out for you mate,,,,dont strap him to the side that will make it worse,imagine if he tries to brake free from the rope

just keep up with the water changes/keep trying with the peas, i do this atleast once a week then theyll get used to them,
whats the tank temp?maybe up it for a while,gradually obviously

Tank temp is 83 at the moment. Yeah I didn't dig the tying up a fish that large and that powerful

Mix the pea in with some food and drop it right in front of him. You should really give this a try, it will clear everything out of him. It is good to do this for the last feed of the day, then skip a day of feeding. If all the organs are cleared then it might improve the swim bladder.

I'll see if I can get him to accept a pea.

I've been trying to cure this now nearly a mont. He just seems to be getting more and more listless unless theres the opputunity for food....though I do notice that while he's hungry he doesn't consume the quatity that he used to.

 

[england]

well i find now my oscars are about 12inches there half what they used to be, as in they stay in one area as before swam the whole tank,,,,<terratorial>
and as for food they were sooooo gready, now they sometimes miss a day eating<there choice>