Weather Loach Has A Trapped Air Bubble

[sallyt1907]

Ok so I'm new to this site and I think I posted my q in the wrong forum to begin with! Any help much appreciated;
My usually healthy, active weather loach has developed a rather large air bubble inside him. At the moment he is just letting himself float bottom up at the top of the tank but everytime I think he is dead he swims away in his normal frantic manner. He's fairly small (about 3-4 inches) and it seems he just finds it easier not to try to resist the bubbles bouyancy. We've had him about 6 months and have never had any problems with him.
Any ideas on what I can do to help him? He seems so uncomfortable cry1.gif
Thanks

 

[WILDER]

Bubbles beneath the skin can be gas bubble desease or bacterial.
Get you some info.

[URL="http/www.flippersandfins.net/pop-eye.htm"]http/www.flippersandfins.net/pop-eye.htm[/URL]

Taken from the link.

Gas Bubble Disease is a result of supersaturation (excess levels) of the water with the gas, nitrogen. Supersaturation occurs whenever the pressure of a gas in the water is higher than the pressure of the same gas in the surrounding atmosphere. When there is this difference between gas pressures, the gas gets pulled too quickly out of the bloodstream, leaving gas bubbles behind. This is what happens to SCUBA divers who ascend too quickly and create a big difference in gas pressures, which leads to the diver getting gas bubble formation or the “bends”. In fish, gas bubbles can accumulate behind the eye, making it bulge outward.

Water in a newly filled tank will be supersaturated with gases and you will see the gas bubbles covering the inside of the tank. The more that the water is agitated as you are pouring it in for the first time, the less supersaturation you will have. Agitation of water releases gas from it. Normal aeration will speed up the time that it takes for this excess gas to leave the water. When the bubbles on the tank disappear, then it is safe to put your fish into the new water.

High-powered powerheads, that shoot streams of air into your tank’s water, can lead to nitrogen supersaturation. Treatment in this circumstance would be to turn down the powerhead water stream adjustment to its’ lowest setting and allow the air pump to be the only source of air. For the next few days, observe your fish. If the pop-eye starts to go away, then it was due to nitrogen supersaturation. If there is no change or the condition worsens, then the pop-eye is most likely due to an infectious cause and probably a bacterial one.

An excess of nitrogen gas can also occur as a result of a large build-up of nitrites and nitrates in the water and has been seen in deep wells and frozen-over ponds and lakes, but probably does not happen to a significant degree in the aquarium. It is always important however to maintain excellent water quality for your fish. Under normal circumstances, there should be no measurable nitrites and the nitrates should be kept at 20 ppm or lower for all but the most sensitive species.

 

[sallyt1907]

Thanks Wilder!
Funny two days ago I moved the filter return up to increase the pressure of the water coming back into the tank-doh! I've moved it back down and done a full testing of ammonia, nitrates and nitrites just to be sure but they are all a-okay.
Is there anything I can do to help the poor thing now that he has this? Will the gas release itself or is it too late? Just one thing though, the bubble isn't behind his eyes-its much further back-bout 2/3rds down the length of his body.

 

[WILDER]

Not sure what you do if I fish has it. Very rare you see it.

Gas Bubble Disease



Symptoms:

Symptoms include blisters that are clearly visible beneath the skin, particularly in the head area, in and around the eyes. Blisters may also form inside the body. Sick fish will make a croaking sound when removed from the water.



Cause:

Oxygen oversaturation: This disease is most frequently seen in heavily planted or Algae-ridden aquariums or ponds. In such a scenario, oxygen production can be so great that it upsets the proper balance of dissolved gases in the water causing very small gas bubbles to form inside of the fish. If these bubbles move to the blood stream they can be fatal.



Remedy:

Perform an immediate water change to restore the proper gas balance. Clean away Algae and reduce the amount of live plants. Use an anti-algae chemical if necessary, such as Algae Destroyer. Reduce lighting to reduce oxygen production by the plants.

 

[sallyt1907]

Hmm... no algae or live plants in my tank!
I'll do a water change and I guess will just have to see how he goes
Thanks for your help

 

[WILDER]

Do you think it be caused by too much aeration.

 

[sallyt1907]

Think it must be-like I said I moved the return flow so it was stronger and also had the airstone on most of the bank holiday weekend (normally only turn it on in the evenings). Doh, hope he makes it, he is still able to swim about frantically but keeps letting himself float to the top for what looks like a rest!

 

[WILDER]

I would turn the flow down and do a water change to see if that helps first.

 

[sallyt1907]

I've done both so will see how he is in the morning.
Again, thanks for your help!

 

[WILDER]

If no improvement all I can think of is using a bacterial med in isolation.
Good Luck.