Swim bladder issue, fairy wrasse

4FordFamily · Jul 28, 2017

Gosh that fish looks like a goner... I hope I'm wrong but I don't have anything else to add

I'm surprised it's still kicking.

Looks like a really really bad swimadder issue to me

leahfiish · Jul 28, 2017

That's what I thought a week ago but he still seems like he's trying to eat when I put food in, but his swimming is so restricted that he can't really catch the food, so I know he can't have much time left at this point. He really seems like a fighter though.

leahfiish · Jul 29, 2017

Still alive... I went to rite aid to look for a syringe/needle but the pharmacy was closed, I'll have to check back tomorrow morning.

leahfiish · Jul 30, 2017

No pharmacies will sell me a needle. I live in a pretty bad area. Lol.

I have sewing needles...?

Smo · Jul 30, 2017

Any Vets near by?

leahfiish · Jul 30, 2017

Smo said:
Any Vets near by?

There is one that is closed on weekends, I brought a fish there a few months ago to get a prescription for chloroquine phosphate.

Humblefish · Jul 30, 2017

Smo said:
Any Vets near by?

+1 You can also buy 30 gauge insulin syringes online, but they are often sold in bulk.

leahfiish · Jul 30, 2017

Humblefish said:
+1 You can also buy 30 gauge insulin syringes online, but they are often sold in bulk.

I was thinking about that but not sure how long it would take to get them here... I'll do some research while I'm at work today.

leahfiish · Jul 31, 2017

I got a 29 gauge needle from a smaller pharmacy.

Unfortunately the procedure was not successful. I'm not sure if it was something I did wrong or if he was just too far gone. But he died almost immediately after returning him to the water.

=(

Smo · Jul 31, 2017

So sorry for your loss. It was a valiant effort.

Humblefish · Jul 31, 2017

leahfiish · Jul 31, 2017

I am pretty confident that I didn't perform the procedure correctly as he was still floating when I put him back. Maybe I punctured the wrong spot but I copied the best I could from the person who did this with a lineatus. His scales were tougher than I thought they would be, in the videos they made it look easy but maybe it's just my fish. Either way, this was still a last ditch effort. If I didn't do anything, I'm certain that he would have died. He was less alert yesterday and this morning than before, I could tell he was starting to lose energy, but he still managed to flop around a lot when I was trying to help him.

Humblefish · Jul 31, 2017

Did you see a bulge in his swim bladder area you could target with the needle? And suck the air out?

leahfiish · Jul 31, 2017

Humblefish said:
Did you see a bulge in his swim bladder area you could target with the needle?

I did, and when I pulled back the syringe there was air but I didn't hear the little "whoosh" noise when I took out the syringe.

rob G · May 10, 2018

I have had two wrasse do this about two weeks into QT on two different QT sessions. Is this most likely swimbladder? My most recent is a lubbocks who is still alive and eating.

Tridacnid · Oct 18, 2018

Struggling with something similar in a Naoko's, would you recommend I leave the power head off at all times? Qt is a 29g filled 2/3 of the way and has a sponge filter and an 800gph pump for circulation. The fish still has a strong appetite but struggles to catch the food in the current so I alternate the pump on and off to keep the food suspended and then allow him to hunt the chunks down.

Humblefish · Oct 18, 2018

Tridacnid said:
Struggling with something similar in a Naoko's, would you recommend I leave the power head off at all times? Qt is a 29g filled 2/3 of the way and has a sponge filter and an 800gph pump for circulation. The fish still has a strong appetite but struggles to catch the food in the current so I alternate the pump on and off to keep the food suspended and then allow him to hunt the chunks down.

I would place the wrasse in a large acclimation box until he recovers.