Swim Bladder issue with Clownfish?

[TheStrangler]

I've got a clownfish that I noticed last night was swimming oddly head down and it doesn't seem to be the regular goofy clownfish type, more like its struggling to be where it wants to be. I believe that ~24 hours ago the clown fish was fine.

Temp 79.3F
SG 1.026
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 20 (a little high but hasn't swung rapidly)
Phosphates - undetectable

no major swings, but I've started and will continue doing daily 5-10% water changes. My most recent tank addition was snails two days prior and was concerned that die off may have spiked my parameters, but my other fish and LPS are doing alright. I just moved the clown to a hospital tank with clean water that is matched to my tank water in all but nitrates. Will be moving some rock from my refugium to provide a bit of bio filtration.

Assuming its a swim bladder problem, from what I've read, its either from tank parameters, constipation/food related problems, bacterial, or a handful of other things. I figured that just giving a peaceful place where the clown could easily get food would probably help, but would like advice on treatment plan of attack if anyone has any to give. I made a thread the other day about what may have been ick related scratching in two of my other fish yesterday, but I have not seen any signs today, and the clownfish had not exhibited scratching yesterday.

Thanks for your help.

 

[LayT27]

I am going through the same issue with a tang. I have moved to a QT tank as well and using a syring with food to feed him. He is still eating which is good so basically its just a waiting game. I have read that peas are great for SBD and I am using it right now.

So my current plan is treating with Stress Guard, monitoring and feeding twice a day a mixture of brine/mysis shrimp in one meal and peas/seaweed on the other feeding. Making sure I am not over feeding

 

[TheStrangler]

My clown just seems kind of exhausted floating at the top of the tank right now, but takes off and can swim normally for a minute if there is reason to. I'm not sure if I can get him to eat, but if so I also read that peas help and I'll give that a shot.

 

[LayT27]

I literally hold the fish and practically shoot the food in to his mouth and he is scarfing food down. I thought about just putting him out of his misery but i just cant seem to bring myself to do it for a $70 tang

 

[SMSREEF]

They can heal from this.

I would do a methylene blue dip and isolate from other fish.

I had a clown with swim bladder that burst. Here is the thread. My clown is now healthy and happy.

...

edited out

www.reef2reef.com

 

[TheStrangler]

Thanks, I'm going to do my best. Hopefully I have a lot of time to work before the little guy starves since I know he was eating yesterday. I tried using a small syringe I had laying around and crushing up peas and some x-small TDO pellets + selcon but the syringe I had was too big for its mouth. Since I know that it ate somewhat recently I'm not going to break its jaw accidentally by trying to use a syringe thats too large tonight. Instead I'll wait until tomorrow and if its not doing any better, I'll go find a smaller syringe and make it work.

I did a quick fresh water dip to rule out flukes and didn't see anything. I'll see if I can find some methylene blue. Good luck with your tang Lay.

 

[SMSREEF]

My clown just seems kind of exhausted floating at the top of the tank right now, but takes off and can swim normally for a minute if there is reason to. I'm not sure if I can get him to eat, but if so I also read that peas help and I'll give that a shot.

Try to protect it from high flow for a few days.
mine dropped to the bottom upside down and I’m pretty sure it was ruptured swim bladder.
If yours is floating to top, maybe it is GI and just a gas bubble.
peas (with skin removed) are supposed to help with that.

Thanks, I'm going to do my best. Hopefully I have a lot of time to work before the little guy starves since I know he was eating yesterday. I tried using a small syringe I had laying around and crushing up peas and some x-small TDO pellets + selcon but the syringe I had was too big for its mouth. Since I know that it ate somewhat recently I'm not going to break its jaw accidentally by trying to use a syringe thats too large tonight. Instead I'll wait until tomorrow and if its not doing any better, I'll go find a smaller syringe and make it work.

I did a quick fresh water dip to rule out flukes and didn't see anything. I'll see if I can find some methylene blue. Good luck with your tang Lay.

my little guy did not eat for 3 days. They have plenty of fat stores so I would just let him be if he is not eating, rather than force feeding and causing more stress.
My little guy loved live black worms. Maybe you could try that in a couple days.

Now the tang of Lay seems to be eating with being held, thats a whole different story and I would do that if the fish let me hold it. My clown did not though.

 

[TheStrangler]

Thankfully I found methylene blue at the only fish store in the area. Had that fell through I would have sent messages to ebay sellers to see if they'd overnight it to me if I paid the charges, but then it still wouldn't make it here until Tuesday if they shipped on monday. The lil guy still has a lot of fight left in him despite just floating around the top of the tank when I went after him with the net, so if he can just improve a smidgen to the point where he can get food, I'll be a relieved. I got prazi to treat for parasites and such as well, so if I can manage to get him to eat peas, I'll have every base covered.

 

[TheStrangler]

On day two of treatment of methylene blue in conjunction with everything else. I'm not sure if there is any difference, but the clown was a bit more lethargic than previously and getting pretty thin. I used a 1mL salifert syringe with the reducer tip to gently feed him some macerated peas and some xsmall TDO pellets soaked in selcon. Hes still swimming upside down with his belly to the top of the water, but with perhaps a bit more energy than before?

 

[SMSREEF]

Do you have a pic of your little guy? Or video of him swimming upside down?
I wonder why he is floating to the top. Is belly still bloated?

 

[TheStrangler]

Belly doesn't seem bloated but it must be. Its like the water pushes him up anytime he tries to swim down. He cannot be anywhere but the top of the water.

 

[TheStrangler]

Day 5, may be improving, but it may be too late. The clown is very tired and not swimming much, but when I see that he is, it appears he's able to get a few inches under the water line. Previously he really had to struggle to keep from floating belly up at the surface. I don't know for certain but if I had to guess, I'd say that the swim bladder issue is getting better, however he might be too weak to recover at this point. Today is Methylene bath day 4, and everything else treatment day 5.

 

[TheStrangler]

I had to put him down today. He turned a corner yesterday, with the swim bladder issue resolved. Last night he was laying on the bottom of the tank which I took as either an improvement or not as previously he couldn't get under the waterline with the swim bladder problem forcing him to the top. This morning he was doing worse, not moving and just laying on the bottom. If he just had another day's worth of strength he may have turned around for the better, but sadly not this time.

 

[SMSREEF]

I had to put him down today. He turned a corner yesterday, with the swim bladder issue resolved. Last night he was laying on the bottom of the tank which I took as either an improvement or not as previously he couldn't get under the waterline with the swim bladder problem forcing him to the top. This morning he was doing worse, not moving and just laying on the bottom. If he just had another day's worth of strength he may have turned around for the better, but sadly not this time.

I am so so sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately the stress of the condition makes them very prone to infection.
I think a lot has to do with the individual fish and it’s stubbornness to survive.

You certainly did everything you could to give him a chance.

 

[TheStrangler]

Its too bad, but I would agree that the methylene blue treatment suggested did help. I don't know if it was necessary, but the macerated peas fed through a small syringe did seem to properly pass through. With any luck someone here will search clownfish swim bladder and find the treatment plan maybe a day sooner than I did. Its too bad, but I certainly feel better prepared in case something happens again in the future.