vyrille
- #1
While feeding one of my tanks this morning I heard a soft tap on the glass lid in my other tank. When I looked over to check, nothing seemed out of place, and I assumed the gold gouramis were doing their usual shoving into position prior feeding time. In retropsect I did notice one of the female swordtails was shuffling on the substrate, her belly firmly resting on it, and wouldn't join the other swordtails dancing around the surface awaiting food. I had chalked it off as her getting ready to give birth, despite not seeing a gravid spot, as swordtails do.
Hours later after returning from work, I now see the said swordtail swimming around belly-up, rapidly breathing. I immediately took her to my 10gal hospital tub. I checked water parameters in main tank and it turned out fine, and i've had no issues with it for months; all the other inhabitants (and other swordtails) exhibited no unusual behaviour. ammonia 0, no2 0, no3 20. I inspected the swordtail and can find no external damage, no scrapes, ulcers, abrasions, spots, fins are okay, gills are okay albeit rapidly breathing, no abdominal distention. I figured she decided to jump and hit the glass lid, likely damaging her swim bladder. I put her in a makeshift floating plastic container with holes on the side to ease water pressure and alleviate strain on the bladder. I did a 15-minute epsom salt bath once already, and will continue twice a day. Despite her condition she still attempted to jump once more. She was never this jumpy the past 2 months I had her, so I wrapped a black plastic bag around her container, dimmed the lights, as well as putting an airstone in.
I'm about to visit my LFS to buy some supplies tomorrow, one of the few days i'm actually free to do so, and I want to ask if I'll be needing anything should the swordtail not respond to the epsom bath treatment?
Hours later after returning from work, I now see the said swordtail swimming around belly-up, rapidly breathing. I immediately took her to my 10gal hospital tub. I checked water parameters in main tank and it turned out fine, and i've had no issues with it for months; all the other inhabitants (and other swordtails) exhibited no unusual behaviour. ammonia 0, no2 0, no3 20. I inspected the swordtail and can find no external damage, no scrapes, ulcers, abrasions, spots, fins are okay, gills are okay albeit rapidly breathing, no abdominal distention. I figured she decided to jump and hit the glass lid, likely damaging her swim bladder. I put her in a makeshift floating plastic container with holes on the side to ease water pressure and alleviate strain on the bladder. I did a 15-minute epsom salt bath once already, and will continue twice a day. Despite her condition she still attempted to jump once more. She was never this jumpy the past 2 months I had her, so I wrapped a black plastic bag around her container, dimmed the lights, as well as putting an airstone in.
I'm about to visit my LFS to buy some supplies tomorrow, one of the few days i'm actually free to do so, and I want to ask if I'll be needing anything should the swordtail not respond to the epsom bath treatment?