Tiger Barb - Swim bladder infection? Please help!

Hello. I am new to this forum and am only here asking this because I’ve done what all other websites and forum posts I’ve read say to do and have not seen any progress. My fish, a tiger barb, started showing signs of a swim bladder infection today. He can’t help but float to the top and can only swim sideways and upside down. I gave him an epsom salt bath earlier today, 10 minutes in a higher concentration and then in a lower concentration. I have been trying to feel him some shelled peas since them, but he won’t or can’t eat them. All he does is float upside down at the surface or try extremely hard to swim down, with little success. His stomach looks so bloated.

My tiger barb has a 10 gallon tank, I’ve had him for about 10 months, it has a filter/heater, and he is the only fish in the tank. I’m not sure of the temperature right now as I need to get a new thermometer for the tank.

I do a partial water change every few weeks and use prime and a water chemistry balance solution. I vacuum the substrate when needed.

*Parameters - Very Important
I cycled my tank before adding my fish and I use 5 in 1 aquarium test strips.
Nitrate: ~35
Nitrite: 0
pH: 7.0

I feed my fish once a day and feed him flakes. I take a couple flakes and crush them up and put them down into the water. The brand is Tetra.

 

Update: Did about a 40-50% water change in his tank. Nitrates are now down to 0 according to most recent test. Hoping this will help.

 

Did you just fed it flakes ?

 

Did you just fed it flakes ?

Yes, I have stopped feeding him the flakes and am now trying to feed him shelled peas.

 

Yes, I have stopped feeding him the flakes and am now trying to feed him shelled peas.

Could it be it took in to much air what makes it flow? If so it will solve itself after some time.

 

Could it be it took in to much air what makes it flow? If so it will solve itself after some time.

That’s whay I’m thinking happened. Especially because he eats very quickly sometimes. But I’m worried he may not survive for “some time” because of how he has been. He is still stuck completely upside down and can’t swim or eat so I wonder if he will be around very long sadly. Do you know if fish can live very long like this?

 

That’s whay I’m thinking happened. Especially because he eats very quickly sometimes. But I’m worried he may not survive for “some time” because of how he has been. He is still stuck completely upside down and can’t swim or eat so I wonder if he will be around very long sadly. Do you know if fish can live very long like this?

Upside down worries me. Not.much you can do though.

 

Upside down worries me. Not.much you can do though.

That’s what worries me, too. Thankfully, he started trying to eat some of the peas and was able to swim a little bit longer without flipping back upside down. I hope this is a good sign.

 

That’s what worries me, too. Thankfully, he started trying to eat some of the peas and was able to swim a little bit longer without flipping back upside down. I hope this is a good sign.

Eating is always a good sign.
Maybe it has a lot of air in its stomach and a good fart would do wonders .

 

Eating is always a good sign.
Maybe it has a lot of air in its stomach and a good fart would do wonders .

Just a few minutes ago, I went to put him in another salt bath as he was still very bloated, but seemed a little better. I put him in the 1 gal salt bath and he was okay. Then put him into the half gallon salt bath and he immediately started “seizing” or something and then stopped swimming. I took him out and back into his tank and he wasn’t moving, but was barely breathing. I tried to move water past his gills and get him to breathe better, but then suddenly died. I feel real bad, not sure what happened. But thank you for the help.

 

Just a few minutes ago, I went to put him in another salt bath as he was still very bloated, but seemed a little better. I put him in the 1 gal salt bath and he was okay. Then put him into the half gallon salt bath and he immediately started “seizing” or something and then stopped swimming. I took him out and back into his tank and he wasn’t moving, but was barely breathing. I tried to move water past his gills and get him to breathe better, but then suddenly died. I feel real bad, not sure what happened. But thank you for the help.

Awww no. Sorry to hear.