Panda Angel with Swim Bladder

[AquaHobbyst1980]

Hi guys, one my of two panda angels is not doing well. It’s pretty clear to me it’s swim bladder disease. Tank is 30 gallon (I know it’s small) and that pair were juveniles when I picked it up. There are 6 other smaller fish in it. All fish have been living happily for months. No parasitic diseases that I know of.

I had the heater off during the summer as we don’t use much AC and the water temperature was being naturally regulated by the ambient air temperature at around 78 to 80 F.

Heater is back on; I have several antibiotics I can use (but the fish doesn’t seem sick from a parasite), salt etc.

Anything we can do to save him?

Please advise.

[Aiken Drum]

First off move the affected fish into a quarantine tank so you can deal with the fish with in isolation of the other fish. Keep the water in good quality with plenty of water changes, raise the water temperature to 78/80f (25/26c) and keep any lighting low. Add aquarium salt to the water. Half teaspoon for every 1 gallon/4 litres of water.

Don’t feed the fish for 3 days.

If you don’t see improvement try feeding your fish cooked peas. Boil or microwave a frozen pea for a few seconds so the consistency is not too soft or too hard. Remove the shell. Your fish may or may not eat the pea.

When you return to feeding your fish avoid any food that floats.

If that doesn’t improve things move onto broad spectrum anti-biotic medication. The effectiveness of over the counter medication will vary depending on your country and whether anti-biotic medication needs vet prescription or not.

You can also try an epsom salt bath. Method curtesy of MJ Gomez.

Get 2 tubs that each hold around 1 gallon/ 4 litres of water. Fill tub 1 with dechlorinated, temperature matched water and 1 teaspoon of dissolved epsom salt. This is your treatment tub. Fill tub 2 with 1/4 water from first tub and 3/4 water from the tank your fish came from. This is your recovery tub.

Gently place the effected fish in the treatment tub for 5 to 8 minutes. Keep a close eye on things. If the gills stop, the fish starts to float on its side or poops move the fish to the recovery tub.

Keep the fish in the recovery tub for 10 minutes to acclimate the fish back to freshwater, before returning it to its quarantine tank.

You can do an epsom salt bath daily for up to a week before it starts to harm the fish.

If your fish shows no sign of recovery 2 weeks after starting treatment then consider euthanasia. Fish don’t always recover from sickness.

[AquaHobbyst1980]

Originally Posted by Aiken Drum

First off move the affected fish into a quarantine tank so you can deal with the fish with in isolation of the other fish. Keep the water in good quality with plenty of water changes, raise the water temperature to 78/80f (25/26c) and keep any lighting low. Add aquarium salt to the water. Half teaspoon for every 1 gallon/4 litres of water.

Don’t feed the fish for 3 days.

If you don’t see improvement try feeding your fish cooked peas. Boil or microwave a frozen pea for a few seconds so the consistency is not too soft or too hard. Remove the shell. Your fish may or may not eat the pea.

When you return to feeding your fish avoid any food that floats.

If that doesn’t improve things move onto broad spectrum anti-biotic medication. The effectiveness of over the counter medication will vary depending on your country and whether anti-biotic medication needs vet prescription or not.

You can also try an epsom salt bath. Method curtesy of MJ Gomez.

Get 2 tubs that each hold around 1 gallon/ 4 litres of water. Fill tub 1 with dechlorinated, temperature matched water and 1 teaspoon of dissolved epsom salt. This is your treatment tub. Fill tub 2 with 1/4 water from first tub and 3/4 water from the tank your fish came from. This is your recovery tub.

Gently place the effected fish in the treatment tub for 5 to 8 minutes. Keep a close eye on things. If the gills stop, the fish starts to float on its side or poops move the fish to the recovery tub.

Keep the fish in the recovery tub for 10 minutes to acclimate the fish back to freshwater, before returning it to its quarantine tank.

You can do an epsom salt bath daily for up to a week before it starts to harm the fish.

If your fish shows no sign of recovery 2 weeks after starting treatment then consider euthanasia. Fish don’t always recover from sickness.

Thank you. Sadly, the fish didn’t make it. It died a few hours later. It’s a real shocker as there has been no disturbances to the tank echo system for months. Now, I have to find a partner for its surviving male partner who was actually bullying it of late.