Fish struggling to stay afloat

RE: Fish struggling to stay afloat

Thomas Johnson — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 09:09:29 GMT

[quote user="Silvia Maldonado"]

Not much to do with the issue posted, but it's just come to my mind now. I've always wondered from where on earth do fish get the gas to fill their swim bladder?

[/quote]

For most fish by gas transfer from the blood stream, in a similar way to carbon dioxide leaving the blood stream and entering the alveoli in lungs (which are of the same evolutionary origin as the swim bladder), though some fish have a pneumatic duct connecting the swim bladder to the gut so can come to the surface and swallow air directly into the swim bladder.

RE: Fish struggling to stay afloat

Silvia Maldonado — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 20:40:35 GMT

Not much to do with the issue posted, but it's just come to my mind now. I've always wondered from where on earth do fish get the gas to fill their swim bladder?

RE: Fish struggling to stay afloat

grumpyoldman — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 09:40:49 GMT

Terramycin Metrondazole and a variety of funny coloured potions spring to mind , malachite green jogs the memory . Common things are common ,its usually a mycobacterial granuloma causing a change in bouyancy ,better to cull and reduce the risk to the rest .

RE: Fish struggling to stay afloat

Alison Clare Hickman — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 17:06:19 GMT

Thanks All.

(and ta, Arlo for cross-posting the advice to vetnurse! )

RE: FISH STRUGGLING TO STAY AFLOAT

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 08:46:16 GMT

I'm delighted to have been proven wrong

Wynne

RE: FISH STRUGGLING TO STAY AFLOAT

Marie Kubiak — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 18:38:17 GMT

[quote user="Toadster"]

It can move around the pond easily and swims without a problem (he showed me a video!) but when it comes to a stop it turns its head upwards and just starts to sink to the bottom...

[/quote]

This suggests a shift caudal in the centre of gravity with an overall reduction in buoyancy.

This can be due to a caudal coelomic increase in weight (neoplasia [usually ovarian/renal], cyst, ascites, mycobacterial granulomas, stone FB, dramatic increase in water pressure or reduction in solutes) and/or concurrent reduction in swim bladder filling (above causes compressing caudal swim bladder preventing gas fill, bacterial/fungal swim bladder infection, mass or disruption to swim bladder filling mechanism).

You can offer a pea to feed (rumoured to help equalise swim bladder pressure when filling is off and large item is swallowed, does occasionally help!) but be prepared to follow up with imaging-rads to assess swim bladder, ultrasound for soft tissues to try and determine cause. Most owners are reluctant to GA for imaging and aspirates and a treatment trial of antibiotic baths to cover bacterial causes may be the only option accepted.

Marie

RE: FISH STRUGGLING TO STAY AFLOAT

Hannah Wynne Richards — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 17:54:48 GMT

Best of luck I really really hope I'm wrong

Wynne

RE: FISH STRUGGLING TO STAY AFLOAT

Alison Clare Hickman — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 17:51:06 GMT

Oh dear , but thanks for the info Wynne.

RE: FISH STRUGGLING TO STAY AFLOAT

Hannah Wynne Richards — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 17:41:45 GMT

I do hope I'm wrong, but I think you may be struggling with this one. Fish have never been mentioned in any of the exotics lectures I've been to, and the aquaculture people only seem interested in large scale commercial fish production, so are unable to diagnose without a post-mortem

Wynne

Anyway, keep your fingers crossed that I'm wrong