Troubled Black Moor... help!

[Zeljko Harjac]

Sorry for posting this again, but I got no answer last time and I'm
desperate.

Several weeks ago I noticed one of my black moors started sinking. He cannot
float, unless he heavily swings his fins. He always tries to get to the
surface of water, so he is always pointing upwards and swimming constantly.
As soon as he stops swimming, he sinks like a stone. There is a bubble wand
in the middle of the tank and he loves to swim through the bubble wall
because it pushes him upwards. He is spending 90% of the time in the
bubbles.

I've read about a method for swim bladder disorder treatment called "chinese
water". I put him in a shallow plastic tub, the water was just over his
dorsal fin (there was an airstone in the water and water was tested twice a
day, the moor was not fed). When I put him in there, he started swimming
around and after an hour or so he settled and spent almost whole day sitting
motionless on the bottom. When i touched him, he started swimming for 10-20
seconds and then sat on the bottom again (he preffered one corner of the
tub). Once he was resting on his side. I never saw him behave like that so I
put him back into the tank. At first he sank to the bottom, but then
returned to his usual behavior. Was he just so tired from constantly
swimming that he went to sleep when he found relief?

Because of his floating trouble, he has a hard time getting to food. He
almost never feeds from the bottom as he always tries to swim up, and the
food doesn't stay long on the surface. Perhaps that's why he is quite
smaller than his fellow which were about the same size when i got them.
Looks like he had his disorder much time before I noticed it.

Also he had a minor case of tail fin rot, and he was often pooping long,
thin, white poop, sometimes with bubbles in it. I treated him with sera
baktopur (bactericide and fungicide). When I put him in the shallow water,
he pooped a healthy poop over night (dark, normal thickness, short).

Water parameters are all ok. Fish are fed 2-3 times a day 2-3 minute
rations. I've read all the web pages that have anything to do with fish (I
have a big stack of printouts at home). I can't seem to find aquarium salt
anywhere to do a salt dip, as well as epsom salt (to purge him if he is
constipated).

Should I put him back into the shallow water? Is it normal if he just sits
at the bottom, but swims normally when i poke him?

What else can I do to help him? Please help!

--
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## Zeljko Harjac, developer at NTS, Zagreb
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[dr-...@execpc.com]

You need to get good antibiotic food, soak and squeeze until it sinks. Get
him into a tank with no gravel but plenty of aeration and run the heat up
to 84oF for a couple weeks. The poop seems to indicate bacteria. Change
water every day, in case it was toxins.. keep the water pristine. Add a
little salt to the water. How do the gills look? How about the slime coat?
Epsom salts is found in drug stores. salt like for water softeners, solar
salt, is cheap and the best to use for salt in tank. but you can use plain
table salt with no iodine.
Solo

"Zeljko Harjac" <firstname...@vz.tel.hr> wrote:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
dr-...@execpc.com
microbiology/immunology/virology
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
for care of goldfish go to http://puregold.aquaria.net/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Zeljko Harjac]

My little moor developed another problem caused by his swim bladder
disorder. Since he sinks, he spends some time sitting on the bottom of the
tank. He began spending more and more time on the bottom of the tank, and
the part where his body touches the gravel (between his pelvic fins) has
become very bruised and bloody (I checked his anus and it looks OK, so it's
not a digestive tract infection, it's just a bruise). I removed him from the
the tank and put him in a shallow plastic vessel with enough water to cover
his back fin. I hope the smoothnes of the bottom and regular water changes
will help him heal, as well as the shallow water should relieve his swim
bladder.

Should I treat the bruise topically? With what? (Please don't give me any
american brand names since most of them are useless to us in Europe. Please
try to name the active compound.)

Comments, suggestions and help?

Many thanks!

[dr-...@execpc.com]

Anything that is a triple antibiotic creme (not ointment) and rub in well.
Also, a little salt. Solo

"Zeljko Harjac" <firstname...@vz.tel.hr> wrote:

>Should I treat the bruise topically? With what? (Please don't give me any
>american brand names since most of them are useless to us in Europe. Please
>try to name the active compound.)