trapped air? or something else?

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!

Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
User avatar
poopybarkflounder
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:09 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: GSP
Location (country): united states

trapped air? or something else?

Post by poopybarkflounder »

Ammonia0
nitrtite0
nitrate<1
tank has been set up for a little over a month, fishless cycled.
i have a small (less than 2 inches) gsp and this morning i found him jammed in a plant. i though he was dead but when i jiggled the plant he swam out, but it looked like he was trying not to float to the top, he is able to stay at the bottom but looks for things to help keep him there. he appears to still be "full" from yesterdays feeding. i assumed he had trapped air and attempted to burp him but it hasnt seemed to be working. any ideas?

also, he had been really skinny and his tummy would get sunken within an hour after feeding so i treated him for IPs a couple days ago. this is also led to my thought of trapped air because of his tummy size today while he was skinny yesterday.
User avatar
poopybarkflounder
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:09 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: GSP
Location (country): united states

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by poopybarkflounder »

please help, he looks pretty bad:/

now hes laying on the bottom of his cave sometimes it looks like he's bending in half. i dont think that this is a symptom of trapped air is it? i dont know whats happening. when he swims it looks like its trapped air. but he's able to lay at the bottom. ?????
Last edited by poopybarkflounder on Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Flutter
Former Staff Member
Posts: 2938
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:43 pm
Location (country): Canada

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by Flutter »

All I can suggest would be to reread the burping article and try burping it again. It makes sense that he has air if he's having trouble staying at the bottom.
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
Charles Darwin
User avatar
poopybarkflounder
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:09 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: GSP
Location (country): united states

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by poopybarkflounder »

now he seems able to stay at the bottom. any idea of what the problem is?

it no longer seems like trapped air. he stays at the bottom and has difficulty swimming. he's also a very pale green.

this was him a couple days ago when i treated him for IPs (im almost positive he had them when i bought him):
Image
Image
he's always been really active though, even when emaciated he seemed to act quite happy.
this is what he looks like now just laying on the bottom and its difficult to see but he has very little color.
Image
User avatar
jmiller
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 321
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:08 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Dwarf - Lily
GSP - Emma
Location (country): USA
Location: Kentucky

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by jmiller »

Exactly how did you treat for IP's?

As far as the light color goes mine turns almost white and curls up when she sleeps. I also have white sand in my tank.
John
aka MacKenzie, Bailey & TBD's pa-paw
User avatar
poopybarkflounder
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:09 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: GSP
Location (country): united states

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by poopybarkflounder »

i was told to treat his food with 1/3 of a jungle brand parasite tablet. and this color is unusual for him. like if you were to look into my tank you would think there was a dead fish laying in the fake plant.
User avatar
jmiller
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 321
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:08 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Dwarf - Lily
GSP - Emma
Location (country): USA
Location: Kentucky

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by jmiller »

When did you treat him?, for how many feedings, did it make a difference?, is his belly filling out after eating or sinking in again?
John
aka MacKenzie, Bailey & TBD's pa-paw
User avatar
poopybarkflounder
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:09 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: GSP
Location (country): united states

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by poopybarkflounder »

i treated his food twice. once four days ago, and once again two days ago. after the second feeding his poop was lighter than it had been and he held on to his food longer. but i fed him last night and his belly looks like it had a lump in it this morning. i really dont think it was his food. is was more towards his butt. however yesterday when i through a snail in for him to eat he didnt eat it right away which isnt weird for him, sometimes he takes his time. so when i was about to feed him later that day and noticed a lump in his belly i figured he had just eaten the snail.
User avatar
Flutter
Former Staff Member
Posts: 2938
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:43 pm
Location (country): Canada

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by Flutter »

Why don't you try adding some epsom salt to his water. 1tbsp for every 5 gallons. If it isn't air then it might be that he's constipated and it's quite uncomfortable. Epsom salt will help with that.
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
Charles Darwin
User avatar
poopybarkflounder
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:09 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: GSP
Location (country): united states

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by poopybarkflounder »

im pretty sure he's pooping htough..:/
User avatar
poopybarkflounder
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:09 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: GSP
Location (country): united states

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by poopybarkflounder »

but could constipation cause him to get this messed up?
User avatar
jmiller
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 321
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:08 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Dwarf - Lily
GSP - Emma
Location (country): USA
Location: Kentucky

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by jmiller »

yes it could.
John
aka MacKenzie, Bailey & TBD's pa-paw
User avatar
poopybarkflounder
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:09 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: GSP
Location (country): united states

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by poopybarkflounder »

okay. how long does it take for a fish to get constipated? so for future reference if anything like this happens ill know its a possibility. im assuming pretty fast if that turns out to be my fishys problem. i watched him poop three days ago.
User avatar
poopybarkflounder
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:09 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: GSP
Location (country): united states

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by poopybarkflounder »

also, i add epsom salt by disolving it first? just or do i need to do it differently?
User avatar
Flutter
Former Staff Member
Posts: 2938
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:43 pm
Location (country): Canada

Re: trapped air? or something else?

Post by Flutter »

You can dissolve it in warm water and pour it in or put it in your filter.
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
Charles Darwin
Post Reply