HELP!! Discus swimming face down

[Richy]

My discus recently has started swimming with its mouth downwards, and tail up towards the roof...... I wasn't sure, but then I found some small foam balls floating on the top of the tank, and thought maybe it ate some, and cant "get them out"... any thoughts, or ideas what I can do, it's a nice fish, but is gradually looking worse and worse :(

[ILLUSN]

hows your water quality? can you give us nh3/no2/no3, temp and ph?

try and get the foam out of your tank, generaly a discus will take a bite, not like the taste and spit it out rather then swallow it.

[Richy]

Hi,

I have tested the water, and it is fine (this was the first thing I did), and I have 2 other discus in there that are really flourishing..... the sick fish was fine one day, and then the next, was swimming with its tail pointed upwards. It was still really healthy loloking, but just looked like it was continually fighting to stop itself floating. the foam that was in there was small foam balls, ranging from 1mm to 5mm around....

[Marto]

Hi Richy,

Where did the small foam balls come from?
Sounds more to me like a "headstander" problem.

Having just lost a quality fish to this condition and witnessed a couple of cases in LFS's I would love to know the cause and cure for the condition.
Is it becoming more prevalent for some reason?

Internal parasite causing swim bladder problem?

Sorry Richy I can't help but I'm sure someone here will be able to.

Please provide more info and water parameters to assist.

Cheers,

Marto.

[scott bowler]

it sounds like a swim bladder prob to me , you are goin g to have to make sure that you quality is spot on , it may right its self , i dont know of any way to fix swim bladder probs ,
if it is feeding still and then thats about all you can do , is it a old or young fish?
i have a large turk that has had the same prob as you for a bout a month now , i still live in hope that it will get better ,

[Marto]

Hi Scott,

Well there's another one.

If your fish has been doing it for a month then I'd bag it now it's gone.

Any other symptoms? Has it had HITH in the past and been cured? Mine had. (or so I thought. Metro)

Other posts suggest epsom salts as a cure for headstanders. Via food or bath.
(maybe tie a lead sinker to it's tail and or a balloon to it's head? Wayne got me thinking about that)

Interesting that yours was a large or old fish as was mine.
Might be a form of alzhimers?

Richy,

Anything to add?

Marto

[Nitecongt]

I had a gold fish that was once diagnosed by the lfs as having a float problem. the fish was kinda swimming belly up or on it's side (with the tail end being the most bouyant) and the lfs suggested a salt bath. this was some time ago now and it did seem to work but the fish relapsed about a month or two later.

[samir]

changing more water is usually a good way to get it under control.

[Hollowman]

Have a read of this thread in another forum, sounds like the same sort of thing. These guys know their stuff, well worth the read even if it cant help you........but it might.

http://forum.bidka.org/showthread.php?t=2927

Hollowman