Softie

[lpiasente]

Sign me up next to Sharon when it comes to the needy fish. I bought a HUGE heckle today paid almost nothing for it as it is disabled. He arrived from o/s a month ago in this state and lps owner said he really thought that he would die. He thinks it was some damage done during shipping. Any way I called him Stan as he stands and swims on his head. He feeds well and at times swims upright not often though.

What's your thoughts on him recovering?

I will keep an eye on him and if I see his is suffering I will then thnk about things but while he is eating and keeping healthy I will take care of him. He is in qt with some little lepoards for company.I will post a video when he settles in.

[pink66]

Hope he comes good.. dont know much about head standing.. :?
I have just looked it up in my fish diseases book by Dieter Untergasser and he says that- Discus fish lie flat on the bottom or float head down "head standers" - it is described as - the air bladder is affected. Undercooling can be the cause. discus fish are affected with an infection of the oval opening of the air bladder - apparently a drop in temp of only 3-5 deg can be the cause..

Treatment - Trimethorprim (sorry it goes on for 3 paragraphs - gives lots of alternative names - but I personally have not heard of it or used it before)

Perhaps some of the members have some ideas???

[lpiasente]

Oh thanks so there may be help for him. He does go on his side as well. Mac said he has had them recover from this before but it took months. I would even think about surgery for him if that could help. He is a beautiful looking fish

[Dave+Amy]

Might have a crushed swim bladder?

[lpiasente]

Seems to be an internal infection so metro it is. Thanks Andrew and Steve. I hope once he is treated he can swim upright. I thought he had some type of brain injury................... :shock: duh

[Hollowman]

I remember Andrew telling me once that sometimes a fish can headstand because of overuse of Ab's and other meds. Just something to add to the pot Leanne :roll:

Steve

[TW]

Gill flukes can also cause head standing. Check if he is breathing evenly through each gill. I had one that was breathing through one gill only that was a head stander. He could right himself to eat & swim, but whenever resting he could only do so when head standing.

[lpiasente]

Oh, he hasn't been treated with anything at the improters and I doubt that they would have sent him from o/s like that so I am hoping that he hasn't had anything. He is soooooooooooo big he looks like a horse compared to my other fish. I don't have any room for him when he is better so he will be going to a new home. :)

[TW]

But maybe it wasn't yet at that stage to be so noticeable to the importer. Anyway, the gill flukes is just a thought & something you will be able to tell by looking at him. If he breathes evenly through both gills, then it is just something that you have eliminated from the pot.

[lpiasente]

he breathes evenly through both gills, very rapidly though. I found 2 huge clear poos this morning. I stared with metro this morning so we will see if this helps. He is a bit of a trooper getting this far I reakon.

[Hollowman]

Wild fish are quite hardy though, but breathing heavily can still point to flukes, have you got plenty of airation in the tank ?

[lpiasente]

I only have an internal ehiem. I will add an air stone right now. I was worried about too much current in the tank tossing him around

[TW]

Hope I haven't worried you unnecessarily. My gill fluke/head stander wasn't a wild & by the time he was head standing, he was only breathing through one gill. I'd never seen gill flukes before (just thought it was swim bladder). A friend pointed the gill problem out to me. Since then, I've read up a bit more & found that it is a symptom of gill flukes.

On another point, I've had to treat some other wilds recently (my greens) for gill flukes & they came through just fine.

[lpiasente]

mmmm not sure what it is. I have started with metro so I best continue down that track now I have started and then I will go from there. Why can't they hold up little signs that say I am inchy in my gills or I have an upset tummy. That would make life much easier wouldn't it.

[lpiasente]

I just peeked on him and he looks much more relaxed and he isn't breathing as hard. I am not sure if it is because he is in the dark or because of the added air stone. I hope you all know I will be like all those new grandmas and give you a minute by minute update. :lol:

[TW]

I hope you all know I will be like all those new grandmas and give you a minute by minute update.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[lpiasente]

I have just come home from 3 days away and he is no longer at a full headstand still off balance but no where near he was so I guess that is a good thing.

[TW]

I have just come home from 3 days away and he is no longer at a full headstand still off balance but no where near he was so I guess that is a good thing. :wave2 :wave2 :wave2

Keep those Grandma updates coming :wink:

[Hollowman]

I want pics :P

[lpiasente]

Metro treatment is complete and sad news is he is head standing again. I will give it a week or 2 and treat for gill fluke. Funny thing is he looks so healthy and eats like a horse. I wonder if his quality of life is ok. I will video him tomorrow and post it up.

[TW]

Keep us posted

[lpiasente]

He is a funny fellow up down round and round. I asked the question about his quality of life but I gather if he was stressed or depressed he would hide in the corner sulk and not eat wouldn't he? I added some live brine shrimp today and he even was able to catch and eat it.

[SusieQ]

Hi... He sounds like a trooper.. I would just give him some time and lots of clean water... lots of animals including fish can have very happy lives even tho we see them as deformed in some way.. I applaud you're trying to help him and wish you both a lot of luck. . Fins crossed for a recovery..Sue :D

[lpiasente]

He is now spending quite a bit of time swimming upright and certainally can swim very upright when the food hits the top of the water but resting time is spent heads down. His colour is very beautiful and his stress bars have settled down. I think I will give him a few cories and he can have the 3ft all to himself and live there happily ever after. Not an ideal situation for him as I think a bigger tank would be more suitable but I really can't go out and buy a bigger tank, filtration system and heaters. Is a 3ft ok? Sorry I haven't posted any pics yet but my batteries are flat.

[pink66]

who said discus were not tough??????

[lpiasente]

Yep he is tough alright and getting stronger all the time. This afternoons feed he launched himself so hard at it the tank had waves in it. I'm getting very very attached to this fellow.

[TW]

Glad he is doing well.

[lpiasente]

Granny is back. I am getting quite confident now that Stan will make it. He spends most of the day at a 45 degree angle and swims around heaps where at the start he was nose down nearly all the time. When he is relaxing he is nose down though. When he sees anyone walk into the room just like a normal discus he is there at the top of the tank waiting to be fed. I'm so happy. Now apart from costing me a fortune in food 3 blocks of frozed food a day plus his veggies and dry food I have never seen such BIG fish poop and sooooooooo much of it. I need to clean his tank out everyday as it looks like a horse has been in his tank :) .

[SusieQ]

Hi... Wonderful news.. I am sooo glad he is doing sooo well.. Congrats to the both of you... Sue :D