What should I do with him?

[souly]

One of my white skirt tetras is having swim bladder problems. I see him in the tank drifting always to the left. He rights himself up and swims around but he's always sinking to the bottom of the tank. Should I euthinize him or can I get any suggestions on how to help him? He's been doing this for about 2 days now.

[WoadCelt]

I'm sorry to hear your fish is sick.

If the swim bladder problem is caused by constipation, sometimes letting the fish fast for a few days will cure the issue. Some people manage to cure it by feeding the fish part of a single cooked green pea - if the fish will eat it. If the issue is caused by food, moistening the flakes or pellets in a little water before feeding normally can help.

Buoyancy issues can be caused by some different diseases, so sometimes using an aquatic anti-bacterial can help.

[lowlight]

I had a Neon with a bladder problem and just put him/her in a breeder net for a few days and he/she is doing fine now, that was about 2 weeks ago. As already suggested don't feed him/her for a few days and see what happens. When I feed my fish I release there food slowly just under the surface of the water and that has helped. I was informed that when fish feed from the surface they ingest air and water and that could upset there swim bladder for a short time. Best of luck I hope this helps.

[WoadCelt]

I was just reading about some stuff for my own tetra and I read that doing a methylene blue bath or dip can help kill the bacteria if it is swim bladder disease.
But yeah, I'd hold off on the food for a bit first to see if things even out okay. Hope this helps also. :ssmile: