Plz Help.Fingerlings lying on floor;cant swim up to the surface.

**Marne** · 01-01-2009, 11:44 AM

My swordtial fingerlings are lying on the aquarium floor. Sometimes they try to swim up to the surface but cant maintian buoyancy and fall back to the floor. It appears that they are making use of only their tail fins in their attempt to swim up. They are about 1 month old and are not growing relative to the lucky few that did not develop this symptoms.

**Lady Hobbs** · 01-01-2009, 12:18 PM

Have you a sponge filter in the tank or a filter that doesn't have a big splash to it? Perhaps there is too much water movement for babies? It would be strange to have all of them with gas bubble disease. How's your water changes been with them?

**Algenco** · 01-01-2009, 01:29 PM

most likely a genetic defect where the swim bladder doesn't develop properly

**Northernguy** · 01-01-2009, 03:36 PM

What is your water change schedule like,how much how often?
Do you have sand or gravel?
When was your tank cycled?

**Marne** · 01-01-2009, 07:44 PM

Thanks for your willingness to help. Yes I do have a sponge filter with big splashing. It has been a week since I've transfered the sick fingerlings into a small 3 gallon hospital acquarium. Now, Insteaad of using the filter, I've been syphoning off about 10 per cent water through a pipe on daily basis. The symptons/disease were first observed on the 2nd day after they were transferred into a new acquarium. Looking forward to your comments. Happy New Year 2009!

**Marne** · 01-01-2009, 07:57 PM

Happy New Year 2009 and thanks for your suggestion. Can you please suggest some remedy/treatment?

**Algenco** · 01-01-2009, 08:00 PM

how hard is your water? years ago when I lived in an area with very hard water I had problems with krib babies being unable to absorb their yolk sac.
Din't have any problems with live bearers

**Marne** · 01-01-2009, 08:23 PM

Usually I change 20 per cent water every alternate day. Now the hospital tank in which the fingerlings were tranferred to dont have sand or gravel because they tend to hide under gravel and never surface up. I thought they must surface up to feed, so didnt use sand or gravel. cycling tank? Their present tank is new. I just used aged water from the tank in which they were delivered to fill a smaller tank to seperate them from predators. After they develped these symptoms, they were again transfered to a new hospital tank filled with water form the last tank they were in. Plz comment. And Happy New Year 2009!

**Marne** · 01-01-2009, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by Algenco

how hard is your water? years ago when I lived in an area with very hard water I had problems with krib babies being unable to absorb their yolk sac.
Din't have any problems with live bearers

The water is hard. But as you've said, some of my fingerlings of the same parentage have no problem thriving in hard water. And Sorry but didnt catch your last lines! ???