Hi
My oranda moby has swimbladder problems and is upside down in the tank, i noticed that his fin has red streaks in it, could this be to do with the fact that this fin is sometimes out of the water due to his buoyancy problem.
He is in an 180 litre tank with one other fish and test results are perfect.
Thanks for any replies

Yes, that's likely. You could try putting a bit of vaseline on any bit that's out of the water.
How low are you managing to keep the nitrates?(clutching at straws here, I magine you've tied everything ...)

Thanks for the reply Cathie, will try the vaseline tonight, do i have to reapply it?, if so how often??. Nitrates are only 5-10 and never get above 10.

Reapply it whenever it seems to have worn off, so that the air can't get to that bit to dry it out.
It's very hard to know what to do when you've controlled food , nitrates etc and still a fish is floaty and can't keep below the surface of the water

Is there plenty of oxygen going into the water? Lack of O2 can cause red streaks in fins and if he is going up to the surface to take in air that might explain the buoyancy issues.

hi
yep plenty of oxygen, has 2 filters and an air stone. He is not going to the surface he is stuck at the surface.

I shudder to think what using Vaseline, a petroleum-based product, will do to your poor fish's slime-coat. If I were you I should add a therapeutic measure of Prime to the tank. Withdraw food for at least two days, then feed him ONE shelled pea. You will also need to be extremely vigilant as regards water quality( change at least 50% each week). You might also try the effect of lowering the water level in the tank to reduce pressure.

Unfortunately many Orandas' flotation issues are a result of their breeding rather than swim-bladder infections.

The problem is that with a fish with prolonged buoyancy problems, the part that is continuously out of the water dries out ... do you know of a better solution than vaseline for this (I think Kellie is already attending to diet, water conditions including nitrate levels etc, on the assumption that this is shape related)?
What is a therapeutic dose of Prime and what might that do for buoyancy problems? I haven't heard of it being used in the absence of ammonia/nitrite problems -we live and learn!

I would be very interested to know what a "therapeutic dose of Prime" is meant to do. As far as I know Prime is essentially a quality, concentrated dechlorinator that also detoxifies ammonia, nitrite and nitrate on a temporary basis in increased dosage. It has no other therapeutic benefits that I'm aware of and in the OP's case as there is no ammonia or nitrite present and nitrates are well-controlled I can't see any reason to dose with Prime.

Regarding Vaseline - my understanding is this is a commonly accepted treatment in cases where a fish's skin is exposed to air. It is highly refined and very, very safe. There are a number of myths about it being toxic, blocking pores etc., but they are myths, nothing more. Information here for anyone interested.

Vaseline is safe for humans...but study the interaction of petroleum emulsion(this is basically what vaseline is) and your fish's slime coat....IT IS NOT SAFE

How long do you think fish survive when you accidentally spill oil to a pond???

You are supposed to be aiding your fish's slime coat not destroying it. In fact even the natural oils on human skin are harmful to a fish's slime coat


Prime uses a non amine-based-polymer based to stimulate slimecoat production

SeaChem Prime - Tech Answer to Slime & Metals

How to help your fish get their slime coat back.