# peacock swimming with a crooked back



## shindrome (Oct 2, 2005)

hi everyone

i have this peacock. he's 6 yrs old and has been healthy his entire life. i've had no problems with him until now. a few months back he developed a kink in his spine and a small bloat on his right side. he started swimming almost on this side, almost at a 45 degree angle. at first it wasn't too bad but now the kink is getting worse and i'm starting to get worried. sometimes it seems like he's floating up or tilting to the side and he has to correct himself. i treated him with clout thinking it was malawi bloat but it didn't do much to help him. does this infection by any chance have anything to do with a crayfish that died in the tank several weeks before he developed these symptoms? the crayfish wasn't dead for long. it died sometime overnight and i removed it in the morning.

what is this infection/disease? what can i do to treat it? what's his chances of survival? i ordered kanamycin sulfate. will this help? please help me! i love this fish and i don't want him to go!!![/img][/list]


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## cichbillyia (Sep 11, 2010)

im not an expert by any means ... but to me it looks more like trauma (broken back or bad air bladder?) dont hold me to that because im not an expert ...


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Hi 
I don't think it has anything to do with the crayfish dieing.

A few questions for you:
Are there any other fish in the tank with him? 
Is he still eating? Does the problem ever seem to improve--for instance does the fish seem better just before eating? (if it is eating, that is)
Have you tested the water recently? What is your schedule for water changes?

Off hand I would say it's a problem with the swim bladder but I couldn't say for sure. If it's an internal infection, (which can cause problems with the swim bladder), then the Kanamycin may help. If the fish is still eating I would stop feeding him--at least for a day or two.

Robin


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## shindrome (Oct 2, 2005)

Robin:

Are there any other fish in the tank with him?
-He's the only one

Is he still eating? Does the problem ever seem to improve--for instance does the fish seem better just before eating? (if it is eating, that is)
-Yes, he's eating and displays his usual appetite. He does in fact seem to "shape up" just when he's about to eat but reverts to his normal lop-sided swimming state after.

Have you tested the water recently? What is your schedule for water changes? 
-The tank is established and has been running for about 5 years. I haven't tested it in a while and no longer have water testing kits. My water changes are monthly and I replace about 2/3 of the 40 gallons it holds. I vacuum out all the gravel and replace all the media in the filter. It's been like that and he's done fine but it sorta seems he developed this all of a sudden.

Any thoughts?


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

> Is he still eating? Does the problem ever seem to improve--for instance does the fish seem better just before eating? (if it is eating, that is)
> -*Yes, he's eating and displays his usual appetite. He does in fact seem to "shape up" just when he's about to eat but reverts to his normal lop-sided swimming state after*.


It may be that he's got some kind of blockage--a tumor or hopefully something more 'moveable' and that when he eats things get blocked up and he gets in the state you see him in. 
So try this: 
First do a partial water change of 30% using a good quality dechlorinator.
Add Epsom salt at the rate of 1 tablespoon per five gallons. Dissolve it first and take the better part of a day to add it in gradually. Besides being a laxative and mild pain killer Epsom salt will also raise the GH--not a concern to your fish whatsoever as long as it's done gradually.
Don't feed him for 48 hours
When you do go back to feeding him try feeding him a few peas. I know, sounds weird, but sometimes it helps and it definitely won't hurt. Shell them first--and just give him one or two.

What do you normally feed this fish? Did you change what or how much you feed him around the time this started? How many times a day do you feed him?

Please let me know how it goes

Robin


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## shindrome (Oct 2, 2005)

i'll have to give it a try, robin. so far, as i mentioned i tried clout with no success. i did in fact feed him peas exclusively for about a week (he loved them btw) but i didn't do the epsom salt treatment. as i write this, i'm actually trying kanamycin sulfate in which i saturated his food pellets with the antibiotic. it was suggested that he may have an air bladder infection.

if the situation doesn't resolve, then i'll try epsom. when i add epsom, does he have to be moved to a hospital tank? or can i add it to his usual tank? if do add it to the usual tank, how do i clear the tank of the residual epsom? just keep diluting it out? drain it out all at once?

how can a blockage cause him to contort like that?

in regards to my feeding regimen, i feed him once a day. i give him Hikari Cichlid Gold medium size pellets. i only feed him 3 pellets a day. the feeding routine has always been the same but where it went wrong was one day when the temperature in my apartment rose and the water temperature reached to the high 80s. it seems that this occurrence happened after that. in addition, about 2 weeks prior, the crayfish died in there too. they were the only 2 occupants in the tank. if you have any questions regarding my fish's history feel free to ask. thanks for the help robin!!!


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## Chekboy2 (Feb 5, 2011)

I agree with the swim bladder theory except for the fact it has a bent spine. How long do you leave your lights on everyday. I have seen fish who's owners leave the lights on constantly and the result is usually a bent spine. I have only seen this in larger South American cichlids. I don't believe that this would cause the swelling to happen thus swim bladder or constipation. Are you feeding a very high protien diet?


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## shindrome (Oct 2, 2005)

The lights are on for only about 5 hours a day and they're just fluorescent bulbs. As mentioned, I'm feeding him Hikari cichlid gold pellets-medium sized (3 pellets/day).

Any thoughts?


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## Chekboy2 (Feb 5, 2011)

Try feeding peas as previously mentioned. Make sure you feed an assortment of different foods. I like to make sure my Africans get plenty of algea and other green foods. Let us know if feeding peas works for yo, it will unblock any blockage that the fish has. If the swelling goes down and the spine stays kinked and your fish doesn't show signs of stress you might just have a crooked fish. Keep me posted and if it doesn't work I'll try and help you figure this out.


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## Chekboy2 (Feb 5, 2011)

I didn't notice the pics you posted. Very nice looking fish. It defiantly looks like a swim bladder. An infection to the swim bladder can cause these symptoms and it's the easiest thing to treat first. In a lot of cases it is caused by constipation and that should be the first thing you treat. Is the fish floating to the top or does he stay on the bottom? Does he seem to struggle when swimming?


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## shindrome (Oct 2, 2005)

chekboy...the fish is currently in a hospital tank with kanamycin to treat the the suspected swim bladder infection. in terms of where he's swimming, it's pretty normal. hangs out mostly at the bottom and the depth of where he swims is pretty normal. he definitely looks like he's struggling a bit to swim in an "upright" manner if you know what i mean. i'll keep you posted. it's day 2 of the antibiotic treatment. is it alright to feed him while he's on treatment? he has a normal appetite.


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## shindrome (Oct 2, 2005)

so it's been 5 days now on kanamycin and he's not getting any better. i guess i'll return him to the old tank, give him a day's break and start the epsom salt soon.


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## Chekboy2 (Feb 5, 2011)

Did you try feeding him some peas?


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## shindrome (Oct 2, 2005)

yup...i've been doing it


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## Chekboy2 (Feb 5, 2011)

Have you noticed feces hanging from your fish or floating around? If so what color?


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