si_sphinx Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 I was originally going to post this in the diseases section until i found out the problem This morning my tropheus were not eating and all hiding in the corner. I didn't think much of it as i was going to be late for work if i didn't hurry up. and just as i walked past the tank before i went out the door i noticed something weird. My largest duboisi was swimming out around the tank in the open by himself, and spiraling into everything uncontrollably like a shot down plane falling from the sky. and every now and again he would lay on the bottom sideways or upside down. :-? My first thought was bloat but his appearance didn't look unhealthy at all so i immediately went to do a water change. AND the water was stone cold so took duboisi out in a bag of the tank water and put the bag in some warmer water in a bucket. (all the other fish seemed to be coping ok and were huddled together. And he came right within 10mins. 8) I changed half the water with warmer water and added another heater. Turns out the electrical multi box had failed on the heater only grrr. Sooo new and better brand of multi boxes for all my tank it is. lol and after all this i was an hour late to work anyway :roll: Anyway was wondering if anyone has seen this spiraling behavior before? he looked like he was outa control and about to kark it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 i haven't had that with my tropheus or other fish at all that i can remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 Yeah. it happened to me once. I lost 10+ electric yellows among others when my heater plug came a little loose. the fish go into hiding and a few of them spiraled around. but my tank temp dropped to about 16 or so maybe even lower cause i only noticed it a day or so after the plug came loose. I "fixed" 200+ tetras at animates here once when a heater failed and the tank temp dropped to about 11 degrees All the fish were upside down at the bottom of the tank gasping. Warm water and salt fixed the prob almost instantly, but only lost about 30 glowlights which was not too bad considering what we could have lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted November 17, 2009 Report Share Posted November 17, 2009 I have had tanks of africans go down as low as 12 and when they did get up off the bottom where they were laying they swum in spirals, turned heaters back on and had all (or at least most as they were grow out tanks and pretty full hard to count them all but I noticed no obvious bodies) recover fully I hope your Tropheus are ok, keep a good eye on them for bloat after a major stress like that.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted November 17, 2009 Report Share Posted November 17, 2009 Turns out the electrical multi box had failed on the heater only grrr. Sooo new and better brand of multi boxes for all my tank it is. lol I've had this happen a couple of times, heater ONLY PITA but it hasn't happened again since I jammed it right in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted November 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2009 But why do they spiral when they swim? are their brains or fins so numb from cold they can't operate them properly possibly? :lol: I get a bit like that sumtimes when im cold lol (can't move my fins haha) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted November 17, 2009 Report Share Posted November 17, 2009 its the swim bladder. the temp change causes them to lose balance as the pressure in the bladder changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted November 17, 2009 Report Share Posted November 17, 2009 But why do they spiral when they swim? are their brains or fins so numb from cold they can't operate them properly possibly? :lol: I get a bit like that sumtimes when im cold lol (can't move my fins haha) You must be experiencing that quite a bit at the moment then eh? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted November 17, 2009 Report Share Posted November 17, 2009 I have never thought of why, but phoenix's idea sounds feasible. I always thought they were just munted because the body was shutting down so they kinda forgot how to swim etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted November 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2009 You must be experiencing that quite a bit at the moment then eh? :lol: Yes very cold and windy, should be warmer. its the swim bladder. the temp change causes them to lose balance as the pressure in the bladder changes. oh that sounds like what it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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