discus swimming oddly

[Hungriee]

one of my females of my pair is swimming in weird ways. Sometimes she just swims and loses equilibrium and is sideways then when I look at it she gets back to normal swimming habits. She has no signs of any issues, eats well, but not sure why she started to swim like this. She hasnt laid eggs in weeks though, and she's been cranky against other tankmates.

[DiscussDiscus]

Could be a bladder infection. How are the feces / coloration / eating habits as of late?

And as always, I suggest heavy water changes whenever anything angry happens in the world of fish :)

Regards,
Lee

[Hungriee]

the feces are usual, orange. The fish eats well (only been feeding tropical granules). No signs of stress. If its a bladder infection, what should i do?

[DiscussDiscus]

Hi Hungriee,

I'd double check with a pro before you take my reccomendation on its own sense, but if you do a forum search for "swim bladder" many people seem to use a combination of epsom salt and maracyn 1+2 together.

I'd check your water parameters first and head over to the Discus disease and medications forum before jumping to medicate to see if any of our resident guru's think it might be something else.

Regards,
Lee

[Eddie]

Is she bloated at all, over ate?

[Hungriee]

last night I think they ate too much, since she had a big belly - it had a curve.

But today, I plan on starving them since that could be the reason.

[Hungriee]

only issue about starving them is: they tend to kill my small fish (cardinals and rasboras) when they hungry.

[Eddie]

I wouldn't starve them unless they are still bloated from the feeding. I always feed til their bellies bulge but after about an hour or two, it returns to normal. Are the bellies still fattened up like they swallowed large marble?

Eddie