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Hi Everyone,

I recently adopted a Syno nigriventris who had been doing well for the past two weeks or so but today has started showing odd behaviour where it is swimming around at the top of the tank in daylight with the lights on. Or just 'floating' at the top in one of the corners. It's belly looks distended (or larger than the other one I have who spends the day hiding either in a cave or between the plants) No other fish are showing any signs of distress. Ammonia and Nitrite are 0, Nitrate is somewhere in the 10-15 range, oxygen is ~65%. His stomach is dark but it's back looks very pale. There have been a couple warmer days in the past week where the tank temperature reach 83F, but that was only for a few hours. It has normally been between 81-82F.

Hello,

No previous experience of a syno doing this but when fish are near the top in the past for me its indicated an o2 issue. You can test this by putting in an air stone or if you don't have an air stone kit to hand you can make your filter ripple the surface more.

You could also try with holding food for a day to see if the tummy goes down its possible its just over eaten or has a blockage that may clear. If it doesn't try a food known to flush them through.

Just my 2 thoughts on this one. As you say water is fine, a degree on temp change I don't think would upset them. The small ones I kept very briefly did like somewhere dark to sit upside down to rest do they all have a spot with some spare ones?

It is very stressed / ill. Sounds like a gastrointestinal problem, possibly a bloat. It looks bad. Could be indigestion, blockage, parasite, etc. Try Epsom salt: soak food if it feeds still, or baths if it does not. I buy mine from Walmart, Pharmacy Dept., $0.88 per 2 lbs.

Thank you both for your replies! I gave him an epsom salt bath yesterday (15min) - he did not enjoy it, was swimming around struggling the whole time, but today his colouration seems back to normal and he's hanging out in his usual spots a rock cave and amongst the java fern. I can't tell if his belly has gone down since he's hiding pretty good. Should I leave him be for now and only give him another salt bath if he's up at the surface again?

Whatever medicating protocol you've found, I'd probably follow through with it (if the source is reliable). If it says to give a series of baths, I'd do it... unless, maybe, it feeds again, then through-food way is 10-100x more efficient.

When I see clear poop, I do the Epsom salt treatment through food for at least a week. But that's parasite. Your cause, IDK. I've never given baths, short or long term.