new teeny doubletail with SBD?

[peaches3221]

So today I bought this adorable little doubletail, he's no more than 1 1/2 inches long! I literally squealed when I saw him, he's so CUTE!! But I notice when I moved the cup he'll get startled and swim around just fine, but then just float on his side Could this just be because he's so young, or possibly SBD? I've heard double tails are more prone to that? And what do I feed a fish this small/with swim bladder issues?

sorry about the bad pics :(

[registereduser]

Is he in his original cup water? If so change the water ASAP.
Get him warm and fed.

[peaches3221]

yeah he is, I didn't know I was gonna get him but I have a 1gal jar and heater I will go set up right away. As for feeding I'm kinda scared to since he's so small/has SBD... what would be the safest food?

[registereduser]

He probably just needs to get out of that cold dirty water.
Warm him up and give him crushed pellets, a whole pellet and brine
shrimp if you have it. See what he likes best. Remove uneaten food.

[peaches3221]

Thanks so much for your help :) I moved him into a 3 gal tank (filled with about 2 gal so he can reach the surface) last night. He was very jumpy so I covered the tank and he's doing a lot better today and ate :)

[registereduser]

YAY! There was probably a lot of ammonia in that cup. Do you have a test kit to test his water?

[peaches3221]

no, I've only ever used strips and sadly I'm out :( Should I invest in a liquid test kit? I am thinking of getting this one from walmart http://www.walmart.com/ip/Freshwater...c-Pets/3635493

(:

[registereduser]

Yes, you should get a test kit. They last a long time and are a good investment. Amazon has the best kit for cheaper:

http://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater...words=test+kit

[Sena Hansler]

He looks like my doubletail =D

I agree... Clean warm water is the first step. Give him a few days, and don't feed him I'd say for a day or two. Sometimes it does help - especially considering he may be under some stress which just makes it worse. Avoid freeze dried foods, and flakes (both expand and are common causes of SBD anyways).

If he does persist to have SBD, epsom salt is what you want! Pre-dissolve 1-3 teaspoons, add the mixture to his water. Every day water change is helpful, re-adding the salt you took out (50% water = half amount of salt).

[peaches3221]

Thanks so much guys :)
great I will order the test kit ASAP :)
He's doing a LOT better, doesn't seem to be "floating" at all and can swim pretty well. He's really colored up too, he's a really pretty lavender :D