# Fish with bubbles (Sporozoen (Myxobolus)???)



## Tessy (Oct 2, 2007)

I have a fish which developed some bubbles on a side. It's been 2 weeks now since he first got the bubbles and he got them 2 days after changing the water. I treated the fish with FURANOL (active ingredient: NIFURPIRINOL), first in the big aquarium together with the other fish, and after a few days separately, in a smaller aquarium. Either way, no results. I searched the internet, there are not many things about this. I found this disease as "Sporozoen (Myxobolus)" - ona a german website. Some people said to take the fish out and break the bubbles with the hand and wash him very good. I did that a couple of times, but the fish keeps getting them back the second day. The other fish in the aquarium (5 scalars, about 4-5 neon fish, 1 Ancistrus, 4-5 Hemigrammus rhodostomus or Rotkopfsalmler / Rotmaulsalmler and 5 small shrimps) are still healthy. Some other people said not to break his bubbles because the parasites will spread trough the whole aquarium. The sick fish is called Metallpanzerwels or Corydoras aeneus.
Here is a link to the picture of my fish: http://www.fisch-forum.de/attachment.php?attachmentid=14606
The aquarium is 270l and it's been running for 3 years now. I got the last fish 2 years ago. So there is no new fish in the aquarium.
Can anybody help me out?


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## Julie's Julies (Jun 11, 2007)

I've never seen that either, even after reading through several "tropical fish diseases" books. You got a great picture of him, though, which will be very helpful to those with much more knowledge than I have. It looks as though it were a good move to isolate him. Probably best not to rupture the bubbles anymore until you know what the cause is. From a human standpoint, I've been told not to break blisters or boils, so I would imagine that in most cases the same is true for a fish, especially since the bubbles only return after rupturing them.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Welcome to Fishforum.com, Tessy.:wave:

What food have you been feeding them? Are there live foods in their diet? If so, what are they? It's a good move isolating it however puncturing those sacs simply will stress the fish and is not recommended at all.


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

I don't really have anything to say that hasn't already been said, just wanted to back up Lupins suggestion not to burst the "bubbles" as the fish will only be subject to stress which, especially when it's feeling unwell, won't do it any good. Stress can be harmful to fish and when feeling unwell they really need to be otherwise, feeling their best.

Hope it works out for you. I haven't seen anything like this before.


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## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

Looks like Gas Bubble Disease, which is typically caused when a sudden change in gas pressure occurs in the aquarium. This could happen by changing too much water, or introducing water of a different temperature. 

The best treatment should be to increase aeration of the tank. Also, I've heard this can be a really stressful disease for the fish...so it is best to leave the lights turned off, which is also beneficial in reducing the oversaturation of gas present in the water. Maintaing good water quality is a much too.

Have a lot of the bubbles popped? Adding a general antibiotic, or something like melafix to the tank can help fight against secondary infection where the bubbles have popped.

Good luck, this can be a tricky thing to treat.


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## Tessy (Oct 2, 2007)

Thank you all for your advices!!!
Unfortunetaley, nothing works with my fish! 
After more than one month, he still has bubbles attached to him, but he doesn't look to be in a bad shape. He is active, eating, and apparently feeling well.


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