Fish Swim Bladder Problems - How To Give Your Fish A Salt Bath

How to give your fish a salt bath to help with swim bladder problems:
Until I changed her feeding regimen, my silver molly liked to eat anything and everything, including algae wafers meant for my pleco.
Whether they expanded in her stomach or she ate too much, this lead to constipation and swim bladder problems. A salt bath/dip and diet of peas usually did the trick, and she was good as new.
This is the first time I gave her a salt bath - she would have a few more before I changed her feeding regimen.
Link to my other video about swim bladder problems, food expansion, and constipation: • Fish Swim Bladder Prob...
Links to the products referenced in this video, below:
***dmichaelsfishden is an Amazon affiliate
amzn.to/2i5Cijv - Westlab 2.2lb Bag Epsom Salt
I hope this helps! Shoot over a comment and let me know. If you like what I'm doing on the channel, subscribe for future videos!!
--d

[@wtfn.z2441]

Thanks helped save my angle fish 1 year old... also used furan-2 swear by it but use gloves and extra water changes.. had no problem mixing mag and salt as salt has mag in it

[@wtfn.z2441]

Oh and also small bath of all cure tonic bath and Praziquantel helped obviously not all at once

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Tropical Aquariums N.z so glad it was helpful! This has saved several of my guys as well. 👍. Now these days, regardless of how my fish are doing, everyone gets peas once a week or two Smart with the furan and tonic treatment 👍. Since feeding peas more often and switching from less processed food I haven't had this issue in awhile - so now I hope I didn't just jinx myself 😳.

[@34r343]

@@dmichaelsfishden does the water have to be warm

[@cruep2872]

am i able to do this on a blue dwarf gourami? he’s been chillin on the bottom of the tank for about a week.

[@cruep2872]

my mistake the gourami is actually a three spot gourami

[@kerryburnell9466]

7 years later and this video is still helping people. 2 Corys that are currently having problems. After the initial bath, one Cory was back to normal, the other seemed a little less bloated. So far so good!

[@nightseawolf642]

You SAVED MY FISH! I DID THIS ONCE A WEEK FOR TWO WEEKS! LIFE SAVER! THANK YOU! MY FISH WAS SIDE WAYS, UPSIDE DOWN AND NEAR DEATH! I REFUSED TO GIVE UP AND I SEARCHED HIGH AND LOW...TO FIND YOU!!!! THANK YOU FOR CARING ENOUGH TO SHARE! FISH WHISPERER 🐟

[@ketok1065]

@V- FIT what did you do in the end? My fish is laying down, thinking of trying this

[@ketok1065]

@V- FIT Thanks for letting me know, I added in a swim bladder treatment today, I'm afraid to move him and make him stressed even though the salt bath might help. Very sad to hear that you lost them.

[@christamccleary9635]

L it àap

[@mercedesjaay]

@@ketok1065 Did the treatment work? Which was it?

[@ketok1065]

@@mercedesjaay Unfortunately not, bless him 😢😭 my fish wasn’t swollen, he just couldn’t swim straight, nothing helped. It’s very sad. Still, could be worth a try. I did buy another treatment - king British but, my fish died. Could be worth a try. Good luck, hope yours gets better.

[@chanelzeng9860]

Thank you so much for this video! My betta was swimming on its side and floating to the surface of the water for a while. I tried the thawed pea method I saw online… didn’t work :( I gave it two salt baths and did a partial water change. And within a few days my betta was back to normal. Thanks again!

[@Nugglashine]

great video with nice on screen instructions. BEST EPSOM SALT BATH VIDEO ON KZbin.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Thanks, Nugglashine! Very glad it was helpful and appreciate the kind words! This has worked for me for years - grateful I can share it!

[@jackienewton2939]

Just wanted to say thanks, my fish had his Epsom salts baths, and is now back in his tank and doing well. Going to do like you suggested and feed smaller amounts twice a day

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure, Jackie! Glad the video was helpful! Sending good thoughts to your fish!

[@joywhite7121]

Thank you so much for posting the video, and even more for responding to everyone's questions. I have a very sick glofish. About a year ago, he expressed severe signs of swim bladder and I nursed him back to health by separating him from the others in the tank and not feeding him for a few days. Last month, he had the same thing and I separated him again. Now, he is worse than ever. I have separated him again and I just tried one of your salt baths. I think my guy has swim bladder disease---and some fin issues. I have the strips and test my water regularly and it almost always tests close to perfect. We currently clean out the tank (1/3 of a tank water change---scraping sides, changing filter, etc) approximately every 2-3 weeks. When anyone seems sickly I do water changes more frequently. Anyways, my blue glofish at this point is barely moving at all and is laying on the bottom of his separation tank. When he does move is frantically spins and moves like crazy. During the salt bath he almost seemed to swim more normally, but not back in the separation thing he is on the bottom again. I really think I might lose him. His fins also seem damaged---maybe from the other fish picking on him. Do you have any other tips for me? I am going to try every other day water changes, not feeding him for two days and then trying peas, and daily salt baths. Anything else you recommend or anything you would do differently? I really fear I could lose him at any time and hate the thought of him suffering. He was full grown when we bought him and he is almost two years old.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Hi Joy - my pleasure and sorry for the late reply here. I'm so sorry to hear about your glofish. What size is the tank? The salt baths are effective as a way to reduce swelling and bloating due to constipation, allowing the fish to finally eat peas to clean him out. If it is really swim bladder disease that is a tougher one, caused by an internal bacterial infection (in many cases). Based on my experience, hopefully this might be helpful, as this is what I would do - this sounds like perhaps a type of internal infection and can probably only be helped with medication, especially if the situation is getting worse. If it was me, I would use Seachem Kanaplex, which is a broad spectrum antibiotic that can be absorbed internally by the fish. It can be effective against swim bladder and internal infections. Since we aren't quite sure what is going on, it is the only good medication on the market I know of that is absorbed internally by the fish. I would do a 50% water change prior to, then follow a full course of treatment - 3 doses over a 6 day period. Then perform another 50% water change. If he is eating, you can also feed medicated food, and I use Seachem Metroplex for this - the metronidazole can be effective. Seachem has the "recipe" on their website if you look up Metroplex - you use metroplex, the food, and their Focus product as a binding agent, all in a little aquarium water in a cup. Unfortunately, this sounds like some type of bacterial infection. At this point, I wouldn't proceed with the salt baths as this can stress him out a little more - they are effective with bloat, but they won't help with a bacterial infection. Do any of your other fish have any symptoms? Hope that helps? Really sorry to hear about him - let me know if I can help further

[@rachelb1080]

I can't thank you enough for this video! My beloved betta has a bloated stomach and a curved back and I'm desperately trying everything I can to get him back to full health. I'll definitely be doing this tonight!

[@lydia-0112]

so do it work?

[@jackthyers644]

@@lydia-0112 it depends what you mean by does it work. Salt definitely does have an impact on sick fish.

[@TheAngierolfedownes]

Thank you so much for explaining the difference between the salts and what they are used for👌 really helpful thank you

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure! Very glad the video was helpful!

[@PABrantley]

Yay! Thank you dmichaels fish den! Did this! Followed step by step and saved our little goldfish "Goliath". Thank you so much! We're doing the goldfish happy dance!

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Patricia - I'm so very glad this was helpful!!! I'm wondering if the goldfish happy dance is similar to the molly happy dance I've done with this technique :) Glad you checked out the video!

[@lyndaczika6327]

I used the pea method for my Danio and it seems to have helped. I have never heard of this issue and had no idea what was wrong!!! It seemed to help immediately! I’m so glad because he was having a horrible time!! 😌

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Hi Lynda - I'm glad it was helpful!

[@joclendennen7716]

Thank you so much. I just did this for George Weasley, my Golden Panda Molly. I hope it helps him. I'll keep watching him, and I'll do the food regiment you suggested too.

[@joclendennen7716]

I forgot to follow up... it took two days, but George was great and swimming fine, and has been for a month now. I can't thank you enough 😊

[@pastelfish673]

Thanks for this! I've been looking for some useful info on salt baths since my molly just got ill and this has helped me so much!😆

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Thanks, Pastel! Glad it was helpful 😀 Just remember, you may need to do a few baths, 3 - 4 days in a row. Keep an eye on the swelling and as soon as you see improvement, you are probably ok. Then try to see if your molly will eat some peas. 😀

[@alanaxoxo3209]

thank you so much for this vid, helped me a lot. please do more like this in the future there very easy to understand unlike others are very detailed and it gets confusing very fast, thank you. hopefully i wont have any swim bladder problems from now on :) x

[@gloriakendrick5233]

I'll be trying this method on my fantail goldfish---thanks for the well-explained method, and the advice concerning food types,

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure, Gloria. I really hope it is helpful to you - if I can help further, please let me know

[@uca5032]

Thank you for your video . You just saved my fish life .

[@dalemullins5292]

Excellent directions Thank you for being precise. I bought 3 glo tetras when I got my tank and lost once right off the bat. My yellow is 2 years old now. I hate losing anything that is alive. She or he freaks out with any changes and I feared this dip. I wound up cupping nd placing her/him in my hand to calm the erratic behavior. The tetra calmed down, 2nd bath tetra wasn't so erratic. Went crazy again back in tank. I hope and pray to see my tetra in the morning.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Dale - my pleasure and thank you for the kind words. I hate losing anything alive myself....I totally get it. Hope your tetra pulls through. Is she bloated? Constipated? Though Epsom Salt has a calming effect for humans, it can be stressful for fish - but the alternative is even worse. This is why it's important to do the 2nd bath with less salt to help the fish re-acclimate. Keep me posted on how she is doing - Sending good thoughts your way!

[@tameraalexander1249]

Hello , I am about to try your method for saving my Mollie. Thank you very much for this clear and calm video. Your girl is pretty and so is your tank. March 2021.

[@josephringling]

Thank you! Worked well for my otherwise healthy mbuna cichlid who was having trouble swimming straight. After a 10min epsom salt bath (1 tbsp/gal) and a follow up rinse (1/4 tbsp/gal) he returned to the tank swimming much better.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Joseph - very glad to hear! Hope your Mbuna is still doing well. You can always go back to the treatment if that happens again 👍

[@matthewleonard2456]

Are you guys using tank water mixed with the epsom salt?

[@fefefefe957]

Thank you. I used this method for two days in a row and succeeded in saving my Serpae Tetra who was breathing rapidly and was boated but bearly visible. This seemed to have worked for him.

[@aaronle2398]

Thanks so much for the advice, great tips and appreciated your quick response.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

It's my pleasure, Aaron 👍

[@joot78]

Hey, tanks! :) Your video was helpful. One of my baby corydoras was stuck bloated and swimming upside down. It seemed hopeless. After about 6 min in the concentrated solution, the fish righted itself and swam to the bottom. Still a little wonky so keeping an eye on it, but I am sure this helped give it a fighting chance. I didn't need a whole gallon for a tiny baby fish, so I did some quick conversions and came up with 2 mL in 2 cups of water (sorry for mixing metrics). The API test kit tubes have 5 mL marked off, so I just eyed it. The transition solution is 0.5 mL per 2 cups.

[@trevorwoodsmonkeyboy2220]

had a sick Guppy , hiding away and floating at a strange angle , had never heard of this but thought i would give it a try . followed your instructions and WOW what a difference , little guy is back to normal almost immediately and 24 hours later back to his old self , Thanks guy

[@dmichaelsfishden]

💪 💪 Glad it helped and great to hear!!! My pleasure! 👍

[@OfficialYzaDora]

This was very informative! I have 2 black moors and one of them keeps floating on the surface upside down. It scared us because we thought he was dying and once we found out fish suffered from swim bladder issues, that made sense. Especially since we've noticed he's extremely bloated. We're going to try this treatment and that of feeding them peas so fingers crossed this will work! Thank you for posting this! We watched other videos where owners extract the air from their fish with a needle and that, is NOT an option for us especially since we're not vets and hate needles! Can't imagine sticking our fish...ouch! But anyway, going to try this!

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Yzavela - thank you for the kind words and glad the video was helpful! Yep, I'm with you...I can stick any needles in my fish either...I just won't do that and I'm not a vet, so that is also out for me. What I hear about that type of treatment though, is it is really just a "band-aid." They have to constantly extract air with needles every few months....that is real swim bladder disease and that is a tough one to cure. I'm hoping your black moors only have a constipation issue...in that case, the epsom salt and peas should hopefully do the trick!

[@OfficialYzaDora]

@@dmichaelsfishden believe it or not...my Moors didn't like the peas. Then again, I don't think they saw them. When that lid opens to their tank and they hear my voice, all they want are their flakes. Tried the first treatment last night and at first it scared us because he was completely belly-up but today, he seems to be a little better. And yes, I think his or her issue is constipation. When the little fish swam in the epsom water, he or she pooped and now swims better. Thanks for this video and your reply!

[@patriciabenedetti5277]

Works miracles, caught my African blue cichlid early on and treated immediately with this advice, for starters treatment worked immediately...we will see tm...

[@Brandoncye]

This was good to watch and great info! Thanks!

[@amyyoung2920]

This really really help, will surely try this for my girl!

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Very glad I could help! Let me know if I can help further. Good luck with your girl! 😀

[@markphillips7416]

Great video very helpful thanks mark.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure, Mark! Glad the video was helpful!

[@DaveL83]

Thanks so much! My fave female betta was doing spirals in the water trying to keep herself upright. Really thought i was going to lose her and 24hrs after salt bath and she is almost back to normal. Just a slightly off balance but defo on the mend. Thanks again

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Dave - my pleasure! May take a few additional baths, but just monitor her and let me know if I can be of further help!

[@ErnestAquatics]

Great video. Hope your Molly is doing well

[@dmichaelsfishden]

+Ernies Tanks glad you enjoyed it! Hope it's helpful down the line. She is right as the wind now, thanks! The bladder issue was a symptom of the overall issue, feeding. Now that she's on her new regimen, problem solved! --d

[@angelorottinghaus8141]

Came back to say this cured my 3 spot gourami after did 2x in a 3 day period he’s swimming great again! Thanks!

[@taylorrandolph3363]

Thank you so much. My favorite fish is really doing bad right now and he won’t eat peas. So I’m trying this. Hopefully it works

[@scarletthyatt4256]

Your tank is awesome

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Thanks, Mia! And thanks for checking out the video!

[@allywells6062]

this video has saved like 5 fish of mine thank you

[@andy305mia]

Just did this with our Ranchu and it seems to of worked. He was floating upside down and struggling to get food. After the bath he's much much better. Not struggling to get to the bottom, and definitely not upside down. Couldn't believe the results

[@love1365X3]

My blue dwarf gourami is dealing with this right now... thanks for posting this vid. I'm going to try it today, but I'm definitely scared because over the last week he has been losing his color and I'm worried it's a bacterial issue that I cant fix. However I just noticed him swimming on his side yesterday. Hope this helps my little guy, thanks again!

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure, Taylor! I hope your gourami gets better. In cases where we aren't sure or where there could be multiple things going on, you could try a broad spectrum antibiotic like Seachem's Polyguard - designed to try to get parasitic, bacterial, and fungal issues.

[@Andy-Ryukin]

Thank you for the viedos be trying this on my red tail tomorrow

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure, Andy!

[@debralangager8201]

I am going to try this. Thank you!!!

[@Katherine-zp4bq]

Hi, thank you, very helpful. I'm new to fish keeping & this is the first time I've experienced this with a fish. I turned their heater down & she seems better at the mo. I will do the salt bath if not tho.

[@tonyakaschan8199]

Hi my names Tonya I have a blue dwarf gourami & she’s been laying on the bottom of my tank when she swims it’s face pointing up I called my local fish store pet quarters where I bought 2 of them a male & female he’s fine so are my neons, white catfish & sucker fish plus my 2 snails he suggested the Epson salt bath but I wasn’t sure on the quantity so Thankyou so much today she will have a bath like your video showed me how to do I’m praying that this will help her. Thanks 🙏 mate xx 🇦🇺

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Hi Tonya - Sending good thoughts! Hope it is helpful for her!

[@amanadawngthug]

thank you !

[@kimberlyfogalun-filtered6466]

That was a fantastic video. Thank you!!!!

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure! Hope it was helpful and thank you for watching!

[@snailorgy]

thank you for this video, its definitely the most useful one one salt baths

[@dmichaelsfishden]

First, your KZbin name is fabulous. 😂 And of course!! My pleasure. I'm glad the video was helpful!

[@sosuyt6049]

Thank you for sharing i think this was the problem of my goldfish too..i feed tgema a lots of flakes like 3-4 times a day..thinking this way will grow them faster.

[@anithasaju]

Great video Michael!!Thanks a lot.Wish I had watched this video long time back.I could have saved many of my fish.But it better late than never.btw how long should we continue this treatment?Does this work for every fish or there are exceptions?

[@alexandramartinez1620]

Thank you this video Saved my betta fish Ernie 😁

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure, Alexandra! So happy to hear Ernie made it through!

[@caewalker9276]

I feed my guppies, mollies and swordtails algae wafers 3 or 4 times a week to help their digestion, they actually eat a lot of algae in the wild.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Hi Cae - if it is working, keep doing it! 👍 And you are absolutely right, they do get a lot of algae in the wild. In my experience the wafer expansion gave a lot of my livebearers constipation issues - if you aren't seeing that, keep on keepin' on! If you do start seeing that, you can try doing what I did, which is switching to Repahsy food. Repashy Soilent Green and Super Green have a lot of great Spirulina algae in it, and you can mix the Soilent Green or Super Green with some Repashy Community Plus, at a 50/50 ratio. They will love it 😀 Thanks for watching!

[@danielmcnamara4708]

To clarify - brackish water would generally contain sodium chloride, not magnesium sulfate. And the seizing that you’re referring to which can possibly happen when giving a fish a salt bath is also generally triggered by the presence of large concentrations of sodium chloride in the water, rather than Epsom salt.

[@justablokepostingfunvids7137]

Thanks so much for this mate

[@Flameiac]

You honestly deserve so many more subscribers and alot more credit your helping everyone thats awsome keep it up.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Proplayergamer1 - Thank you so much for those very kind words. As long as I'm helping a few folks and sharing my experience, that's what I'm hear for 😀Really appreciate such a great comment, and thank you for checking out the video!

[@juinedodoll3685]

Thank you for the information..

[@fjdhmhjrvg5540]

Im gonna try it today thanks

[@liamhales5854]

Trying this with my female betta thanks for the video

[@amberthomas1225]

I woke up to my tiger barb swimming sideways/upside down on Friday. I found this video and immediately ran out to get epsom salt. I did the salt bath exactly as you suggested, although I thought he was going to die during it because he was intermittently floating at the top. I didn’t feed them that night and fed them peas the next morning. He progressively got better over the next couple of days and today (Monday) he’s swimming perfectly normal! Thanks for the informative video!

[@yxk99]

Hi, may I know the regime you did? First day salt bath without food Second day give pea. Third day salt bath and pea? Or?

[@amberthomas1225]

Yuan Xin Koh the third day I went back to normal feeding, but a little less than usual so that the effected fish didn’t overeat. I never repeated the salt bath.

[@wonzudump9185]

It worked for me thank you so much

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure! Glad it worked!

[@mariteresaae5234]

thanks! helpful video

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Glad it was helpful! Let me know if you have any further questions!

[@gregarma1553]

Thanks for the video! I’m currently doing your suggested treatment on one of my cichlids. If I still see symptoms tomorrow, can I repeat this procedure?

[@denismanace]

Thank you 🌻

[@aravalimarbles7495]

superb vide sir, thanks

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Thanks for the kind words aravali! Thank you for watching!

[@FridayFishFacts]

Thanks for this video. It saves two of my tiger barbs

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Firday Fish Facts - I'm so happy to hear that! My pleasure!

[@kamilamourao5411]

Thank u so much, u helped save my little red eye tetra! I thought my fish was dead but when I went to get him out he started spinning and going back down to the tank so I realized he was sick... I did exactly what u did in this video and it worked. He's still not 100% but He's swimming around vertical and not down in the tank...my question is, how many times should I do this bath? Thank u

[@Sarah-mz9de]

It helped a lot!!

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Sarah - very glad to hear that!!

[@jeremyhouseholder9652]

thanks

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure!

[@clairestapley7544]

Hi, thank you for this video. How often can you repeat this process?

[@spookshow6999]

Nevermind I seen your comment. I just dosed the tank with melafix. I absolutely hate when my poor little fish get sick. Let’s hope this will help him. He’s swelled with fluid. I can see the fluid. If I had the right stuff I would extract it. That’s how bad he is.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

spook show - unfortunately, when we get to that fluid, this indicates a bacterial infection, which could be dropsy....unfortunately, if you extract the fluid, it would build again...this is a tough one, man...so sorry to hear about it. I've heard Kanaplex by Seachem is fairly effective with Dropsy, but I've never tried it myself, as I haven't had a fish with dropsy for years....in one of my other comments, what we can do to help this is moving forward....feed every other day, and a little less. Feed peas once a week, even if the fish are just fine - it will help clean them out....spinach leaves are great too, on a clip. I also really don't ever use wafters anymore, because of the amount they expand in the fish's stomach...now I use Repashy much more often and haven't had the same swelling problems - it goes "down" and comes out much easier in the fish....Hope that helped a little man, so sorry to hear about your guy

[@umwhat6642]

So useful 😃

[@Jenisising1]

Great tutorial! Helped my baby goldfish spot. 🐠❤❤❤🎉💯

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Glad it was helpful Jennifer and very happy to hear it helped spot! Thanks for checking the video out!

[@Jenisising1]

No problem! It was bad the first time then he (or she) got saved because of you, my boyfriend & I ❤🎉! THEN it started again & all I had was lavender epson salt but decided to keep an eye on Spot & not use lavender because it has scent which is from an oil. She or he is good AGAIN! THE LIFE OF A GOLDFISH 😀 🐠

[@Jenisising1]

Oh I also drop half a skinless pea in there once in a while cuz I heard greens are good for thier health.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Lol...the life of a goldfish, for sure. You were smart and right not to use the lavender salt...chemicals in there wouldn't have been good for Spot. 👍

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Excellent! Peas have more fiber in them than any other vegetable, which is why they are recommended. One little piece of advice, if you don't mind....what I've been doing is feeding peas once a week, even if my fish are fine. It just gives that extra fiber and roughage to keep them cleaned out - 👍 Now that you've got Spot all cured, it's a nice preventative thing to feed peas once a week

[@johntitor5543]

Great video! I have a question, has your betta ever been out of the tank before?

[@justinperry8988]

I just did this to my cory catfish. It may not help, but I just put 5 in the tank from PetSmart about 3 hours ago, and one of them hasn't been right from the get go. Swim to the surface and then float back down to the bottom vertically tail first. This may not help at all, but at this point I don't think he's going to make it unless I try something. Hopefully I'll get lucky. Either way, I really appreciate your video, it is easy to follow. Thanks again, and wish us luck.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Justin - thanks for the kind words on the video. Sometimes we do just have to try to do what we can. Occasionally, we may get fish that just aren't healthy and right from the start, and sometimes there isn't anything we can do - But personally, like you, I always feel better when I try at least something. And sometimes....you may be surprised, it just might do the trick. Good luck! And don't fault yourself if he doesn't make it - again, sometimes we get fish that just aren't right from the start....it has happened to a lot of us in the hobby. Thanks for watching!

[@ChineezPnoy]

Ingenious way of utilizing a half-cut coconut shell. Did u just scrub it w/ (just?) water 1st before immersing it in there?

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Thanks!! I can't take too much credit though - I actually found it in the reptile section of a pet store (it was supposed to be for lizards). I figured....why not try it in an aquarium? The fish LOVE it as a hiding place. I did scrub it down with sponge in tank water prior to putting it in the tank to get any loose "skin" off. It sinks right away - like driftwood, over time it breaks up a little, but slowly. Also a great smooth surface for any little beneficial microbes to grow on :) Find it in the reptile section in your closest pet store!

[@thicknessdavis8754]

hi wow !! your giving me hope I'm sure my blackmoor has swim bladder issues she's swimming upside down .. but she's eating. I feeding her peas I also notice her belly is kinda fat so I will try the salt bath .. I'm trying my hardest to save her .. I'm going to get the apsom salt and try keep your fingers crossed I think she was over eating . I'm also going to fast her I only have two in the tank so I'm going to also give the other one peas but not the salt bath just. I'm so glad I ran into your video.thanks so much

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Lisa - my pleasure! So glad it could help! You can also try dipping the peas into the diluted Epsom Salt solution before feeding. Let me know if i can help further - good luck. Good thoughts going your way 😇

[@bananacreeper12]

Hi, how often should I do a slat bath for my betta? Also, how long can they survive with swim bladder? My betta is going on day 4 now...

[@maxinerice51]

Thanks for the video, very informative. Should you use water from the tank for the bath or condition some tap water as you would for a water change and use that?

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Max - so sorry for the late reply here. My pleasure on the video! You can use either - water from the tank or tap water with conditioner in it - either one is good 👍

[@saravidmar3945]

Thanks for the video! How often would you recommend doing the salt baths?

[@taijafranklyn8214]

thank you from me and my black moor goldfish, Kimono ‼️

[@connorwoods1745]

So with the water used in the buckets do you use either tank water or new dechlorinated water guessing both are fine? If using tap water shall I bring it up to the temp of the aquarium so it doesn’t shock the fish?

[@lil_izgarcia9096]

Going try this on my two angel fish hopefully it works

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Let me know! Hope it does work. Helped my fish.

[@sealover1535]

So blessed to have found you video I'm currently at the store buying Epsom salt. I'm very upset my beautiful betta keeps sinking to the bottom of a tank besides that she's in perfect health I'm going to vacation and I showed someone how to feed her yesterday and I think I may have over fed her. Do you recommend a gallon yes or yes per tank(Epson salt one and diluted one). I'm so worried that I don't even want to go on vacation anymore :-(

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Andrea - I'm so very sorry I never saw this comment come up - I was check old videos and saw this. Thank you for the kind words and I do hope everything worked out ok. In the future, yes, you can use a gallon to a gallon in a half. If I can help further you can always email me at [e-mail]. Very sorry I didn't see this comment. Hope everything worked out ok!

[@Esceefort]

Thank you! My fish rejects peas even if I fast him. We shall see how the Epsom salt bat goes

[@dmichaelsfishden]

My pleasure! Totally empathize - when my guys are bloated, they won't eat peas either....won't eat much of anything since they feel so awful. Hope the bath goes well! Let me know if I can help at all along the way...

[@bepositive3722]

Plz tell us. ..how frequently ve can use epsom salf if fish is not relieve in one time treatment?

[@RedViking2020]

Thanks for a well filmed video. Should the water be slightly warmer and does the fish get confused by all the white if the bucket ie what about an ornament or something so it can visually orientate. Just thinking as you said how stressed they are. Thanks for the info and highlighting epsom. Doesn't help if a product is meant to help doesn't like certain meds being toxic for other tank animals

[@MrxDerpReal]

What if my dwarf gourami is lying on it's side and sinking constantly? He's been like this for a month and I hand feed him

[@aaronle2398]

I hope you have more good video coming in the future:)

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Aaron - thank you so much for the kind words! And I sure do - much more to come in the future. Thank you for the support and glad the videos are helpful!

[@fupatrooper-hx8fi]

Thanks so much for the video. But i don't know what water to mix with epsom salt? Water from the tank or clean water?

[@geneshasymlyonssym4152]

This is very helpful! Can I use Epsom salt that is for foot soak that has cooling peppermint??

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Geneshasym - thank you for the kind words! Glad the video was helpful! This is a very, very good question, and I have to admit you have me here. I don't know if the peppermint scent will be detrimental to your fish. In this case, I want to err on the side of caution and advise that I would just use regular Epsom salt. I would use any that has any scents or added ingredients in it as I'm not sure if that will harm the fish. I hope that is at least a little helpful!

[@squirrelattackspidy]

For gill flukes, do you use epsom or aquarium salt? Thanks!

[@shutitfukface]

Great video thank you very much, I have a Molly having some issues, now on the subject of feeding, when it comes to their fry, is it true they need access to food almost all the time because their metabolism is super fast and they need it to grow or can I also just do once a day with the fry?

[@AndreAbdelmalek]

Thanks this helped me my tetra fish had the same issue but it was the worst stage it was upside down and floating but it was still moving i tried feeding it pees but its like trying to put ropes through an eye of a needle unfortunately it did not survive when i came back from the store with the salt it had already died but at least next time i know what to do

[@AndreAbdelmalek]

Oh and quick question is there any other way to feed tetras (tiny fish) peas ?? 😅

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Andre - I'm sorry to hear that - but I'm glad the video was helpful. I hope it can help you next time. I thin a lot of us have lost fish in the past due to swim bladder issues.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Andre - It's tough - your would have to really crush up the peas - one other thing your could do, because you want your fish to get the fiber from the peas...is to try mashing them up with a little flake food - really try to create a mashed up paste...you can add a tiny bit of tank water to it so it is wet enough. Or...as you put the peas in, mash them up with your finger - this should create a "pea powder" that they can handle 👍

[@AndreAbdelmalek]

thank you for the advice i will definitely try it i had 5 tetra fish i lost 3 this week only so at least now i know what to do

[@kevinhaes7332]

I just lost a neon tetra to a swim bladder problem and now another fish has the same issue... I'm hoping this video will end up helping them

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Hi Kevin - I hope it is helpful to you! Best of luck with your tetras!

[@dabvwm1096]

Did your fish recovered from this treatment? I have mollies and they have the same bladder problem.

[@emilykalkiewicz8258]

tried fasting and peas and nothing’s helping my guppy. was an unintentional over feed trying to save another one of mine who recently passed :( don’t want to lose another. i really hope this helps

[@harryvosloo128]

thx buddy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@amingus09]

Will this work for goldfish as well? Also do you need the recovery tank? Another thing is how many times a week should i do this?

[@Kat-hs2ij]

wow thank you. I've read a lot and tchek a lot of videos and I only understand you, well I mean u say all we should know and clearly explained, thanks I hope my betta will be better after this bath ^^ Oh and just one question, do I have to do it until he's completely cured (if he's not after 1 time) or it's better do that only one time ?

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Novel - glad it was helpful to you! I would do the baths until your fish will begin to eat tiny bites of peas...after that, let the peas help clean your fish out. The baths are somewhat stressful for the fish, but they are useful in helping to bring swelling down until the fish can eat. I would try the baths up to 7 days, then let your fish rest a few days before starting again. BUT - as soon as your fish will take a little bite of pea, I would stop with the baths...hope that is helpful!

[@Kat-hs2ij]

Okay thank, well sorry just see I didn't mentionned that it's not the same thing as your fish, he just have a white spot on his head, it's not apparent I had to use a flashlight on him to see it properly (not ich, maybe he lost a shell but i'm pretty sure it's mycosis he tries to scratch on plants and sand) and he eats normally, he was pretty calm in the bath yesterday, he was swimming calmly.. I don't think pea will cure that ? thought of making him a 5-6 days salt bath out of his tank, changing his water everyday. And changing 100% of the water of his tank before his return. (He isn't old I have him since 3 months, and he tolerates the bath very well) and I don't know how he got mycosis y change like 30% water or more of his 5gal every week, cleans the glasses, siphon the sand, tchek filter (just rince the carbon, not too much) .. I don't want him to get more sick 😞 what do you think about that ? - and sorry for my english I'm french

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Novel - your English is great! Is it just one white spot? Could it be a missing scale? Epsom might help a little with that but it should heal on its own. I"m not sure the salt baths are necessary. Is the spot getting any bigger? Is it just one? If it was ich, you'd see it all over the body. If it's just the one spot, he may just have brushed a scale off....you can also use Seachem Stress Guard or Kordon Fish Protector to help with the healing process 😀Let me know if the hole gets bigger or if there are multiple - this can be an indication of hole in the head disease, but it's pretty rare so I wouldn't worry - probably just a missing scale...😀

[@Kat-hs2ij]

Yeah maybe a missing scale it's not big I have to tchek him with a flashlight to see properly the spot.. but i'm worry he start to eat less, he doesnt moove when I'm in front of him (he's always crazy normally lol, wake up and seem happy to see us) yesterday he ate as well (5 pellets, none bloating) but now he don't want to, and what worries me the most, he tries to scratch plants and sand since days even a week, which is not normal, that's why I thought about mycosis.. I don't see anything else on his body for now

[@btennis3914]

How many times should I do this salt bath until I start to see my molly doing better? Once a day? Or more, or less??

[@lavendersblue2716]

Hello Michael! Thank you so much for this very great video..i need this as i deal with this kind of issue eith my goldfish..... By the way, is it alright to feed them with cannred green peas? ...and another question is, does it matter if i treat the goldfish with swim bladder issue at night? Because right now, she's struggling to swim and its 8:23 pm.

[@quki3]

Thank you for tutorial. What temp did you have the epsome salt bath at? My beta has swimBladder issues since I fed him mosquito larva I found in my outdoor mystery snail pond. I’m hoping it’s not parasites but it’s been two weeks and he’s not getting much better. 😢

[@asasgm8618]

how is your fish now? My fish stays at the bottom of the tank and can't swim. I saw some ants near the tank and thought nothing of it. He must have eaten some and he's bloated.

[@thicknessdavis8754]

Yes the peas and salt help somewhat .. but she is still haveing the same issue and her belly looks very full .I'd it a swim bladder infection will the daphnia help ? or is something else I need ?

[@darirusanferaa7647]

Can I reuse pr stock the water with epson after the treatment for other fish

[@lettersfromhaley]

my glofish started floating at the top of the water on its side yesterday. I did a water change last night fed it some peas tonight. I'm gonna do another change tomorrow night and I'll try the salt bath. I hope it feels better.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Certainly worth a try :) Is the glofish bloated? If it is eating peas, this is a good sign, if the poor girl is bloated. The peas will help clean her out, providing fiber :) This could also be something internal. Remember, salt baths can potentially stress the fish, and it really is only a remedy to decrease some bloating, taking stress of the swim bladder, so the fish can eat some peas to finally clean it out. Hope she feels better. Keep me posted :)

[@ladykayde]

if the glofish isnt bloated but is doing the side swimming do u recommend the peas and the salt bath or just a salt bath? we have a sick glofish tetra. but its weird bc we have 3 fish in the tank and its the smallest of the 3 but it's the onky one that this affected thanks!