Red-Headed Organda Problem

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My red-headed organda is my favorite fish. I only have three in my outdoor pond. It's 6' x 6' x 11". I know it's too shallow for our hard winters but the soil is too hard to dig further.

Anyway, about Mrs. Nobby Head. Her wen is huge and it seems to drag her front end lower in the water than her rear. In fact, her back/spine humps out of the water. It's even a little pink, like sun-burned.

The pet store suggested an epsom salt treatment for a too-large swim bladder,, which is what they think is pulling her front end down. I was afraid to try such a drastic treatment. Last night, they said to feed green peas and that should fix the problem. I fed that last night and she really doesn't look any better this morning.

I suspect she is 'Mrs' because I have another large orange koi and twice now 2 'strangers' have appeared, little 2" fish I did not buy or put in the pond. So I'm assuming they bred and then ate all the young except one from each litter.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Mrs. Nobby Head seems to be in distress and I wouldn't be surprised to find her floating on the top of the water on her side.
 

Meyer Jordan

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Can you post photos?
Not sure what dosage was recommended but Epsom Salt is typically used to raise Water Hardness level, but is used by some to treat swim bladder issues at the rate of 1/8 teaspoon per 5 gallons of water and to be effective the water temperature must be 78F-80F.
Do you have a quarantine tank?
 
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I would sure like more information.
For starters, where do you live?
Pictures would help a lot, as would a description of your filtration layout, pond setup, fish, plant population and the results of your water quality tests.
 
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Mitch, you're going to think I'm really a tech idiot and you would not be far wrong. I have a good picture of my organda but it's on my phone. I havedn't managed to save it to my computer as yet or access it from the phone. My filtration is what came with the pond kit. I don't know the brand until next time I haul it up to clean it, but it's a square black box with 3 pieces of foam-like material inside that I hose off. It's topped with a spray fountain. I have 3 fish ~ the two I bought (1 an organda, one just orange) and the youngster that seems to be the result of a spawn by the other two. I figure the pond is about 190 gallons. No, I don't have a quarantine tank. Yes, I take water samples to my pet store for tests. I'm not sure Mrs. Nobby Head's problem is swim bladder. She's definitely off-kilter, but she can swim somewhat lower. I have fed her squashed up green peas a couple of times today and she seemed quite enthusiastic one time. As for plants, I have a few on the bottom but they haven't come up to the surface or shown much activity since the end of winter. I'm in central WV; I think that's 5. I'll keep trying to save that picture of poor Mrs. N.H.
 
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18193241_10154647897510197_1033029866604259972_o (2).jpg
 
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Mitch I had a big reply but it seems to have disappeared. However I did get the fish picture to upload from my downloads. My filtration system ~ it came in a kit and I don't know the name until next time I haul it out for cleaning. It's a black plastic box with 3 pieces of foam-like material inside that I hose off to clean. It's topped with a spray fountain. I have 4 fish in there. Mrs. Nobby Head, a big orange one, and 2 liltle interlopers that seem to be an amalgamation of the two big ones. I've noticed the little strangers twice. I didn't buy or put them in. My plants are in there, on the bottom, but have not recovered from the winter and grown to the top as yet. I fed Mrs. NH smashed peas and one time she took them quite enthusiastically. I don't have a quarantine tank. The pet store said she had the swim bladder problem. Said to put her in a 2 gallon bucket with a tbsp of epsom salt and leave about 15-20 minutes. I like the green pea solution better, as this seems a bit risky. Thanks for your response.
 
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I have observed with orandas that the closer the back fin is to the wen, the more likely the fish will develop swim bladder problems. My n= 8.

My advise. Do what Meyers suggested. Isolate the fish, Epsom salts. Feed boiled deshelled green pees. Observe.

It maybe helpful to trim the wen a bit to balance the fish more.
 

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