upside down platy

Question
Poor platy is still upside down on the bottom of the tank. He looks as if he's tired of struggling to swim upright and just lays there now. If he's ruptured his swim bladder, can he survive living upside down? He seems to like it when I prop him up so he can swim upright, but as soon as I let him go, he's on his back. Does any medication help in repairing a ruptured swim bladder? Thank you again for all of your help.
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-----Question-----
Hi Chris,
36 gallon tank set up about 4 months; 2 silver dollars, 8 tetras, 3 clown loaches, an angel fish, a gourami, a pleco; 20% changes 2 times a month. pH 7, all other levels on the tester were great (including nitrite and ammonia)The platy looked as if he had his tail chewed and started rocking 90 degrees in each direction about 2 days ago. After a day he disappeared. We found him tonight, underneath a big decoration, swimming upside down, curling around and trying to upright himself. ..put him in a separate 2 gallon tank with a little less than a Tblsp of aquarium salt, heated to 80, with a bubbler. Does he have swim bladder? Can I help him?
-----Answer-----
Hi Mouse;

Good job on moving him to the warm and aerated hospital bowl! That's just what he needs. I would suspect he has been bullied and the stress has just done him in. The other fish you have can be pretty aggressive with platies sometimes. Change 50% of the water in the bowl every day and keep it warm like you have been. If he is eating, offer him little bits of frozen brine shrimp along with a good quality flake. Siphon out what he doesn't eat daily. Hopefully he will come out of it on his own.

You could also add Melafix to help heal his damaged tail. It soothes and helps tissues regenerate. Sometimes a swim bladder issue is caued by a bacterial infection, so use "Maracyn Two" if you want to. Here is a link to information on using medicines in small tanks too (it's about bettas, but the method is the same);

http://www.healthybetta.com/easymeds.html

I hope he feels better soon....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Answer
Hi Mouse;

The swim bladder has to repair itself if it will heal at all. Just keeping the tank clean and warm and using "maracyn 2" is really all you can do. Causes for Swimbladder failure are very difficult to diagnose. There are many possible reasons for it and most are not treatable. Tumors, infection, constipation, genetic deformity, shock, and injury are those that we know about. If the fish is still eating, offer tiny chunks of cooked peas and no other foods for a few days. If the cause is from constipation, peas act as a laxative to help clear it.

Here is a link to an article about the swim bladder as well as causes and treatments for it's failure;

http://www.fishtanksandponds.info/care-maintenance/health/swimbladder.htm

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins