up-side-down aranda

Question
Hi Chris,  My large female aranda has been upside down for about 3 months now.  She is healthy otherwise, and I keep expecting her condition to take its toll.  Because she is so resiliant, I have started to catch her in the net and feed her.  My 30 gal tall hex tank is so deep, she has difficulity feeding.  She takes the food from the net, and I hold her right side up for about 5 minutes while she seeems to be chewing her food.  After about 5 minutes, I let her out of the net and she flips right back upside down.  The problem is, the food falls out of her mouth.  She is so gentle, that she lets me hold her, and she does not run from the net.  She seems to be relieved to be right side up for the time.  My question is, How long would I have to hold her so that she would not lose her food  when I let her go?  I know this sounds crazy, but she is worth the effort.  Thanks, Vicki

Answer
Hi Vicki;

She has gas in her belly. Have you tried feeding her peas? Get frozen ones and let a couple thaw out. Pop them out of their little round shells and feed her little chunks of them. As long as she swallows them you can then let her go. Feed no other foods for a few days as her intestinal system hopefully clears itself out. Don't let her be out of the water at any time, even while netting, or she will swallow more air.

Once she is swimming more normally, or if you have already tried the peas, feed her a sinking pellet food. Let it soak in a little water before you feed them to her. This helps avoid additional air from getting into her belly.

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Chris Robbins

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