I don't think he's gonna make it

I'm sad because this lil guy was my favorite. I've had my danios just under 3 weeks and this one's been very active and happy until two days ago. The others are doing fine, no changes in them. He just started being lethargic, but was still eating. He was hunched, fins close to his body, tail slightly lower than his body. Last night I noticed he was just laying on the bottom, so I took it out of the tank and used 1/2 tank water and 1/2 well water. Water tests all came back fine. I'm not optimistic about turning this around, but any suggestions? He's only an inch, tip to tip.

I don't even know where to start when it comes to diagnosing. What's the first thing you try when there's something wrong that's not obviously visible? Even if this guy doesn't make it, I still want to learn for the next one...

Awww poor guy, danios can be tricky and very weird, i have 7 currently. it may be severe stress but sadly i dont think he has much time left. Fly high little guy 🕊

BkkprGal said:

I'm sad because this lil guy was my favorite. I've had my danios just under 3 weeks and this one's been very active and happy until two days ago. The others are doing fine, no changes in them. He just started being lethargic, but was still eating. He was hunched, fins close to his body, tail slightly lower than his body. Last night I noticed he was just laying on the bottom, so I took it out of the tank and used 1/2 tank water and 1/2 well water. Water tests all came back fine. I'm not optimistic about turning this around, but any suggestions? He's only an inch, tip to tip.

I don't even know where to start when it comes to diagnosing. What's the first thing you try when there's something wrong that's not obviously visible? Even if this guy doesn't make it, I still want to learn for the next one...

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He doesn’t look like he has a chance, but you can try giving him a salt bath, and adding some medication treatment to the water he is in.

What would be the most humane way to help him pass? I hate this death watch =(

BkkprGal said:

What would be the most humane way to help him pass? I hate this death watch =(

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Aww im so sorry, the most humane way to help him pass would be to euthanize him with clove oil. And if you dont want to do that the best you can do is leave him in a tub of tank water in a dark room so he passes away calm and peacefully.

The fish looks skinny and emaciated. It also appears to have a bacterial infection behind its head (in the video).

Pictures of the remaining fish?

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Generally if a fish gets sick, you check the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. If they are good, then look for disease. Clamped fins, skinny body, breathing heavily, cream, white or grey patches on the body, can all be associated with long term poor water quality or disease.

First aid for fish includes wiping the inside of the glass down, doing a huge water change and gravel clean, and cleaning the filter.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

After you have tested the water and cleaned the tank, take pictures of the fish and start a thread asking for help.

The following link is a sticky (pinned) at the top of the emergency section of the forum and has more detailed information about trying to help sick fish. It might interest you.

Thank you for all that information. I'll check out the pinned post.
He was just a tiny lil guy and saying he was 1 inch long was misleading because his tail was so long. But compared to all of the others he was just a baby. He ate well, I would watch his belly get rounded and you could see the color food he was eating since he was white. But in just a few days he just withdrew.

Here's a better pic & video of him in the tank before I took him out. (Forgot I took these)

It might have had intestinal worms and gill flukes too. They suck the blood out of the fish and weaken it, thus disposing it to other issues.

Once you have all your fish, deworm the tank. Or deworm the fish you have and deworm any new fish in a quarantine tank before adding them to the main display.

Section 3 of the following link has information about deworming fish.

Ok, I'll deworm. I'm not going to get any new fish for awhile. My rocks aren't good for the corys, so I need to change those out. I just want to focus on research, design and water quality without bringing more fish into the mix.
Now that I think about it - his decline happened about the same time I put the Sags in the tank. Ugh, there are just so many variables to keep track of!

Thanks @Colin_T . I really appreciate all your insights!

Here's another question for you - since I'm just starting my tank, what other types of medications should I get on hand for a fish first aid kit? I know you advocate for salt treatments, and I'd much prefer that over meds, but what else should I keep just in case?

You should not be thinking of keeping any medications on hand just in case, concentrate on giving your fish the best possible conditions and they will be fine. This little guy doesn't need medication.

Salt and water conditioner are all you need.

Salt can be used to treat minor external fungal, bacterial and protozoan infections.

Other than that, if the fish are unwell or you aren't sure if they are looking right, do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week or until the problem is identified. The water changes will dilute disease organisms and poor water quality and buy you time to work out what is going on. Quite often the water changes will fix the fish without anything else needed.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

If the fish get white spot, you can treat that with heat. Raise the water temperature to 30C (86F) and keep it there for 2 weeks, or at least 1 week after all the white dots have gone. Before you raise the water temperature, do a huge water change and gravel clean, and clean the filter. Raise the temp and increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise the oxygen level in the water.

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If you do get chemical medications or test kits, check the expiry date before buying them. Avoid buying any that are kept in a warm or humid place (fish room or by a window or heater). Keep them cool and dry to maximise their shelf life. I kept my kits in a plastic icecream container on the bottom shelf of the fridge.

*NB* Make sure children and animals can't get the kits or medications because most are toxic and if ingested, the patient will need to visit the hospital.