Hyperchondriac (ultra-anxious) lyretail swordtails imported from Asia

[Firestorm_1976]

I recently placed two orders (on eBay) for lyretail swordtail females: 4 females from a breeder in TX and two females from a physical small fish store in CA (with good yelp reviews) that imports these swordtails from Asia. Both shipments arrived on the same day (1/4/24). As they are from different sellers, I quarantine them in two separate tanks (with separate care tools, of course). The 4 females from TX are in 20 gal long tank and two females (originally from Asia) are in 10 gallon tank.

At first, both sets of "girls" were freaking out every time I'd approach the tanks. But behavior of the 4 females (from TX breeder) quickly normalized, and they are excited about me approaching the tank during feeding times, which is what a normal fish behavior should look like, from my experience. However, behavior of the two Asian imported females have never improved: I always quarantine all my new fish, and I literally have never seen this absolutely hyperchondriac behavior in fish. They are just completely freaking out and flipping out--almost ready to jump out of the tank--every time I approach to feed or do partial water changes. What is going on? Could it be that they carry some sort of illness that affects their mental state/ behavior? Both tanks are located next to each other, and neither tank has a light over it, so it is NOT a bright or stressful environment, and I always make a point to approach the tanks slowly and mindfully.

What could be going on? Why are the two so flipping anxious/ neurotic? I have a hard time bonding with the two as the result, and am already considering rehoming them (I am in AZ, East Valley, if anybody wants the two neurotic "chicks"). Would appreciate an advice!

PS. On a separate note, is it true that most Asian imports harbor heximata protists and must be treated w/ Metro x3 weeks? Someone mentioned this in a fish group, and it stuck in my mind. Now I am worried whether I should preventatively medicate the two with either Seachem Focus + Seachem MetroPlex in frozen bloodworms or with Seachem Focus + API General Cure in frozen bloodworms. Any thoughts on that would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ichthys]

I assume you mean hyperactive. Hypochondria is a human psychological condition.

It could be because the tank is too small (in their opinion), or because of where the tank is situated. Sometimes, albeit rarely, a tank can cause stress because of its location (maybe something to do with the electrical fields in the house?) and is fine when moved to a different wall.

 

[emeraldking]

There can be multiple causes. We don't know how they were kept when they were still in Asia. So, have we crossed the margins of the water parameters they were used to? Or what Ichthys has already mentioned, the location or the size of the tank can be stressful to them.
But it's a good thing of you to quarantine them as a standard. And just be aware of it that they're all the same species, doesn't say anything about how they were kept before. Maybe some plants may calm them down a bit. I do that sometimes when I quarantine new fish that are too hyperactive.

 

[Ichthys]

Some more things to consider... a tank without a background can stress fish out, or not having anywhere to get out of sight. Even keeping eye contact as you approach them. And a lack of dithers. As emeraldking has said, one batch might be used to whatever the cause is, and the other batch not. Maybe they’re not used to people and the others are...

 

[Firestorm_1976]

Thank you so much!
My display tanks are VERY heavily planted--I jokingly call myself plantoholic anonymous. However, every single time I use any plants--even something as simple as water lettuce or hornwort in QT tank, I come to regret it. Currently, the water in QT tanks has aquarium salt (1 tbsp per 5 gal). I will be slowly reducing it over the next couple of months to end up with completely fresh water. Secondly, I always preventatively treat with a few rounds of Hikari PraziPro and Fritz Expel-P, so I don't have any lights over QT tanks, and for the latter (Fritz Expel-P) black them out with a towel completely as levamisole is very light sensitive. So, last time I had a messy ammonia spike after all my water lettuce melted away and created a holly mess in QT tank (different fish), I swore to "never again". Even having IAL in QT tanks was a major "pain on the b*tt" for me in the past as frequent partial water changes become much more difficult with all those shreds of decomposing IAL swimming all over the place. Having said that, the 10 gal does have two 2-horned sponge filters that the fish can easily hide behind, if they wish to do so.

 

[Firestorm_1976]

On a separate note, is it true that most Asian imports harbor heximata protists and must be treated w/ Metro x3 weeks? Someone mentioned this in a fish group, and it stuck in my mind. Now I am worried whether I should preventatively medicate the two with either Seachem Focus + Seachem MetroPlex in frozen bloodworms or with Seachem Focus + API General Cure in frozen bloodworms. Any thoughts on that would be greatly appreciated.

 

[GaryE]

From past threads, you seem to want to hit them with meds, but to be uncertain. You're expecting to have to treat the fish.

I have never heard of the hexamita rumour. 90% of the fish that come into my country are from Asian farms, and the sale of over the counter antibiotics is banned. Hexamita is not a problem with them here.

One or both of the swords in the 10 gallon (a very tiny tank to QT swords in) may have released chemical fear responses, and those can be diluted with massive water changes. The back of the tank should be covered.

But I would suspect the tank to be the problem.

 

[emeraldking]

On a separate note, is it true that most Asian imports harbor heximata protists and must be treated w/ Metro x3 weeks? Someone mentioned this in a fish group, and it stuck in my mind. Now I am worried whether I should preventatively medicate the two with either Seachem Focus + Seachem MetroPlex in frozen bloodworms or with Seachem Focus + API General Cure in frozen bloodworms. Any thoughts on that would be greatly appreciated.

Well, it's known that fish from Asian fish farms can bring in parasites and so on. They can already be weaker. But they also use a lot of meds in those great bassins where they are raised in. That's a heavy load on those fish as well. I preferably order fish from an Asian private breeder than from an Asian fish farm, tbh.

 

[Firestorm_1976]

Thank you so much, GaryE! It am EXTREMELY relieved to hear that hexamita is not an issue with fish imported from Asia! And would be very happy not to treat with metro, as I do not take antibiotics lightly at all (particularly since new research links metronidazole to malignancies).

I did sadly have to start both on KanaPlex since one of the four females have a sign of fin rot (possibly was a bite that got infected) and a couple of other females (from both batches) have whitish ends of their lyretails (so it is unclear whether it could be still from the shipment ammonia burn (10 days later) or if beginning of fin rot). But I did post this question in my local fish group with the videos, and was told to start either KanaPlex or erythromycin (and given that erythromycin is more detrimental to the cycle, I went with KanaPlex). So, although I was prepared to treat them if needed, I really really was hoping to avoid antibiotics, if at all possible, and feel sad that it was not particularly since today is the last day of the 3rd (last round, and I see neither improvement not deterioration). So, will just do a 50% water change today, and will stop the antibiotics.

It is true that I always de-worm all new fish with Hikari PraziPro and Fritz Expel-P (Levamisole). Both meds are well tolerated, and I am yet to lose a QT fish from them. If they are to join my multi-species tank (fish, plants, snails, shrimp), then I want to do the bare minimum to at least assure that they do not bring in some common parasitic infections as treating a multi-species tank from ANY illness is a nightmare as many effective meds are not safe for shrimp / invertebrates.

 

[Ichthys]

Im so glad I live in the UK where we have access to many medications that are much milder than antibiotics.

When I quarantine fish I just observe, and don’t treat with anything unless I need to. A bit of finrot is easily treated with a bactericide. Are you sure it’s finrot? A lot of swords have clear or white edges to the tail. And when fish are grown quickly the colour can take time to ‘catch up’ at the fin edges.

 

[GaryE]

Your fish COULD have Hexamita. But it would be individuals affected. Farmed fish have their issues, wherever the farm is. It's not something I expect.

I Qt all my new fish. Over the past 2 years a lot of new ones came in as I moved across a good chunk of the country and had a lot of empty tanks. I gave away or traded (for moving help) a lot of fish, and had to restock.

I had one bag arrive and go into Columnaris. I lost them. Two other bags developed easily treated Ich. Six Corys from a local store died of I still don't know what.

I found some Camallanus-like nematodes in one species - a colourless creature. It was easily dealt with.

That's five problems caught in about 25 bags of fish. Only the columnaris/flavibacter was a major loss, though the Corys were a shame, and probably an untreatable virus.

 

[Firestorm_1976]

Thank you, Ichthys! I was NOT sure whether it was a fin rot. So, I posted in a couple of fish groups with videos. I really REALLY was hoping to avoid antibiotics. I truly hate antibiotics for all species: be it humans, dogs or fish, and am the last person to take them lightly. Plus, I work in healthcare and have a front-seat view on all the antibiotic-resistant pathogens that we managed to breed d/t gross abuse of antibiotics and antiseptics.

But I posted the videos in two groups: in my local fish group (where three most respected experts called for antibiotics) and in a national group, and tagged the most respected expert who wrote countless science-heavy articles on practically all fish diseases... someone whose knowledge I DEEPLY respect, and he also advised KanaPlex in food (so for six days I've been adding a bit of KanaPlex to bloodworms (although I did not have Seachem Focus to bind it) in addition to the three doses 48 hours apart in the water.

 

[Firestorm_1976]

Thank you, GaryE! So sorry some fish was lost!
Although getting plants shipped to me was not a new experience to me, it was my very first time (and I've been in the hobby--on and off and in two different countries, first Russia then the U.S. since 1992) having fish shipped to me. I was worried sick. But fortunately the two days shipping went well, and they came through alright, thus far.

I did not plan to order from two different sellers. But because I needed to tweak the order (females only instead of eBay listed females and males), things were going round and round, with extremely poor communication on the seller's end. As the result, I wasn't sure if either order would actually go through until it was shipped. And, for better or worse, both have gone through, and I ended up with two QT tanks on my hands (my husband was just about to move me out of the house at this point lol ). I was advised to NOT quarantined the two together, particularly because one was from a breeder and one was from god-knows-where in Asia. So, feel totally overwhelmed and out of my depth right now . Wish someone could take the two off my hands together with the 10 gallon and the two cycled sponge filters (came from my main tank) since my life is too overwhelming right now to worry about bleaching the QT equipment. Arg... sorry it turned into a rant/vent post... having a really crappy day...

 

[Firestorm_1976]

GaryE and Ichthys, do you guys happen to know if there is such a thing as fish probiotics (good gut bacteria) to add to food (to restore their GI after the antibiotics that they received)?

 

[Ichthys]

GaryE and Ichthys, do you guys happen to know if there is such a thing as fish probiotics (good gut bacteria) to add to food (to restore their GI after the antibiotics that they received)?

No idea, but when herbivores have lost their gut bacteria they eat the poop of other herbivores to replenish them. A few come out in the poop.
If you feed them greens and they poop brown, they’re ok. If they’ve lost them their plant-based poop will be green.