Hi everyone. Just wondering if my leopard danio is sick. It was fine yesterday but today I found it on the bottom of the tank hiding under a stone, I got it to move out and noticed a shredded tail, a white mark on its head and darker colour. It is now swimming around but not as normal probably due to its tail. Any suggestions?
Is my Danio sick?
- Thread starter Diane12
- Start date
Thankyou for your replies. I’m quite new to this so I will try with as much info as possible. Tank size 70 litres. First installed beginning of June. 2 goldfish followed by 6 leopard danio, 1 bristllenose pleco, 2 Cory and 1 blue eyed rainbow which came as an added bonus (mistake) with the pleco.
Some live plants.
I don’t have a ph tester but have nitrate and ammonia strips which read the levels as good.
Changed 1/3 of water on Monday and cleaned filter (filter pads replaced 2 weeks ago)
Temp at 23c
Some live plants.
I don’t have a ph tester but have nitrate and ammonia strips which read the levels as good.
Changed 1/3 of water on Monday and cleaned filter (filter pads replaced 2 weeks ago)
Temp at 23c
It is quite a learning curve, your first aquarium. Expect some difficulties, but be determined, you can get a hold on much of this. Colin will know the actual issue, but you do have too many fish in this small a tank (they will grow), the goldfish might be a real problem. And what is the blue eyed rainbow, is that a rainbowfish or something else?
Yes I think it is a blue eyed rainbow fish, it was accidentally in the bag so didn’t actually pick it and had to google to see what it was.
Just struggling to do the video via YouTube it says it’s private but I have put it as public.
Just struggling to do the video via YouTube it says it’s private but I have put it as public.
It's great you can do the videos, that will help Colin and others when they see this. From the photo at the top, it's actually a lovely fish. We can help you with stocking suggestions afterwards. You will have that steep learning curve like a lot of us had, and some our still having, but with perseverance and comittment, you will enjoy the hobby! You will.learn things like Corydoras need to be in large groups, we can cover that later (I have a group of 21, but my tank is 180 litres).
It looks like physical damage that is covered by excess mucous. Keep the tank clean and monitor for white fluffy stuff (fungus) or red area around or in the wound (bacteria). Salt will treat both of these and you could add some salt now to reduce the chance of infection but it should clear up by itself if the tank and water is clean.
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SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), swimming pool salt, or any non iodised salt (sodium chloride) to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres (5 gallons) of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.
Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.
The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria, fish, plants, shrimp or snails.
After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.
If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.
When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.
-----------------
SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), swimming pool salt, or any non iodised salt (sodium chloride) to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres (5 gallons) of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.
Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.
The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria, fish, plants, shrimp or snails.
After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.
If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.
When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.
Thankyou for your reply. My danio does seem to be feeling better today. I will do another water change to keep things clean and keep an eye out in case I need to add salt.
I think the other danios may have targeted it, probably need more of them but I am restricted by the size of the tank at the moment. I do plan on getting a bigger tank, this was just one for starting up in so may have to get a bigger one sooner than planned.
I think the other danios may have targeted it, probably need more of them but I am restricted by the size of the tank at the moment. I do plan on getting a bigger tank, this was just one for starting up in so may have to get a bigger one sooner than planned.
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