My Poor Rainbow Fish!

[newfishaddict]

I bought 5 neon rainbow fish about 5 weeks ago (4 females one male). 4 of them are growing fast and doing great. One of them is apparently wasting away! She eats and swims fine(a little slow) but she has been slowly getting smaller; so slowly that it was hard to notice. But, I can now see that it is obvious this fish is sick.

I have read that when fish eat good but still waste away that it is usually intestinal parasites, is this true?

What should I do?

I do not have a quarantine tank available now….
I could use a bucket airstone and heater perhaps.....?

 

[mikev]

Firstly, are you sure it is actually getting smaller? It is not exactly easy to do for a vertibrate... More likely, it is simply getting smaller relative to the other fish, and this creates an illusion.

Secondly, the rates of growth may vary widely. I got four identical young polka-dots about three months ago, all slightly under 1". Right now one of them is nearly 2" (?!), two are about 1.3", and one is still under 1". I know it is not getting smaller (measured), but it surely looks like it does.

Now, if I were in your place, I'd probably try feeding it medicated food rather than moving it to a bucket. (Most fish that goes to a quarantine tank does not make it back...and you don't even have a proper quarantine tank...). Not that there is any way to know if parasites are really responsible...it just may be its genetics...

(And I wish I knew what to do with my not-growing fish...Unlike your case, it also has very limited interest in food.)

Good luck.

 

[newfishaddict]

Firstly, are you sure it is actually getting smaller? It is not exactly easy to do for a vertibrate... More likely, it is simply getting smaller relative to the other fish, and this creates an illusion.

Secondly, the rates of growth may vary widely. I got four identical young polka-dots about three months ago, all slightly under 1". Right now one of them is nearly 2" (?!), two are about 1.3", and one is still under 1". I know it is not getting smaller (measured), but it surely looks like it does.

Now, if I were in your place, I'd probably try feeding it medicated food rather than moving it to a bucket. (Most fish that goes to a quarantine tank does not make it back...and you don't even have a proper quarantine tank...). Not that there is any way to know if parasites are really responsible...it just may be its genetics...

(And I wish I knew what to do with my not-growing fish...Unlike your case, it also has very limited interest in food.)

Good luck.

Her mass has decreased, I am almost certain. I dont think her length has decreased...

Her mass is about 1/15 of the largest fish(the one male) and when I bought them they were almost all the same size. Her mass is about 1/7 of the second smallest fish....

But an interesting thing happened yesterday; I saw a red filament like "thing" with two white round egg looking objects come out of her anus. The white round egg looking objects seem to be about 3mm in diameter, and much larger than any feces that I have ever seen expelled from a fish that size...

I saw this red filament protrude from her anus two weeks ago and GO BACK IN!!!!

I saw where this extrusion landed in the aquarium and siphoned it out....

Firstly, are you sure it is actually getting smaller? It is not exactly easy to do for a vertibrate... More likely, it is simply getting smaller relative to the other fish, and this creates an illusion.

Secondly, the rates of growth may vary widely. I got four identical young polka-dots about three months ago, all slightly under 1". Right now one of them is nearly 2" (?!), two are about 1.3", and one is still under 1". I know it is not getting smaller (measured), but it surely looks like it does.

Now, if I were in your place, I'd probably try feeding it medicated food rather than moving it to a bucket. (Most fish that goes to a quarantine tank does not make it back...and you don't even have a proper quarantine tank...). Not that there is any way to know if parasites are really responsible...it just may be its genetics...

(And I wish I knew what to do with my not-growing fish...Unlike your case, it also has very limited interest in food.)

Good luck.

What type of fish is it not eating?

I had a dwarf gourami that wouldnt eat flakes but well rinsed frozen bloodworms were devoured...

 

[mikev]

>>I saw where this extrusion landed in the aquarium and siphoned it out....

Congradulations! Hopefully, it was only one and it did not leave eggs in your tank.

>>What type of fish is it not eating?

Polka-dot loach. Unfortunately, I know that the food is right, since the other loaches of the same species eat and grow fine. OK, I'm going to watch its anus.

 

[newfishaddict]

>>I saw where this extrusion landed in the aquarium and siphoned it out....

Congradulations! Hopefully, it was only one and it did not leave eggs in your tank.

>>What type of fish is it not eating?

Polka-dot loach. Unfortunately, I know that the food is right, since the other loaches of the same species eat and grow fine. OK, I'm going to watch its anus.

Do you have an idea what it wasseems like you might...It looked like eggs but I am not certain it was eggs....just seemed like the best way to describe it...

 

[mikev]

Sorry, no idea. You can try searching (googling) for fish parasites, maybe you'll hit a related image.
(I'm assuming --from your description-- it may be some kind of parasitic worm which also lays eggs, which may be eaten by other fish...this is how worms reproduce).

 

[dwarfgourami]

But an interesting thing happened yesterday; I saw a red filament like "thing" with two white round egg looking objects come out of her anus. The white round egg looking objects seem to be about 3mm in diameter, and much larger than any feces that I have ever seen expelled from a fish that size...

I saw this red filament protrude from her anus two weeks ago and GO BACK IN!!!!

I saw where this extrusion landed in the aquarium and siphoned it out....

Sounds like the camellanus worm. Google on camellanus. YOu may be able to treat with medication; see if your lfs has something. Can't remember offhand if Pimafix does anything for this or not. Keep up with water changes so as to keep down the spread of the nasties.

 

[mikev]

This thing?:

If yes, or something similar, Google on Levamisole also.