Need help with a diagnosis
- Thread starter Aroc2226
- Start date
Get your ich meds ready. Clamping and rubbing against things can be a sign, and while the photo is grainy, there may be a cyst in her tail.
Definitely fin clamped and unhappy, but not nearly enough info to make a diagnosis! None of us can really make a 100% diagnosis anyway, we're not fish vets! But clamping means super stressed, whether that's from illness, poor water quality - could be anything, so we need a lot more info about the tank to be able to offer any suggestions or possiblities.
If you copy paste and fill out the template below, it can help narrow down what's going on. Video of the tank and fish can be incredibly helpful, and usually easier than taking photos.
Template
Request Help
Tank size:
tank age:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:
Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Volume and Frequency of water changes:
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
Tank inhabitants:
Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):
Exposure to chemicals:
Digital photo (include if possible):
If you copy paste and fill out the template below, it can help narrow down what's going on. Video of the tank and fish can be incredibly helpful, and usually easier than taking photos.
Template
Request Help
Tank size:
tank age:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:
Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Volume and Frequency of water changes:
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
Tank inhabitants:
Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):
Exposure to chemicals:
Digital photo (include if possible):
Template
Request Help
Tank size: 29 gallons
tank age: 6months
pH: 7.2
ammonia:.25
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH:
gH:
tank temp:78
Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Slight clamping of dorsal fin. Tail slightly clamped as well. ‘Flips out’ on one particular plant leaf.
Volume and Frequency of water changes:
3 gallons per week
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
None
Tank inhabitants:
Molly, Sword Fish, Platy, Bristle Nose, Kuhli, Assassins Snail,
Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): No recent additions
Exposure to chemicals: None
Digital photo (include if possible):
Request Help
Tank size: 29 gallons
tank age: 6months
pH: 7.2
ammonia:.25
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH:
gH:
tank temp:78
Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Slight clamping of dorsal fin. Tail slightly clamped as well. ‘Flips out’ on one particular plant leaf.
Volume and Frequency of water changes:
3 gallons per week
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
None
Tank inhabitants:
Molly, Sword Fish, Platy, Bristle Nose, Kuhli, Assassins Snail,
Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): No recent additions
Exposure to chemicals: None
Digital photo (include if possible):
Either poor water quality or an external protozoan infection. Try adding some salt. If there's no improvement after a week with salt, get a white spot medication and treat them with that.
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 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.
If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 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 but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect 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 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.
If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 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 but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect 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.
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