Not a *GOOD* sign!

[FishKids]

I have had such great luck for the last several months that we are amazed to see during this morning's feeding a Tetra swimming lopsided. It was chasing down the food and eating but swimming as if it had lost equilibrium.

I have seen this a couple times before and the results are never good. It usually means the end of the fish’s life is near. Curious though, I have always wondered what should be the best approach.

1. If there is such a thing as a fish with a temporary bellyache, perhaps gas! …is there a cure, or treatment for such a thing?
2. Assuming a treatment can be prescribed, should we immediately remove the fish to an isolation tank and begin treatment?
3. I am *VERY* fastidious with regards to testing, cleaning, and doing everything to keep the happy community smiling. My ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels are always *perfect*, and temperatures are maintained to +-1 degree, even during weekly (25%) water changes. The last time I have seen a Tetra go in this direction was under the same circumstances, and the day after a monthly scrubbing of the algae that coincided with a partial water change…, perhaps agitation and shock is an issue?
4. We have live plants and there has been PLENTY of green algae lately, so I have reduced the amount of light (...and the NANO Cube has PLENTY) from 12-hours to 10-hours. If green is healthy then the fish should be all smiles , if not then what to do about excess algae?
5. If this is the way all fish past-on to another world, would it be best to remove it before the others decide to indulge in a partially fresh meal?
6. Finally, if this IS that unfortunate removal time, what is the best practice for euphemizing fish?

Thanks for the taking time to help us… Cheers!

 

[KnightFire]

1. Fish can get constipation etc, but that doesnt normally affect their swimming (swimbladder diseases do that)

2. Its probably best if you have a tank available, as you can keep it dark etc, which is less stressful for the fish so aids recovery

3. could be, but tetra are fairly hardy. Maybe some polutant was introduced while cleaning.

4. Algae isnt bad for the fish as long as there isnt too much. Just keep an eye on the water parameters.

5. best to remove it as decaying fish produce a lot of ammonia, which isnt good.

6. Its best to let it die naturally unless its obviousley in a lot of pain. Euthenasia is always contraversial, but I have read that the best thing to do is to wrap its from the 'neck' down and then concuss the fish by striking its head sharply against the edge of a table. Then pierce its brain with a sharp instrument to ensure an instant death. Never done it myself though, and I probably wouldnt do it in this case, just remove the fish to a hospital tank, do what you can for it and if it passes away, let it do so without being hassled by others or stressed because it thinks its vulnerable due to the light etc.

KF

 

[Angel Lady]

Could be swimbladder in this case you would need to get some frozen peas. Hull them out mash up the center of the pea and feed it to the fish. and try not to feed them for a day or so after. If it is swimbladder this will help.. That is just about the only thing I know to do in case of swimbladder.

 

[Never2Bknown]

My mother's favorite goldfish was also plagued by this not long ago. It was swimming lopsided and even did somersaults in the water. The cause of it was constipation from being fed poor quality food. As a remedy, we put a couple of drops of cod liver oil down its throat. Though simple, it worked almost immediately. Continuing the remedy, the fish was not fed for five days. After that, it was fed green things, such as algae tablets for a while. The goldfish recuperated beautifully.

As for swim bladder disease (which it may also be), medicines can be storebought from your local fish store. It is often caused in tropical fish by temperatures that are too low or, in more serious cases, by fatty degeneration of the swim bladder itself. Fatty degeneration of the internal organs is caused by feeding the fish with too many foodstuffs full of fat and carbohydrates in comparison to proteins. It may be avoided by feeding your fish with a varied diet.

 

[SneakBetta]

Just by reading the title, I would guess it's swim bladder disease. I would buy meds as quick as possible (sorry, I don't know any good meds for this disease).

 

[cutecotton]

i'd vote for siwm bladder disease too, the pea thing works really well and it cleans out their digestive system anyways so you can feed it to the rest of your tank if you have another tank i'd spereate him..but how you'd do that without having him go depress becuase he's all by himself is beyond me

 

[FishKids]

Thank you all for your replies and great suggestions!

...OK, "swim bladder disease" it may have been, but weird enough is the fact the original Tetra, the one swimming lopsided, is now DOING WELL!! So no funeral , burial at sea, worries of decaying fish to produce a lot of ammonia, or euphemizing as one member recommended by "wrapping it from the 'neck' down and then concuss the fish by striking its head sharply against the edge of a table, then pierce its brain with a sharp instrument to ensure an instant death." YUK!!!!

But WAIT, because here is the real kicker...
Now the Platy is acting up! He is the largest and hardiest fish in the tank that was also one of the two Platies used to break in and help begin the cycling of our tank back in Feb. He and some of the others have survived a lot when initially the going was real rough. Now that consistent levels have been maintained for the past 12+ weeks it makes little sense that any of this could be happening.

This Platy is showing no signs of the “swim bladder disease” as with the earlier Tetra, but has become anti-social, swims very little, and stopped eating in the past 24-hours. His dorsal fin is laying flat (…not extended upward to help negotiate movement). Around the midsection, where once was solid orange, is now with a very slight off coloration and clear dullness. All the others in the community are doing well.

The water levels are great except the nitrate being a little higher then I would like at 12.5 mg/l. I am with live plants and recently with some concern over the amount of green algae. Again, it is SO weird that this Platy would now be in some trouble. Appreciate once again any advice. Cheers!

 

[Angel Lady]

Did you try the peas???I think that is the best thing you could do for them. I would feed them peas one day and let them go without nothing to eat the next day and try that for a few days and see if this will help them any..I hope they get better for you..

 

[FishKids]

...the peas were not used because the Tetra got better shortly after the posting to this forum. Should I begin feeding the fish peas even if the Platy does NOT have the same symptoms? He is NOT swimming lopsided and doing summersaults. Cheers!

 

[Angel Lady]

I would if I were you. Peas wont hurt them I think it does them good ever now and then. I sure think you will take care of your problem if you feed them to your fish. The way I do it is feed them peas one day and dont feed them anything the next day. And repeat it one more time, and it usually fixes the problem..

 

[KnightFire]

Yea, platty naturally eat mostly vegetable matter, so its good for them to have a bit of real vegetable matter every now and then. Have you recently changed what your feeding them or when you feed them?
It sounds like the platty is a little uncomfortable but not critically ill, so try the pea trick (or any of the other vegetables that people reccomend) and see how you get on.

KF

 

[Danno]

I dont want to raise alarm but i looked at the diseases and the only one that affected thier equalibrium is "Neon Tetra Disease". You might wan tto look into that. Even though the name is "Neon Tetra" I think that go to other fish too. Well, thats all know about that disease, and if it is that, GET AMMEDIAT HELP, its a fatal disease.

 

[cutecotton]

imo, i would try the pea thing too. It certinaly wouldn't hurt the fish in any way. and like someone else has said, platties wouldnt' mind a little real vegetable matter in thier diet. I actually feed peas to all my fish once every 2 weeks and fast them one day once a week. It helps keep thier digestive tract clean and prevent diseases.

You might wnat to keep a close eye on that tetra too, once a fish has developed swim bladder problem i believe he is more suspectible to it in the future, so i would be careful about his diet for a while.

I don't think your platy is terribly ill, unless his condition gets worse, i wouldn't be too worried. Maybe he's just going through some emotional problems

 

[FishKids]

Thanks everyone.

Unfortunately the Platy lost his life this morning. When we woke he was lying lifeless, in the vegetation at the bottom of the tank. Now the only concern I have is the cause of death and prevention. Going forward, with all the notes and comments (thank you) it seems that either “swim bladder disease” or NTD (Neon Tetra Disease) might have been the cause. Since the oldest addition to the community was over 6 weeks ago it seems unlikely an infection was imported from an outside source. There were some concerns I mentioned earlier regarding an aggressive cleaning (scrubbing) of the green algae just 2 days prior to all this happening. Since the Nano cube is only 12G there is little room for all the fish to run while all the cleaning is underway and may have represented a shock dramatic enough to cause illness to arise. The only other concern was the use of 2 products (KENT Freshwater Plant, and Pro Plant nutrients) during a time when we were experiencing excessive green algae growth. Thinking that by reducing the amount of light (…from 12 to 8 hours) would cure the problem I maintained the monthly routine of adding plant nutrients. Perhaps the prudent thing would have been to wait awhile until the green algae subsided.

In conclusion:
The exact cause of this illness effecting first the Neon Tetra (fully recovered within 48-hours with no intervention), and then the Sunrise Platy (died with 48-hours before any structured treatment could be applied), remains somewhat of a mystery. Even though the notes below clearly indicate NTD is likely, it’s never-the-less unusual that the hardiest fish in the tank would be the first (hopefully last) to die as a result.

Supporting Notes:
Neon Tetra Disease (sporazoan Plistophora hypessobryconis): Fish infected with Neon Tetra Disease will show signs of becoming pale in color (milky coloration beneath their skin). The fish will not school with the others and become listless. Through the latter stages of the disease the fish’s body will begin to degenerate. Usually the tail end of the body will seem dwarfed and becomes useless (...in our case the dorsel fin became dwarfed and useless), this will cause the fish to have trouble swimming. Upon witnessing these symptoms, death is imminent, consider euthanasia. To my knowledge their is no cure for the disease. I have seen the disease many times and have yet to see it become an epidemic. The disease will however continue to infect your fish until the cause has been remedied. Neon Tetra Disease is usually caused by stress due to poor water conditions, shock (dramatic change of environment), or being harassed by other fish. The disease is fatal but it will not kill them that quickly. It is a degenerative disease that goes through many phases and may take weeks before they will die, the actual amount of time depends on the general health of the fish. The disease is borne of a cyst and it will migrate to the digestive system and eventually the muscles of the infected fish.