Oh Boy

[JasonO53]

Hi people. Could really do with your help:

A couple of months ago I noticed one of my golden Barbs started to get a little skinny. Its never had a problem with lack of food or ever been bullied. Over the weeks it got worse and the poor little thing got thinner and thinner. The thinner he/she got, the heavier the breathing got.

Water Quality wasnt an issue. Ammonia was/still is 0, Nitrite was/still is 0 and Nitrate has fluctuated between 5-10 whilst ph is normally 7.5ish The tank size is 125Litres. I do a water change twice a week, roughly 10-15% every time. The water going back in is then 50/50 treated tap water and RO.

After digging around I first thought this could be internal bacteria. Did a course of treatment but alas no avil. This was then repeated after Carbon filtration from the first go. Still didnt help.

The next thing that I tried after doing a bit of digging was a course of fluke worm treatment using Paragon waterlife, as I dont have a treatment tank (yet) and I have shrimp, all the other ranges of treatment would have wiped out my little crustation buddies with the main ingredient being copper if I'm not mistaken. There were no obvious external issues to suggest this one. It was more a stab in the dark.

Now the barb has stopped getting thinner, it eats loads, but its not putting on any weight and the breathing is still heavy.

Any ideas? He's like a little vetran in my tank. The handful of golden barbs I have were the first fish I bought, about a year and half ago. Be sad if anything happened to it. When I get a sec I'll see about uploading a photo.

Thanks in advance

Jason

 

[Espyish]

It sounds like either intestinal parasites or worms. You can usually get medication for it at your local pet store.

Good Luck,

Espyish

 

[WILDER]

Being skinny can be old age, internal parasites, fish tb to flukes.
What do the gills look like are they red and inflamed.
Or pale with excess mucas.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.
Check the anus to see if its enlarged or red and inflamed.
What does it look like when the fish go to the toilet.
Any worms prutruding from the anus.
Lost any fish to bent spines.

 

[JasonO53]

Thanks for replying.

That's the weird thing, there's no inflammation anywhere. No visible worms or parasites, no flicking or erratic swimming. As for it's poo, as normal as fish poo can look.... Its also the only fish in my tank to have these symptoms.

The only ones I've lost was a batch of poor neon's from Pets at home, but that was 6 months ago, (First and last time I went there) and they just vanished in a week. No trace was ever found.

Think I might have to put this one down to age? If so do I let it carry on? The last thing I want it to do is suffer.

 

[WILDER]

When you lost the neons tetras they didn't look bleached out in the red stripe area did they.

 

[jaycat]

Hi Wilder,

why do you ask re neons looking washed out? My cardinals sometimes look like that.

Ta

 

[WILDER]

Just wondering if the neons died of ntd.