Sick Black Ruby Barb - Advice Needed

[Hathaway]

1. Water parameters. (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH, temp', Hardness etc)
Ammonia and nitrite are now nil (explained below). Nitrate 50ppm approx. Temperature 25.5 - 26C. PH 7.6. Hardness I'm not sure but I've fairly hard water.
2. A full description of the fishes symptoms.
I've uploaded a video to YouTube (below) which showcases the symptoms. However he's more lethargic, has frayed fins and some white markings on his side. I don't know if they're scrapes to his scales or white fuzz of some kind.
3. How often you do water changes and how much.
Usually once a week about 35%. However I think I may have caused this issue as this past month I've only done bi weekly water changes. I've now done two larger water changes and the 0.5ppm ammonia spike I had has gone back to 0. I think decaying plant matter caused the spike as I've had a lot of my plants die of late.
4. Any chemicals and treatments you add to the water.
He's now isolated in my quarantine tank as of today and I've added an initial dose of melafix. Otherwise I just use prime after each water change and add flourish at the same time.
5. What tank mates are in the tank.
Another 7 black rubys, 4 clown loach, 4 cardinal tetra, 2 siamese algae eaters, 6 otocinclus vestitus and 1 bristlenose pleco.
6. Tank size.
4ft, 350 litres.
7. Finally Have you recently added any new fish?
No

https/youtu.be/4o62CADlJ2E

I'm guessing that he has fin rot due to my mismanaging the water changes these past few weeks. But from the video does that look correct? Would it explain his unusual movements and the white fuzz on the side of his body?
Am I also doing the right thing by dosing with melafix, or is there something else I should be using?
No other fish are showing any ill effects but I've done a couple of daily water changes as well as my scheduled change on Sunday and I'll probably keep that up for at least a couple more days unless suggested longer.

I'm pretty sure he's the beta male. So he gets chased by the alpha a fair amount, if that's of any consequence. Though there's plenty of room and breaks in the line of sight.

Also my nitrates are as low as they can go as it's high in the tap water unfortunately.

Would really like to save him if I could. Watching the barbs, in particular the males that stand out, has been the highlight of owning this tank.

 

[betta fish]

It looks a bit like dropsy to me in which case there is not much that can be done 

does his scales stick out when viewed from above like a pine cone?

 

[Hathaway]

It's very hard to tell, if they are raised then it isn't by much. He's not swollen at all though.
I have a bottle of Interpet Anti Internal Bacteria which claims to be used for fish with dropsy but I'd need to be sure before using it, I presume?
Just to add, he was feeding normally when I fed the fish earlier today before removing him to quarantine.
I guess it's possible this could be the very early stage of dropsy.

 

[Hathaway]

Can anyone give me advice on what to do please? I've provided a great deal of information and visual feedback and I feel time is off the essence.
I'd rather start an effective treatment ASAP or source something if I don't yet have it.

 

[gmc1]

If he is quarantined I would use another medication other than melafix.
It's hard to tell what's wrong but I personally would be dosing with something like triple sulfa.

 

[Hathaway]

That product doesn't appear to be available in the UK.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

I'm not sure what to do about your fish but the higher nitrates aren't great. You may try growing some floating plants(or other really fast growers) as these can help lower nitrates. I have no idea if there is anything you could do to lower them before doing water changes. You may look into that if you haven't already.

The ammonia spike could have caused stress which can make fish more susceptible. I couldn't tell about the fuzziness on the scales from the video as the fish was moving too much. Another one that swam through also had shine on the scales like it does so I wasn't sure what to make of it. Can you get a clear still shot? The shaking almost seems neurologic but I honestly have no idea. Is it gasping at all? It almost seems like if it was shaking its head could maybe be gill damage that's irritating it from the ammonia spike? If it was already stressed from being chased it could have been weaker already and the ammonia spike got it harder than the rest.

I'm sorry I'm not much help. Keeping the water clean is key until you know what to treat with. Maybe try something to help deal with the nitrates too would help.

 

[gmc1]

EBay international seller.would be a week or so delivery.Sorry.

 

[Hathaway]

I'm not sure what to do about your fish but the higher nitrates aren't great. You may try growing some floating plants(or other really fast growers) as these can help lower nitrates. I have no idea if there is anything you could do to lower them before doing water changes. You may look into that if you haven't already.
The ammonia spike could have caused stress which can make fish more susceptible. I couldn't tell about the fuzziness on the scales from the video as the fish was moving too much. Another one that swam through also had shine on the scales like it does so I wasn't sure what to make of it. Can you get a clear still shot? The shaking almost seems neurologic but I honestly have no idea. Is it gasping at all? It almost seems like if it was shaking its head could maybe be gill damage that's irritating it from the ammonia spike? If it was already stressed from being chased it could have been weaker already and the ammonia spike got it harder than the rest.
I'm sorry I'm not much help. Keeping the water clean is key until you know what to treat with. Maybe try something to help deal with the nitrates too would help.

  

I've tried Bio NitratEx to control the nitrates but it's had no discernible effect. I've got a mass of hornwort covering a little over half the surface of the tank, along with frogbit but it hasn't put a dent in the nitrate readings. I've all but given up on controlling it to be honest.
Other options so far are a no go for various reasons.

Black Ruby Barbs have quite a distinctive iridescence, though that's not what he's got unfortunately. I've not had time to properly evaluate his condition today, but I'll check to see if there are any other symptoms. He was it seemed, gasping though. He's far more lethargic but still moves about the tank and was feeding normally yesterday. It seems almost as though he's lost the ability to wag his tail (which is droopy) to propel him so he's resorted to those erratic head movements to propel himself instead.

EBay international seller.would be a week or so delivery.Sorry.

No worries, I appreciate the suggestion. I'm not sure he has that long given how rapidly it's taken hold.
It's a shame actually, despite being the beta male he was the largest and once coloured up was the most vivid.
Just going to have to see how this goes.

I'll try and post more pics later.

 

[betta fish]

It could be old age too, how long have you had him? was he small or adult size when you purchased him?

 

[Hathaway]

I've only had him about 6 months, and they were all very small, so I doubt he's much older than that.

 

[Akasha72]

he's certainly not well. I've not come across this head shaking thing he's doing before. As you've now said he's lost use of his tail I'm wondering if he's had some kind of stroke. 
 
I can't see anything externally that's obvious and he doesn't appear to be swollen - not constipated? 
 
I would look to see if you can get hold of a broad spectrum med - something that covers a lot of problem. Esha tend to be good for this and TAP Aquarium Doctor too. It's very difficult to know what is going on so if you can get hold of something that covers many illnesses then you stand a chance. That said, if he has had some kind of stroke there's not a med in the world that'll help him I'm afraid.
 
What you could do, seen as you've isolated him, is try water changing daily with un-dechlorinated water and let the copper in our water work in your favour. Let him swim round in the un-dechlorinated water as long as you dare. You must remember to turn the filter off if it's an external or remove it completely if it's an internal - don't want the copper killing your bacteria.
 
Best I can come up with I'm afraid - sorry

 

[Hathaway]

Thanks for your input Akasha, I hadn't considered that possibility.
Most surprisingly however he seems much better today. He's no longer shaking his head to swim, and seems to have regained some movement in his tail fin, though it's still very droopy. Think he has a bit more colour to him than when I first placed him in the quarantine tank too - the stress of moving no doubt.
I've added another dose of melafix, though I've no idea if that's helping at all, but I read it's quite benign. Last night I thought I'd made a major mistake by dosing the tank with aquarium salt, without at the time realising that had it been dropsy, (which is looking less likely now) that would have been a big mistake as epsom salt would have been needed instead.
Anyway he's responding to my presence by coming out of hiding, and he fed this evening. Fingers crossed, but his tail droop still has me concerned.

 

[Akasha72]

no problem, happy to help - not sure how much help I've been but I try 

 
Check to see if he's pooped ... just in case he's constipated and he's shaking cos he's got gut rot. Glad to hear he's a little better today. Fingers crossed he carries on improving

 

[Hathaway]

Well he seems pretty much back to normal now. The white zig zag on both sides of his body are pretty much gone and he's able to swim normally again. Still has his voracious appetite and seems to be passing waste without any problems. Gave him a deshelled pea which he eventually figured out was food yesterday, just in case.
He'll remain in the hospital tank until next week but if he shows no ill signs he can rejoin the others... looking forward to his reaction to that, and theirs lol.

His tail is still a little droopy,that may or may not go I suppose, depending on what caused it in the first place. He has slightly frayed ends on his tail fin, but I'm guessing the aquarium salt will help to heal that?

It's left me clueless still what happened though, and what's helped. He hasn't had the alpha chasing him off while he can't swim properly so I suppose that's done a lot of good on its own.

Here's a short clip of him after feeding this morning.

https/youtu.be/xkHudIvcrQ8