Need a fish Doctor stat!

Brookert

Brookert

Brookert

Soldato
Joined
13 Dec 2010
Posts
4,219
My only zebra danio female isn't doing so well at the moment. After coming home from a weekend away, I noticed she was lying at the bottom of the tank. I thought she was dead so I went to scoop her up, but she darted around the tank, swimming erratically, and ended up nosediving into the gravel.

She spends most of her time lying at the bottom, then trying to swim and nosediving into the bottom again. She wont eat peas so I cant even use the miracle cure!

any help would be lifesaving (for the fish anyway)
 
about 2-3 months now. One thing I would say is the tank wasnt in the best condition when I got back (excess feeding, left crap at the bottom). cleaned the tank thoroughly now and the conditions are good.

Other 3 danios are fine (males)

edit: yea I think its swim bladder, cant swim fo shiz at the moment, but what cause?
 
Do you have a test kit you can use for the following:

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH

And post the results?

Also what temp the water is and how long the tank has been established.

I would try dosing with melafix first, which is good for a lot of things - There any physical changes at all? Any cuts / moulds / spots at all?
 
BDEE said:
Do you have a test kit you can use for the following:

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH

And post the results?

Also what temp the water is and how long the tank has been established.

I would try dosing with melafix first, which is good for a lot of things - There any physical changes at all? Any cuts / moulds / spots at all?
Click to expand...

My test kit isn't brilliant. Only has Nitrate and Nitrite which i think are 10mg/l and 1mg/l, ph is 7.6. Temp is roughly room temp, about 21 C.

Tanks been going for about 3 months now. No cuts or spots. Any physical symptoms are lethargy, unable to maintain position in the water, and a bit pale (probably due to the stress and lack of eating at the moment).

Also, does anyone know why the biggest male in the tank is being a b*****d and chasing anything around the tank.
 
Nitrite should be 0 it is very toxic to the fish. Did you cycle your tank fully before you added your fish?

There are swim bladder treatments you can get at pet shops, so if it is that then your fish could get better.
 
wordy said:
Nitrite should be 0 it is very toxic to the fish. Did you cycle your tank fully before you added your fish?

There are swim bladder treatments you can get at pet shops, so if it is that then your fish could get better.
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the tank cycled when I had just the 2 danios, but has been a bit dodge since putting another 2 in there. The overfeeding problem was probably what cause the nitrite levels. Im using Stresszyme to help boost the cycling process.

I think the ill one isnt getting better. been about a week now, and it looks almost as if her body isnt straight anymore. Its kind of curved a bit from front to back, tumour?
 
Yeah it sounds like the filter is not cycled fo sho which could be causing her problems, OR the incteased bio load has just been too much for it with the added fish and overfeeding.

Stuff in bottles = no effect of cycling. The bacteria in it is dead by the time it reaches you unless it has been kept in a chiller from the factory, which in 99.99% of cases this doesnt happen and most shops keep it ambient.

25% water change daily for the next seven days and then test again, but you REALLY need to test for ammonia AND nitrite and keep doing 25% per day until both readings reach zero constantly.

Can I ask how you cycled the tank without being able to test for ammonia?
 
BDEE said:
Yeah it sounds like the filter is not cycled fo sho which could be causing her problems, OR the incteased bio load has just been too much for it with the added fish and overfeeding.

Stuff in bottles = no effect of cycling. The bacteria in it is dead by the time it reaches you unless it has been kept in a chiller from the factory, which in 99.99% of cases this doesnt happen and most shops keep it ambient.

25% water change daily for the next seven days and then test again, but you REALLY need to test for ammonia AND nitrite and keep doing 25% per day until both readings reach zero constantly.

Can I ask how you cycled the tank without being able to test for ammonia?
Click to expand...

had to give a sample of water to the pet shop man before I got my next two and he said it was ok.

But about the stuff in bottles, im going to have to disagree with you there, seeing as a majority of my Biology degree is microbiology.

Google endospores and have a read
 
I'd put it in a smaller tank, seperate that you can moniter easier.

If it is swim bladder it should take the pressure off it as well.

Just take your time, I managed to 'nurse' a little gold fish that was found at the bottom on its side, bent in a curve hardly able to move. Pulled back after a few weeks.
 
Biohazard said:
I'd put it in a smaller tank, seperate that you can moniter easier.

If it is swim bladder it should take the pressure off it as well.

Just take your time, I managed to 'nurse' a little gold fish that was found at the bottom on its side, bent in a curve hardly able to move. Pulled back after a few weeks.
Click to expand...

sounds like a plan, catching her shouldn't be hard :)
 
My fish Has a bladder problem and I feed it cooked crush peas and it seems to cure it, I did do a google on it and other people have has success with it. I may be wrong as I'm no expert.
 
Locky said:
My fish Has a bladder problem and I feed it cooked crush peas and it seems to cure it, I did do a google on it and other people have has success with it. I may be wrong as I'm no expert.
Click to expand...

yea tried that already but she won't eat them, or anything.

Biohazard im not sure what your saying?
 
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