neon tetra looking like it is deing

[KittenFishMom]

water parms

nitrate = 20 ppm

nitrite = 0 

CACO3 = 0 ppm

alkalinity  off high end of scale carbonate off high

pH 8.4

Temp felt normal, I can get a reading. checking it after the water chance and was 78f. 

I found a dead neon yesterday and did a water change. half spring, half aged well water containing zero ammonia.

Just now I saw tetra on its side on the bottom.  I put it in a mug with the heatered well water which is aging with a sponge filter. I added half a finger print of first bites fry food because I have been cutting back on overfeeding. I added 2 csmall cryistals of aquarium salt to help with electrolytes. The fish swam a bit and went to the bottom. I took it out and I looked at all 4 sides with a magnifying glass. The fish was breathing, but not flipping around much at all. I could find no sign of anything amiss. The gill area was not red, mouth and belly and vent looked fine.   It is now resting on its belly in the water, not on it's side. It is also out of the bright aquarium light. I have had the neons about 1 year. They have been through a lot in the last year while I was caring for Mom. I have been slowly transitioning from sprint water to well water. (Planning on getting RODI water system soon. Had to deal with hot water heat leaking and being replaced this week. ) 

There is IAL in the tanks, added a new one with the water change. other fish are 1 male betta, 2 corys, 3 kuhli loaches and 8 or so neons from the batch I got a year ago.

Any thoughts or advice?

[Colu]

On 11/13/2022 at 10:04 PM, KittenFishMom said:

water parms

nitrate = 20 ppm

nitrite = 0 

CACO3 = 0 ppm

alkalinity  off high end of scale carbonate off high

pH 8.4

Temp felt normal, I can get a reading. checking it after the water chance and was 78f. 

I found a dead neon yesterday and did a water change. half spring, half aged well water containing zero ammonia.

Just now I saw tetra on its side on the bottom.  I put it in a mug with the heatered well water which is aging with a sponge filter. I added half a finger print of first bites fry food because I have been cutting back on overfeeding. I added 2 csmall cryistals of aquarium salt to help with electrolytes. The fish swam a bit and went to the bottom. I took it out and I looked at all 4 sides with a magnifying glass. The fish was breathing, but not flipping around much at all. I could find no sign of anything amiss. The gill area was not red, mouth and belly and vent looked fine.   It is now resting on its belly in the water, not on it's side. It is also out of the bright aquarium light. I have had the neons about 1 year. They have been through a lot in the last year while I was caring for Mom. I have been slowly transitioning from sprint water to well water. (Planning on getting RODI water system soon. Had to deal with hot water heat leaking and being replaced this week. ) 

There is IAL in the tanks, added a new one with the water change. other fish are 1 male betta, 2 corys, 3 kuhli loaches and 8 or so neons from the batch I got a year ago.

Any thoughts or advice?

Is difficult when you find a fish on the bottom of the tank with no signs of illness or injury's it could be a number of causes have you checked your ammonia in case you had a spike all I could suggest treatment wise is add 1 table spoon for 3 gallons of aquarium salt increase the levels of desolve oxygen by add extra air stones update if you notice any other symptoms 

Edited November 14, 2022 by Colu
Missing word

[KittenFishMom]

@Colu is that 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt to 3 gallons of water? I have 2 HOB waterfall filters, a sponge filter and and air stone in that tank. No ammonia for weeks in that tank. plus driftwood and IALs.

I agree. How do you treat the symptoms when there aren't any. It might be the pH. I had tried to keep it lower with seachem acid buffer, but adding once everyday day or 2 seems like it was making the pH swing up and down too much. I think, like me, this last year has really worn the fish down. I will get my strength back, but I know that some of the fish may not.

Thank you so much for all your help and support. I no longer panic when I notice a problem. I say "What would Colu ask?" and "What would Colu recommend for first aide to calm the fish and make in comfortable while we wait for advice?".

[Colu]

On 11/14/2022 at 12:57 AM, KittenFishMom said:

@Colu is that 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt to 3 gallons of water? I have 2 HOB waterfall filters, a sponge filter and and air stone in that tank. No ammonia for weeks in that tank. plus driftwood and IALs.

I agree. How do you treat the symptoms when there aren't any. It might be the pH. I had tried to keep it lower with seachem acid buffer, but adding once everyday day or 2 seems like it was making the pH swing up and down too much. I think, like me, this last year has really worn the fish down. I will get my strength back, but I know that some of the fish may not.

Thank you so much for all your help and support. I no longer panic when I notice a problem. I say "What would Colu ask?" and "What would Colu recommend for first aide to calm the fish and make in comfortable while we wait for advice?".

Yes 1 table spoon for 3 gallons of aquarium salt I would focus of a stable pH rather than using buffer to alter the pH in the long run a stable pH is more important all you can do at this point is supportive care and hopefully it will pull though with salt and Indian almond leaves 

[Adam Swarbrick]

It’s the sad part of fish keeping, hopefully they can pull through. All you can do is keep a nice stable environment for them. A lot of people chase parameters adding one chemical to lower X parameter then another to raise Y parameter, in my experience it just stresses the fish. Most fish will be fine in dechlorinated tap water just as long as it’s kept the same over time.