Erik Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 The other day I noticed one of my fish either sitting at the bottom or top. It was just the one. Now two days later it’s dead and one more fish is bobbing at the top still alive. None of the other fish are doing that tho. Doing a 50% water change right now. Water perimeters before water change where 10ppm nitrate 0 nitrite 150 hardness, 80-120 kh, 7.6 ph, 0 chlorine. The first fish that Dora’s was a balloon Mollie and the one floating now is a cardinal tetra. Tetra is being very lethargic barely responding to anything. Any help for possible diagnosis or solutions would be appreciated also water temp 80f. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 @Erik I researched this for a bit before responding. Do you have any pictures of the fish, is there physical evidence of disease? If not it could be a natural cause. Hopefully, I helped, and I hope you can rid your fish of this disease and they bounce back in no time. Good luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted November 17, 2023 Author Share Posted November 17, 2023 Pictures of fish side and top Do you think I should euthanize this fish so it can’t infect others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 (edited) @Erik Nothing looks wrong, how long have you kept it? It could just be its lethargic because of its age... Thats how it was with my betta Cloud, he got lethargic and wouldn't eat, he died a week later from old age. Could also be some kind of poisoning but all of your parameters look fish-safe. I also see no discoloration or white spots so I would conclude it is natural causes. I'm ever so slightly, fairly, experienced though and I would ask @nabokovfan87 or @Fish Folk about it, they seem like experienced keepers and can probably help more than I can, Again, good luck! Edited November 17, 2023 by Kaiju Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 If fish are at the top, I would add an extra airstone ASAP. What is your ammonia reading? @Colu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 @Chick-In-Of-TheSea I was also gonna ask about ammonia because I researched for @Erik to find out what's plaguing his fish. One of the common causes of mysterious deaths are ammonia poisoning. But I didn't realise till now on the top view, part of the fish is above water which could mean probably a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted November 17, 2023 Author Share Posted November 17, 2023 The balloon Molly I got a few months ago and the cardinal I have had for a year and a half. Ammonia was 0ppm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 @Erik you said this is a Cardinal tetra? It might be some kind of lack of oxygen then if its floating to the surface, not old age as apparently they can live to 5 years. Any behaviours you notice about it? (Ex: Gasping for air, trying to jump, or anything like that). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted November 17, 2023 Author Share Posted November 17, 2023 The cardinal tetra is trying not to stay floating at the top almost like it’s a swim bladder issue but it dosnt look bloated Like it can’t help but not float. I see it swimming towards the bottom but it just floats right back up as soon as it stops swimming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 Could be a swim bladder issue, take a picture of a regular Cardinal from google and compare it to yours. It probably could be a swim bladder issue. Again, I don't have much experience with tetras and I would ask people like @nabokovfan87, @Chick-In-Of-TheSea, or @Fish Folk they have a lot of experience it seems. I personally think it isn't a disease but now that you mention it, it probably could be swim bladder. I noticed the big stomach earlier but thought it was normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted November 17, 2023 Author Share Posted November 17, 2023 Maybe it is bloated now that I’m looking at my other cardinals it does look a little plumper. Not much just a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 From what iv'e found to try to help you; "If your fish looks - let's say “chubby” - there could be a few reasons why: They're full of eggs, which is a sign they're well cared for. They're bloated, which is a sign of disease or intestinal blockage." From what I'm hearing from you, i'd say you can narrow it down to 1. Bloated, intestinal problems or blockage, or swim bladder 2. A phase of lethargy for some reason 3. Full of eggs. I think the third reason is unlikely but it could always be true. This is just my two cents but good luck to you and your tetras! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 On 11/17/2023 at 3:43 PM, Erik said: The cardinal tetra is trying not to stay floating at the top almost like it’s a swim bladder issue but it dosnt look bloated Like it can’t help but not float. I see it swimming towards the bottom but it just floats right back up as soon as it stops swimming Have you see any rapid breathing lethargy flashing spitting food out sunken belly fish that died or this cardinal have you added any new fish to this tank that could have bought in disease recently what filtration are you using Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted November 17, 2023 Author Share Posted November 17, 2023 Newest fish I have put in was a ballon Molly I got about 2 months ago was also the last fish I’ve had die (I found it dead today but it had been acting weird for the last two days) no sunken belly fish. I use a sponge filter. As for the rapid breathing I don’t think it is. It’s not breathing or flaring its mouth more than the others. I don’t think it’s gasping. I never saw the ballon Molly gasping either it was rather kinda floating at the top barely responding to me putting my hand in the water or resting on a leaf or bottom with its nose pointed up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 On 11/17/2023 at 4:17 PM, Erik said: Newest fish I have put in was a ballon Molly I got about 2 months ago was also the last fish I’ve had die (I found it dead today but it had been acting weird for the last two days) no sunken belly fish. I use a sponge filter. As for the rapid breathing I don’t think it is. It’s not breathing or flaring its mouth more than the others. I don’t think it’s gasping. I never saw the ballon Molly gasping either it was rather kinda floating at the top barely responding to me putting my hand in the water or resting on a leaf or bottom with its nose pointed up Did you quarantine the Molly before adding it to your tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted November 17, 2023 Author Share Posted November 17, 2023 No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted November 17, 2023 Share Posted November 17, 2023 The temp is slightly high, so dropping that slightly adds oxygenation to the water, reduces stress. That also indicates the need for added air. I have small tanks with 2-3 air stones and so I will always recommend "add another one." And see if that helps the fish. I would think you have either some sort of kidney issue, lack of energy from making eggs, or a swim bladder issue. Once you have a few days with good oxygenation and the temp lowered slightly, then I would proceed to treat for internal bacterial infection. This is essentially the most common reason you'd see something like bloating pop up. Swollen abdomen will be what you look for on the box of meds. Maracyn, maracyn 2, or kanaplex. Would be the meds to look into. You don't need to move the fish, but if the fish passes, you don't want others to bite on it. Sidenote, in addition to adding air, you can add a mild dose of salt. 1 tbsp per 5 gallons and it should be ok with most plants as well. It will help reduce some stress and increase gill function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted November 17, 2023 Author Share Posted November 17, 2023 Thank you I’ll try that! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now