Lemon tetra turning black and breathing heavy

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Potluck

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So I was doing my normal weekly water change today and I noticed one of my lemon tetras have a blackish color, breathing heavily but still eats and swims fine, also one of his eyes looks like its either blind or something is growing over it, water parameters are perfect except nitrate which I can't get lower, I've even done a full tank flush gradually over a day it's about 50 (old tank syndrome)
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
ph 7.5-7.6
Temp 77

I don't have a hospital tank for him/her i
Over filtrate the tank which is a 55 gallon, I have 1 aquaclear 110 and one aquaclear 70, and an air stone on full because I read it could be oxygen related I will try to take a pic of him but he's very skittish.


EDIT, he started floating on his side after I took the pic so I did euthanize him I do have 1 more out of a school of 7 that does not have black spots but his eye is staring to look like the one that I euthanized.

963e3952a5508ab1680fdbdd6b6b50a5.jpg
 
I can not say for sure what it is. Sometimes the fish get used to their water (old tank syndrome) and the stress of the changes of cleaner water will cause them illness.

The cloudy eyes can mean too high of toxic stuff. The pic didn't really look cloudy.

Keep up on pwc, maybe small ones every day or other day to make sure the fish are able to keep up with the water. There is an issue with osmodic pressure in them with a dramatic change in TDS, I just read something about it yesterday.
The Importance of Total Dissolved Solids in the Freshwater Aquarium - plecoplanet Forums
Not a scientist disclaimer. So it is possible I got the details off a little.
 
I don't one what's going on tbh, I'm so close to just giving up as I am ritual about my tank maintenence, i don't have many fish, just the tetras ( lemon / Buenos Aires) 1 rainbow I was actually going to restock them tomorrow but I'm not too sure about that now, and a bn, it's like one of those things when you know you're doing everything right but things still go wrong.


My tank water is always clean, never any ammonia, nitrite, ph is always the same , temps always the same the only thing that's high is nitrates which I have Been trying for years to get below 30
 
Could it be my plant ferts? I have root tabs, and dose 5ml comprehensive a week
 
How long was it like that? Looks pretty ratty (for want of a better term)?

Worth checking for ammonia straight after adding root tabs. I found one API root tab gave an ammonia reading of 0.25 in a 5gal bucket.
 
Velvet rust disease maybe. Too many bugs in the aquarium?

Source: https://pethelpful.com/fish-aquariums/velvet-disease-rust-disease-gold-dust-disease

Symptoms

The symptoms depend mainly on the severity of the infection.

During the beginning of the infection, the affected fish will show some behavioral changes, like fin twitching or body rubbing.
As it advances, the skin of the sick fish becomes dusty and opaque due to the excess of mucus that their immune system generates as a defense mechanism.
 
How long was it like that? Looks pretty ratty (for want of a better term)?

Worth checking for ammonia straight after adding root tabs. I found one API root tab gave an ammonia reading of 0.25 in a 5gal bucket.
He started changing color about a week ago I watched him/her closely, did salt dips but nothing helped
 
Velvet rust disease maybe. Too many bugs in the aquarium?

Source: https://pethelpful.com/fish-aquariums/velvet-disease-rust-disease-gold-dust-disease

Symptoms

The symptoms depend mainly on the severity of the infection.

During the beginning of the infection, the affected fish will show some behavioral changes, like fin twitching or body rubbing.
As it advances, the skin of the sick fish becomes dusty and opaque due to the excess of mucus that their immune system generates as a defense mechanism.
Don't know what you mean by bugs in the tank I see nothing visually, water tests are always perfect except for nitrate

No he/she didn't look anything like that, he/she lost his yellow color and turned dull, I have another one that isn't yellow almost white with the eye issue as well, it looks like pop eye
 
I've had them look like that and put it down to a slow bacterial infection from water conditions they don't like. In my case a couple of times I would swear it started with adding substrate tabs (but using organic fertiliser - whatever that was). In my case I think it was the high ferts / substrate dosing. So even though the basic water tests were fine, there was something in the water conditions they didn't like and stressed them out. Cue bacterial infection and slowly lost them to internal dropsy.


A larger than normal, colder than normal water change can also give problems. This I find more rare in my tank but can happen. Depends what they are used to.


If nothing has changed in the tank and you haven't added anything, all I can suggest is extra water changes as well. Add fewer substrate tabs at a time.


What I did was look at what be causing stress (eg high lights, too much ferts) and reduced where possible. In your case I'd work on getting the nitrates down as a thought.
 
I've had them look like that and put it down to a slow bacterial infection from water conditions they don't like. In my case a couple of times I would swear it started with adding substrate tabs (but using organic fertiliser - whatever that was). In my case I think it was the high ferts / substrate dosing. So even though the basic water tests were fine, there was something in the water conditions they didn't like and stressed them out. Cue bacterial infection and slowly lost them to internal dropsy.


A larger than normal, colder than normal water change can also give problems. This I find more rare in my tank but can happen. Depends what they are used to.


If nothing has changed in the tank and you haven't added anything, all I can suggest is extra water changes as well. Add fewer substrate tabs at a time.


What I did was look at what be causing stress (eg high lights, too much ferts) and reduced where possible. In your case I'd work on getting the nitrates down as a thought.
I have just 3 tabs of flourish, I dose once a week with Seachem flourish comprehensive, I've tried everything for the past probably 2+ years to get the nitrate down, many many posts about it, from doing multiple water changes a week to doing one big one, too adding plants, to cleaning filters alternating the 2 in 2 week intervals, I clean all my decor every water change, vac 50% gravel one week 50% the next, clean the glass, feed 4 days a week 2-3 x a day with very small amounts, light cycle is 12/12, when I gravel vac I barely get anything from the substrate waste wise. It's frustrating belive me lol
 
No worries, I know what you mean. Is your tap water free of nitrates just to check.

My tank used to run about 40ppm before it went heavily planted.

Mainly I think here in established tanks it's just chipping away at what you think might stress them out. So maybe try adding substrate tabs mid-week seperate to a water change.

For reducing nitrates - plants, gravel vacs under rocks and filter cleans I found useful. I'm sure you know this already. How clean are you getting the filters? I've found these can produce a lot of nitrates.

Not without research and testing and running multiple filters but I clean alternate filters under the hose now. Obviously it depends on tap water chlorine levels, tank maturity, filter media / maturity and how much you clean vs total filter volume. As a test in my tap water I've let a canister filter sit over night in untreated tap water with still no impact on ammonia levels.

So while I'm not suggesting rush out and clean filters with tap water (it all depends on treatment), established filters may be tougher than thought and you can try cleaning more if they are going back into tank a little dirty. I run three filters plus plants though so I can be a little relaxed on this - I have managed to mini-cycle a filter before from cleaning too often.
 
No worries, I know what you mean. Is your tap water free of nitrates just to check.

My tank used to run about 40ppm before it went heavily planted.

Mainly I think here in established tanks it's just chipping away at what you think might stress them out. So maybe try adding substrate tabs mid-week seperate to a water change.

For reducing nitrates - plants, gravel vacs under rocks and filter cleans I found useful. I'm sure you know this already. How clean are you getting the filters? I've found these can produce a lot of nitrates.

Not without research and testing and running multiple filters but I clean alternate filters under the hose now. Obviously it depends on tap water chlorine levels, tank maturity, filter media / maturity and how much you clean vs total filter volume. As a test in my tap water I've let a canister filter sit over night in untreated tap water with still no impact on ammonia levels.

So while I'm not suggesting rush out and clean filters with tap water (it all depends on treatment), established filters may be tougher than thought and you can try cleaning more if they are going back into tank a little dirty. I run three filters plus plants though so I can be a little relaxed on this - I have managed to mini-cycle a filter before from cleaning too often.
I don't add tabs weekly the ones that are in there have been in there a month (Seachem flourish) , I swish the media in tank water and clean the sponge in treated tap water, I'm getting new substrate soon so I can go more plants, which will take me a month or 1.5 months to switch it as I'm doing 1/4 gravel per week so I don't chance disturbing my bio bed and cycling my tank, don't know if I'm over thinking it but I do not want to recycle my tank, when I gravel vac I do 50% one week and 50%the next very thorough to the point nothing shows in the tube, I do under my holey rock as well only thing I don't vacuum is the side where my plants are as I don't want to suck up the tabs or the ferts in the substrate.
 
Dang, it sounds like you are doing things like they should. Maybe the new substrate will help. This is a hard situation to crack.
I have been beating my head against the wall for the last 2+years over this lol
 
Yes, I agree.

I'm just saying here that when I've added tabs I tend to add during a water change (either monthly or weekly). So my thought was this may be changing water chemistry twice through a water change and adding root tabs (if you did do that). But as it above it sounds like you've thought it all through, I'm just listing ones that have given me trouble.

Other option is just to accept some fish may not be suited if you keep losing them. Neons I've given up on. Tried them three times and was going to swap to barbs when got Congo Tetras instead.

Another option (which is unfortunately not good for display tanks) is go to bare glass or maybe fine sand. My sister does that with plants on driftwood and some potted plants. I do that now on a small tank and it's amazing the amount of waste I remove each week.
 
I am really curious why you might not think this to be a protozoan infection with all of the good water test results? I mean what alternative remains to be considered?
 
I am really curious why you might not think this to be a protozoan infection with all of the good water test results? I mean what alternative remains to be considered?

Good question. Over to the OP for checking. I'm assuming you are thinking external parasites here, not internal?

In all cases of parasites I've had, it's been from recently bought fish or plants (in water). I'll allow that parasites can survive in the gills unnoticed but on parasite life cycle timing / tank stocking, I can trace it back to a purchase within a week. Then the usual flashing or slime / excess mucus or sheen or spots. One for the OP to check of cause, this is just what I see.

Always hoping to learn, what were you seeing?
 
Good question. Over to the OP for checking. I'm assuming you are thinking external parasites here, not internal?

In all cases of parasites I've had, it's been from recently bought fish or plants (in water). I'll allow that parasites can survive in the gills unnoticed but on parasite life cycle timing / tank stocking, I can trace it back to a purchase within a week. Then the usual flashing or slime / excess mucus or sheen or spots. One for the OP to check of cause, this is just what I see.

Always hoping to learn, what were you seeing?
I've had these fish for 6+ months without adding anything new to the tank, if it was pop eye it usually affects both eyes from what i read but not in all cases, the pic of the dark fish that fish is gone, but I do have another of the school of 7 that's very light in color (yellow) with one eye bulging.
 
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