Can't keep Zebra Danio's alive - "S" shape

[FMJnaX]

I'm baffled. :? Zebra Danio's are supposed to be ultra easy to keep, yet I can't seem to do it. In my 29 gallon planted tank, I have 6 neon's, 2 black skirt tetra's, 2 flame (von rio) tetra's, 4 baby bristlenose plecos (about 1" each), a clown pleco, and a single remaining Zebra Danio.

Now, I've bought my Danio's from 4 different stores. 2 of which I know have different suppliers. I started with 6 Danio's. Within the course of just a couple weeks, they slowly died off. The tell-tale sign I started to notice was that their body goes into this weird "S" shape (see image attached. Hehe!). They also become ultra skinny and refuse to eat. A couple days later they die. Of the original 6, only one has survived (the one that is still with me today). Over the course of the next 3 months or so, I tried 3 other stores, buying 5 at a time. Same result every stinkin' time.

My water params are perfect:
0 Ammonia
0 Nitrite
25ppm Nitrate
pH, dKh, CO2, etc are all within normal.
All other fish are just fine. Very active, very colorful, eating, etc.

Has anyone else experienced this odd "S" shape withering away and does anyone have a clue as to what causes it?

Thanks!

 

[dskidmore]

Very odd.

I had a tetra do the same thing, but it didn't spread, and other fish I've gotten since are fine.

How long does it take for the S to develop? Have you tried QT for that long? With an extended QT, you can determine if it's a pathogen or a water contaminant issue.

 

[plecoperson]

I have had nearly the same experience w/danios. I treated 5 survivors for parasites and they made a remarkable recovery-I was very happy. Put 'em back in the main tank and they grew like mad and looked fantastic.

Then they started with similar symptoms; I treated the tank again w/Levamasole. This time to no avail, I will lose all of 'em. I think it's a problem with the fish rather than our husbandry. I got 6 more from another source, in QT for a couple months. They look fine so far.

 

[FMJnaX]

Very odd.

I had a tetra do the same thing, but it didn't spread, and other fish I've gotten since are fine.

How long does it take for the S to develop? Have you tried QT for that long? With an extended QT, you can determine if it's a pathogen or a water contaminant issue.

I always QT new fish for at least a week. I believe on the 3rd batch I started to notice the S developing on a couple fish while still in QT. They remained in QT for the full 2 week before being moved, where they eventually got worse and died. The other batches had no signs before being moved to the display tank. It takes just a couple of days to start getting the bend, but can take up to a week before it gets so bad that they stop eating and get sick looking.

I feed Jungle anti-parasitic food to the tank once a week as preventative medicine. All other fish are 100% healthy. I haven't noticed any signs of stress or illness. I am just having bad luck with these guys I guess. I've got a 65 gallon tank that is soon to become on-line and functional. I think I'll start with a large school on Danio's before anything else and see if I can pin the problem on my current tank or just on my luck with Danio's.

 

[severum mama]

Could it be fish TB? Just a thought, I believe that this is known to cause spinal deformity and wasting.

 

[gu2high]

Must be sick fish. They are hardy fishes.

I bought one pair of zebra danio, one month later I have 30+. lol. If I kept more fry/eggs, I would have hundreds of them, but I gave up. It is too much, same as my platy. I plan to keep 7-8 and the rest will go to lfs. If you live in central New Jersey, I can give them to you for free.

 

[DepotFish]

I'm dealing with TB in goldfish right now and it does cause spinal curves. Be careful when handling the tank water that you don't have any open cuts just in case its TB.

 

[richiestang_78]

Ive had a few danios with this over the years, they always died after a few weeks or months.

 

[gu2high]

Even for fry, I don't see a single death - have kept them for 3 months.

My initial pair are very healthy and beautiful and superactive. But I do see the danios at a Petsmart are somewhat different from my pair. I felt the form of those danios are slim and longer and somewhat weired or ugly in my eyes. Those fishes maybe not high quality ones, or maybe inbreed too much.

I guess for all aquarium fishes, you need buy GOOD ones. If the fish is not like very natural and is weired looking, it is a weak fish and don't buy it.