Sick Fantail

[onda]

Hi all,
I am new to this forum and also new to keeping fish.

I have a 10 gallon tank that is about 2 weeks old. My water parameters are ph: 8.0, ammonia: 0, nitrite: .2

I don't know what is wrong with my fish. He is a white and gold fantail about 2 inches long. For the past 2 days he has stayed at the bottom of his tank in one spot. He won't swim around at all. He hasn't eaten in 2 days. He shows no interest in food at all. He looks pretty depressed. There are no signs of infection on his body.

I do notice that sometimes when he is laying there that his body will jerk. Sort of like he is hiccuping or having a minor spasm.

I should also let you know that he had a case of Ich last week which I treated him for. I treated him with Rid-Ich for 3 days. Now I am waiting a few days before I continue treatment again. I read this is what I am supposed to do.

Please let me know if you have any ideas as to what is wrong with my fish and what I can do to help treat him. By the way, I salted his tank last night as advised by the Koivet.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[wabyrd]

You didn't post nitrAte levels, but I know that my Black Moors seem to get a little lethargic when the nitrAtes start creeping up too high. If I haven't tested in a while, I know when I see them lounging on the bottom it's time for a water change.

 

[HoopsGuru]

Basically, you are going through the initial "cycle" of a new tank. This is the initial setup of the bacteria in your tank that will continously convert toxic ammonia to toxic nitrite, and then to less toxic nitrate. This takes several weeks for the different bacteria to establish adequate populations, thus why you are getting a nitrite reading (I'd guess a week ago, you would have had ammonia readings, but by now your cycle has progressed to where the bacteria are able to properly consume it and keep it at 0).

Nitrite is equally toxic to fish as ammonia is. It binds with the hemoglobin in the blood and basically blocks the diffusion of oxygen into the bloodstream. This may be affecting the fish directly, or it is the result of injuries suffered from the previous ammonia levels (ammonia can burn and scar the gill filaments inhibiting gas exchange).

I would do a partial water change immediately, treating the water with a conditioner appropriately, and then testing the water to see if it is closer to 0. This may prolong your cycle, but at this point your fish is showing signs of problems. Do partial water changes as needed until levels are 0 and then are able to be stable at 0. At this point, the initial "cycle" will be complete and your tank will be establish and appropriate for fish.

 

[onda]

A quick update:

Tonight I came home and tried to feed my fish again. He tried to eat his food (a flake and a pellet to start) but he kept spitting it back up. He kept trying to eat but didn't seem to be able to keep it down. Eventually he spit up what seems to be a small white hairy worm. The worm is very small, smaller than a baby pellet. What in the world could this be? How should I proceed to treat him? After he couldn't eat for a while, he just swam back to his corner. Very sad. Please help me help him.

 

[rvijay07]

From the white worms that you mentioned, it appears that your fish may also have a parasite infection. This infection occurs when fish are kept in a pond and/or fed live food etc.,

I suggest that you buy a fish Medicine called Maracin 1. There will be a chart in this packet explaining all the different symptoms and the corresponding disease. (If possible have a look at this chart without buying the medicine. Then you can buy the most appropriate medicine after diagnosis for treatment). This chart will also get you familiar with all the most common fish diseases and their treatment.

 

[rvijay07]

I had a look at the chart for you. It says to treat infected fish with coppersafe. Also treat with Maracin 2 to prevent secondary infections.

If this fish is new, it appears that all the other fantails from the original source could also be infected. I would also alert them.