Synodontis Euptera...fav in my tank :(

[TLockhart89]

Last night I noticed my Synodontis Euptera hanging around the surface of the water. He usually only does this when I he is hungry and will then go back to the bottom; he likes to eat with the other fish. lol Anyways, I turned the night light on, he went back to the bottom, and I went to sleep. When I woke up he was back at the top. I turned the day light on and he seemed lifeless. I even put my finger in the water to see if he would move. He is still breathing but allowed me to touch him which is not something he would usually allow me to do. So I went to work and asked my husband to stop by Aquarium Adventure...where we do all our aquarium adventures lol and I told him to get some test strips for everything as well as an AirStone or powerhead. I was thinking maybe he wasn't getting proper oxygen but was not positive. INSTEAD the guy in the store tells him he doesn't think that is the issue and gave him some salt additive for the gills. I am still at work so I cannot give you a brand name or tell you what exactly it is. The guy gave my husband instructions on what to do, etc. I was sort of irritated they got so involved in what they were talking about that they BOTH neglected to get the test strips. YES YES I know...if you want something done right...DO IT YOURSELF. Unfortunately I am still working my 12hr shift at work so I sent what I thought was the next best thing. lol AT LEAST HE TRIED and I love him for that. Anyone come across this issue. My Euptera is the ONLY fish doing this.

My tank is a 15gal FW with 1 Gourami Opaline, 2 MM Mollies, 2 Albino Corys, 1 Synodontis Euptera, and 4 ghost shrimp. The shrimp are for my GSP tank whenever he finishes eating what he has. In my tank I have driftwood piled for hiding, artificial plants, as well as 2 live plants. The rock in the photo was actually taken out a few days ago for my other tank.

 

[absolutangel04]

I am sorry about your fish. I hope he pulls through.
The first thing I recommend is a big water change. I also recommend getting a liquid test kit if you can instead of the strips. But, no sense in waiting for the test kit to do a pwc. Try changing out at least 50% of the water and see if the fish perks up.
Ok, next off, get the name of the salt additive. To be honest, I am guessing that it is not going to actually be helpful in this situation, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions just yet.
Next off, we need ot know more about the symptoms of the fish. Redness in the gills? Rapid breathing? Skinniness? Stringy, white poop? White spots? Any fuzz? Anything else out of the ordinary?
Also, how long has the tank been set up? Do you usually check the water parameters? How often do you do partial water changes (pwc)?
Oxygenation in a tank that small is rarely an issue if the tank is not super over stocked because the filter generally does the oxygen mixing well enough. In the future, if you ever were concerned about it, lower the water level just slightly and there will be more mixing as the water falls from the filter farther. Also, if 02 was a problem, you would have other fish showing signs too.
I have to be blunt, it does not sound like will make it. But, we will help you as much as we can. Start with a water change, and see if it makes any difference. If you can get a liquid test kit, do it. It will help you in the long run with the tank.

 

[TLockhart89]

No reddness in the gills, his breathing doesn't look out of the ordinary, he isn't skinny or sunken in anywhere...honestly I've never witnessed him poop! Maybe it's because he is usually on the bottom and he is rather small. No fuzz. I actually had a ich issue about a month ago but with the water meds, higher temp, and water changes it all cleared. My husband said he did what the guy told him to do with whatever he gave him and nothing has changed. As soon as I get off work I am going to do a water change. I love that little guy and I hate seeing him this way.

 

[TLockhart89]

So I removed a bit of water and about 10seconds later he was back to normal!! Lets see if it stays this way...

 

[absolutangel04]

Fantastic! Keep us up to date.
It is good that he doe snot have other signs of issues. I would do a few more extra pwc to keep the water extra nice for him, and feel free to keep the water level down a bit if he does better that way.

 

[TLockhart89]

Sadly, he passed away this morning. I think he had IPs. He lost crazy weight since just yesterday, wouldn't eat, and gave up this morning. I'm going to buy some IP meds for the other fish in the tank just in case. I can't lose anymore and I would like to replace my Euptera. He was my favorite!!