Tiger Barb floating and swimming errantly

[SumthingsFishy]

So i bought this tiger barb from petsmart less than a week ago, and today when i got home from school he was swimming normally. However, a few hours later I glance at my tank to see him floating at the top of my tank. I go closer to take a good look and he suddenly darts in one direction, only to float belly up again. He's been doing this for the past 20 mins. I called petsmart and I am going to bring him in along with a water sample to see what this is exactly. I am currently cycling my tank(1.5gal that i plan on using as a fry/quarantine tank) (nobody bash me for doing a fish in cycle, i am completely aware of how to do this) all my levels, are normal and i check them every hour on the hour and have been doing at least 10%-20% water changes for the past few days. I did have neon tetra in the same tank a few months ago, and they also showed this behavior and eventually died (I emptied the tank and cleaned it thoroughly before starting this tiger barb). The coincidence is that i started feeding them both tetra blood worms. I feel like i bought a bad batch of blood worms which are carrying the disease. Can anybody identify what this sickness is and if there is any way to cure it? I appreciate any help.

 

[thing fish]

1.5 gallon tank or did you mean 15? you have a whole lot of issues going on right now so if you want to get on track just post up as much tank info as possible. im thinking this fish is likely dead at this point.

 

[SumthingsFishy]

1.5 gallon tank or did you mean 15? you have a whole lot of issues going on right now so if you want to get on track just post up as much tank info as possible. im thinking this fish is likely dead at this point.

Yes he has passed away sadly.
You're right it is a 1.5gallon (1 1/2) tank. I have a 7.5 watt heater, temps are kept between 75-78 degrees, a whisper filter and an airstone running in this tank. I spoke with the fish dept. associate at petsmart and he told me it was likely that i had a bad batch of blood worms. But if you feel the need to place any input, I am more than happy to read.

 

[thing fish]

there really isnt a lot you can do with a tank that size, unfortunately. do you by any chance have room to upgrade to a tank of 10 gallons or more? you can always look on craigslist. you may even find one for free. i actually have a couple of tanks i would be willing to give away to people getting started, but of course they would need to live locally. youre not from massachusetts, are you?

good luck.

 

[SumthingsFishy]

there really isnt a lot you can do with a tank that size, unfortunately. do you by any chance have room to upgrade to a tank of 10 gallons or more? you can always look on craigslist. you may even find one for free. i actually have a couple of tanks i would be willing to give away to people getting started, but of course they would need to live locally. youre not from massachusetts, are you?

good luck.

I do have a 20 gallon but that currently has a single skirt tetra in it that my father is taking care of. So i guess you can say it is his tank for now. I plan on turning it into a dirted tank in a couple of months so I'm just letting him enjoy his lone fish for the remainder of its life (which should not be much longer, considering this thing is 8 years old and their predicted life span is 6...). there was a school of about 5 of these tetra but they all died off a few years ago, leaving the tank to our last one. I have also taken a look on craigslist, but nobody seems to be answering to my inquiries.....strange. I live in the Westchester NY area, about 20 mins from NYC.