Bloated danio?

[AshKirby]

Hello!

We got my son a group of glofish danios last for Christmas 2018. We have a 10 gallon tank, which we quickly found out would not hold the 5 danios we got (thanks Petco for not giving us enough info). We struggled to get the tank regulated and lost 4 of the 5 very quickly.

We have had the one lone pink danio (named Spoka) ever since, and it has done very well. Until this past week...

We went on vacation and had a friend come to care for all our animals. I am not sure if she overfed Spoka??

We noticed Spoka looked very bloated the day after we got home. I did a quick Google search and read about dropsy, but she doesn't seem to have the pinecone look or red anus. She seems much more skittish than usual and doesn't want to eat. We tried a pea, she wouldn't touch it.

This has been on going since Sunday 2/9/2020. We faster her a few days, with no difference. Tried the pea which she didn't eat. She doesn't seem to want eat anything- I've tried both flakes and pellets.

Do we give her more time? Something else we should be doing? I'm at a loss but my kiddo really doesn't want to lose her.

 

[AshKirby]

Also- of course I check our water quality, and it actually looks better than ever!! All sections were within normal.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Ash...

A small tank won't go a week without a water change. You should be removing and replacing half the water a couple of times a week, if you want the fish to stick around for any length of time.

I feed my fish Spirulina every other feeding. It's got some good things going for it as far as fiber and nutrients in general. I would start feeding it asap.

B

 

[AshKirby]

We normally do once a week water changes and it has been working well so far. It's been over a year of that, do we really need to start changing more than that now? If the water quality looks good on my tests, do I still need to worry about that being an issue?

I will look into getting the Spirulina, I haven't heard of it!

Thank you!

 

[Skai]

Has there been poop and if so does it look normal?

What is good on the water quality, btw? Do you have actual numbers? That will help determine if the weekly water changes is enough for your bioload or not.

 

[AshKirby]

I have not seen any poop, I've been trying to check her tank a few times a day. I don't have exact numbers, we have the dip sticks with color read outs. Would it be helpful for me to post a pic of them?

 

[Skai]

Yes, it would help get an idea. Is there any other fish in the tank or is it just the one?

 

[AshKirby]

Just the one in a 10 gallon tank. She seems to be choosing to stay down in 'hidey holes'...like in low areas of gravel or her shipwreck. Although I did sit and watch her a while earlier and she did swim to the top. It almost seems like she is scared?? It's weird

I hope you can see the info in these pics...I'll put below the numbers that look most accurate in person.

Nitrate 20
Nitrite 0
Hardness 150
Chlorine 0
Alkalinity (hardest to tell) around 120
pH 7.2
Ammonia 0-.5

 

[Skai]

One lone danio in a ten gallon is not going to produce enough waste to upset a system. Although, that being said... ammonia should really be 0. Then again, strips can be innacurate/hard to read.

Honestly it sounds like she's really constipated. You could try an epsom salt solution, since she's not really eating.

 

[AshKirby]

I've seen several posts about epsom salt- I will get some to try this. Should I find an appropriate amount to add to her full tank, or put her in a smaller container with the salt water for a short time? Do you know the proper amount to add?

 

[BBradbury]

Your Tank

We normally do once a week water changes and it has been working well so far. It's been over a year of that, do we really need to start changing more than that now? If the water quality looks good on my tests, do I still need to worry about that being an issue?

I will look into getting the Spirulina, I haven't heard of it!

Thank you!

Ash...

Your testing kit won't test for minerals. Your fish take in minerals from the tap water to be healthy and in a very small tank these minerals are used up quickly. That's just one of the reasons for removing and replacing most of the tank water regularly. You say your fish have been fine for a year. That's not very long. If given very good water conditions all the time, even the smallest fish could live for two to three years. I would gradually work up to the point you change half the water every 3 to 5 days. You have a 10 gallon tank. A water change really takes very little time. Next time you get out the gear for a water change, take a few minutes and remove and replace a little more. More clean water, means a healthier fish.

B

 

[Skai]

An bath of epsom is typically a tablespoon per gallon. Dissolve the salt fully in a separate bucket or bowl of something and let the fish swim in it, but only for 10-15 mins then put the fish back in the clean tank water.

Also use some tank water so the only thing changing is the epsom salt addition and no other parameters.