Save my swordtail!

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AnimalFan

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Nov 6, 2002
Messages
8
8O I need to know what to do to save Oscar, my male marigold swordtail! I did a water change, and after the water change I noticed that he was not his hyper self. He was sitting on the bottom of the tank, breathing rapidly, with his front fins sticking straight out, almost as if they were stiff and he couldn't "flap" them. His gills also seem a bit more open than normal, too. The three female he is with are doing just fine. He is normally a very energetic fish, so I immediately knew that something was wrong. I separated him from the other fish in hopes of nursing him to health. I checked my thermometer, and everything was fine. I don't know what could have caused it, and I don't know how to fix it! Is he in some sort of shock? Could he have gotten too much oxygen from the new water? I am worried! :cry:
 
How much of a water change did you do? Did you condition all the water, and was it the same tempature (or very close to) the water in the aquarium? If the water is colder, or much warmer, than the aquarium water it can cause heavy stress.
 
Could be

It sounds like either temperature shock, chlorine/chloramine poisoning, or ammonia poisoning(by the description of the gills staying open-are they red or bloody at all?)
 
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