Drawf neon rainbow fish unusual behaviour

[OnePenny]

I have 6 drawf neon rainbow fishes for about 2 months. One of them had something sticking out of her body about 4 days ago, see photo attached. The bit came off about 2 days ago, please see second photo taken today. I noticed she has lost appetite since then, and seems to be breathing slightly heavy and moving slowly, please see vedio. All the other fishes seem to be OK and swimming around happily. Water quality: pH 8.0, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 20 (slightly high?). Please advise what happened to her and what to do.

http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/5b510eee948a7/20180719_223711.mp4

 

[Colin_T]

Rainbowfish regularly carry Tuberculosis (TB) and the bacteria infect the internal organs and cause them to rupture. The fish usually swells up, does stringy white poop, stops eating, breathes heavily and sits under the surface or near a filter outlet. They normally die within 24 hours of showing these symptoms. There is no cure for TB.

However, if your fish has not swollen up it might just be a minor bacterial infection or possible a protozoan infection (the fish has clamped fins, which is characteristic of a protozoan infection).

I know you have Harlequins in the tank but what else is in there?

Normally the best thing to use for most rainbowfish issues is salt (sodium chloride). Add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres of tank water and keep the salt level like this for 2-4 weeks. If there are no Corydoras catfish, discus or angelfish in the tank you can increase that level of salt to 3 or 4 tablespoons per 20 litres. But watch the harlequins and if they appear stressed do a partial water change to lower the salt level.

 

[OnePenny]

Many thanks, Colin_T.

I presume it is aquarium salt, not table salt. Just had a quick search on Google, a heaped tablespoon = 21 g, is that right?

Tank size 125 litres with a canister filter. Fishes: 2 platies, 4 honey gouramis, 6 drawf neon rainbow fishes and 6 copper harlequins. Do I need to remove the carbon filter for the treatment?

 

[Colin_T]

any sort of non iodise salt, eg: sea salt, swimming pool salt or rock salt are all suitable.

no idea how much 1 heaped tablespoon of salt weighs.

You can leave carbon in filters when you use salt, but if you use a chemical medication then you need to remove the carbon.

Platies and rainbows will be fine with salt but watch the gouramis and harlequins.

 

[NickAu]

I use a measuring cup like this.

They are only $2 and more accurate than a spoon.

 

[OnePenny]

I use a measuring cup like this.

They are only $2 and more accurate than a spoon.

Thanks, NickAu. I will get one when I go shopping next time.

 

[OnePenny]

Rainbowfish regularly carry Tuberculosis (TB) and the bacteria infect the internal organs and cause them to rupture. The fish usually swells up, does stringy white poop, stops eating, breathes heavily and sits under the surface or near a filter outlet. They normally die within 24 hours of showing these symptoms. There is no cure for TB.

Hi, Colin_T. The rainbow fish has all the symptoms you mentioned above, apart from she is still alive. It must be about a week now since first sight of those symptoms. I put her in a separate container to stop any infection spreading. Well, in a bucket, that's the only thing I have. The 16 litres bucket has 10 litres water with 2 teaspoons salt in it. What should I do now? What will be the best approach? Many thanks.

 

[Colin_T]

If the fish is still alive after a week it hasn't suffered from organ failure due to TB. And if the fish has TB it will already be in the tank.

You want 1 heaped tablespoon of salt per 10 litres, not teaspoon

Make sure the bucket is aerated and change the water each day to prevent any ammonia building up. The best way to change the water is to get another bucket of tank water, add the salt, aerate until the salt has dissolved, then empty the bucket of water with the fish in and top it up with the new water. Alternatively you can scoop the fish out with a small plastic container and move it into the new water. Don't use a net or lift the fish out of water because it can stress them and put pressure on their organs and cause pain.

Try feeding the fish a few hours before changing the water. If the fish starts eating that is a good sign