My Fish Is Just Floating Around...swims Occasionally

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MattM1124

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It's a glow light tetra that's doing it...I just noticed that he's floating around but occasionally will do like a sudden jump and swim for a sec then float some more. Is this a sign that he's going to die soon or what?

My water stats are fine...in the tank I have 6 other Danio's, 4 other tetras and a swordtail. What should I do!?

Please get back to me ASAP..thanks
 
How old is he.
Can he maintain his balance in the water.
Any sign of flicking and rubbing.
Does he look bloated or thin.
Does he roll onto his side or turn upside down.
 
How old is he.
Can he maintain his balance in the water.
Any sign of flicking and rubbing.
Does he look bloated or thin.
Does he roll onto his side or turn upside down.

I got him about 7 months ago but he looks bigger then the other tetras so he might be older. No flicking or rubbing and maybe looks a little bloated but he always had a little belly on him. He does roll onto his side and turns upside down. He's defintely dying but after reading conflicting things about humane methods, is it more humane to just let him die naturally? He's still alive today but looks dead. Thene very once in awhile he'll float a little bit...trying to swim I guess but can't.

Maybe you could recommend a medication I could try on him in the quarantine tank?

Right now, he's laying on the bottom but I can still see his gills moving. Just don't know what to do.
 
The behavour he showing can be swim bladder if he bloated.
Dosn't sound like he's going to make it.
A med would only work if its an infection of the swim bladder.
What do you feed your fish.
 
The behavour he showing can be swim bladder if he bloated.
Dosn't sound like he's going to make it.
A med would only work if its an infection of the swim bladder.
What do you feed your fish.

I feed them basically only tropical fish flakes and sometimes freezed dried brine shrmip. I started another thread about what would be a balanced diet for my fish. I have read that only fish flakes is bad for them. Maybe you could answer that for me in this thread. What and how much of the different things should I be feeding them?

After reading some info, I thought it may be swim bladder but wasn't sure because I never saw him swimming upside down...just floating around really.
 
I would euthanise because when he does die (and it sounds like he's going to unfortunately) the other fish will eat the body, and if it is some sort of disease that's killed him they can get it too. This is how fish TB, in particular, infects and you want to avoid an epidemic of that at all costs.
Clove oil is very humane, failing that, half vodka half water in the freezer for an hour or two and then drop the fish in. I usually don't recommend freezing of fish, but for a fish as small as a glowlight he will die within seconds. Clove oil takes a while but is not painful at all, it's an overdose of anaesthetic.

What sort of flakes are you feeding them? Cheap flakes often use plant proteins, which are not complete - these foods will list alfalfa, wheat flour, rice/bran or a legume based food in the first few ingredients. Foods where the first few ingredients are fish or meat products (fish meal, shrimp meal, meat byproducts) contain more complete sources of protein. Both plant and animal based proteins will read on the label that it has somewhere between 30 and 40% protein usually, but this protein should be mostly from animal sources.
Spirulina in the ingredients is a good thing, it's very good for fish. Be careful of anything that claims to be colour enhancing, especially if it claims to enhance red colour. These mostly contain large amounts of astaxanthin, which means they will turn your fish orange. NewLife Spectrum does seem to enhance colour without containing ingredients that are basically dyes. That's what I feed, more because of the improved vitality of the fish than the improved colour, but I have to say they look better.

The other thing about flakes is that if you dump them all in at once, by the time the fish get to the last ones most of the nutrition has leached out into the water. If you are feeding flakes and not pellets, it's better to sprinkle in just a few at a time so the flakes only sit there for a few seconds before the fish eat them.
 
I would euthanise because when he does die (and it sounds like he's going to unfortunately) the other fish will eat the body, and if it is some sort of disease that's killed him they can get it too. This is how fish TB, in particular, infects and you want to avoid an epidemic of that at all costs.
Clove oil is very humane, failing that, half vodka half water in the freezer for an hour or two and then drop the fish in. I usually don't recommend freezing of fish, but for a fish as small as a glowlight he will die within seconds. Clove oil takes a while but is not painful at all, it's an overdose of anaesthetic.

What sort of flakes are you feeding them? Cheap flakes often use plant proteins, which are not complete - these foods will list alfalfa, wheat flour, rice/bran or a legume based food in the first few ingredients. Foods where the first few ingredients are fish or meat products (fish meal, shrimp meal, meat byproducts) contain more complete sources of protein. Both plant and animal based proteins will read on the label that it has somewhere between 30 and 40% protein usually, but this protein should be mostly from animal sources.
Spirulina in the ingredients is a good thing, it's very good for fish. Be careful of anything that claims to be colour enhancing, especially if it claims to enhance red colour. These mostly contain large amounts of astaxanthin, which means they will turn your fish orange. NewLife Spectrum does seem to enhance colour without containing ingredients that are basically dyes. That's what I feed, more because of the improved vitality of the fish than the improved colour, but I have to say they look better.

The other thing about flakes is that if you dump them all in at once, by the time the fish get to the last ones most of the nutrition has leached out into the water. If you are feeding flakes and not pellets, it's better to sprinkle in just a few at a time so the flakes only sit there for a few seconds before the fish eat them.

Thanks so much for the information on feeding. I'm gonna go out tomorrow and get a few other food products for my fish. Can you recommend any good frozen food or veggies for them also and how often I should be feeding them those things along with the flakes?

I still don't know what to do with the fish yet. I put him in a smaller tank and added some Melafix just incase it is a bacterial infection. He's just kinda floating around the top of the water now but his gills are still moving and every once in awhile he'll swim a little bit. I was going to uethanise him last night but he swam a little more so I held out hope. It' s been 2 days now though of him doing this.

I don't want him to suffer but I'm kinda holing out hope I guess!? I don't know if he's suffering or not.....
 
Melafix is only good on cuts and wounds no good on an internal infection.
 
Melafix is only good on cuts and wounds no good on an internal infection.

Anything you recommend to try or do you think it's swim bladder disease and if so what should I do? I'm gonna try and feed him peas but I don't think he can eat.
 
Is he still turning upside down.
 
Can you issolate him and try a bacterial med.
How his breathing.
 
Can you issolate him and try a bacterial med.
How his breathing.

I already have him isolated and thought I was using the right meds. I'm gonan run out and get some right now. Can I just add the new meds in when I get them with the melafix that's already in there or should I try and do a water change before?

His breathing looks fast.
 
Just dilute the med down with a water change.
You can use melafix with bacterial meds.
I would get maracyn plus.
 
Just dilute the med down with a water change.
You can use melafix with bacterial meds.
I would get maracyn plus.

ok thanks for all the help....I'm running out now before the store closes and I'll keep you updated....
 

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