Doomed Glow-light Tetra? :(

[Underwurlde]

Setup & gen info
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Tank size: 60L
Volume of water: 50L
Tank temp:25°C
Filtration etc: Jewel Internal – 1 year matured. Media never changed
CO2: Not injected or dosed – approx 13ppm
Lighting Levels: 1W/Gal
pH: 7.2
KH: 130ppm (7dKH°)
GH: 200ppm (11dKH°)
Ammonia / Ammonium (NH3 / NH4): 0ppm
Actual Ammonia (based on pH): 0pmm
Nitrite (NO2): 0ppm
Nitrate (NO3): 10 ppm

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Tank inhabitants: 3 Trilin Cories, 6 Neon Tetra, 3 Harlequin, Glowlight Tetra, 4 Amano Shrimp
Plants used: 50%, various.
Substrate used: Leonardite / Laterite / Compost / Soil capped with sand of varying grain size.
Recent additions to tank: 2 Amano Shrimp, 2 weeks ago.
Exposure to chemicals: Apart from the usual weekly dose of ferts, nothing AFAIK.
Volume and Frequency of water changes: Tank is 'El Natural'. Water change roughly 50% once a month to 5 weeks, weekly small dose of ferts (Potassium Nitrate, Potassium Phosphate & SeaChem Flourish).

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Fish Symptoms:
All fish OK bar one. Came home from work today to find one of my larger Glowlights swimming erratically, gasping, swimming upside down, bumping into plant leaves and oftentimes just resting, upsidedown on the surface of the substrate (gasping). It's spine is slightly twisted, but having said that this has always been the case ever since getting him about a year ago.

Have done a 75% water change. I will feed them peas today as I am thinking diet as I have started feeding ‘Tetra Ruby’ – colour enhancing food for my fish (Harlies looking decidedly washed-out).

Any thoughts people?

Andy

 

[*Fishkies*]

Does his spine seem to have gotten worse?
Does it seem like he has any control of his swimming movements?

 

[Underwurlde]

hi fishkies...

Does his spine seem to have gotten worse?

I don't think so - but then again my memory is poor at the best of times. Are you thinking TB?

Does it seem like he has any control of his swimming movements?

I think perhaps yes - he is at least trying to get around with some sense of purpose but then seems to get knackered out and ends up back on his back upsidedown.

Andy

 

[WILDER]

Poor thing I would end his misery.
Bent spine if that what you mean.
Old age.
Birth defect
Fish tb
Internal parasites.

 

[*Fishkies*]

It may possibly be TB. I'm thinking with the way his spine is he may start to actually be feeling pain. However that is just my thought. Good Luck with him though!

 

[WILDER]

Here a link to tb for you to take a look and see what you think.
http/www.4qd.org/Aqua/disease/tb.html

 

[Underwurlde]

Hey wilder - thought I might be hearing from you!

Bent spine if that what you mean.

Yep, that's what I meant.

'm thinking with the way his spine is he may start to actually be feeling pain.

Don't think so Fishkies....

Birth Defect

...is what I'm thinking - been like that since day one, so probably a Red Herring (pardon the pun )

I'll have a look at the TB thread, thanks for that.

Looking at him now, he's managed to wedge himself, upsidedown into the base of my Echinodorus Rubin plant. Euthinaise may be looming

Bloody hell.

Andy

 

[Underwurlde]

Symptoms can include:

Loss of appetite - Nope
Progressive thinness - Nope
Sluggish movement - Nope
Folded fins - Nope
Eye protrusion - Nope
Dark coloration and granular appearance of the cornea (this is the first sign in Angelfish). - Nope
Skeletal deformity - Yep, but like I said, could be coincidental
Hanging at the surface - Nope
Skin defects, including blood spots and open wounds that may ulcerate -Nope
Black spots, or overall dark coloration (in Cichlids particularly). - Nope
Fin rot, characterised by the outer rays falling out. - Nope
Scales loosening and falling out - Nope
General swelling and scale protrusion (as in Dropsy) - Nope / difficult - Both my GLs have always been 'fatter' in shape than my other fish

Hmm, perhaps not TB then methinks - but damn difficult to diagnose. Could be that his time is up. Or dietry. I'll see how he is tomorrow.

Andy

 

[*Fishkies*]

'm thinking with the way his spine is he may start to actually be feeling pain.

Don't think so Fishkies....

Birth Defect

...is what I'm thinking - been like that since day one, so probably a Red Herring (pardon the pun )

Yeah it could have been birth defect, but the fish could also changed form and grow some or his spine may have moved, in some ways. After all a year old for a glow-light tetra is pretty good, for such a smaller fish.

 

[Underwurlde]

@Fishkies: That's actually a very good point:

We tend to want to blame a 'disease' or a bacteria or a 'thing', a bug, whatever. But it could as you say, just simply be his buggered spine has just packed up...

....Hmmmmm....

Yep, just see how he is tomorrow.

Andy

 

[*Fishkies*]

I hope that didn't sound harsh as that was not how it was meant. I know we all want the best for our fish on here, just thought it was a different perspective.

Good Luck with him!!

 

[WILDER]

He's not going to make it sadly, he in bad shape and I think I would do the awful deed, don't want the other fish pecking at his dead body.
Can you issolate him if you can't do the awful deed, even if its in a small container at the top of the tank.

 

[Underwurlde]

Update: Still hangin in there - still attempting to swim about with his buddies - albeit upsidedown!

Andy

 

[WILDER]

The fish is really ill I would do the best thing not nice, but no way will that fish get better, it suffering now.