Florida Flagfish Heavy Breathing :(

[jonny5]

i sense the imminent loss of another fish. One of my two florida flagfishs has become inactive and does not feed during feeding time. But the most notable thing is his very rapid breathing, gills constantly moving in and out at a fast pace. The other flagfish does not breath this fast and is active and quite activing during feeding.

Any guesses, any way i can save this guy?

 

[Ceramicbull]

I have not kept this fish, one of the main reasons I chose not to keep it was that it required a significantly lower temp than the other fish I wanted to keep: 66-72F (19-22C) according to Badman's. What temp do you have them at?

Other than that, something is obviously interrupting his breathing. Does he have any external spots that might indicate ich or velvet? It is possible that either may have attacked the gills first. Other than that I am out of my depth.

 

[jonny5]

I have not kept this fish, one of the main reasons I chose not to keep it was that it required a significantly lower temp than the other fish I wanted to keep: 66-72F (19-22C) according to Badman's. What temp do you have them at?

Other than that, something is obviously interrupting his breathing. Does he have any external spots that might indicate ich or velvet? It is possible that either may have attacked the gills first. Other than that I am out of my depth.

they are kept in 78 degree water, although im sure miday when im at work and due to the recent heat, it has spiked to 80-81. However, according to neal, the fish adapt to many water temps 68-85 degrees. No idea what it could be, for the past month he as been happily roaming with the other flagfish. The salinity should keep bacteria to near null, but of course if filter bacteria can adapt, so can pathogenic types. There are no external markings other than a slight loss in color. If i could figure out exactly what is wrong, i could try to cure it.

 

[nmonks]

When did I ever say this?

Florida flagfish are subtropical fish. Here in England they're often sold as coldwater fish, and they can do better in unheated tanks than tropical ones. Aim for 18-22 C/64-72 F. Excessively high temperatures can cause all sorts of problems, including respiratory stress.

Cheers, Neale

However, according to neal, the fish adapt to many water temps 68-85 degrees.

 

[Ceramicbull]

When did I ever say this?

However, according to neal, the fish adapt to many water temps 68-85 degrees.

http/homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Projects/FAQ/6a.html

 

[nmonks]

Oh yes. Oops.

To be fair though, I do state it is a subtropical species. And while it certainly can tolerate a broad temperature range, something in the middle is best for long-term care.

Cheers, Neale

PS. Have fixed my web page. Some bits of the FAQ are 15 years old, and it goes without saying I change my mind about some stuff as I learn more.

 

[Ceramicbull]

Of course, you're still lightyears ahead of us in terms of Brackish knowledge, but I felt it was only fair to johnny5 to point that out. It is also worth noting that in the course of fixing the page you somehow changed the picture to a mudskipper.

 

[jonny5]

Of course, you're still lightyears ahead of us in terms of Brackish knowledge, but I felt it was only fair to johnny5 to point that out. It is also worth noting that in the course of fixing the page you somehow changed the picture to a mudskipper.

ah good to know ya i was going by the page but i didnt ask neal directly to clarify. Im sure dropping the temp to 76 will help, and not stress the other fish really. But the flagfish in question has seemed to vanish, hes hiding somewhere i cant seee, just hope hes hiding alive and not dead.

Im glad to realize its this and not some disease outbreak. Out of curiosity neal, if a fish gets hit with a disease, what are/is the most common ones that will be in the water with salinity 1.003-1.006sg?

 

[nmonks]

I'm glad when people point out my mistakes, so no worries there. As for the wrong images, I'm fixing that right now.

Almost no external parasites exist in brackish water aquaria. Even at SG 1.001 things like whitespot can't complete their life cycle. Velvet is a little more tolerant of salt, but not much. So in general, you're very safe so far as external parasites go. Internal parasites such as worms can still be a problem of course.

Cheers, Neale