HELP! Zebra Danio with swollen belly and arched back

Matt.has.fish

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Hi everyone,

I have been keeping fish for a while now and have just noticed an issue with my zebra danio which I am unsure as to what it is. The zebra danio has a big swollen belly with an arched back and has been like theirs for several weeks now. At first I though she could have been pregnant but now I do not think so. It is 20g regular tank with some more zebra danios some other cherry barbs, a bristlenose pleco and a nerite snail. Water conditions are:
ph- 7.4
Ammonia- 0ppm
Nitrate- 0ppm
Nitrite- 0ppm
Temp-78 F
25% water changes weekly.
All of the other fish have been acting normal. I think I’m going to move him to a smaller quarantine tank tonight because the other danios are going after the danio with the problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated
 

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Water is a little warm for danios. Is your tank heavily planted since you say you have 0 nitrate?
 
Water is a little warm for danios. Is your tank heavily planted since you say you have 0 nitrate?
Yes it is a heavily planted natural tank. It has lots of real drift wood, plants, and rocks. I need to consistently use ph neutralizer to keep the ph lower as well. I have a plant fertilizer substrate in the tank and a gravel substrate in the tank as well. I moved the fish to a smaller separate tank too
 
Water is a little warm for danios. Is your tank heavily planted since you say you have 0 nitrate?
How old is this fish, Sometimes danios do this at the end of their lives
This danio I believe is two- three years old, sometimes it is hard to tell because they look so similar to one another and it is hard to tell them apart. But I think this is the older one
 
The fish has a growth in it, either a tumour or cyst. There's no treatment so euthanise it.
 
2-3 years is average for a Zebra Danio anyway.
Although i have managed to keep a couple for a bit longer they do start to curl slightly when near end of life but Yes to what Colin above said, Hes more experienced than me & knows his stuff
 
The fish has a growth in it, either a tumour or cyst. There's no treatment so euthanise it.
Okay, is the growth infectious or should I keep the fish in his quarantine tank or move him back in his big tank
 
2-3 years is average for a Zebra Danio anyway.
Although i have managed to keep a couple for a bit longer they do start to curl slightly when near end of life but Yes to what Colin above said, Hes more experienced than me & knows his stuff
Okay thank you, that’s what I figured because the water conditions were all good and all of the other fish were doing fine in the tank. The only thing that I noticed was slightly high was the ph
 
Okay, is the growth infectious or should I keep the fish in his quarantine tank or move him back in his big tank
Zebra danios are schooling fishes and need company. If it is being picked on in the tank, it will probably die if you put it back. However, it should not be left on its own because it will stress out.

As to whether its contagious, I have no idea. If it's a tumour or cyst then no it's not contagious. If it's Fish TB, then it's already in the main tank.
 

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