Infection causing dropsy? Please help! Video link attached

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steelo

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I don't know what's going on, I've lost about 4 neon tetras in the past month and have another neon and a rasbora not looking very healthy. All of the fish look to be eating well, but their bodies are becoming disfigured in the middle like they're losing weight. They appear to be constantly trying to swim upwards just to remain afloat.

I have no clue what kind of infection this may be, but it's slowly wiping out my fish population.

I attached a short video of the infected rasbora I made with my phone linked below. Thanks!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aaNWoy99rTB2hJQJAY3JTrOVZ4IlUZVW/view?usp=sharing
 
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How much do you feed? since neons and Rasboras have small stomachs, they can be easy to overfeed and it can block up their digestive system.
 
How much do you feed? since neons and Rasboras have small stomachs, they can be easy to overfeed and it can block up their digestive system.
I was feeding once a day when they started showing symptoms but upped it to twice a day. My wife sometimes feeds them and I think she gives them too much.

They 'appear' to be losing weight though in their mid sections, so I don't really know how overfeeding would cause them to lose weight.
 
Do the fish produce a stringy white poop?

How long after they start to lose weight, do they start having trouble remaining buoyant in the water?

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Internal protozoan infection cause the fish to lose weight rapidly (over a week or two), fish continues to eat and swim around but not as much as normal, does stringy white poop. If not treated the fish dies a week or two after these symptoms appear. Metronidazole normally works well for this.
There is a medication (API General Cure) that contains Praziquantel and Metronidazole and might be worth trying.

It's interesting that API and the Californian government have listed Metronidazole as a carcinogen. That's a concern considering it was widely used to treat intestinal infections in people.
Anyway, handle with care, don't inhale the medication, and wash hands with soapy water after treating the fish or working in the tank.

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The swimming problem has to do with their swim bladder not working properly. It's possible they have an internal infection that is damaging their swim bladder. Try Metronidazole and see how they go.

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Do the following before treating the tank.

Work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.

When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.

Monitor ammonia and nitrite levels during and after treatment. Metronidazole can wipe out filter bacteria and cause the tank to cycle. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean if you get ammonia or nitrite readings.

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When filming with a mobile phone, turn the phone so it's horizontal not vertical, and the video will fill the entire screen, making it easier to see what's in it.
 
I was feeding once a day when they started showing symptoms but upped it to twice a day. My wife sometimes feeds them and I think she gives them too much.

They 'appear' to be losing weight though in their mid sections, so I don't really know how overfeeding would cause them to lose weight.
yep, that sounds like it could be a blockage in the digestive system or swim bladder disese. I completely agree with Colin for ways to treat your fish so I would just listen to him.
 
yep, that sounds like it could be a blockage in the digestive system or swim bladder disese. I completely agree with Colin for ways to treat your fish so I would just listen to him.
Thanks, better to treat sooner than later!
 
Do the fish produce a stringy white poop?

How long after they start to lose weight, do they start having trouble remaining buoyant in the water?

-------------------------
Internal protozoan infection cause the fish to lose weight rapidly (over a week or two), fish continues to eat and swim around but not as much as normal, does stringy white poop. If not treated the fish dies a week or two after these symptoms appear. Metronidazole normally works well for this.
There is a medication (API General Cure) that contains Praziquantel and Metronidazole and might be worth trying.

It's interesting that API and the Californian government have listed Metronidazole as a carcinogen. That's a concern considering it was widely used to treat intestinal infections in people.
Anyway, handle with care, don't inhale the medication, and wash hands with soapy water after treating the fish or working in the tank.

-------------------------
The swimming problem has to do with their swim bladder not working properly. It's possible they have an internal infection that is damaging their swim bladder. Try Metronidazole and see how they go. One dumb question though, it is a 45 gallon tank with about 4" of gravel...how do I calculate the displacement of the gravel. I don't want to treat for 45 gallons when there is maybe only 40 gallons in there, right?

-------------------------
Do the following before treating the tank.

Work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.

When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.

Monitor ammonia and nitrite levels during and after treatment. Metronidazole can wipe out filter bacteria and cause the tank to cycle. Do a 75% water change and gravel clean if you get ammonia or nitrite readings.

-------------------------
When filming with a mobile phone, turn the phone so it's horizontal not vertical, and the video will fill the entire screen, making it easier to see what's in it.


I haven't noticed any stringy white poop and can't find any this morning. This is the first time I've noticed the behavior with any of the rasboras. The neons have been losing weight for weeks and then usually I'll find them at the point of no return, barely moving lying down on the bottom of the tank. It's like they exhaust themselves just staying afloat. The fish is still showing this behavior this morning, but looks like it is losing strength. I lost 2 gouramis a few months ago when they appeared to just be losing weight and eventually passed.

I will do a large water change and treat with API general cure (and wear gloves!), hopefully I'll be able to find it either at the LFS or Petsmart. Thank you for you help!

edit: Here is (hopefully) a better video from this morning. He doesn't look well and isn't swimming with the rest of his group. The neons showed similar symptoms but the back half of their bodies would kind of sag and hang down while they struggle to swim straight.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=14t5Dt1qeW0A7qeWmD6ucZV-tdTTudAL0
 
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if you can't find the medication today, then euthanise the sick harlequin because its going to die in a day or two without treatment.

if you had dwarf gouramis they probably introduced something nasty into the tank. Try to avoid dwarf gouramis and all their colour varieties.
 
if you can't find the medication today, then euthanise the sick harlequin because its going to die in a day or two without treatment.

if you had dwarf gouramis they probably introduced something nasty into the tank. Try to avoid dwarf gouramis and all their colour varieties.
I'm going to go out and try to find the API general cure in about an hour or so. Unfortunately, the rasbora is probably beyond recovering.
 
Thanks for your hlep! I was able to find the API General cure and added 4.5 packets (45 gallons, 1 packet per 10 gallons) I turned off my power filter, maxed out my air pump to give max airflow and opened the hood to maximize aeration. I have doubts that the rasbora will be able to recover but hopefully this will eliminate spread of the disease. I've learned my lesson (the hard way) not to ever stock my tank with dwarf gouramis.

You mentioned that it may cause the tank to cycle, does this mean I'll be starting from scratch again but this time doing a fish in cycle?
 
I turned off my power filter, maxed out my air pump to give max airflow and opened the hood to maximize aeration.
Why did you turn the filter off?
You should keep the filter running at all times, especially when treating a tank.

If you have carbon (black granules) in the filter, you remove the carbon and throw it away so it doesn't remove the medication from the water. After you have finished treating the fish, you can do a couple of big water changes and add some new carbon if you want carbon in the filter.


You mentioned that it may cause the tank to cycle, does this mean I'll be starting from scratch again but this time doing a fish in cycle?
If the medication wipes out the filter bacteria, then yes you will have to cycle the tank again and it will be a fish in cycle. However, because the tank has already cycled, the filters will recover quicker because there is already plenty of bacteria in the tank. But you will have to monitor ammonia and nitrite levels for the next month.
 
Why did you turn the filter off?
You should keep the filter running at all times, especially when treating a tank.

If you have carbon (black granules) in the filter, you remove the carbon and throw it away so it doesn't remove the medication from the water. After you have finished treating the fish, you can do a couple of big water changes and add some new carbon if you want carbon in the filter.



If the medication wipes out the filter bacteria, then yes you will have to cycle the tank again and it will be a fish in cycle. However, because the tank has already cycled, the filters will recover quicker because there is already plenty of bacteria in the tank. But you will have to monitor ammonia and nitrite levels for the next month.
Hey Colin,

I'm a bit confused now...or I may just be an idiot...LOL.

The power filter has the fabric cartridges with the carbon (charcoal) built in. I could run it, but you mentioned removing any carbon? Should I open up the cartridge and dump the carbon and then run it?

https://www.chewy.com/aqueon-quietf...MI7tDy_paX4gIVT__jBx0KLAikEAQYBiABEgJohfD_BwE
 
cut the cartridge open and tip the carbon out and throw the carbon away. Then put the cartridge back in the filter.
 
if you can't find the medication today, then euthanise the sick harlequin because its going to die in a day or two without treatment.

if you had dwarf gouramis they probably introduced something nasty into the tank. Try to avoid dwarf gouramis and all their colour varieties.
Unfortunately, the harlequin didn't make it. I found him last night laying down on the bottom barely moving...I think treatment was too late for the little guy =(

I added the second dose of API medicine this afternoon and will do a large water change tomorrow, as well as change the filter. Hopefully, no more casualties.
 
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