My Fish Are Acting Strange

[brooksie]

Help! My fish are staying on the bottom of the tank in one corner. I have a 30 gallon tank with
2 sword tail
2 platys
1 algae eater
3 tetra sepia
5 neon's
My ammonia and nitrate levels are fine and ph is 7.1 They started acting this way day before yesterday so I did a 25% water change. The temp is 77f
They all just sit on the bottom of the tank. Every once in a while they will dart around the water then go back to their corner and sit. There is no sign of ick or any fungus on the fish. Any Ideas Please help Thanks brooksie

 

[WILDER]

Can you post water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate, and ph, with them all being on the bottom and darting around leaning towards parasites for now, any laboured breathing, or flicking and rubbing against objects, are gills red and inflamed.

Also have you introduced any new fish or live plants in the last week or few days.

 

[brooksie]

Can you post water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate, and ph, with them all being on the bottom and darting around leaning towards parasites for now, any laboured breathing, or flicking and rubbing against objects, are gills red and inflamed.

Also have you introduced any new fish or live plants in the last week or few days.

mMy ph level is 7.0 to 7.1 and my ammonia is 0 and the nitrate is between 0 an 20. The nitrite is 0. They don't dart around often. They come out of the corner when I feed them. One of the plays looks alittle like her scales are sticking out. Other than that they all look normal. They are not flicking against any objects. The fish all stick together on the bottom. All close together in a corner. It was so strange when I feed them they all came out and ate and went back to their corner. HELP

 

[WILDER]

The platy with the scales sticking out i would issolate her sorry there is nothing to be done.
Not the writer of this information below.
Symptoms:

This disease is very common among African Cichlids, and is commonly called "Malawi Bloat," even though it affects fish from Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria. Dropsy is also very common within the Carp family and among Anabantids. It is characterized by swelling of the body and especially abdomen, which causes the scales to stand out with a pine cone appearance. Eyes may protrude or cave in. Reddening at the vent and/or base of fins may be observable as well as body ulcers and long pale feces. In advanced cases, skin discoloration and scale loss may also occur. Sick fish will not show any desire for food. They will often hang near the bottom, resting on the gravel, or at the top, gasping for air. In the latter stages of this disease, the fish may lose its equilibrium and hence ability to swim properly.



Cause:

Three main causes for Dropsy have been identified. The over use of salt (NaCl), prolonged exposure to poor water conditions, and improper diet, which lead to a parasitic infection. Other causes include poisoning, internal injuries and cancerous tumors. The swelling is not the disease itself, but rather a symptom, which is caused by a build-up of fluids in the body cavity due to internal organ failure.



Treatment:

Treatment of this disease is difficult, as by the time it is recognized, permanent damage to the internal organs of the fish will have occurred. Immediate treatment must be performed if there is to be any chance for survival. Metronidazole (Flagyl) and or Clout are the best medications for treatment of Dropsy. Notwithstanding, not much is known for certain about the etiology of this disease and some experienced aquarists use antibiotics to fight Dropsy. For oxytetracycline, baths of 20-100 mg/litre for five days is suggested. For tetracycline hydrochloride, treat with baths of 40-100 mg/litre for five days. And for minocycline hydrochloride a dilution of 250mg/10 gallons of water is recommended. On day 2 change all the water and add the medicine again at the same dose for another 2 days. Increase aeration during treatment. Do not use minocycline a third time in a row. Caution: tetracyclines are photo sensitive so turn the tank lights off during treatment and cover the whole tank with a blanket. If the fish is still eating, you can soak the food in a concentrated solution of the antibiotic before feeding.

You can read more about this disease, treatment, and how to prevent it in the future by reading our article: Malawi Bloat.

 

[brooksie]

The platy with the scales sticking out i would issolate her sorry there is nothing to be done.
Not the writer of this information below.
Symptoms:

This disease is very common among African Cichlids, and is commonly called "Malawi Bloat," even though it affects fish from Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria. Dropsy is also very common within the Carp family and among Anabantids. It is characterized by swelling of the body and especially abdomen, which causes the scales to stand out with a pine cone appearance. Eyes may protrude or cave in. Reddening at the vent and/or base of fins may be observable as well as body ulcers and long pale feces. In advanced cases, skin discoloration and scale loss may also occur. Sick fish will not show any desire for food. They will often hang near the bottom, resting on the gravel, or at the top, gasping for air. In the latter stages of this disease, the fish may lose its equilibrium and hence ability to swim properly.



Cause:

Three main causes for Dropsy have been identified. The over use of salt (NaCl), prolonged exposure to poor water conditions, and improper diet, which lead to a parasitic infection. Other causes include poisoning, internal injuries and cancerous tumors. The swelling is not the disease itself, but rather a symptom, which is caused by a build-up of fluids in the body cavity due to internal organ failure.



Treatment:

Treatment of this disease is difficult, as by the time it is recognized, permanent damage to the internal organs of the fish will have occurred. Immediate treatment must be performed if there is to be any chance for survival. Metronidazole (Flagyl) and or Clout are the best medications for treatment of Dropsy. Notwithstanding, not much is known for certain about the etiology of this disease and some experienced aquarists use antibiotics to fight Dropsy. For oxytetracycline, baths of 20-100 mg/litre for five days is suggested. For tetracycline hydrochloride, treat with baths of 40-100 mg/litre for five days. And for minocycline hydrochloride a dilution of 250mg/10 gallons of water is recommended. On day 2 change all the water and add the medicine again at the same dose for another 2 days. Increase aeration during treatment. Do not use minocycline a third time in a row. Caution: tetracyclines are photo sensitive so turn the tank lights off during treatment and cover the whole tank with a blanket. If the fish is still eating, you can soak the food in a concentrated solution of the antibiotic before feeding.

You can read more about this disease, treatment, and how to prevent it in the future by reading our article: Malawi Bloat.

I don't think the platy looks that drastic. Could it be a form of ick. Just now showing the spots. I had ick in the tank about a month ago. I used quick cure and it went away. They are eating.

 

[WILDER]

I would try and see if you can see a a parasite under the scales then.

 

[brooksie]

Now it gets stranger. When the light is off, the fish are swimming around the tank. I have lights and a window open in the same room so I can see the fish. When I turn the light on the fish go back to their corner.

 

[WILDER]

I would just observe them for now, keep an eye on the fish with the lifted scales as when they lift sometimes it can be a parasite underneath them.