My Rosy Barb Is Twitching Again

[celaeno]

one of my rosy barbs is twitching from to one side as he swims. i originally had this problem 2.5 months ago with the same fish. i thought it probably got caught in the downpour when i did a water change, but it could be something else.

anyone have any ideas why it's twitching? it still tries to feed from the surface, but spits the food out right away while twitching. maybe it's internal parasites or an problem with its swim bladder?

he is fed omega one flakes, frozen bloodworms once a week, and frozen spirulina brine shrimp once a week.

water stats: ammonia/nitrite=0, nitrate=15, pH=7, all other fish are healthy

 

[Colin_T]

could be a neurological problem. He has a nervous twitch but it depends on how often it happens. If it is regular then he could have a parasite trying to dig into his skin.
It's unlikely to be his swimbladder or intestinal worms.
Can you see anything unusual on his side?

 

[celaeno]

his sides look normal and he hasn't lost any color. he twitches whenever he swims. right now, he's staying still a lot and hiding, not shoaling with the other 3 barbs.

any idea how he could've acquired such a neurological problem (if it's indeed neurological)? what can i do to help him out?

 

[Colin_T]

if it is something to do with his brain then it is probably a genetic thing and he was born with it.
Good water quality and a well balanced diet can help sometimes but not always.

 

[celaeno]

he was not like this when i bought him, so does it mean it's a parasite?

 

[celaeno]

upon closer inspection, there are now one or two stringy strands on either pectoral fin. along with the twitching, what can this be diagnosed as?

 

[Colin_T]

the stringy bits hanging off his pectoral fin could be excess mucous brought about by stress or poor water quality.

External parasites usually show up as a grey, white or gold patch on the fish. And usually in more than one spot. Other fish will usually develop similar symptoms within a few days to a week. Parasites will generally cause the fish to rub or scratch on rocks and ornaments in the tank.

He might have damaged his back when caught behind the down pipe of the filter and it has become a recurring injury.

A very unlikely scenario could be a tumor which is pressing on his spine or on part of his brain and the pressure from this is causing the twitching. But generally with a tumor in the body you should notice a raised area or a permanent bend in his body. The twitching should get worse over time as the tumor grows.

 

[celaeno]

i've added a uv sterilizer and 4 tbsp of aquarium salt to the tank. the rosy barb is occasionally doing half a cartwheel (it was doing this before the salt was added), so that's why i asked if it was a swim bladder problem.

 

[Colin_T]

Swim bladder problems generally cause the fish to sink and stay on the bottom, or float around the top.
If the fish is doing spirals/ cartwheels then it is probably something to do with the brain and it might be best to take him out and euthanase him.