No! Help, My Little Apisto Is Not Well :(

[justjon]

Hi all,

I've been off this week so not taking much notice of anything at all, I went to feed my fish today however and noticed that my little female apisto was at the back of the tank curled to the left and not moving.

I netted her and noticed she is still breathing and wriggles a little but tens to just float if let go etc... one thing I have noticed is it seems she is a little on the thin side... she's ALWAYS been small since i've had her, with the male being over double in size...

Is there anything I can do at all? These two are my favourite little fish, and i'm so gutted to think I could have done something sooner.

All tank stats are fine, water changes are 15-20% per week.

 

[jpeterson]

How much do you feed? Are there any signs of disease?

 

[justjon]

Well, she is dead this morning... I can't say i'm suprised but I am totally gutted.

I feed once per day, no signs of disease, she was just thin.

I got her a few months ago with the male, she was TINY and whilst he grew well in size she seemed to stay the same, and I would never see her out eating with the other fishes.... I got a syringe to feed her, which seemed to be working but I guess not enough to keep her fed up and well..

 

[star4]

Sorry for your loss, sorry I am too late to help. A fish thats thin could possibly have an internal parasite (worms) Usually you will see stringy white poo, but if she hadnt been eating then you possibly wouldnt have seen it. In cases like this where the fish is thin or starts to loose weight and not growing, remove it to a seperate tank and use an internal parasite med, I use sterazine I have had great results with that. Once the course of sterazine is complete, leave treating for the recommended amount of time then treat with an antibacterial med, Esha 2000 or Myxazin to clear up any damage thats been caused by the internal parasite and to help combat any infection caused by the dead worm inside the fish. While treating a fish like this its best to feed it something like brine shrimp and garlic or bloodworm, something irristable to help them keep up their strength.

Keep a close check on your other fish for signs of not eating as it can sometimes be contagious.

 

[justjon]

Thanks for the advice, as put above it was too late with everything going on this week.

I did just go to remove her from the tank (she's in a big fish net atm).... and she wiggled, so obviously still alive.. but still bent left and not really moving at all..

 

[star4]

Sounds like she is too far gone to try anything to be honest, it would be kinder to euthanise her.

 

[WILDER]

Has she lost weight due to not eating.

Does she show any of these symtoms also.
Long stringy white poo, clear mucas poo.
Enlarged anus, red inflamed anus.
Is her belly sunken in.
Is her spine bending.
Any worms sticking out of her anus.
Does she look pale or darker in colour.
Does she tilt to oneside when resting.
Does she try to get off the bottom of the tank only to fall back down again.

 

[kizno1]

What was your PH? I think it was you who keeps them in quite a high ph. Im not sure if its anything to do with it but most Apisto do seem to die after a few months in water with a PH over 7. The females seem to be more prone aswell.

 

[justjon]

Hey Kiz,

Yeah my PH was a little above what it should be for them, but I understood that many people keep them in a higher pH range with no issues, to be honest, i'm 90% sure it was due to lack of food, she was never ever out at feeding.

However, one thing I also noticed is her tail fin seemed to have nips in it, so i'm guessing some sort of bullying was occurring at lights out, perhaps from the male as he was so much bigger....

She's definitely gone now, she did totally stop moving but I took her out and quickly whacked her just incase, just to make sure she didn't suffer anymore.

All other fish are doing well and all behavior is normal, now i just need to find some female apistos..

 

[kizno1]

Fair enough. It could have been the Internal bacteria then because that would put her off eating.

Had you noticed the nips before? They could have been done while she was dieing as most fish will pick at dieing fish.

 

[the biffster]

whats the stats on the
the tank today

 

[justjon]

Fair enough. It could have been the Internal bacteria then because that would put her off eating.

Had you noticed the nips before? They could have been done while she was dieing as most fish will pick at dieing fish.

Only today I must admit....