Please Help!

[carla85uk]

Hi all i have a 7 year old red tail shark, yesterday i noticed he wont come out of his cave and his red tail is going transparrent, his black has gone very grey looking and his scales at one side look as though they are sticking out or flaking off. I have just tried to coax him out to see how his swimming is but he is falling to one side and doesn't seem to be able to stay upright.

I dont have the means to give a water test results. and all my other fish seem fine, I love my shark to bits, please help

 

[WILDER]

How many gallons or litres is the tank.
How many fish and which type.

Immediate water change now. Increase aeration.


Does he have greyish white patches on him.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing, darting, erratic swimming, laboured breathing, excess mucas.
Does he look bloated or thin.

It sounds like it could be bacterial, to parasites at the moment.

 

[carla85uk]

my tank is currently under treatment for white spot, as two of the sword tails have had it but my last treatment would be tommorrow as they are both clear now, he has no spots or anything but has laboured breathing.

I have currently ran out of dechlorinator for the water, so will it be unsafe to do the water change now?? He isnt swimming, he is just sitting in his cave, i tried to nudge him to make him swim but he just fell to one side

 

[Ben M]

hi, could it have burnt itself on the heater? obviously wilder knows loads more than me about fish illness, but it' just a thought.

cheers

 

[carla85uk]

22 gallons and same fish as on my banner thing

 

[WILDER]

How many gallons is the tank.
How many fish and which type.

Need to work out if your tanks overstocked.

You can do small water changes without declorinator. No more than 10%.

 

[carla85uk]

possibly, but ive never known of any others burning themselves, i could move him out but dont have another heater, would hot water in a plastic bottle serve heating purposes?

 

[WILDER]

Good point pest control forgot about the heater.

 

[carla85uk]

does it sound like a burn then, it is only on one side, and i heard they can loose their colour if they are stressed, but would this affect his ability to stay upright

 

[WILDER]

Dilute the med down with a water change.
To see if that makes a difference with his breathing.

What med are you using?

 

[carla85uk]

I did a 20% about 3 hours ago, which was when i ran out of declorinator, will it be harmful to do a change now without declorinator??

using WS3 white spot terminator

 

[WILDER]

Did he start to go downhill when you added the whitespot med.

Turn tank lights out, then shine a torch on the fish to see if the scales are raised, or peeling away.
Also get a magifying glass and take a closer look with tank lights on.

 

[carla85uk]

no hes been fine the whole time the treatment has been in. the scales look kind of like they are flaking off or sticking out, just in one line down one side of his body

 

[WILDER]

Does he look bloated?

Where the scales look like there sticking out. Feel for swelling, and lumps beneath the skin, or on top.

 

[carla85uk]

hes not bloated, i dont think he is going to let me touch him, i dont want to stress him out any more