Red Rainbow Not Swimming!

[chipper_222]

Hey All,

My Red Rainbow is swimming vertically (nose to the surface). There is no visible signs of infections, if anything his scales seem to have lost some colour and his rear fin is clamped. What is happening and is there anything I can do? All the other fish in my tank seem unaffected.

Ammonia: <0.01mg/L
NO2: <0.01mg/L
NO3: 5.0mg/L
pH: 6.9
Temp: 26C

Please respond ASAP

Chipper

 

[WILDER]

Size of tank in gallons or litries.
How many fish and which type.
How long has the tank been set up.

Immediate water change and increase aeration in the tank.

Is the fish bloated.
Can the fish maintain its balance in the water.
Tail standing or looks like the tail is wieghing them down in the water can be swim bladder caused by bad water quality.

 

[chipper_222]

Size of tank in gallons or litries.
How many fish and which type.
How long has the tank been set up.

Immediate water change and increase aeration in the tank.

Is the fish bloated.
Can the fish maintain its balance in the water.
Tail standing or looks like the tail is wieghing them down in the water can be swim bladder caused by bad water quality.

Tank details are in my signature. Fish does look a little bloated, currently upside down at the bottom of the tank. What else could be contributing to bad water quality than the ones I mentioned?

Another thing the 2 silver sharks are nibbling the rear fin, looks like the are eating something off him?

 

[WILDER]

Can't keep two rainbow sharks together as they don't get on with there own kind.
Bala sharks need large tanks of 90 gallons and shouldn't be kept in less than a group of 3.
How big are the sharks.

How long has the tank been set up.
Your tanks overstocked.
The fish that upside down dying due to bad water quality its took its toll on him.
Immediate water change.

I would issolate the sick fish if there pecking at him.
Fish will peck at sick fish.

 

[chipper_222]

Can't keep two rainbow sharks together as they don't get on with there own kind.
Bala sharks need large tanks of 90 gallons and shouldn't be kept in less than a group of 3.
How big are the sharks.

How long has the tank been set up.
Your tanks overstocked.
The fish that upside down dying due to bad water quality its took its toll on him.
Immediate water change.

I would issolate the sick fish if there pecking at him.
Fish will peck at sick fish.

I don't have any rainbow sharks.

The Bala sharks are about 3inches long, I know they get big.

The tank has been set up for 13 months now with no problems up until now. When you say bad water quality can you be a little more specific.....Ammonia, Nitrite, pH and Temp are all fine.

 

[WILDER]

Sorry my mistake thought they were rainbow sharks.
is ammonia and nitrite reading 0.
Or is the ammonia and nitrite reading above 0.

 

[chipper_222]

Sorry my mistake thought they were rainbow sharks.
is ammonia and nitrite reading 0.
Or is the ammonia and nitrite reading above 0.

I work in a Lab. and tested the water today, results were NH3: 0.008mg/L and NO2: 0.003mg/L

 

[WILDER]

Ammonia and nitrite should be 0. Unless you mean the colour chart goes from 0 to 3.
Once fish are upside down they rarely make it.
What do you feed your fish as bloating can be constipation, swim bladder, dropsy.
Are his scales sticking out.

Bad water quality can be overstocking due to the filter not coping with the load of fish in the tank.
Best to over filter if your tanks slightly overstocked.
Over feeding.
lack of maintance on thet tank.
How often do you do a gravel vac and water change.

 

[chipper_222]

Ammonia and nitrite should be 0. Unless you mean the colour chart goes from 0 to 3.
Once fish are upside down they rarely make it.
What do you feed your fish as bloating can be constipation, swim bladder, dropsy.
Are his scales sticking out.

Bad water quality can be overstocking due to the filter not coping with the load of fish in the tank.
Best to over filter if your tanks slightly overstocked.
Over feeding.
lack of maintance on thet tank.
How often do you do a gravel vac and water change.

I'm not using a colour chart, I'm using an instrument in a Laboratory...the results given above are effectively 0ppm for Ammonia and Nitrite.

The get fed mainly flakes sometimes bloodworms (haven't been fed these for over a week). Scales look fine.

Gravel Vac and do a 30% water change every 10days

Thanx for your replies Wilder

Chip

 

[WILDER]

Thats fine then if the ammonia and nitrite results were 0. Thought you meant there were above 0 with putting 0.01mg.
Don't hold out much hope for the fish thats upside down.
Is his breathing laboured.
Could do with a more varied diet of frozen foods and veg.
Feeding to many bloodworms can make fish bloat up. I wouldn't feed them more than twice a week.
Frozen or live daphnia good for digesting a fish food.
Veg is good anything green, like cucumba, sproats, savoy cabbage, peas.
I feed peas twice a week to keep the fish going to the toilet. Also they are a laxative for when fish are constipated.

Click on feeding.
[URL="http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/"]http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/[/URL]
I would issolate the sick fish.

Does he head stand before he was on his back upside down.
http/www.flippersandfins.net/SwimbladderDisease.htm

 

[chipper_222]

Has anyone ever had a fish which has had swim bladder problems and it survived?

Should I stop this fish from suffering?

Are my other fish at risk?

Chip

 

[WILDER]

Fish can sometimes survive swim bladder.
How long has he been upside down. Is he still upside down now,.
To end his misery this is the method I use.
Get a jug of very cold water then add icecubes till the water freezing cold. If no icecubes put the jug to the freezer.
Place the fish in the freezing water should take about 30 seconds. Leave the fish in the water awhile to make sure its passed on.
Check the gills are not moving.

 

[chipper_222]

Fish can sometimes survive swim bladder.
How long has he been upside down. Is he still upside down now,.
To end his misery this is the method I use.
Get a jug of very cold water then add icecubes till the water freezing cold. If no icecubes put the jug to the freezer.
Place the fish in the freezing water should take about 30 seconds. Leave the fish in the water awhile to make sure its passed on.
Check the gills are not moving.

He has been upside down for the past 5 hours, he does still swim around at times...manages to get to the surface and the right way up etc. I'm thinking his diet may have caused this because the water quality is fine.

Can this be passed on to my other fish?

Chip

 

[WILDER]

I would issolate him as desease can pass on if the fish peck at his dead body.
Epson salt baths help draw the fluids out.
If you can issolate him try a bacterial med.

 

[chipper_222]

Had to put my 'Red' out of his misery yesterday. All the other fish are fine.

Definitely must have been a diet/feeding issue rather than poor water quality.

Cheers