Struggling To Swim And Move Tail Fin

[LongS]

ah yeah i have one of them carbon things that i took out of my other filter. need to see if it fits. if not i'll pick some more up.

How do i know when the carbon is done with? like unable to take anymore out of the water. is there a way you know when? do you just throw them away when finished with?

thanks

 

[pippoodle]

ah yeah i have one of them carbon things that i took out of my other filter. need to see if it fits. if not i'll pick some more up.

How do i know when the carbon is done with? like unable to take anymore out of the water. is there a way you know when? do you just throw them away when finished with?

thanks

i would leave them in a week them throw them away and not use them again until you wish to remove any dyes , meds or tannings from your tank
carbon is only usually effective for about a week so run it for that then dump it hun

 

[LongS]

ok thanks very much will let you know how i get on, added the first dose earlier, need to add another in a few days, wasn't as difficult as i expected thanks to your help!

Longshlong

 

[LongS]

ok just updating you guys. I put both doses in, in the recomended time then left the tank for just over a week.

Heres the thing, i noticed my small male (with the deformed tail) swimming strangely. Like the last one, kind of moving whole body to swim rather than just a stroke of the tail.

I am really concerned for him as i fear the same will happen. He spends a lot of the time at the bottom behind an artificial plant swimming strangely.

I did a 40% water change to dilute the meds a couple of days ago but havent run carbon through the filter at all.

should i treat the tank again with the anti internal bacteria med? is it too late for this fish? like brain damage already? Advice would be great.

Longshlong

 

[LongS]

can anybody advise me on this? The fish is a small male wcmm, and looks to have trouble swimming, has been like this for the last two days as far as i can tell. rest of them seem fine. Shall i dose the tank again?

 

[WILDER]

Can you describe the deformed tail, does it look like its bending.

 

[LongS]

well with the wcmm they have a triangle shaped tail, this one just has like a thin strip instead of a full tail, like it has been bit off, although this has been like this since i got it.

The fish looks like it is kind of holding its back end different to the rest sometimes, kind of bent but more like it is off balance rather than damaged. also the other night i noticed it sleeping at the bottom and then its tail floated up and kept its head down. i actually thought it had died but a few mins later it swam around again.
It does seem to look a bit better than the other day but isn't goin to the top for food, just swimming along the bottom of the tank.

I asked the guy in the shop if he had any noticable problems with them yesterday and he said that they did get a lot of complaints with them dying on people. So i don't know whether its just bad quality minnows they are supplied with? It is frustrating when fish die so i'm wondering to get my minnows from elsewhere and see if it makes a difference. I don't seem to be doing anything wrong, infact i'm keeping well on top of everything.

 

[WILDER]

He dosn't sound good and I don't think he will make it.
Can you issolate him.
Does the look on the thin side.

 

[LongS]

since he is a male he is slender anyway, but i cant say that he is over skinny. So he must be eating something off the bottom. Shall i put grape into the tank? or peas since they sink? or will this just convince him to stay at the bottom more? he doesn't look like he is struggling so much anymore, but i am not going to get any minnows from this shop again. I know these are pretty tough fish so something must be wrong. If this one dies thats 4 of 7 dead!

 

[WILDER]

Peas are good it keeps the fish going to the toilet.
How is he now.

 

[LongS]

The wee fella actually seems fine now, the strange swimming has almost dissapeared and he is eating normally with all the others at feeding time. Not staying behind the plant any more and swimming and mixing it with the rest. Saw him eating a massive blood worm the other day, and when he goes for a toilet it is normal colour.

So hopefully a full recovery is on the cards? Seems strange as i thought he was gonna die the other day.

So no idea what was wrong with him

 

[WILDER]

I didn't hold much hope out for him either.
Glad to hear he's better, well done.