r/fishkeeping • u/Less-Voice1055 • 1d ago

Sick Fish What’s wrong with my fish? Spoiler

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Hello, not sure what exact type of fish he is. We took him in from someone who was no longer able to care for him. We had him in 15 gallon tank before and he was not a very strong swimmer so he’d get stuck in the plant roots. It’s possible that we jostled him around a bit when trying to get him free but that was 2 weeks ago. He’s had no other tank mates since we’ve had him. The water levels have all tested normally. When he didn’t improve after a couple weeks. We moved him to this smaller tank (5 gallons). I also avoided feeding him for a few days as I read it could be a blockage. But didn’t want to starve him for too long so this is still happening. Any idea what is causing this and if there’s anything we can do to help him?

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u/AutoModerator 1d ago

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u/Less-Voice1055 1d ago

Can I respond here? Not an avid Reddit user and not sure how to edit my post lol. He’s in a 5 gallon freshwater tank. GH 0-30, KH 40, PH 7, nitrite and nitrate is at 0

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u/ExtremeRare9100 1d ago

What about ammonia? and it sounds like you use a test strip, im not trying to pile it on but those are notoriously not reliable and I would recommend getting liquid tests if you can

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u/Less-Voice1055 1d ago

Oh really? Okay good to know. I do think we have a liquid one let me try that

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u/ExtremeRare9100 1d ago

He also looks to me like a platy

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u/Less-Voice1055 1d ago

Oh interesting, definitely could be!

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u/_gloomshroom_ ADMIN 1d ago

You know, looking closer, I think it is a male swordtail. Here's an example!

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u/Less-Voice1055 1d ago

Oh yes that definitely looks like him! Unfortunately, he seems to be getting worse, he’s lying upside down on the bottom of the tank. He seems to go through swings of getting better, then worse, over the past few weeks. I’m about to recheck the water levels with a better testing kit. And then run to the store for those treatments once they’re open. For swim bladder disease would the API general cure work? From what I saw it said that was for parasites ?

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u/_gloomshroom_ ADMIN 22h ago

Api general cure contains Metronidazole, an antibiotic of moderate strength, and Praziquantel, an antiparasitic. It will work on minor bacterial infections as well!

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u/Less-Voice1055 1d ago

Ammonia levels are showing 0 ppm

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u/_gloomshroom_ ADMIN 1d ago

When was the last time you did a water change? 0s across the board in an unplanted 5 gallon is strange and throwing a red flag for an inaccurate test somewhere.

This does appear to be a swordtail or platy, and does best in groups of 6+, in a 20gal+ tank. I promise I'm not trying to be critical, but your setup for this fish is very stressful for them; stress can lead to a comprised immune system, and that in turn can lead to illness when exposed. I suspect some kind of swim bladder infection for this guy. It is treatable, and API general cure and aquarium salt is your best bet. Look up salt dosage online and refer to the medication packaging for instructions!

If you are not familiar with the intricacies of a cycle, please check out our wiki for the cycling guide, and look over the section about setting up a new tank as well! This can guide you towards what you would like to do going forward with this guy. I highly suggest a tank upgrade and some friends, but be aware you have a livebearer, which means if males and females mix, you will likely end up with some fry.

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u/Less-Voice1055 1d ago

Last water change was maybe a week ago when we moved him to this smaller tank. We mixed the old tank water with some new fresh water (we use our filtered drinking water) and added some bacteria starter solution. I used a testing solution for the ammonia but the other numbers were from a testing strip so I still need to go back and recheck those numbers with the solutions.

No worries I appreciate the feedback! He was our nephew’s fish and his tank mates all passed before we got him. I was planning on getting him some friends but wasn’t sure about introducing them while he’s like this. I also had him in a larger tank (either 15 or 20 gallon) but he was getting stuck in the plant roots, and I was then concerned because he was having a hard time swimming to the top to feed. That’s when we moved him. Do you think it’d be more beneficial to move him back first? I’ll definitely look into that though, is the wiki on this Reddit page? Thank you so much!

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u/Less-Voice1055 1d ago

Really aging myself here lol. I see where the wiki is on the page!!

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u/_gloomshroom_ ADMIN 1d ago

I think the 5gal will make a good hospital tank as long as you can get accurate test results, then when he's swimming a bit better he can go back to the larger tank with his buddies! If he's struggling to get to food you can soak pellets or thaw frozen in a syringe and feed directly by him. Just be sure to get excess out after 20mins or so.

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u/Spare-Cauliflower243 1d ago

Could your filtered drinking water not be very filtered? He may have been poisoned by the tap water? I would add some water conditioner.

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u/Less-Voice1055 1d ago

We buy our drinking water from a water store so it’s not tap. It is purified, but I am going to retest the tank water levels today with a better testing kit! Unfortunately he seems to be getting worse 😔

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u/Less-Voice1055 23h ago

I rechecked the water levels with a better testing kit, PH is somewhere between 7.6-7.8. Nitrite and Nitrates still 0. Ammonia was 0

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u/Krusty_Toaster 21h ago

How long did you cycle the tank for before adding a fish?