Poorly fish please help.

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RossM

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Dec 2, 2019
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Hi all,

Hope you're well.

I have previously kept a black Moore and an oranda in a previous larger tank. They sadly passed away some time ago. I since brought two tiny tanks (5.5 litres). Each tank has three minnows in. The tank I have downstairs has three grey mountain minnows and the upstairs tank has three white cloud mountain minnows. I've had them about 8-9 months. I must admit, due to studying commitments lately I probably haven't been doing as much tank maintenance as I should. However I have been testing the water every 1-2 weeks consistently and would have acted if anything was irregular.

Both tanks have been experiencing an increase in algae in the last circa two months. Especially the downstairs one (as it's in direct sunlight). Despite the algae, all fish looked happy and healthy and even seemed to enjoy the new unintentional foliage. So again I took no drastic action. The downstairs tank had a water change about 2-3 weeks ago and the upstairs one was last changed about 2 months ago.

Last two days or so one of the fish upstairs has been looking increasingly lethargic - constantly hiding, not swimming much, not coming up for food etc. Like humans I know fish can just get ill and recover by themselves, so I took the "watch and wait" approach. Yet things have got worse and today I noticed he seemed to be stuck on one of the ornaments (a neon spiky type plastic ball). I was worried he was dead. So I got the net to try and catch him and he started moving. He was swimming on his side in a limp "C" shape. The other two fish in that tank are fine. So I took 1/3 of the water in the tank and put in a small hospital tank I have and topped it up with some fresh water (treated to remove chlorine and a filter aid product applied) - being a temporary tank it has no filter but I felt the filter aid bacteria could still be helpful. Also topped up the main aquarium with fresh water at the same time. As all pet stores were closed by this point, I couldn't go to buy any medication, but can do so in the morning.

So in summary although arguably I should have given the tanks more attention lately, the water parameters have remained satisfactory throughout and all other fish look happy and healthy. So I assume it's an illness with the individual fish. I believe most minnows usually live 2-3 years in captivity. So it shouldn't be dying of old age yet. The behaviours have been happening for a few days now, so he's not just having a bad day. So what's left is an illness confined to that one creature. I've witnessed eye movement, ability to swim but with great difficulty and on its side, gill movement still occuring.

So is this likely to be swim bladder? Just with the previous generation of fish - the fancy goldfish, I treated swim bladder. The difference was, the fish was floating at the top of the tank. Yet this time it's floating on the bottom - any other likely possibilities? I'm limited as to how much I can do with the tanks at the moment, as I have a lesion on my left index finger and don't want to get it wet with dirty tank water due to concern over it getting infected. Also can't get the dressing wet.

I can go to get any water additives in the morning and will also buy some euthanasia product incase this becomes necessary - I had to do it for my oranda in the end and used a Koi sedative and used the whole bottle in a small tub of water to ensure a rapid fatal overdose. However I believe clove oil can also be used so will get some in just in case.

I'd be grateful if we could try and reserve any judgement. I know the tanks are small, but so are the fish. I took advice and did research at the time and for such small fish these tanks should be more than sufficient. I also know fish keepers must dedicate time to the fish. I do so when I can, but life is always a difficult balancing act of commitments and passing exams will in the long run allow me to help human beings, so it's a trade off. I care about the fish and would always want the best for them. I know many fish keepers see the fish as nothing more than a pretty decoration. Not me. I appreciate they are living creatures that feel pain and suffering just like we do - just in a different capacity. I always try and do my best by the fish and as you hopefully see, when they aren't well I act upon it as soon as possible.

Thank you in advance

Ross
 

neontetraking

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May 16, 2020
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I think that the problem is that the tank is to small
 
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RossM

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Dec 2, 2019
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I think that the problem is that the tank is to small
Hi there.

Naturally this thought did cross my mind. Aside from the fact I was advised at the time that the tanks would be fine for such small fish, the tank being too small wouldn't explain why the two other fish in that tank and indeed the three downstairs are all on top form. I absolutely wouldn't have considered such small tanks for any other breed of fish. However these fish are only about 2cm long each and maybe 0.5cm tall if that and they don't produce that much waste (unlike the fancy goldfish I used to have that seemed to excrete constantly).
 

neontetraking

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have you checked the ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate?
 

the loach

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Aug 6, 2018
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Yes those "tanks" are too small, even for white clouds. Eventually you'll run in to problems. A 20 liter would be the bare minimum for 3 white clouds, but personally I would say ±40 liter (±10 gal) is the minimum, you could have more fish in that though. An aquarium is a biotope for the fish and the smaller it is, the harder it becomes to keep the water parameters stable. I wouldn't even use a 5 liter tank as a hospital tank for a single white cloud. They need some room to swim, too.
 

neontetraking

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right
 

London

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Jun 1, 2020
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Hi Ross,

What water quality readings are you getting?

I think the issue of tank size has been addressed, but I will say when you have a small tank regular water changes become especially important to dilute nitrate build up. These can be chronically detrimental to fish health.

It’s great that you’re testing your water every 1-2 weeks, but a water change on a 5.5-litre tank can easily by done while those tests are developing.
 
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