Black Spot IN Fish

[cchase85]

Tonight I went to check out my small tank and immediately noticed one of the pristella tetras was not himself. Look closer, he has no coloration and is struggling to stay neutrally bouyant, wanting to sink.

He has a black spot inside him in about the middle, right in front of the swim bladder (which is also suspiciously small), this spot is only visible when viewing his right side.

I am fairly certain he isn't going to make it through the night but am more curious what the heck this was... internal organ failure or internal bleeding or what?

 

[cchase85]

No ideas?

As an update, he's still alive, and still has the black spot, and still struggles to maintain his vertical position (sinking). If I didn't know any better (and my gravel was small and black) I would think he swallowed gravel.

 

[Squidman]

Are there any other black spots on the body anywhere?

What are the nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, pH levels?

Whats the temperature?

 

[Kissyboots]

One of my tetras also lost his color. He was pretty small, turned white, stayed near the bottom and then died. I don't recall him having anything black in him. Strange.

 

[Silver Koi]

Tetras do get a kind of black fungus - I had several in my tank last year die from it. Probably one of two things happened - if he is the only fish in your tank that has problems, then it is the result of some kind of injury - I have had a lot of them get injured if they get too close to the filter intake. If the other fish are showing signs of having problems you may want to check for fungus and treat for that.

Oh, and Hello, I am new to the boards!

Silver

 

[MissFishy]

It could be some sort of internal organ failure, a build up of poo, etc. The Pristella's are kind of see through, so could be a blockage of some sort. Could also possibly be a parasite.

 

[Squidman]

Tetras do get a kind of black fungus - I had several in my tank last year die from it. Probably one of two things happened - if he is the only fish in your tank that has problems, then it is the result of some kind of injury - I have had a lot of them get injured if they get too close to the filter intake. If the other fish are showing signs of having problems you may want to check for fungus and treat for that.

Oh, and Hello, I am new to the boards!

Silver

I think your talking about Black Spot!

 

[Squidman]

It could be some sort of internal organ failure, a build up of poo, etc. The Pristella's are kind of see through, so could be a blockage of some sort. Could also possibly be a parasite.

If it is a blockage of poo as MissFishy says then that means its have a Constipation problem. String of feces hanging from fish, swollen abdomen, sluggishness, disinterest in food, off-balance swimming.Those are all signs of constipation in fish. To care for the constipated fishie{s} stop feeding for 2-3 days and continue with a more varied diet including live and plant-based foods.

 

[cchase85]

Just the one black spot in him, no other spots. Water parameters are fine, temperature is maintained at 76 degrees, all other fish are healthy. My thoughts are that it has to be some internal organ failure, though apparently not necessary for his good health.

At this point (after the first night) he behaves perfectly normal, except for the black spot and the fact that he can't hold his vertical position in the water well. His color returned the following morning. His appetite is healthy and his feces appears normal when I notice it.