Clamped fins...

[SarahCdnNanny]

I have a danio who just started floating around the top of the tank. Its side fins are moving when needed to keep him near the top and the tail seems to just hang there. I checked the water parameters and everything was fine except the pH was a little high... I've lowered that slowly over the course of the night/morning.

The other 5 danios are doing great, seem really healthy, its just the one that is acting funny. Any ideas?

 

[S-kate]

You should isolate it so it doesn't get the other fish sick. Do you have a small tank you can use as a quaranteen tank? If not you can use a bucket or something. Fill it with fishtank water and put a bubbler in it. The floating near the top sounds like swim bladder desease, though I'm not sure.

 

[SarahCdnNanny]

Well the fishie died today....

I also found the "skin" of a ghost shrimp... Do they shed? That's what it looks like happened... but who knows, maybe the danio got hungry, ate it and died? I had that happen once when I accidently had a guppy in my net, and put it in the gold fish tank... my oranda ate it, but I didn't even see the guppy in the tank, all I saw was the tail in the orandas mouth The oranda died the next day too, but that wouldn't explain the clamped fins the danio had yesturday.

 

[Shaunna]

Yes, ghost shrimp shed. Leave the skin in the tank, btw, it is a great source of calcium for the shrimp. He will eat at it. Your danio could have just been sick when you got him. It is a shame you weren't able to qt him or anything. Keep an eye on the rest of your fish for a while, whatever he had may have been contagious and is still lurking in the waters. Do a really good water change as well.

 

[S-kate]

Sorry about the fish.

 

[SarahCdnNanny]

I'm so silly... I do have a tiny cycled hospital tank... never thought to scoop him up though he did well this morning when I fed the tank. It was probably too late anyways... everyone else seems fine..

Great to know that they do shed... I still can't find baby shrimp #4, so I hope he's in there.