sick danio - bloody spot

mpg

Medium Fish
Oct 22, 2002
94
0
0
new york, ny
www.andersonarch.com
#1
i went away for the weekend.  a neighbor fed the fish.  last night when i got back they seemed fine, but perhaps a little unenergetic.  the HOB filter was spilling over the edge, so i put a new filter next to the old one (with new carbon) to colonize the new filter.  this caused a lot of debris to be shaken loose from the old filter, so there was a snow storm of gunk which cleared up again in about 20 minutes.

so, this morning, the smallest danio has a bright red blood-colored spot on his side.  it's about 1/4" in diameter, and under the skin, i.e. not an open sore.  he's obviously uncomfortable because he swims only in the direction of the spot (starboard).  but he's still swimming, not drifting.  

i was already late for work, but i did a quick 20% water change, added some salt and some quickcure.  when i got to work i did a little reading and it sounds from disease database like it might be toxin poisoning.  any other ideas?

i guess i just have to do massive water changes for the next few days?  should i stick with the quickcure in case it's bacterial?

could my neighbor have done something accidently?  (fed the fish with dirty hands?)  could it have been the new filter i started?  i'm also trying some philadendron in the tank (i know, not aquatic)  which are supposedly poisonous to mammels, but they have been in there for months.

sorry for rambling on about a tiny little sick danio.  i get this way when one of my little buggers isn't feeling well.
 

mpg

Medium Fish
Oct 22, 2002
94
0
0
new york, ny
www.andersonarch.com
#2
after a week of water changes, and continuing with the quickcure,  he's feeling a lot better.  i put him in a net breeder which protected him from the tank currents, and getting bumped by his tank mates.  it also helped him get to food before the others ate it.

the red spot is gone, but he still swims like his side is hurting him.  kindof jerky, not smooth.

he's going to live through it.  i'm very happy about that.  i thought he was a goner.  i'm thinking of letting him back into the tank within a few days.