Diamond Tetra swimming erratically
4/14/19
Dear WWM,
Hope you are doing fine. Thank you for maintaining this excellent site, a great
help to us hobbyists.
<Thanks for the kind words.>
Question: One of my 6 Diamond Tetras have started swimming erratically since
yesterday. They are established fish, in the tank for almost 2 years.
There is no bloating, no injury marks, no loss of sparkle, no excess mucus and
all the fins are intact. It just kind of topples over or at times fall sideways,
try to regain posture and the cycle repeats.
<Understood. This does happen, and usually indicates environmental distress if
sudden. There's no real treatment, beyond ensuring stable, ideally optimal
conditions. Filtering the water with carbon should help, and if the carbon is
older than a couple weeks, then change it. Carbon should remove things like
insecticide sprays that can be used in the home but unfortunately are highly
toxic to fish. Otherwise, this sort of erratic swimming can indicate Whirling
Disease (Myxobolus cerebralis) but this is extremely rare in aquaria because of
its complex life cycle. Of course erratic swimming can be a symptom of things
like White Spot, Velvet, Dropsy, and Finrot, but it should be obvious if this is
the situation here.>
Tank is heavily planted 29 gallon, in its 8th year. No Ammonia or Nitrite,
Nitrate 25. Filtered by three 500l/hr HOB filters filled with sponge, bio balls
and ceramic media. Also a small bag each of Seachem Purigen and Carbon. Another
pump works a chiller. pH 7.6, TDS 300ish. Tank mates include other tetras,
Pencilfishes, Corydoras, BNP, Ram cichlids, all other fishes looking absolutely
fine.
Points worth mentioning: I had a sudden surprise attack of Ich after years, 2
weeks after I introduced some Cardinal Tetras which themselves had no visible
spots and were claimed to be quarantined by a reputed seller I have dealt with
in the past. The spots affected only some Green Neons. I went the high temp way
and allowed the tank to reach 31 C over the last 5 days.
The spots are almost gone now. No fish is showing any signs of Oxygen hunger, no
gasping at the surface, there is good circulation and surface agitation. I
usually maintain the tank at 25.5-27.5 degrees C with a chiller (this is an
Indian summer).
I fed freeze dried Tubifex worms yesterday, which I do rarely. Else their diet
is from various flakes and pellets from Tetra,, Ocean Nutrition and Hikari.
I added the regular weekly dose of Seachem Flourish comprehensive and Flourish
Iron yesterday, a practice I have followed for years. I also add 5 ml of a DIY
macro mix every other day as per the recipe from James's Planted Tank.
No use of paint fumes, aerosols, pesticides, etc. near tank. I have made a 40%
water change today but no improvement in conditions.
I replenished my dried Almond leaves 5 days ago, these are self collected.
Is this whirling disease?
<As stated above, extremely unlikely. The parasite needs other animals such
birds in the environment for the life cycle to complete, which really isn't
likely indoors!>
Or some kind other neurological issue?
<Certainly a possibility, if some toxin was present in the environment.>
Maybe the heat stress?
<Can be, though usually when tropical fish are exposed to cold. When too warm,
you normally see gasping behaviour rather than loss of motor control.>
Do I euthanize in case it is contagious?
<Almost certainly not contagious.>
Thanks in advance and keep well.
Devakalpa, India
<Hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Diamond Tetra swimming erratically
4/14/19
Dear Neale,
Thank you for the detailed reply.
<Most welcome.>
Unfortunately the affected fish passed away last night.
<No surprise, really. But always hopeful!>
I isolated it after mailing to you. Rest are fine as of now.
<Good.>
Regards
Devakalpa
<And to you, too. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Update on fish tank/ stocking questions. Random...
Moenkhausia 5/3/14
Thanks so much for your information Neale. Could I up the school of red
eye tetras or would that be pushing it. Right now its 11 fish, I had a
dozen one died. I was thinking of getting 5 more.
<I would not... experience has told me that oftentimes large groups of
fish die back to the number the tank holds easily. So leave things be
for now. In any event, for a ~50 US gallon tank, a group of a dozen
Red-Eye Tetras sounds about right.>
I was wondering are African butterfly fish compatible with red eye
tetras or would they get ripped, how about Indian butterfly catfish.
<Red-Eyes look nippy (menacing jaws) but usually aren't if kept in
adequate numbers. But you can't be 100% sure with any fish.>
Also I saw a T5 ultra strong spectrum bulb light for growing live
plants. Are you familiar with this? its quite expensive the t5 lighting
but according to the staff at Tropiaquatics it will allow me to grow
more types
of aquatic plants
<I don't know the specific tube, but generally a good quality T5 tube
with the right colour spectrum (6500 K for example) can be expected to
grow plants well. Probably need 2-3 tubes the length of your tank for
medium-bright lighting. Cheers, Neale.>
are red eye tetras a good fit for a 53 gallon, 36 L
by 20H by 15W 3/7/14
Tropaquatics has a 10 for $20 special on them. could i get 20, with 2
rams, a L204 Pleco 2 cories.
<If you mean the South American Red Eye Tetra, Moenkhausia
sanctaefilomenae, yes, this is a great species that does well
across a broad environmental range (it's one of a few South American
tetras that genuinely thrive in hard water). The only downside is the
species can be nippy, especially when bored. Fine with Corydoras,
Loaches, L-numbers, Danios, etc but less good with Dwarf Cichlids,
Angels, Gouramis and the like. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Blue eyed Pleco/ cloumbia info needed. 3/7/14
So they wouldn't mix well with Bolivian rams then?. What about keyhole
cichlids
<I would only mix South American Red-Eye Tetras (Moenkhausia
sanctaefilomenae) with other boisterous and active species. They aren't
nasty fish, and not dedicated fin-nippers in the same way as, say,
Serpae
Tetras, but they do get bored easily, especially if kept in too-small a
group. In a mixed community of loaches, catfish, Danios, barbs and of
course other tetras, they're a hardy and adaptable addition. If you do
try
them with medium-sized cichlids like Acara, do keep a decent number of
Red-Eye Tetras, do give them space, and do keep an eye open for any
signs
of fin damage. Cheers, Neale.>
am I overstocked
Mas childish blather
3/9/14
I have a 50+ gallon freshwater system. 15W 36L and 20 H. In it I have 12
Red eye tetras, hope to increase the red eye tetra school to 20+, an
L204 a
pair of Bolivain rams. and 2 surviving sterbai corys. which i hope to
give
back to the LFS.
the tetras aren't that nippy and seem to fit in really well just got
them
yesterday though.
<Glad they aren't causing any problems. Keep an eye out. Tank doesn't
sound
overstocked. With small fish like these, the "inch per gallon" rule
works
reliably well. Cheers, Neale.>
Tetra issue. Moenkhausia injured, living
solo 11/14/11
Hello!
<SP>
Well I'm not entirely sure what to do about this fish. Early
September, I was placed in charge of a 55 gallon tank here at my
school, first thing I did was get the water levels how they should
be.
<Good start>
There were small amounts of ammonia and nitrite (less than .5 ppm, but
I was not happy with that)
<Me neither>
and the KH was non existent while the GH was way over 30 (I stopped
counting is was so bad). This tank is stocked with tetras, patties,
barbs,
<Mmm, what species are these Barbs?>
mollies and Pleco. Everything seemed just fine, I started putting
AquaSafe in the tank (slowly to ensure the fish acclimated correctly,
they had been adding straight tap water for over a year and the Ammonia
and Nitrite levels here are insane).
<In the source water? This is bad... would not use for my potable
purposes w/o running through a reverse osmosis device first>
Everything was fine, we lost one fish (had been purchased from Wal-Mart
and it looked slightly discolored when I started). Well, about a week
ago now, I noticed that there was this huge blackish/brown spot on the
right side of the Lamp Eye Tetra. It was swollen, so I pulled the fish
and it has been in quarantine ever since. I watched it the first couple
days and smaller spots began to appear on other areas of the fish, so I
started adding Rid-Ich
<Mmm, I wouldn't do this. The active ingredients are too
harsh... Formalin and Malachite Green>
(which has worked on everything I've ever come across without
issues) and the smaller spots went away, but the swelling on that one
spot has continued. I've never had anything require treatment for
more than four days, so I stopped treating yesterday.
<Good>
This spot now has some slight red around the edges of it now.
<Healing>
The fish is eating and swimming fine, but I'm not sure what else to
do.
<Nothing... other than providing good care... water quality and
nutrition wise... Likely this Tetra has been bruised... perhaps from an
altercation w/ another fish here, maybe just a "bump" into
something hard. Will heal on its own in time>
Nothing has changed in the tank in a month and a half and I even added
a female Molly and a Dwarf Gourami to the tank (quarantined and added
after the tetra had been removed, so they did not cause this). This
fish is about 2 inches nose to tail and they are expecting me to
magically cure this fish, but I'm unsure what to do for it right
now. At this point, I don't think it's Black Spot. The only
time I seen something even close to this before was on a female guppy
who developed an internal tumor, was black and swollen, she died within
a month.
Current tank stats:
Ammonia: 0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: 5, KH: 2, GH: 29, pH: 7.0, Temp: 72-74
degrees (depends on if the lights are on).
<Mmm, given the mix of species, this water is fine>
Thank you!
Confused Student.
<And a note re this fish, Moenkhausia spp. are strongly schooling
species.
Really will do much better kept in a small group. I'd add a few
more. Bob Fenner>
Please help! Tetra hlth. 9/10/09
Hello,
I looked on your page to find out some info on my little fish. He is a
red eye tetra and for the past 3 days he has had something resembling
the shimmies and cannot swim. He lays on his side or back at the bottom
of the tank breathing very slowly and when he tries to swim or move he
looks like he is having a seizure. He is getting very small because he
can't eat and I'm not sure what I can do for him. He
doesn't have any discoloration and the other two fish in the tank
are normal. We have a few other neon tetras and I changed out 20% of
the water yesterday and the temperature is correct for the fish tank.
Please let me know if there's anything I can do.
Caroline
<Hello Caroline. With very small fish, symptoms such as these are
not promising. The first thing is to check the aquarium conditions. Do
a nitrite test and a pH test, just to make sure everything is okay.
Yes, it's
only one fish sick *now*, but if he's the smallest or weakest, he
might simply be the first of many. Next, see if you isolate the fish. A
quarantine tank is ideal, but otherwise, a floating breeding trap is
useful. Put the fish in there, and observe closely. Sometimes, fish go
"loopy" if exposed to a short-term shock; I've done this
to my fish one time adding freezing cold water (obviously, without
thinking what I was doing!). As they warmed up, they settled right down
again. So, if there's something amiss, perhaps water quality, a
sudden pH change, or the use of a pesticide spray in your house, water
changes will help, and you may see the
fish improve. All this said, with very small fish there's usually
little to be done. Do have a read of the best euthanasia methods, so
that you're prepared to relieve suffering if it doesn't look
like he'll get better.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/euthanasia.htm
By the way, Red-eye Tetras (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae) are somewhat
hierarchical and can be nippy; keep in groups of 6 or more specimens to
prevent bullying. Some tetras will turn on one another if kept in too
small a group. Cheers, Neale.>
I need help/advice; Poecilia,
compatibility 7/29/08 hey!
umm.......well, my oldest guppy's tail is being nipped at. His tail
looks pretty bad. Could this be a case of tail rot and I do not know
about it? or is a species of fish in my tank picking on him? in my tank
I have: Guppies Zebra Danios Rasboras neon tetras red eyed tetras glow
light tetras mini catfish I have two gigantic zebras and two smaller
ones. I put the big ones in my breeding trap to separate them from
Flame (my old guppy). but, they have been ing there for about a week
and his tail is still getting nipped at piece by piece. Before I had
the big zebras in the breeder, Flame's tail had gotten nipped all
the way back to his body. It has grown back some. but I can still see
that his tail is getting torn up. oh, I have had Flame ever since
October. -Sarah <Short answer is that Flame Tetras (Hyphessobrycon
flammeus), Glowlights (Hemigrammus erythrozonus), Rasboras and Danios
are rarely fin-nippers. But Red-Eye Tetras (Moenkhausia
sanctaefilomenae) are known fin-nippers. I have no idea what "mini
catfish" are so can't comment on them! You will need to treat
with a Finrot/Fungus medication promptly to PREVENT a secondary
infection: untreated, your fish can become infected and sicken.
Something like Maracyn (popular in the US) or eSHa 2000 (my preferred
option here in the UK) would work well. Avoid salt or Melafix -- these
have little useful function against Finrot. Cheers, Neale.>
Red Eye Tetra/Molly mix 1/19/06
Hi there, <Morning> My husband recently set up a 10g aquarium to
which we introduced 3 red eye tetras. We thought at first that we had
two females and a male, but now it seems more likely to be one large
female and two smaller males. They seemed happy enough, so two weeks
later (three days ago) we brought home three black Lyretail mollies,
two females and one male. The introduction seemed to go off without a
hitch... However, now the one female tetra chases the two smaller male
tetras quite a lot, and I think the male molly might have Ick! To top
things off, my daughter and I just noticed 6-10 molly fry darting here
and there. So my dilemma is that I don't know what problem to see
to first! Should I go and pick up another female tetra (or two) to
balance out their need to school, <Two would be my choice... an odd
number... ones of about the same size... and may not work. But hold off
till there is no ich problem> and will treating the Ick when the
spot falls off of the male molly harm the molly fry? <Possibly, yes.
Mmm, you should know that the two species you have do not share much
overlap in water quality preferences... the tetras like warmer, softer,
acidic water, the mollies, hard, alkaline cooler water... with some
salt content... which the tetras don't appreciate... Would be much
better to have these in two separate/different systems...> I
don't want to introduce too many fish, nor too soon, but will the
minor aggression I've noticed just continue to escalate? <Yes,
likely> I also believe that the mollies will be happier with a few
more females, but since there are fry, I'm hoping that at least one
or two will survive without any special care. (So far they seem to be
ignored by all the adult fish) I would appreciate any advice you can
give me on what course to take and when. Thanks so much for your
help....great site!! Cathy <Thank you my new aquarist/friend. Do
seek out a "less toxic" treatment for the ich... My fave:
Aquarisol and elevated temperature... to the low eighties F. Good luck,
life. Bob Fenner>
Re: Red Eye Tetra/Molly mix, ich 1/20/06
Thanks for getting back to me! <Welcome> Unfortunately, I had the
chance to make things worse before I heard from you... I went and
picked up another black molly to try and calm the male down, and three
more red eye tetras to try and calm the female down! <Not with the
ich in the system? And odd numbers, a surfeit of females are
better...> It's made a small difference in temperament, but
I've most likely gone and overcrowded my 10g tank now. (6
tetras-all different sizes and 4 mollies, 1 male, 3 females...and
don't forget 11 molly fry, 2 days old! Ahhhhhh!) Now I can see that
I've created a bit of a mess, but I can't correct it until I
treat for ich, right? <Correct> Thanks for the recommendation
(Aquarisol), I will pick some up ASAP. Should I treat immediately, or
wait for the spots to fall off of the male molly? <Treat
immediately> I've only detected two so far. I read that the
things in the spots must be "free swimming" to be effected.
(more bad advice?) <Is so, but one cannot see these other stages...
and you need a therapeutic dose present at all times to eliminate them
then... otherwise multiple generations become established... covered on
WWM> Luckily my husband has agreed to setting up another 10g
aquarium (bless him) so that I can separate the mollies and the tetras
and add some salt for the mollies. The one I brought home last night
looks a more vivid black than the ones I've had a few days, and it
was bought from the same tank. I really like both species and don't
want to get rid of either. <Good> I thought I was doing so well
researching all of this on the net, but I guess I found out the hard
way that not all advice is created equal! (Including the stuff they
tell you at the pet store!) <Amen... have found some quite contrary
and insufficient information re other topics, fields...> Thanks so
much for your time, it is much appreciated! A fumbling newbie, Cathy
<You have a good, discerning mind. Take your time here and
you'll do fine. Bob Fenner>
Baby red eye tetra... comp. 2/7/06
Hello, <Hi there> I have searched the internet to no avail and
would really appreciate an answer to this question. I have a
10 gallon tank with 2 red eye tetras and another tetra of similar size
(though I do not know the type.) The tank has marble like glass on the
bottom, and is well planted with artificial plants and coral (lots of
hiding spots.) Several months ago, I noticed a tiny little
fish in my aquarium, with the characteristic red above it's
eyes. I bought a small breeder contraption and put it in the
tank, to allow the little guy his own space and keep him
safe. He has grown to about an 3/4 inch long, but is still
thin and tiny compared to the adults in the tank. My
question; when is it safe to return him to the main tank
with the adults? I am so amazed by him and don not want him
hurt by the adults! Thanks for your help, Faith <Good question... a
lot depends on the size, make up of the system... as many small
tetras/Characoids can be quite nippy. I suspect that this fish at three
quarters of an inch is ready... Would just keep your eye on it/them for
possible too-much nippiness. Bob Fenner>
Murderous Red-Eye? 1/1/06 Four days ago we
set up a 20 gallon fresh water tank with a filter, heater, bubble
stone, fluorescent light, and some Cabomba. After a day, we
introduced 4 Zebra Danios, a Black Skirt and a Berry Tetra, 2 Red Eye
Tetras, 2 male Dwarf Gouramis and a glass catfish. <It seems wrong
to add 8 fish to a tank that has not cycled yet, actually it is
wrong> Initially, the Berry Tetra swam near the tail of the Black
Skirt and seemed to want to school. After a day the Black
Skirt went from cool to aggressive towards the Berry, darting and
nipping at it whenever it approached. Also, the two larger Zebra Danios
chased the smaller two and the larger Red Eye chased the smaller one
and occasionally chased the zebras. <IMO black skirts can be real
tough guys> The smaller Red Eye began to hide in a corner behind the
Cabomba, with the glass catfish. I added three pieces of Texas Holey
Rock to break up the space and give the fish more places to
hide. This seems to have increased the territorial
behavior. The smallest zebra began hiding in the corner with
the smaller Red Eye, who occasionally would chase it
out. Since then, the larger Red Eye has chased the smaller
one out of the corner and taken it as its own, and mysteriously last
night the smallest of the zebras lost its tail fin and ended up belly
up in the tank. At this point it seems like I should
segregate the larger Red Eye for a day or two in a
bucket. It seems too early to add more fish -- the tank
hasn't cycled yet and ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are still
undetectable. In a month or so, would adding more fish help
with the mix? I have read that tetras are less aggressive
towards each other in larger groups, but would I be setting the stage
for some kind of gang warfare if I added more? < No more,
let the tank cycle> Also, crowding can by itself bring out
aggressiveness in fish, and I don't know if I'm already pushing
the limits on crowding. Another issue -- the tank's pH
is now 8.0, almost certainly because of the limestone. It
was 7.4 prior. I love how the aquarium looks and really
don't want to take out the rocks, but I don't know how my fish
will do long-term is such an alkaline environment. Any
advise would be appreciated. < Please read here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwset-up.htm keep a
careful eye on your fish, read as much as you can, there is much to
learn > -- Jennifer McDermott <regards, Joanne>
"OSCAR" 08-2000 - 02-2002... rest in
peace O.K. I'm crying about a fish.. My little red eye
tetra (his name is Oscar) I've had since I started my tank died and
I am just overwhelmingly sad.. I need to know if it was my fault.. I
noticed he wasn't looking so hot the other day.. He wouldn't
eat and he was not swimming well and God bless her, the head light tail
light tetra (Ginger) was trying to help him by nudging him around
the tank.. I started treating him with Melafix fix <a nice
move... I like this tonic just fine> and by the time I got home
tonight he was floating and barely breathing so I am euthanizing him
now in the freezer. Before a couple of days ago he was one of my
fastest fish.. Him and Ginger and my Tiger Barbs would chase each other
all over the tank. I had had some fish disappearing and found out
through my pet store that the catfish I had were the likely culprit, so
they have been traded in.. I also got some great advice from y'all
and have been trying to adhere to it.. Water conditions have not
changed. Ammonia, non existent, ph 7.5, temp 78 20-40% water change
every 2-4 weeks. I fed a diet of shrimp pellets, micro pellets, Tubifex
and blood worms alternating and being careful not to overfeed.. I did
get a nitrate tester on the advice of my pet store and it said my
nitrates were high, but I called their advice line and they said that
that is normal in a tank w/ biological filter and actually healthy and
not to worry about it.. They said they are finding it is common in home
aquariums.. He did look a little beat up. (bottom side of body somewhat
red, so were gills.. Looked like some scales were missing) Could he
have gotten in a fight w/ the catfish or the barbs? <possible,
but old age is more likely. Most tetras only live a few years and you
bought him as a young adult, no doubt... indeed two years is very good
for some tetras> He did seem to chase the barbs a lot, but they
seemed to get along.. Of course when he started swimming slow, one of
the barbs nipped his fin. not bad though, just a little nick. He was a
year and a half old and I read his life span should be five years.
I'm really upset because he is one of my original fish.. Now
I'm worried that the head light tail light tetra won't fair
well, because they were always together. I have a 20 gal tank now w/a
silver tip shark, three barbs, 2 common Plecos and a rhino Pleco a
green Severum cichlid and the tetra and up until today Oscar, the red
eye tetra *sniff* Do you think I have room for one more tetra to be the
survivor's tank mate or does she need one? and why did Oscar die?
*sniff* <honestly.. I don't think any tetras belong in your
tank... the Severum and rhino Pleco grow to be monsters! You need to
pick a theme for the tank and stick with it, my dear> Sorry for the
long email.. Trying to avoid going to the freezer and disposing of his
remains. Anyway, even though I'm bummed I love my aquarium. I love
to just sit and watch it and want to make sure I take care of it.. I am
sending two pictures if you want to see them.. <a lovely and fun
little fish. May I suggest that if you are sensitive to such losses
that you stick with cichlids like your Severums... they can easily live
more than ten years! Kindly, Anthony>
Oscar 8-2000 to 02-2002 II Thank you so much..
Feeling much less emotional today. Perhaps not a good idea to send an
email right after you've scooped the fish out of the tank *grin* I
am going to take your advice.. I originally got my two tetras to see if
I could care for a tank properly as they are pretty hard to
kill.:) <indeed...lovely and hardy fishes, albeit naturally
short lived> and have been moving up to more difficult fish.. I
really like the fish I have now and think I may end up getting more
barbs, couple of cichlids, my shark and my Plecos when I get a bigger
tank. Does that sound good? <absolutely... as long a space
allows> Of course I'll read and research each species before
adding them <you do yourself and your charges a great service
and respect in so> (learned my lesson on that the hard way!) Anyway
thank all you guys for answering all my questions.. YOU ROCK!!! <a
pleasure. Kindly, Anthony>
Sick tetra? I have a red eye tetra that's
ballooned up on the under side; is this a pregnancy or a bladder or
swim bladder disease? <Hello...Jorie here. I really
can't say what's going on without some more information. First
off, how big is your tank, how many other fish are in it (and what
type), and how long has it been setup and running for? Have you tested
the water recently for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? If so, what are
the readings? (Ideally, all should be at zero.) Also, what is your
fish's behavior like to make you think it could be a swim bladder
disorder?> It had no swim difficulties... <This likely rules out
swim bladder disorder> and gills quickly <Do you mean rapid
breathing? I'm not quite sure what you mean. If it is
rapid breathing, do test your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates,
as mentioned above, and do a water change to get those readings to zero
if necessary.> What should I treat it with? <For now, I'd say
nothing. Do a water change and please try to give me some more specific
information about the tank, other fish, and the affected fish's
behavior so that I can better help you.> Many thanks, <You are
welcome. Good luck.>
