Sick Bloodfin Tetra

This Bloodfin Tetra started exhibiting symptoms where his tail hung lower than this body and he swam erratically, almost twitching. He has a hard time staying upright and eventually will go upside down. However, he's able to right himself and swim off. I'm not sure what this is because the tank is fully cycled (Ammonia and NitrItes at 0 with NitrAtes at 10). I do a water change once a week and feed them Omega One Color flakes and Brines Shrimp as treats.

At the end of this video, you can also see another sick Tetra resting on the bottom. He looks to be a bit bloated but has been surviving for a while. Even when I think he's dead and go to get him out of the tank he'll move off and sit somewhere else!

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Bloodfin Tetra
• fish
• sick
• constipation
• bloated
• dropsy
• aquarium
• tank
• freshwater
• tropical

[frostybadfish]

Well, atleast that cory is thriving! I am sure that it passed by now, but, did you have atleast six of the bloodfins in that tank? I had read that no matter how many dithers you added to the tank, a bloodfin will not emerge unless there is half a dozen darting around. Maybe that could have been a contributing factor?

[eepruls]

When I first got these Bloodfins I had a lot of problems. I would buy 6 and then two or three would die within a couple of days. You can tell right away when there's a problem. You drop food in and one will be off in a corner by themselves and won't eat. Once you see that, it will be a goner very soon.

Some individuals are just hardier than others. It's just luck which ones you get. I bought 4 more for a total of 6 and have had no problems. My Bloodfins are hardy and look awesome! Love them!

[frostybadfish]

Good to hear! I had a similar problem with some emperors I had in the past: buy six, four were dead by the next month. Usually, the females would go first after dying from egg scattering! Go figure. But, I gave up and moved onto Congos instead--I think they are really easy.

[eepruls]

I honestly believe that getting hardy individuals is just luck. I think you'll find that for every owner that has had no problems with a certain species, there are owners that can't keep them alive.

I have brought home fish of one species and some do awesome while others mysteriously die without warning. And this is a cycled tank with no reason for them to die. Some individuals are hardy and some are not. It's a gamble as to which ones you get. If you get good ones, treasure them! :)

[DgosFinnest]

@eepruls Wow, thats weird, I tend to take extremely good care of my African cichlids. Haven't lost one to Natural causes in a long time. Then Today, one of my Favorite cichlids, that ive had for a very long time. Died. And he was acting just like your Bloodfin Tetra was acting here!! Wow, Now I think mine died from a bacterial infection in its stomach. I guess bloat. 

[eepruls]

@DgosFinnest I find individuals will be healthy and then become sick rather quickly and then die. There's nothing you can really do once they get too sick and stressed.

[Reecethomas34]

it has swim bladder disorder it is very easy and cheap to treat

[juanjohnhoe]

I have only 3 bloodfins and they are alive and really fat lol and they seem happy

[Almp18Ai]

@eepruls

Ive had the same problem too. I bought 6 Neon tetras and only one survived. Then I bought 8 Rummy noses and 3 survived. They all died the same way you described it, after a couple of days they would start to swim funny and look twitchy.

I found out that this occurs when you do not acclimate them properly to a new tank :/

[rattqueen6969]

I just bought 3 blood fin tetras, and one is towards the the top of the tank, not eating and it looks like his mouth is always open. The other Tetra looks like half his mouth is missing. The other tetra looks fine and is eating. I had my tank water tested at the pet store and my water quality is very good, and I have a 10 gallon tank. I did add some aquarium salt, and will do a lot of water changes. I hope this helps.

[TheAquariumKid]

@frostybadfish yeah i wish i knew they were schoolign fish becuase i neber new

[frostybadfish]

Luck most assuredly does have alot of "say" in the matter I would presume. But, at the same time, I think that mixing specific species together makes a happy fish tank: such as three larger Gouramis, some White Clouds, a few Rainbows, and a Synodontis. Thus far, nothing has died in over twenty seven months! But, your wisdom is refreshing I will say.

[frostybadfish]

Hey now, you are speaking my language. Rainbows are awesome fish, and, make great dithers! Check out the Trifasciata, or Goyder River, Kamaka and Parkonsoni. Expensive, but, well worth the money spent.

[TheAquariumKid]

@frostybadfish yeah been keeping fish for more than a year and i am expericnsed with corys tetras and more yeah they are fooled watch my videos

added an astralian rainbow to the tank