bloodfin tetra

Question
i have a six gallon destop aquarium with 2 bloodfin tetras and 2 zebra danios and noticed tonight that he was swimming upside down in circles and didnt know what was wrong and do you know if this can be treated???

Answer
Hi Taylor;

That certainly doesn't sound good. It's possibly related to his swim bladder that controls equilibrium. The trouble is that there are so many causes for swim bladder failure. Infection and constipation are the only two possibly treatable causes.

Another cause of equilibrium loss is brain damage from infection, parasites, tumors, etc. You can try a couple of things if you want to but the prognosis isn't usually very good once they start spinning like that. Maracyn Two is an antibiotic available at fish stores. It would be best to isolate the sick fish though. Maracyn Two will make a mess of your tank water and you don't want to treat the fish that aren't sick. Maracyn Two is the only one that absorbs inside the fish for treatment internally.

For constipation, stop feeding the fish for three days and after this fasting period feed only tiny chunks of cooked peeled green peas for a couple of days. I use frozen ones and thaw one in my hand. Peel it and break it into tiny chunks. If he won't or can't eat it isn't going to help though.

I wish I could be more helpful...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins