need help fast!!

Question
oh dear.. my fish is really sick.. he is a black moor and hids down at the bottom of the tank on his side.. you can tell he struggles to breath. he trys to get up but then tires out. he has a big bulge on his left "stomach area" near the abdomoen i guess. he just lies there and its very depressing. i have no idea what to do.. there are two other gold fish in a really big tank and they seem fine.. AHH help :'(

Answer
Hello,

It sounds like one of two things. Either an internal infection or a water quality problem. What you should start by doing is checking your water quality parameters- especially nitrites and ammonia as these are usually the offending quality concerns. If you seem to have no water quality problems then you should begin treating him with one of the following:

1)Tetracycline. It can be purchased at any fish store.
2)Triple Sulfa. Also can be purchased at any fish store.
3) Melafix. A general antibacterial. You should probably try starting with one of the other two.

All of the above medications work generally on most infections and problems unrelated to fungus or parasites. So if you see little bugs or fungus growing on your fish, feel free to contact me again and I can recommend treatment for one of those.

I hope this helps.

Good-luck,
From Stephanie