# I'm Lost! Fat Danios Getting Skinny and Dying...



## Jeanette (Jan 2, 2009)

Apologies to the Mods and everyone here... I'm new, but not new to tropicals. If this doesn't go here, please move this to the appropriate place after I post it. Thanks!


Of the 20-something fish in my long-established 55 gal tank ,I have 8 zebra danios. 7 females, one male. One has gotten skinny and has been 'trying' to die for over a month. I don't have the heart to put it out of it's misery. Just two days ago I noticed another of my 'girls' acting funny...she's on the bottom and her 'sisters' keep trying to get her to swim but she's not into it. She also isn't eating anymore, just like the first one. The male wants to spawn with her but she swims away from him when he tries. She's also a lot thinner now. The healthy 'sisters' seem to be 'guarding the sick ones from their other tank-mates. It's so sad, but I don't know if they are sick and there's something I can do to help, or if they're like salmon and they die after they spawn. All of them have a pronounced 'hump' back now and the one that's been sick for a month is almost bent in half. How long do they live anyhow??? I know they've been in there for at least four or five years.

Everybody else in the tank seem to be happy and eating well.
Please don't ask me for tank stats...I haven't tested the water for a few years now. I have my routine maintenence down to a science and haven't had an issue with the water in a long time. (Last time I had a problem it was filament algae after I lost my Flying foxes, but I got two more and the filament problem is gone.) 

Any input would be appreciated!

Here's a couple pics of my tank taken July 2008.



















Thanks!!!

Jeanette


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

My first guess would be an internal parasite. Fish can get humped/bent from poor nutrition. If something in their gut is eating the food first, it would explain this. How long since you introduced any new fish or plant to this tank?


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## Jeanette (Jan 2, 2009)

Thanks for the reply emc7! 

I got the two new Flying Foxes about a month ago. 
They are a bit nippy, but the danios nip right back.

The one danio that was 'trying' to die, finally died yesterday.
Now there are two more female danios hanging around on the bottom. One is mimicing what the one that died did. She's struggeling to swim and then spins out of control and crazily crashes into the gravel and the structures before hiding behind a rock, breathing fast and apparrently exhausted.
Also, what I thought was the other females 'guarding' the sick ones was wrong...they are actually circling the sick ones and then viciously attacking them and knocking them silly as if they are trying to kill them. 
It also seems like the rest of the fat danios are way more aggressive to each other than they ever were in the past. 

Another thing I'm seeing that's not usual is that all the fish that usually hang mid-water or near the top are swimming within 3-5 inches from the bottom all the time. 

I've been suffering from a bad back the last few days and I'm about a week late for their next partial water change but I plan to do it tomorrow. 
I change out the filter media every two weeks and do a 3/4 to 1/2 a tank water change every 3 to 4 weeks. 

Funny...as I type this, Allie, my algae eater is currently having a vicious battle with my dojo loach. They usually pay no attention to each other. 
The harmony that once reigned in my tank seems to have vanished...I don't know what in the world is going on in there but it's not a 'happy' place right now.

Jeanette



As for the food, I've always fed them the same thing, TetraMin tropical flakes.
Think I should try to dose the tank with some sort of medication for parasites? If so, what do you think I should try first?


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I recently used some anti-parasite food that seems to have helped. It took a bit to notice the change but my weak swimmer seems better now. It would be a good thing to try  It's jungle anti-parasite meds. They might not take it so mix with some garlic.


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## Jeanette (Jan 2, 2009)

Mixed with garlic???
I didn't know that was O.K. to put in a fish tank! 
How much and how should it be fixed? Chopped, mashed???


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

my experience is that they didn't go for the powder mixed in. I used a real clove and broke up just a little, chopped that up then mashed that in with the anti-parasite med using a mortar and pestle. Then I fed that to them. They didn't "love" it but they did eat it more than they were. I think the garlic itself is an anti-parasitic but that I am not positive about.


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

At most fish stores, in the marine section usually, they have concentrated garlic juice, and you put one or two drops per teaspoon of food, or directly in the water.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

Take some tank water, add some garlic powder from your kitchen cupboard. Stir it to dissolve as much as possible. Pour in tank. Hungry fish.


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