# Zebra Danio looks sick



## p8ball4life

*Tank Size*: 20g tall

*Water Parameters*: PH - 7.4 Ammonia - 0 Nitirite - 0 Nitrate - 10 

*Water Changes*: Once a week 40%

*Feeding*: Every other day - Tropical flakes

*Fish in the tank*: 4 danios - 3 healthy and of medium size 1 sick and really small

*Infected fish*: the small danio

*Symptoms of the infected fish*: His back has a weird droop in it and his gills are red. He hangs out near the top of the water, but doesn't look like he is gasping. He may just be up there because he's under a rock and the other fish don't go there. He just sits there, doesn't move, lets the current push him against the rock. (I say he, but in reality it could be a she)

*Time the Symptoms occurred*: noticed after coming back from xmas break

*Age of the fish*: 3 months

*Tank History*: Newly cycled

*Medications in Use*: is GAC considered a med?

Here are some pics of the poor guy.





Any help would be appreciated. I don't know if he's just been picked on or what, but he's in a pretty sad state right now.


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## Louise163

Red inflamed gills are due to bad water quality but not in your case.
You could be dealing with gill flukes.
Signs are as follows.
Red inflamed gills that can look like they are bleeding, or pale with excess mucas on them.
The fish will gasp as the top of the tank or breath heavily.
You will notice the fish flicking and rubbing against objects in the tank.
Also with gill flukes the fish will sometimes spit there food out.
Other signs are sores on the body of the fish.
Gill flukes are nasty as in there hook they carry a nasty bacteria which enters the fish blood stream when the parasite pierces the skin.
So this why you have to use a bacterial med once you have finished the parasite med.


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## Obsidian

I believe that you may just have a slightly deformed fish. I have like 30 fry and at least 3 of them look like this. My fish are now about 2.5 months old and every last one of them has redder gills than I would expect. I believe it is because of their age and is normal. When I first brought my danios home (the fry's parents) their gills were more red than my other fish, but now at full growth they are normal. I would look for the mucus as if there is that in addition to the redness that would be a better indicator of illness IME. My danios gills are more "maroon" than "red." 

What does concern me is his lack of activity. That is not normal in my experience and is, to me, the largest indicator that something my be wrong. Unfortunately I do not know what might cause that as it appears your parameters are good. The only thing I can think of is oxygen levels so make sure there is a lot of water disruption at the surface and see what happens. 

The other good news is that 2 of the adult danios I have looked sort of like that (I am not sure how old they were when I bought them, but I know they were juveniles) and as adults the deformities have disappeared. Those 2 were not AS bent as the young ones, but until my young ones catch up in age to what those were I can't say how much worse they are, since they might be just like the adults were at that age. 

Goodluck!


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## p8ball4life

As of right now I haven't seen him in 4 days  He may be hiding/dead in one of my caves, but I haven't seen him come out to feed twice now.

As far as oxygenation goes, I'm confident that my tank has enough. I have an air pump and stone going on one side of the tank and the hob filter agitation on the other side of the tank.

I'll keep an eye out for him and keep the thread updated.

Thanks,
Tyler


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## Louise163

I would search for him and find out if he's dead as he wants removing from the tank, a decaying body can cause water problems and ill health to fish.


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