Here we go again

[PeiMai]

Ok Followed everyones advice so far...fish looked great last night everything was going good until he had been home about 6 hrs then he started getting lethargic now he has found a spot at the bottom of the tank and hasnt moved, really all that much. I have an under gravel filter that I shut off thinking that maybe it was annoying him I opened the hood up to get more air in there but nothing please help!

I also dont think that the heater is workingwater is at...78F so maybe it is. what can I do?

[kuklachica]

You've had him less than one day?

[PeiMai]

Originally Posted by kuklachica

You've had him less than one day?

Yup! checked the ph and its right about7.0.
Of course when I called the LFS they said bring him ok easy enough sick looking fish sitting at the bottom of the tank. Easy right? WRONG! Off he goes like a shot Wtf?!?! so I'm letting him be hopefully someone on here can help me out with what is going on because I don't want to stress him out anymore than he already probably is trying to net him and all that deal.

[Adastra]

Sometimes fish get really sick at the store or during shipping. Did he come from a really nasty cup, or did you get a chance the test the water before you put him in new water? I usually test the cup water when I get home, partially to satisfy my own freakish curiosity about how much ammonia the fish is living in, and to determine whether the fish is likely to have ammonia poisoning. Usually if the water tests really high I give them a methylene blue treatment--MB is good for ammonia/nitrate poisoning and can help wipe out any external parasites the fish might be holding.

I think it's possible the guy had a little ammonia poisoning, and then was shocked by the new, clean water. A heater, lots of hiding places, and clean water should do him a lot of good. It's somewhat normal for new fish to refuse food and act a little "off" for a few days, yours is a good bit more "off" than most, but I wouldn't do anything drastic. Maybe add some methylene blue if you've got it.

[PeiMai]

Originally Posted by Adastra

Sometimes fish get really sick at the store or during shipping. Did he come from a really nasty cup, or did you get a chance the test the water before you put him in new water? I usually test the cup water when I get home, partially to satisfy my own freakish curiosity about how much ammonia the fish is living in, and to determine whether the fish is likely to have ammonia poisoning. Usually if the water tests really high I give them a methylene blue treatment--MB is good for ammonia/nitrate poisoning and can help wipe out any external parasites the fish might be holding.

I think it's possible the guy had a little ammonia poisoning, and then was shocked by the new, clean water. A heater, lots of hiding places, and clean water should do him a lot of good. It's somewhat normal for new fish to refuse food and act a little "off" for a few days, yours is a good bit more "off" than most, but I wouldn't do anything drastic. Maybe add some methylene blue if you've got it.

No I don't have any where might I find it?

[Adastra]

You could find it at the pet store pretty easily--it's a pretty standard product. Just look around a bit at some of the ingredients in the medications and you should find it pretty quickly--sometimes things with fancy names are really simple things, lol. Betta Revive has some methylene blue, but it also has neomycin, which is an antibiotic that your fish doesn't need nor should have, so stay away from that one or others that have antibiotic ingredients.

This is what mine looks like: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...fm?pcatid=4822

Keep in mind that this stuff stains like nobody's business--it would be best to get some kind of dropper to dispense it and be very careful about getting it on fabric or your skin. I spilled some on my hand the other day and I'm still blue.

[PeiMai]

My poor little guy :( I'm heading out now to see if I can find that before I have to pick the kid up.

[PeiMai]

I admit it I don't understand this one single bit. I had shut the filter off just to see if maybe all the bubbles were disturbing him or something. Was just about to leave to get some methylene blue and looked over now hes swimming around Grrrrrrrrrrrrr now back to bottom dwelling?

[Oldfishlady]

He may just need some time to adjust to the new and larger environment, sometimes they can get pretty stressed and tired when they are placed in bigger tank along with water movement.

[Adastra]

The current might have a lot to do with his stress level. In those small tanks with UG filters, the bubbles can cause current that he can't escape from--perhaps the current is very weak at the bottom of the tank. I would leave the filter off and not use it.