Flame tetra problem

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Sadielynne
Posts: 77
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:17 am

Flame tetra problem

Post by Sadielynne » Wed Mar 20, 2013 11:17 am

I added 5 flame tetras in one of the tanks I take care of (45g bow front) about 2 mos. ago. The tank has done well, w/ several clown loaches, a variety of tetras and a large pleco.

Everyone has been eating good, including the larger fruit tetra (he was slow to feed!), but yesterday, I noticed one flame tetra is not doing well at all!! I thought they had all been eating well, but obviously this poor thing hasn't been, as he is half the size of the others, and is swimming more "upright". I know he is probably not long in this world, but I brought him home and put him in a gal. sized table-top aquarium, thinking he may find his food easier.

What is going on and is there any treatment I can do for him? I am broken-hearted that he is dire straits.

Thank you, Paula

Diana
Posts: 4675
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:35 am
Location: Near San Franciso

Re: Flame tetra problem

Post by Diana » Thu Mar 28, 2013 11:39 pm

Not really enough info to say what is going on, but here are a few ideas.

1) Do not mix fish sizes so that the small ones are in danger of being preyed on. Fish that are 1/4 the size of the larger fish might get eaten. Even if the larger fish make no predatory moves toward the smaller fish, the threat is there, and the stress of the situation can weaken or kill the fish.

2) In any group of fish one is more likely to be a bit bossy, and may intimidate a weaker fish. This does not always mean that one fish is overly aggressive, or that the wimpiest is so weak that it will die. More often it is a lesser range of personality and the fish live with that just fine. Just that occasionally such extremes of personality can happen. The bossy fish get all the food, and the weaker fish lose out, and keep getting weaker and weaker.

3) Perhaps the weakest fish is really sick with a disease, parasite or something. Watch the rest of the fish for symptoms, and do enough research to have some medication on hand in case it turns out that there is something going on in the tank. Something like the symptoms you describe make me think of internal parasites.

4) Fish can attack each other, butting into each other and doing enough damage to the internal organs that the victim can die. Or, an aggressive fish can chase a wimpy fish so much that the weaker fish bumps into something or gets hurt or cut on something in the tank.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.

Happy fish keeping!

Sadielynne
Posts: 77
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:17 am

Re: Flame tetra problem

Post by Sadielynne » Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:36 am

Thanks, Diana! Not much info, really, other than what I posted! Everyone was doing fine, or so I thought! All of a sudden, it seemed, the poor thing was smaller than the rest and swimming almost vertically and totally "on the go", kind of frantically.
I took him home and put him by himself, thinking he needed some isolation, with no challenging to the food. Alas, he did not make it, so it could be he had a problem early on that was not visible. Some fish just don't thrive!
Again, Thank you! Paula

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