My Dalmation Molly, Inu, died almost a month ago after what felt like a prolonged and shifting illness. I'm still plagued by what it actually was that did him in, and how the other two fish in the tank are perfectly healthy when he had gotten so ill.
I first noticed it as a white growth on his eye. At first it was only on his eye, so I treated for ich (which was my guess, since my heater had been on the fritz and temperature fluctuations were likely) and it went away. After that, however, it seemed like he couldn't really see out that eye, and started to swim kinda tilted off to the side. I thought he might be having a swim-bladder or digestion problem, so I started the pea treatment. All three of the Mollies happily gobbled up the peas, but Inu had his fair share, too.
My water levels had been fine throughout, as I was checking them almost obsessively. I was doing daily water changes just in case there
was something in the water, because I was really hoping I could get it out.
One evening, when I got back from a staff meeting, Inu was struggling to swim upright. He was swimming in a screw-like pattern, as he'd try to right himself and wind up flipping back over. My other two fish were right there nipping at him (probably trying to help but likely only stressing him more), so I removed him from the tank and put him in a five gallon bucket with a heater and the filter from the main tank.
I thought he was going to die that night, and thought the bucket might be a more peaceful environment for him. I put one of the fake plants and decorations from the tank in with him so he could feel at home when he went. He wedged himself upright between the two and I figured he'd be gone the next time I checked. Instead, he kind of recovered. A few hours later, he swam normally (though still slightly tilted to the side) and I was very confused. I got a quarantine tank, which needed to cycle and all that jazz before anyone could be put in it, but Inu lasted a good week in the bucket. I'd keep thinking about putting him back until something else popped up. He'd swim funny, or he'd jump from the bucket (even when I was pretty darn sure the water level was low enough that he couldn't get out...he'd try anyway!).
Then he developed pop-eye. I checked the water quality in the bucket, and aside from hard water with a high PH (which is unfortunately the water quality down here) which he should be used to by now, everything was fine! I know pop-eye is generally water-quality related...but I was changing bucket water every day. Probably just about 25-30%. I tested it religiously, and nothing was the matter.
He didn't recover that time, and started to have swimming upright-ness problems again, then I lost him. I really don't know what happened, or if it was just that he was old and it was his time to go? Seems like a nasty way for an old fish to have to go out, if that's the case... I'm not sure if it was stress from the bucket, either... I wasn't comfortable putting him back in the tank with the other two, though, because he still wasn't better and I had
no idea what he had.
Can anyone shed some light on this? I'm still really confused, and would like to know in case it ever happens again...
