Losing Danios...

[Feathers]

I used to have seven Danios in a 10 gal, and in two weeks their numbers dwindled all the way down to two. I have been monitoring my water levels obsessively since the loss of the very first fish, and find absolutely nothing wrong with the water quality (aside from it being hard and having a somewhat high PH, but it's always been like that so I don't suspect that is what is killing my fish.)

Medications: Pimafix, Melafix, Anti-Parasite meds

Fish #1: This fish had stopped eating, which I assumed may have been from the two mollies that were quarantining with my batch of golden danios being far too dominant for the food. I removed the mollies as soon as I noticed said fish getting thin, and moved them over to my molly tank, only to see that the fish did not eat anyway. I took her out of the tank, isolated her in a 5 gal bucket to see if she would eat when there was no competition, but at that point she was already having trouble swimming, and she didn't last the night. (I had a filter and heater on the bucket...so I don't suspect temperature or water quality was the cause. Maybe separation from the other fish factored in?)

Fish #2: The second fish I lost was my smallest Danio. I should probably have covered the slats on my filter intake pipe when I realized how small the guy was, but I didn't really foresee it being a problem. One evening, I noticed a red mark on his side and wondered if it was from bullying, and found him the next day dead mostly inside the intake pipe. (It was kinda gruesome...) I had assumed they were strong enough for the filter to not be a problem, but whatever was getting them was making them pretty weak.

Fish #3: This one had stopped eating around the time I lost the first fish, and gradually got weaker and weaker until I found her dead in the tank.

Fish #4: This fish actually had something wrong with it that I could see. All the other fish appeared fine with the exception of the one that had the red mark on its side. This one had a lump between its anal fins, which I assumed was a sign of parasites. I had been treating the tank with Pimafix and Melafix prior to the lump developing, which then caused me to treat with anti-parasite medication. The lump went down after I began treating for anti-parasite, and on the day the fish looked like she was better in the morning, I returned from class to find her dead, as well.

Fish #5: This fish stopped eating shortly after the loss of fish #4 (along with one of the remaining two fish). I can only assume that it got weaker and weaker until it died, since I couldn't see anything at all wrong with it. I examined all of these fish closely after they died and couldn't find anything whatsoever wrong with them...aside from the one that got caught in the filter... This particular fish was simply very thin from not eating. It wasn't for lack of trying, either... it just wouldn't eat.

Of my remaining two fish, one has been not eating for as long as fish #5, and the other fish stopped eating yesterday.

I have been changing the water regularly (every day) in order to medicate and in hopes of getting rid of whatever is killing my fish. But...as it is... it doesn't look like these last two Danios are going to make it.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Even if there's no way to save the last two fish...I kinda want to know what happened (if anyone knows o_o) because I've never seen anything like this happen before. I asked a couple of the more knowledgeable people at my LFS, and they couldn't offer me any insight either.

My poor little Danios...

[Louise163]

Was it a red patch on the danio.
Red patches can be septicemia hard to cure once it has progressed.
The lump was it hard or like fillled with fluid.
A fish with a bacterial infection can be pale or darker in colour, they will stop eating, and lay to oneside at the botom of the side, or be listless and lethagic.

What does it look like when your fish go to the toilet.

Noticed any of your fish flicking and rubbing.
Check the gills over to see if there pale with excess mucas on them.
Or red and inflamed.

[Feathers]

Hm... it wasn't really a red patch on her, though. It was like a line... kinda like she scratched herself or something? It's possible it was a patch. It was hard to tell.

As far as the lump went, I never exactly felt it... It was a little pinkish, moreso than the fish, but otherwise didn't look too weird?

I haven't noticed much of a color change in the very skinny fish that is still alive, but part of that may have to do with him being a golden Zebra Danio... as they're pretty pale to begin with. I haven't noticed anyone sitting on the bottom, or really being listless or lethargic. It's strange, because they still swim around like nothing's wrong, they just won't eat. They swim around during feeding time like they would like to eat, but then don't.

I actually bury my fish, since I can't bear to flush them. They go in a flower pot... >_>;;; But they look fine.. Aside from the one that suffered the reasonably gruesome filter-death, the rest just looked thin...that was all. I looked hard all over them for some signs of illness, but all I could see was that they were thin.

I haven't seen anyone flicking or rubbing, either. I checked the gills of the dead ones after they died and they seemed fine, too. I can't really tell on the ones I have now because they don't really hold still long enough for me to tell. As far as I can see whenever I kind of get a good glimpse at them is that there doesn't appear to be excess mucus on the gills, and they're definitely not pale. They're also no more red than they've always been (which is because of the crappy hood light I have, it kinda makes any reddish parts of the fish stand out far more. The gills have looked red since I first got the fish home from the store a couple months ago, so I've been judging gill redness off the initial redness I figured the lamp was causing.

I really have no idea what's doing this to my poor fish! One of the two fish ate today, but it was the healthier of the two. My remaining gold Zebra really isn't looking too well, and I'll be surprised if he makes it another couple of days... I wish I understood why he won't eat! Someone told me that it could be because the numbers are too small for them to school, and they're stressed out, but I don't want to go get new fish and add them to a tank when a potential disease is killing my fishies...

[Louise163]

If gills look red and inflamed and water quality is good you could be dealing with gills flukes.
Flukes also cause fish to go thin.

A fish being very thin when eating can mean fish tb, internal parasites, old age, flukes, velvet.

Gill fluke flukes or skin flukes signs are as follows.
A fish can look opaque with excess mucas on them.
Flicking and rubbing.
Laboured or heavy breathing.
Red inflamed to bleeding gills.
Swimming in a jerky movement.
Spitting food out.
Sores of the body of the fish.

Flukes also cause bacteria infections, as in here hooks they carry a nasty bacteria which enters the fish blood strream when the parasite pierce the skin.
So if fish do have flukes best to treat with a bacterial med after you have finished the parasite med.


Internal parasite signs are.
Long stringy white poo.
Or clear poo.
Enlarged anus, or red inflamed anus.
looking skinny or bloated.
Worms hanging out of the anus.

Zebra danio can be prone to fish tb, the spine can bend in old age.
Its very hard to say a fish died of tb without tests done on a dead fish at the vet.

[Feathers]

I lost my Golden Zebra this morning... so now it's just down to my Zebra Danio who appears to be in good health. At least now I have some insight into how to help my remaining little girl if she needs it.

Now my concern is if she'll be alright by herself? I don't want to add more fish until at least a couple weeks... and since Danios are schooling fish, I'm worried she might get too stressed out my herself in the mean time?

[Louise163]

I wouldn't add anymore fish till you no what you are dealing with.