about to die

[FunWow!]

Might be a bacterial infection...fin rot can be related to it right along with other things...and you should really get a up to date test kit... On another note there will always be some nitrates,nitrites,and ammonia in your tank.

 

[amv123]

i really dont know what it could have been then...now that i think about it though i think i remember seeing fish at the pet store that looked the same as my dat. they were covered in fungus looking substance and sitting at the top of the tank while all the others were ok..

 

[brianp]

my dat is on the verge of death now. i just did a water change and now he cant control his swimming very well and he is swimming straight up as well holding his mouth out of the water...none of my other fish are affected in any way. what the #$#$ could this be? i dont get it

This is probably a bacterial infection which has spread to his gills. He is holding his head out of the water because he can't breathe. I told you earlier.....Triple Sulfa. Although, it may be too late now.

 

[janzal3]

cant get pics but temp is 84 ph is 7 and i just did two 40 percent water changes today however i do not have an ammonia or nitrate test kit...i tested yesterday with a strip and nitrites were 0 but nitrates were present not sure what level (i know thats bad but i didnt have the box to compare the colors on the strip with), so i did a water change this morning put pima and melafix in and then did another water change tonight when he wasnt getting better but now this is the third fish i have had die like this which is why i am getting nervous its a parasite, however my other fish are perfectly fine and look healthier than ever

84 degrees is too high. For healthy fish it probably wont be a problem. Higher temps hold less oxygen and ammonia is more toxic at higher temps. Try for 78 F and save a little on your electric bill too. Dats are sensitive to nitrogenous waste. Nitrite and ammonia test kits are a must, especially in a case like this. Nitrate is not as toxic and if the other two are low, chances are good that nitrate will be low. I routinely check for nitrite only. If it is high, I will check ammonia.
Is the fish tank new or is the fish recently purchased?

 

[amv123]

purchased three days ago

 

[ErikFromNJ]

Do you add a water conditioner when you do water changes? (2) 40% wc's in one day is alot.

 

[janzal3]

purchased three days ago

Possibly it wasn't in good health when you got it. Does the store have a health guarantee. Most good lfs do with the requirement of bringing in some of your tank water for testing. They want to be sure that it wasn't water quality that killed your fish. Make sure your dead fish is not in the water sample to be tested. Also, new tanks will initially experience an increase of ammonia and nitrite, at least until the beneficial bacteria is well established in your tank. One of the primary reason people try to treat their fish in a quarantine tank is because a lot of the meds used to treat a sick fish will adversely affect the beneficial bacteria. Also you dont want the sickness to spread.

Good luck