Scissor tail dartfish floating

littlefoxx · Feb 11, 2023

Hey all, help with my scissortail dartfish??? He is in QT right now, got him friday. He is now doing this (see video) floating and turning in the water. It is presenting like a swim bladder issue Ive seen in my freshwater tanks before. Please help, and l have a firefish, baby engineer and yellow watchmen in QT. Are they at risk?

fishguy242 · Feb 12, 2023

#fishmedic

bushdoc · Feb 12, 2023

Following

vetteguy53081 · Feb 12, 2023

littlefoxx said:
Hey all, help with my scissortail dartfish??? He is in QT right now, got him friday. He is now doing this (see video) floating and turning in the water. It is presenting like a swim bladder issue Ive seen in my freshwater tanks before. Please help, and l have a firefish, baby engineer and yellow watchmen in QT. Are they at risk?

Very unfortunate to say but this fish is Moribund which is similar to a comatose state and may or may not make it. As these fish are notorious jumpers, it may have swam into or hit an object and is at the point of weakness where it is unable to eat or swim normal.
There is no treatment I can recommend to correct this and while you can increase oxygen with an air stone, Often in this situation. . . . Hope for the best and expect the worse.

littlefoxx · Feb 12, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
Very unfortunate to say but this fish is Moribund which is similar to a comatose state and may or may not make it. As these fish are notorious jumpers, it may have swam into or hit an object and is at the point of weakness where it is unable to eat or swim normal.
There is no treatment I can recommend to correct this and while you can increase oxygen with an air stone, Often in this situation. . . . Hope for the best and expect the worse.

Ah thank you for replying. I will try the airstone and see if that has any results. Is this similar to swim bladder disease?

vetteguy53081 · Feb 12, 2023

littlefoxx said:
Ah thank you for replying. I will try the airstone and see if that has any results. Is this similar to swim bladder disease?

This likely is not which there would be a bouyancy issue, bloating, etc

littlefoxx · Feb 12, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
This likely is not which there would be a bouyancy issue, bloating, etc

Is this contagious to other fish?

littlefoxx · Feb 12, 2023

Thank you all who commented. He passed just now

Jay Hemdal · Feb 12, 2023

littlefoxx said:
Hey all, help with my scissortail dartfish??? He is in QT right now, got him friday. He is now doing this (see video) floating and turning in the water. It is presenting like a swim bladder issue Ive seen in my freshwater tanks before. Please help, and l have a firefish, baby engineer and yellow watchmen in QT. Are they at risk?

Sorry to hear. You should contact your dealer. The dartfish is REALLY thin.

Either it was not eating well before you got it (and the dealer should have known this), or it was being kept in low salinity water and when you acclimated it to full salinity in your tank, it dehydrated and turned really skinny (and again, the dealer should have cautioned you about that).

Jay