I have community fish that always acts dead, then is energized.?

Question

I has a question about one of my fish.

We have a 55 gallon tank with about 10 fish in it. One of my fish is acting weird. It constantly looks it is dead. It'll flost on its' side or upside down. But when get go in to get him, he swims away and has soo much energy. When we feed, he'll swim around like nothing wrong.

It's been doing this everyday for a month now.

I say he's hibernating, my husband says he had a stroke (:P) We now call him Jesus. Does anyone know what may be going on?

Answer 1

One possibility.. If he is a member of the loach family... they tend to lay on the bottom of the tank on their side ( I have heard they are related to the flounder family, but I have no idea whether or not this is correct). I also have a parrot fish who will "float" around sideways on top of the plants, he always finds a spot where the filter seems to push water through his gills. I guess he has found a way to amuse himself, he is also one who plays in the bubbles (we didn't give him a Divine linkage, I just assumed he was like my husband and had never grown up!)

Just to be on the safe side, do a partial water change and maybe increase your oxygen level with air pump. Of course make sure all the other numbers are right. Unless you have an isolation tank, there may not be much that you can do... I certainly wouldn't medicate a 55 gallon tank for one fish.

Best Wishes!

Answer 2

Without knowing the kind of fish it is hard to tell. Likely there is some kind of internal parasite or neurological damage. Do both eyes look as if they are in tact? No cloudiness in one eye? There is also a line that runs down the side of fish where the scaled change. This is a horizon line and aid the fish in knowing where it is in the water. Equilibrium if you will. Check to see if this line is the same on both sides. If there is physical deformation it could effect how the fish swims when in an "idle" state. When stimulated (fear or food) the fish may have a more accurate way of telling where it is in the water in relation to the horizon.

Answer 3

I once had an similar difficulty brought about through leeches who at nighttime would come out of the gravel and attack the fish. they could get into your tank from new stay flowers or some stay ingredients. I placed the fish and rather some the water in a separate field and wiped clean out tank & gravel with a lot of kosher salt. once you've leeches, they hate the salt and also you may see if that become the project. once the tank is wiped clean replace something else of the water and the fish.

Answer 4

Is he floating on his side when he has his little "fits"?

When a fish floats on its side, or upside down, but is healthy otherwise, that is a swimbladder problem. Try feeding him the inside of a cooked pea every day and he should get better.