What's wrong with my fish?

Question

i have two fish. i just got a new one from a carnival, and it was sick and dieing but once i put it in my original fish tank with my goldfish in it, it got better. i'm sort of thninking that the carnival fish was infected with something. there symytoms are first it was lose of scales, and now they swimmm very rigid and scary liike tthey take jagged turns and sharp swimming motions. what is this and how can i fix it? could it be internal worms? or what? please help!! right now im going to clean my fish tank

oh! and yesterday i saw some ants go in the tank. many this can help? and my tank didnt smell like the moist dampp soil but smelledd fishy and different. also i sprayed ant spray AROUND the tank and not inside i sparyed around so that future ants would not could there

oh i also saw a guys question about his twiching fish and maybe can it be electical stuff, because the small one was beteween the glas and the filter, and twicting more then the bigger fish

okay, but how can i fix it??

okay, so far i just cleaned the tank with hot water, the tank is sitting in hot water, my fish are in a tub with clean drinking water and a few drops of strezz entzye ( i dont have any thing else.) i dont have a water checker ( ph, amoina, chlorine stuff ;[) this is the best i can do and i do not want my beloved fish to die !!!!!!!!!!!!! what else can i do to make sure nothing bad is still there?
should i put salt? or what. or should i just sclean that tank as i am now

5 answerer, i have a daily schedule to check if my water it foamy, and smells weird. and every wwekk i change water about 30 %. anyways i think they are fine now becasue i cleaned the whole tank, i thikthe problem was bad water. im going to make sure i buy a water testing kit so that next time this wont happen ^^ thnks everyone.

Answer 1

Fish do not just "get ill".

There are two causes -

1 - your neglect, either your maintenance schedule is poor or you don't know what you're doing (this is not meant to be nasty, but a fact - I have fallen into this category, especially at the beginning and very recently (I though my tank had cycled and my fish nearly died).

2 - infection from new fish - if you get new fish, try and put them in a quarantine tank for two weeks. If this is impossible watch your fish for any signs of illness.

Signs of illness

Hiding, skittishness (darting about), not eating, losing scales/sores on body, fins peeling or becoming ragged, dull eyes - these are not symptoms of one disease, they are signs that something is wrong.

The fish are flashing for some reason, or they are suffering from some sort of attack. Fish will also knock out their own scales by "flashing".

Flashing can be caused by several things, including temperature changes, parasites, water quality changes, high pH or low pH, nitrogen accumulation, or bacterial infections.

The most common cause of flashing is a pH which is not to their liking, or a parasite problem. Among the parasites, the most common causes of flashing are Flukes and Trichodina.

Stabilizing the pH is a good idea to relieve flashing behaviors caused by pH changes or a low pH.

Killing off Trichodina can be accomplished with salt in many instances. Flukes can be controlled by several methods including SupaVerm and Fluke Tabs. Follow all instructions for dosing as most fluke remedies are toxic of overdosed or left in too long.

Answer 2

With the added info, I'd say the primary suspect would be the ant spray. Has the behavior of both fish been this way only since you sprayed? Even though you didn't spray the tank directly, there may have been some "mist" or splashing as the spray hit the surface around the tank and this got into their water. A water change after this would help, depending on how long the fish may have been exposed to the insecticide and how much of a dose they got.

Since you're probably doing a very torough cleaning, you'll have to watch for signs of ammonia and nitrite poisoning, because you'll probably have reduced the beneficial bacteria in the tank.

If the behavior started before the ant spray, it almost sounds like a problem with your pH it the shaking was more like a nervous twitch. If they were trying to rub against the gravel or objects in the tank then I'd suspect a parasite brought in by the new fish.

I'm going to attach some links to fish disease sites so you can get some additional info on these possibilities. If the fish don't appear to have improved a few hours after the water change, and none of the conditions seem to fit your symptoms, feel free to email me (link is in my profile).

Answer 3

Hi it almost sounds to me that the fish has eith Dropsy (which is when the scales protrude from the body, sorry but ther eis no cure for this) or Swim bladder disease (which causes a loss of "balance" in fish, they swim irregularrly) Swimbladder disease is caused by poor water condiotions, or the swim bladder may have been damaged due to poor handling, fighting etc. The best you can do for that is an antibotic to cure the infection, I would ask your pet store about this though.

You did not say wether it was all of your fish infected or just the one you bought. You should check your water levels first though because it could be high ammonia or nitrates or maybe even chlorent in your water. This could burn the scales and cause then do do funny things. Check the water first before you do anythngi else.

Answer 4

Test the water, they could be reacting to high ammonia levels or something, if it is so smelly it is attracting ants. Is the tank big enough for goldfish? Also, they could be trying to scratch themselves based on the way they are swimming. If clean water doesnt help, try maracide or an ich/paraside medication. I would ask a local pet store also for some advice.. they may have come with some issues...

Answer 5

I think you got the other fish infected with what your new fish had, so you probably should wash out all the things in the tank, and go on wikipedia and search for info on your new fish, because your fish can be allergic to the environment you put it in, may be very ill, or your fish tank could have had bacteria from some kind of air/pollen in your house.

Answer 6

Hey there!!!
I think I'm having the same problem as you!! I can't figure out whats wrong but they have been like that for about 2 weeks and don't seem to be dieing they just seem crazy or mad lol
you can get some answers of my page that might help and if I get a real answer I will tell ya, if you figure it out please help me!!!