My Fish might be sick...?

Question

Ok i have had my fish for 3 days now. I got him from petco and everything that i use has been from there. He was doing fine when i first got him and the day after that. it's just him in the tank right now. i didn't QT him or anything. before i put in him though i did let him swim around in a bowl with the water i was using.

my Parameters are

pH 8.3
Salinity is 1.021
nitrate is 0.5
alkalinity is normal between 2.0 and 2.2
The temp stays between 79 and 80 degrees

Everything is normal and im looking at him and he seems like he's shedding and one of his fins have a white tip on them. im not sure if it's the water or if he's stressed. He eats normally and swims around alot. he stays in one place when i look at him or he goes and hides. it's just odd because when i got him he looked healthy and now he looks kinda sick. when the white stuff comes off of his body it looks like he did shed. whats all this mean?

i would really like some help in determining whats wrong with him

I didn't put a few things up that might help.
The fin that has the white stuff on it actually looks like it's eating away. is it fin rot or something else. ive been researching many different ailments that a fish can come up with. it's either that he has fin rot or velvet or both... i don't know what to do. this is my first fish i and i don't want him to die.

it's a tomato clownfish as well.

Answer 1

Here is a site that shows a clownfish with a disease, maybe it's the same as yours has
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/maroonclnart.htm

there is another site with exact discriptions of the diseases of a tomato clown fish
http://www.fishlore.com/Disease_Saltwater.htm

Hope that helps

Answer 2

My brother owns a fish tank with fish also. The white spots o the fins might be a disease that the fish could have gotten anywhere. If the tank was clean before the fish was put in it the fish will be fine. I suggesdt goin back to petco and asking somoene about it mabye even bringing the fish back to them.White spots on a fin i think is a disease. You can also buy sdome medicine from a pet store but talk to a clent about the disease before buying a medicine. That's all i know.

Answer 3

Sounds like fin rot. I'd hightail it back to Petco with him, and let them take a look at him. There are antibiotics available that should be able to fix him right up. If he dies, don't blame yourself, if you've done all you could. Lots of times we get fish that are sick, but just aren't showing any symptoms until we get them home. That's why a quarantine tank is so important, to keep from infecting your whole tank. After you determine what's wrong with your fish, it's important to treat your tank and change your filter medium before introducing any new fish to that environment.
I would recommend looking for a "mom and pop" type fish store. Large chains like Petco are mostly staffed by high school and college kids who may or may not have a clue about the creatures they are tending. Privately owned stores are invaluable sources of information, and the owners have likely been doing business with the same suppliers for years, so they know about their stock. Look for one that is clean looking, with sparkling clean tanks, and lively, healthy-looking fish. Red-flag any place with algae build-up in the tanks or more than a very few (if any) dead fish, of course. These privately owned stores will usually work with you to diagnose any sick fishies you may have, know which medicines treat what, and do whatever it takes to keep their customers happy, so they'll keep coming back. A lot of people who don't know any better are spending their money at Petco, Petsmart, even Wal-mart, and that's hurting the family owned pet stores. Experienced fish fanciers know better, however. I personally have never had a case of fin rot in one of my fish, and have never bought any fish from a chain store. I've heard enough horror stories. I adopted a betta from an individual once and it promptly developed pop-eye. I took it to my neighborhood pet store, and the lady who runs it told me which antibiotic to use and how to use it, and I've had that fish for over a year now, and he's doing fine! That's just my experience, and my best advice. Good luck!

Answer 4

I know exactly what that is! My fish tank caught the same exact disease! It's called Ick. The fish get white spots and specks and white tipped fins as in your case. Their fins start to flake away. And they don't move much they stay in a corner or one certain spot. You need to buy ick drops from your local petco or petsmart. I would get your fish out of that tank and put him in a new small one for the time being and treat him in there. Also you want to treat the old tank he was in with the drops. After you have treated the old tank with the drops for a couplr of days ...pour out all the water and scrub everything in the tank including the tank and filter. DO NOT USE SOAP! just a rag and water will do fine...soap will kill your fish. then put the tank back together with new clean water. If your fish isnt cured by then take him to petco, petsmart, or a fish vet. Trust me Ick is a very deadly disease. I have had expiriences. If you do not get him well soon he will die. It killed all my fish in my tank!

Answer 5

Your fish is dieing and has ich. The white stuff that is sloshing off is marine ich. You cannot keep a salt water fish in a bowl for any reason at any time. The PH is good however how in the world did you float him?

Your Salinity should be 1.022 - 1.023

There is no bacteria built up in the bowl for your fish and no water movement. Is there a reason you did not put him in the regular tank? You need to treat him right away.

He doesn't have fin rot since most salt fish do not suffer from fin rot.

Feel free to email me

Answer 6

you might have bought yourself a sick fish the white spots sound like the fish just might have ick and if that is the case you need to go to pet co or some where else that sell fish supplies and get you some stuff named Ick and ick your tank and follow the instructions on the bottle and hopefully your fish will not die. The next time take out the time to QT the new fish before you add it to your tank and before you buy your next fish look at it real good and make sure that it looks good and healthy before you purchase it because your fish has ick and if not treated your other wish will get it and they all will die

Answer 7

It could be Ich or Fin Rot. Ich will eat away at fins as well. Increase your tank's temperature to 82F. Increase your salt dosage by another 25% (if you do not have scaleless fish) and do daily 1/3 water changes until his condition improves. You may choose to use chemical meds to treat your fish, but I never do.

PS: Your PH is high. Do you have cichlids? Make sure the PH is right for your species of fish. Good luck and hope this helps!

Answer 8

Bowls are not decent places for most fish to live. If you have a goldfish in there you have made a big mistake. Only a betta can survive in a bowl, that is if you keep up with your regular water changes. I suspect the fish is a goldfish, they need 10 gallons per fish. The ph is also a little high. Shredding fins are from stress due to inadiquite home and build up of ammonia. When it comes to raising fish the bigger the home the better. Bowls are death traps for most fish.

Answer 9

do you have a freshwater tank or saltwater? pH for a freshwater tank should be about 6.8 to 7.2. and the temperature in my tank is at approximately 72-74 degrees. it may be that he's lonely so try buying another fish or two and see what happens. if the other fish start looking sick, check the water, and if everything is normal, check the temperature. if teh temp. is about 80 where it is now, put a bag of ice in the top of the tank to cool it down a bit. the pH can be lowered by putting in a few drops of pH down in the water. u can get pH down at a pet store. I hope your fish gets better! =))))

Answer 10

Maybe get him a bigger tank. Two liters is not a lot of space for a fish the size of the Betta. They also need a heater to stay healthy. Fixing these things should result in a happier, healthier Betta.

Answer 11

I would repost as a saltwater fish question. things are very different for saltwater fish.

finrot is usually a bacteria and treatable with an antibiotic. if it looks like peices of the fin have fallen off or the fins look like they are melting it is probably a bacteria.

spots are usually parasites (ich and velvet are both parasites) and treatable with parasite medication.

you need different medications and different advice for salt and freshwater fish though.

mardel makes a lot of fish medicine. they sell most of it at petco. here is their online catalog --

http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/catalog.php