Advice from LFS that he is probably under a year according to size. I
did a 20% change on the 11th using a conditioner and readings today
were nitrate 10 mg/l, nitrite 1mg/l, gh 6, kh 3, ph 6.8. Tank is 6 UK
gallons and has a fluval plus 1 filter, gravel, a few larger pebbles
and some live plants. There is only the two comets in there and the
other one is his normal self. I know they will need a larger tank when
they grow but thought this would be ok for the next few months tillI I
move house. Since this afternoon he has mainly stayed at the bottom
and only occasionally swimming around although he is still eating and
has pooped. Even when moving his dorsal, pelvic and anal fins remain
close to his body so it is all very worrying.
Gill Passman wrote:
jess wrote:
I am new to fishkeeping and am not sure what to do for the best. I
noticed this morning that my less than a year old comet, Dale, is
swollen mainly on the left side above the pelvic fin but perhaps a bit
on the right side also though not as much. He is sitting at the bottom
of the tank but will come up and swim around if I lift the lid then
when he realises nothing much is going to happen he goes back down
again. He is still eating and the water quality is within ok limits.
I have only had him and his tank mate, another comet, for 11 days so
cannot believe something has gone wrong already! Dale has always been
the slightly smaller of the two and the quieter and doesn't eat as much
but seemed perfectly healthy until this morning. I don't see any
raised scales or gasping or areas of soreness so what do you think it
could be and if it is possibly the start of a bacterial infection
should I start treatment straight away just in case. If so what to do
and should I isolate him or leave in tank to treat.


If you have only had the fish for 11 days then your comet could be any
age.....but this is besides the point....you say that your water quality
is within OK limits - what do you mean by this? If you have only had the
fish in the tank for 11 days the chances are that your tank is cycling
and it is toxins such as ammonia and nitrites that are making your fish
sick.....do you have any filtration in the tank? How big is it? Are
there any other fish or just the two comets you are talking about....Do
not go adding medication into the tank on a best guess.....first
determine what actually might be wrong - and without further information
my guess is that your tank is cycling....

For starters read the following:-

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

Then go to your local LFS and buy a test kit - for ammonia and nitrites
at the very least - pH would also be useful and a nitrate kit would give
you the clue that the tank has actually started to complete cycling -
lucky for you most of these are bundled together in a freshwater test
kit.....then report back with the readings and more detail of your set
up.....ie. tank size and filter being used.....as a precaution do a 20%
change on your tank water using a suitable water conditioner (to remove
chlorine/chloramines/heavy metals).....

Gill