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hi one of my 4zebra danios seems to be acting odd. i have a 10 gallon Aqua el bowl with built in filtration/lighting my other fish a betta and 3 platties all seem very happy i do weekly 30% water changes. i test water 2 times a week. just checked it...PH 8, nitrate 0, nitrite 0.1, ammonia 0 other danios seem very happy and until 1 day ago so did the ill one he seems to list to one side the others seem concerned and whizz around him and he does a quick swim about then kinda just drifts down again with agagin the odd wag of tail seeming ok till he just goes motionless again??, cant see any bad markings on him ive not lost a fish yet? can anyone help, i cant think what to do??

just checked him agagin he is just lying on his side on bottom?? moving mouth but nothing else????

UNfortunately I am having a similar problem with danios, I have lost 8 of 10 over two weeks.
Are the fish eating? Do the gils seem very red? is the sick danio thin?
how long has the tank been running?

Hi there,
this is your problem its right in your test results:

nitrate 0, nitrite 0.1, ammonia 0

What this means is that your tank is not cycled yet.
Once it cycles, there will be visible nitrAtes, and no ammonia or nitrItes. Nitrites in high concentrations reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. In high levels fish can actually suffocate. It seems they probably have been reduced by your water change.

How long has the tank been set up? It seems you have a lot of fish in a newly setup tank, and fish are beginning to suffer from "new tank syndrome", basically suffering the effects of toxicity from ammonia and nitrites.

You can ease the trouble by reducing fish load, increasing water change frequency, and adding live plants. Aside from that there is no cure for your fish, just time to allow the tank to cycle. 4 danios would have been plenty fish to cycle the tank with before adding any others.

Good luck.


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Welcome to FishProfiles How long has this tank been up and running? Is your tank cycled? Those readings do not make sense for a cycled tank. You should be showing some Nitrate and no Nitrite and Ammonia, if your tank is cycled. If it is not then that could stress the fish out and be causing the illness. How long have you had the fish? If they are new, that danio could have brought something home from the LFS. Personally I would quarantine him right away.

Another issue I have is with your stocking in that tank. Though the current occupants could live for quite a while under those conditions; with a good schedule of water changes, they will not be comfortable. They will most likely not live to their fullest extent in years or size. For example Zebra Danios love to have a larger area to swim in. The Platties can get too large for a 10 gallon tank and if they are a mix of sexes then you got problems comming in the form of babies. The Betta is the only occupant I would leave in the bowl. That is a good home for him with a few ottos maybe. Remember stocking really depends more upon how much surface area you have. You said this is some kind of bowl so I am assuming there is not much surface area.

I hope my opinion does not offend you and helps you! Later!

"Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable"

danio no visible probs and not thin.
tank going 2 -3 months i guess. lots of plants. everything has been fine with other fish just this single one seems to be suffering? i added the fish danios first for first couple of weeks once tank had been running about 3 weeks with plants in. I must admit the nitrate level was kinda between 0 and 12mg/l i didnt realise that it should have some traces in the water i thought 0mg meant ideal conditions on my liquid test kit. so i guess ill just have to see how the danio copes i guess sometimes u get some casualties with newish tanks. so you say maybe do 2-3 part water changes each week to help prob till tank gets even more mature.

i did think about quarantine with the fish but i dont have another tank that is heated for it?? oh and no mix of sexes in platties

I looked into your bowl. It does not have enough surface area for anything but the betta. Forget my comment about the Ottos too. I noticed that Babel who has more experience than me with bettas has said that it was not a good idea due to the different water prefferences. I also saw from past posts that you have already been given advice and it appears you are doing your own thing anyways. So now my only suggestion to you is that you read the whole FAQ section for freshwater aquariums. I think you could answer alot of your questions there. Later!

"Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable"