Sick mandarin...

[Scorchx1245]

So ive had my one mandarin for 2 years now. 40 gallon breeder, trained on frozen food. And add a thing a pods from algea barn, she is fat. So I wanted to get another mandarin. I normally QT fish but not mandarins. So I added one, he was fine day one swimming paired with tbe female then day 2 motionless, heavy breathy lethargic, day 3 I pulled him into a qt tank, dosed prazi and he passed away that night. My mandarin ive had for 2 years all of sudden got sick aswell, motionless, heavy breathing etc same exact symptoms. I pulled her into a new QT tank with air Stone small circulation pump sponge filter etc with prazi. She swam erratically at first now just motionless heavy breathing. Its got 50% tank water and 50% fresh saltwater both DT and QT 1.026. This is my favorite fish.... I don't want FW dip as I feel she won't make it but I will if it is needed. I FW dipped the dead mandarin and saw no flukes. She have no spots no heavy slime coat no blotches. Just slightly curled fin and heavy breathing.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

This doesn't sound like flukes to me (pretty rare on mandarins anyway). The rapid time to death, lethargy and rapid breathing could mean that it is velvet (Amyloodinium). You're right, giving a fish that is close to death a FW dip may kill it, but if so, then it was going to die soon anyway. I would give the mandarin a five minute FW dip and see if that offers any relief. Trouble is then, how to treat it? Formalin alternating with FW dips and moving it to a new tank is one option....but I'm not sure where you can get formalin. Copper won't work well on velvet, and mandarins don't handle it well anyway.

Jay

 

[Scorchx1245]

Fw dip finished him off.