Help, Bala shark spot on head & breathing fast

[AquAdave]

I have a 30gal lightly planted fresh water tank.
It has 2 small bala sharks, a red tail shark ,1 Cory, 1 killi, 4 mollies and a pleco.

The tank has been set up and cycled for over 3 months now and my water parameters are ph 7.8 ammonia 0ppm , nitrite 0ppm , nitrates 10ppm temp is always 78°. Also all the fish in my tank are 2"or less 1bala maybe close to 3".

The problem is one of the balas has a spot on his head basically right in the middle just above its mouth and it is sort of caved in almost like a dent in its face. Also it's breathing is very fast and it's mostly swimming either head facing strait at the bottom or at like a 45°angle head toward the top. And it seems to want to swim in the bubbles rising from the decorations .

I have a very hard time believing it's a oxygen issue as im running a hob filter and 2 air stones. Every other fish is doing fine. And there are no white spots or other lesions on any of the fish.

Can anyone shed light on what's going on with the bala. I feel bad cuz i have no idea how to help it. Last thing is i have salt but never added any. Iv been told it's good for the fish will it maybe help the bala if i add a bit? My fish are priority over my plants so the salt killing my plants i don't care about I'll get more.

 

[Hobbyist]

I have a 30gal lightly planted fresh water tank. It has 2 small bala sharks, a red tail shark ,1 Cory ,1 killi, 4 mollies and a pleco. The tank has been set up and cycled for over 3 months now and my water parameters are ph 7.8 ammonia 0ppm , nitrite 0ppm , nitrates 10ppm temp is always 78°. Also all the fish in my tank are 2"or less 1bala maybe close to 3". The problem is one of the balas has a spot on his head basically right in the middle just above its mouth and it is sort of caved in almost like a dent in its face. Also it's breathing is very fast and it's mostly swimming either head facing strait at the bottom or at like a 45°angle head toward the top. And it seems to want to swim in the bubbles rising from the decorations . i have a very hard time believing it's a oxygen issue as im running a hob filter and 2 air stones. Every other fish is doing fine. And there are no white spots or other lesions on any of the fish. Can anyone shed light on what's going on with the bala. I feel bad cuz i have no idea how to help it. Last thing is i have salt but never added any. Iv been told it's good for the fish will it maybe help the bala if i add a bit? My fish are priority over my plants so the salt killing my plants i don't care about I'll get more.

I can’t help to determine what illness your fish has, but I can tell you that your tank is overstocked, bala sharks and red tail sharks grow a lot, even if they are small now, 30 gallon isn’t suitable for them as far as I know, I hope someone can help you to determine what illness your fish is suffering from give you better ideas for stocking a 30g tank , I’ve never had one personally

 

[pagoda]

Can you copy/paste and fill the template please..

Aquatic Emergency Template | Freshwater Fish Disease and Fish Health Forum | 376562

I second what has already been said regarding your aquarium size and fish types.....so you might want to be ready for some rough weather tbh cos that stocking is really not good at all, sorry. The damage to one fish could be a result of two many predator types in a very small space getting upset and becoming aggressive....

 

[AquAdave]

I can’t help to determine what illness your fish has, but I can tell you that your tank is overstocked, bala sharks and red tail sharks grow a lot, even if they are small now, 30 gallon isn’t suitable for them as far as I know, I hope someone can help you to determine what illness your fish is suffering from give you better ideas for stocking a 30g tank , I’ve never had one personally

I do plan on moving the sharks all up to my 125gal i just don't have it set up now because we are moving in july and it seemed like a lot of work to set it up just to take it all apart to move. I had a pictus cat and 4 angel fish in it but i gave the angels to a friend that has a 500gal tank in his basement when the catfish died. So long story short yes i do know the sharks need More room and that was the plan from the start

 

[Hobbyist]

I do plan on moving the sharks all up to my 125gal i just don't have it set up now because we are moving in july and it seemed like a lot of work to set it up just to take it all apart to move. I had a pictus cat and 4 angel fish in it but i gave the angels to a friend that has a 500gal tank in his basement when the catfish died. So long story short yes i do know the sharks need More room and that was the plan from the start

Ok that’s fine

 

[AquAdave]

Can you copy/paste and fill the template please..

Aquatic Emergency Template | Freshwater Fish Disease and Fish Health Forum | 376562

I second what has already been said regarding your aquarium size and fish types.....so you might want to be ready for some rough weather tbh cos that stocking is really not good at all, sorry. The damage to one fish could be a result of two many predator types in a very small space getting upset and becoming aggressive....

What is the water volume of the tank?30g
How long has the tank been running?4 months
Does it have a filter?yes
Does it have a heater?yes
What is the water temperature?78
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.)
2 bala , 1 redtail shark , 4mollies , 1pleco,1 Cory. 2 penguin tetras , 1 killi , planted lightly with hygrophila
Maintenance
How often do you change the water?every week
How much of the water do you change?25%
What do you use to treat your water?nutrafin aqua plus
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water?vacume every other change

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish?
What do you use to test the water?
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia:0.25ppm
Nitrite:0ppm
Nitrate:10-20ppm
pH:7.8

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish?2 times a day
How much do you feed your fish?pinch of flake plus 5 shrimp pellets
What brand of food do you feed your fish?
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods?rarley

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish?3 months
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms?month ago
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms?small round indent above mouth , heavy breathing
Have you started any treatment for the illness?melnafix
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase?no
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all?it originally had a white spot that stuck out and was breathing heavy and would twitch with every breath but got better with a melnafix treatment seemed fine. Then it all started again the other day

Explain your emergency situation in detail. (Please give a clear explanation of what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now)