White Skirt Tetra Lost Lower Half Of Its Tail Fin / Stuck. Need Some Help

Woke up to find one of my tetras stuck in an aquarium plant. I’ve since repositioned the plant to try to avoid that from happening again, but it never has happened in the few years I’ve had these guys.

Well he wasn’t moving when my wife noticed, so I assumed he was dead. When I carefully separate the plant to have him fall down out, my wife was going to use the fish net to grab him and all of a sudden he started swimming, and then again he took a rest on a different plant ( not stuck the second time just resting ) for a few seconds and then “ came back to life “ so to speak.

His bottom half of the tail fin is gone, he seems to be swimming alright. Just did a water change last night. All the other fish are fine. Tank has been cycled for a few years.


I half dosed with a full cap of stress guard for a 20 gallon tank, don’t like putting chemicals in the tank usually. Should I continue this daily?

What should I expect? It was fairly disturbing but now he appears to be swimming around fine, not great but alive. This particular tetra has always had an issue with the swim bladder no matter what I did, tried the peas, fasted, etc all in the past.. he usually swims with his head slightly down especially at night.. it’s the norm for him... he really managed to wedge himself in the tree, he was slightly curved and I have no idea how long he was stuck, fed them last night. Very sad, any information is appreciated.

If I don’t hear from anyone my current plan will be to do small water changes daily ( maybe 15%? ) it’s a 20 gallon tall, and cap full of stress guard daily. Thanks for taking the time to help out my little guy.

 

Fish who lose fins will generally be okay. Find do grow back and the only thing you’ll have to watch for is infection. Keeping the water clean is the best way of avoiding it. Don’t do too many water changes or you risk ruining the water chemistry and possibly making it worse for the rest of the fish.

 

Fish who lose fins will generally be okay. Find do grow back and the only thing you’ll have to watch for is infection. Keeping the water clean is the best way of avoiding it. Don’t do too many water changes or you risk ruining the water chemistry and possibly making it worse for the rest of the fish.

Thanks for your response, will keep that in mind and test the water often.

My only concern is how long he was immobilized, it was very disturbing to see the little guy stuck and “ dead “ like at a slightly curved angle.

Would you agree with the stress guard as well? I assume it cannot hurt.

He was always the weird swimmer early on since I got him, but didn’t expect this.. very glad he at least didn’t die like that.

 

Stress guard is more to protect the slime coat and help with newly introduced fish or transportation. No it won’t hurt but may not be necessary.

I would definitely say he is tired. If you have a hospital tank, that may be the best place for him.

 

He should eventually be fine, and if you wanted to be really careful, you could do a Methylene Blue bath in another container (1 to 1 1/2 tsp M Blue per gallon for 30 minutes, have another container to "rinse" your fish in after, then back to the tank)
Don't redose the stress coat, it doesn't dissapate from the water, it's only removed by water changes so dosing more could easily overdose. It will remain in the system until removed, so it'll be helping the whole time

 

He should eventually be fine, and if you wanted to be really careful, you could do a Methylene Blue bath in another container (1 to 1 1/2 tsp M Blue per gallon for 30 minutes, have another container to "rinse" your fish in after, then back to the tank)
Don't redose the stress coat, it doesn't dissapate from the water, it's only removed by water changes so dosing more could easily overdose. It will remain in the system until removed, so it'll be helping the whole time

Thank you for your time, I used stress guard from seachem instead of stress coat, I assume the same applies since you mentioned it? Just wanted to be sure. Much appreciated

 

Thank you for your time, I used stress guard from seachem instead of stress coat, I assume the same applies since you mentioned it? Just wanted to be sure. Much appreciated

Oh sorry, I misread that. Stress guard can be safely dosed daily for injuries, my bad

 

Oh sorry, I misread that. Stress guard can be safely dosed daily for injuries, my bad

No problem thanks for your follow up post, I wasn’t sure myself.

The thing that was odd to me was the little guy wasn’t even trying to escape the plant, he was just stuck without even moving a muscle, which is why I thought he was dead.

Can fish pass out if they cannot actively move around? I know sharks have to constantly keep swimming but I have no idea about white skirts. He was definitely trapped though, not resting.

 

I know they're not supposed to, but since you can put them under for surgery and stuff, I'd assume they'd be able to. Of course, I don't really know, but since one can essentially knock them out, I don't see why they can't pass out

 

Unfortunately tonight I found him face down in the gravel with his tail gentle trying to swim ( he wasn’t stuck just tired. ) Once I moved the tiny cave he was hiding behind he started swimming again. I have checked the water parameters to be sure. 0/0/10 and the temperature is stable at 73F.

As I said he has had trouble swimming early on permanently, it’s sad because I’ve only had him for about two years. The other five tetras are fine. I don’t have a hospital tank currently set, and since he’s a schooling or grouping fish I assume at this point the move would further shock him. No signs of disease and I have no idea how old he was when I got him.

Purchased some clove oil and will continue to take care of him until he is suffering. I value all life equally.

 

Oh no, I'm so sorry. That's not fair to you

 

Oh no, I'm so sorry. That's not fair to you

Thank you I appreciate it, I just want to minimize the little guys struggle as much as possible.

If you or anyone has any recommendations that don’t involve me moving him from the group to minimize his suffering I will do my best.

The one thing I thought about is leaving him be ( if he’s not stuck but resting on the bottom ) instead of moving the nearby decor to have him “ wake up. “ On this I’m unsure of what is the right thing to do, because when I do gently disturb the surrounding area he wakes up with enough energy and goes back to swimming normally ( for example did this about 6 hours ago and he’s been swimming normally throughout the tank since. ) If anyone could help me understand what is the correct thing to do I would appreciate it.

 

Thanks mods for moving thread, hoping this area will provide more information.

Just looking for some more information regarding my above ^ post and the few other concerns I had. Thanks

 

Another thing you can do is add aquarium salt. This would help avoid infection but can melt plants if your tank is planted.

Lying upside down in a tank isn’t a good sign. You may want to try to feed him some soft peas as well but I’ve had a hard time getting fish to eat them myself.

If you can, also turn down the current in your tank so his not getting tired fighting the flow.

 

The fact that you said he's always been a little odd makes me wonder if he may just have a defect in his genetics. Possibly something not fixable or deadly, but capable of shortening a lifespan at most.

 

The fact that you said he's always been a little odd makes me wonder if he may just have a defect in his genetics. Possibly something not fixable or deadly, but capable of shortening a lifespan at most.

Yeah very shortly after getting him he always swam at weird angles and at night would do a 180 at times swimming head down.. it was only recently he got stuck completely in a plant decoration, luckily I found him in time before he died that way.

As we speak he’s just swimming around rather normally, but just this morning I found him near the bottom with his head resting on the gravel and tail slowly going back and forth. Which he had never done before the most recent incident.

I’ve ordered some epsom salt to try a salt bath, and I’m fasting the entire tank for a couple days and then going to try the peas again, I tried the peas before to no avail, but never the salt bath.

That’s what I was thinking too, either he is reaching the end of his life due to bad genetics or his weak swimming ended up expediting that process when he got stuck.

Since the water quality is fine, the other fish are fine, and he seems to be able to function enough to eat etc, I’m going to give the fasting, peas, and Epsom salt bath a try and if all else fails will keep him going until he cannot eat or swim anymore, and then I’ll have to use the clove oil. I think he may have just been given the short stick, I always make sure I feed below the surface water once a day, flakes and pellets, so I can’t really pinpoint anything, especially when all the other fish have been healthy and this has been an ongoing thing that he just can’t seem to recover from. Unfortunately it was only recently when I found him in the plant not moving where it seemed like he might be near the end of his lifespan instead of just a weird problem, but these tetras can live up to 7 years and I’ve only had him roughly 21 months. Too bad

Since the plant incident I’ve found him on two or three occasions completely still, just on the bottom, then I move a decor near him or wait and he perks up and starts acting normally again for the rest of the day which is a bizarre experience.

 

Another thing you can do is add aquarium salt. This would help avoid infection but can melt plants if your tank is planted.

Lying upside down in a tank isn’t a good sign. You may want to try to feed him some soft peas as well but I’ve had a hard time getting fish to eat them myself.

If you can, also turn down the current in your tank so his not getting tired fighting the flow.

Right now my plan is to try an Epsom salt bath which I’ve read may help a swim bladder issue and I’ve never tried it before.

He doesn’t really lie upside down but he tends to put his head down and tail up, and this was completely normal for him and I never could fix it. He never touched the gravel so I wasn’t concerned.

After he got stuck he now is displaying more bizarre behavior such as touching the gravel, either completely still or with his tail gently going but without enough energy to actually move. Then all of a sudden I move a decor or wait and he wakes up and acts normally for hours.

He always swam odd especially at night, I’d watch him with the lights out and it seemed even harder to orient himself, but this new behavior seems more disturbing.

I run my filter on absolutele minimal flow, it’s unfortunate because these fish are a grouping or schooling fish, and I honestly cannot replace him if he goes. The group will be brought down to five once / if he passes. I’ve read 6 is optimal but white skirt tetras can get by with as little as 3. It makes me wonder years from now how that will be handled. My plan is to care for these animals for the rest of their natural born lives, and afterwards end my current tank and in the future try for a salt water tank when I have my responsibilities in order. Any other recommendations are appreciated to help this little guy, I thought about the aquarium salt but figured the Epsom salt bath would be easier without impacting the rest of the tank.

 

I know how it hurts the heart to see one of our water pets struggling. I am going through basically the same thing right now with one of my long finned black skirt tetras. Instead of swimming with his head lower though mine is swimming with his tail fin lower. He struggles to swim so swims in short jerks.

For a few days after this started he wasn't eating either but he is eating now but struggles to catch the food as it is falling. He is about 2 1/2 years old and it is breaking my heart seeing him this way but now that he is eating I have decided to just let nature tank its course.

I am not going to put him through the netting process that must be done to dip him in medications that may or may not help him since I'm not sure what the problem is. He still schools with his friends but sometimes has a hard time keeping up with them. As long as he doesn't get any worse than he is now I will just allow him to live out his life with his friends.

Personally I think a lot of the medications can cause more harm than good when just guessing as to what the problem is. There are no outward signs of disease. He isn't bloated at all. I have seen him poop and it looks normal. It is hard to blame his problem on genetics because he was perfectly normal up until about 2 weeks ago.

I will follow your progress and see if the epsom salt helps and if so I might consider changing my mind and seeing if it will help my little guy. I would love to get him back to good health.

 

I know how it hurts the heart to see one of our water pets struggling. I am going through basically the same thing right now with one of my long finned black skirt tetras. Instead of swimming with his head lower though mine is swimming with his tail fin lower. He struggles to swim so swims in short jerks.

For a few days after this started he wasn't eating either but he is eating now but struggles to catch the food as it is falling. He is about 2 1/2 years old and it is breaking my heart seeing him this way but now that he is eating I have decided to just let nature tank its course.

I am not going to put him through the netting process that must be done to dip him in medications that may or may not help him since I'm not sure what the problem is. He still schools with his friends but sometimes has a hard time keeping up with them. As long as he doesn't get any worse than he is now I will just allow him to live out his life with his friends.

Personally I think a lot of the medications can cause more harm than good when just guessing as to what the problem is. There are no outward signs of disease. He isn't bloated at all. I have seen him poop and it looks normal. It is hard to blame his problem on genetics because he was perfectly normal up until about 2 weeks ago.

I will follow your progress and see if the epsom salt helps and if so I might consider changing my mind and seeing if it will help my little guy. I would love to get him back to good health.

Will keep you updated with the bath and very Sorry to hear about what you and the little guy are going through, hoping for the the best.

Definitely agree with minimal stress and being cautious with medicine, I have been reluctant to use any myself as the condition has appeared more chronic, no bloating as well and eating and pooping fine too.

 

I know how it hurts the heart to see one of our water pets struggling. I am going through basically the same thing right now with one of my long finned black skirt tetras. Instead of swimming with his head lower though mine is swimming with his tail fin lower. He struggles to swim so swims in short jerks.

For a few days after this started he wasn't eating either but he is eating now but struggles to catch the food as it is falling. He is about 2 1/2 years old and it is breaking my heart seeing him this way but now that he is eating I have decided to just let nature tank its course.

I am not going to put him through the netting process that must be done to dip him in medications that may or may not help him since I'm not sure what the problem is. He still schools with his friends but sometimes has a hard time keeping up with them. As long as he doesn't get any worse than he is now I will just allow him to live out his life with his friends.

Personally I think a lot of the medications can cause more harm than good when just guessing as to what the problem is. There are no outward signs of disease. He isn't bloated at all. I have seen him poop and it looks normal. It is hard to blame his problem on genetics because he was perfectly normal up until about 2 weeks ago.

I will follow your progress and see if the epsom salt helps and if so I might consider changing my mind and seeing if it will help my little guy. I would love to get him back to good health.

So far I have not done the Epsom salt bath because he has been improving with a 3 day fast and feeding them peas.

If he gets worse I will proceed with the bath, so while he may not be getting 100% he seems to be going back to his weird self, instead of acting like a dying animal he just swims wonky at night, which he always did.

 

Update
Found him again within a plant, after some research I don’t believe he is getting stuck at all, but trying to isolate himself as the animal can sense that he is dying. This would explain why when I gently move the decor he starts swimming about acting “ normally “ until the process repeats again.. be it hours, days, etc it always seems to repeat.

Now the question is
1.) Do I continue with the plan of the Epsom salt bath, potentionally causing undue stress as the fish has never been separated or out of his tank.

2.) Do I leave the fish the next time he is in the plant to die “ naturally “ or will this cause him unnecessary suffering and potentionally pollute the tank that houses five other inhabitants.

3.) Do I euthanize him although he can still eat, swim, and function as long as I disturb him whenever he tries to bury himself.

The other thing I’ve noticed is a bulge near his abdomen, more protruded on one side.. I’ve never seen this before. I cannot tell if it is some digestive problem or an internal tumor.. if it is a tumor it would explain why this is happening more clearly. Does not look like dropsy. My plan now is to take some s tomorrow, post them in a separate new thread to address what this lump can be. If the fish is suffering I will euthanize him but it’s just so weird to see him come back between these death isolation moments and then acting normal, it makes me hesitant to do so.

 

Thank you for the update. Sadly my little guy swam under the Rainbow Bridge so his bad times are behind him now. Even after he passed I could find nothing visible on his tiny body that could tell me what was wrong.

I did try the salt dip but sadly it was too late apparently because he died the day after I did the dip. I was heartbroken losing this little guy but glad I didn't have to do it myself. I've been able to do it for other fish through the years but just couldn't bring myself to do it this time to him.

I do hope I am wrong but I really think once a tetra reaches the point you are seeing with yours and what I was seeing with mine they are beyond saving. Now that my little guy is gone I do wish I had been able to help him pass but I just couldn't do it as long as there was a glimmer of hope.

Some of my danios and neons had started acting like something was bothering them. They just weren't exactly like they have always been. I have been watching them since they came to live with me 2 1/2 years ago and could tell some little things were different.

I actually added a teaspoon of table salt with iodine to their tank. (1 teaspoon in 55 gallons of water) I know that iodine has been used for years for various ailments in humans up to and including mixing tiny amounts of it in liquid and drinking it so I thought it shouldn't hurt and just might help.

It did seem to help. All of my fish are now back to where they were before I started seeing little things. Nothing definitive, just off. I wish I had thought to do it before my one little black skirt struggled for so long. If I had he might still be with me today.