Think my black fish is dying.......

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

He has had swim bladder before which I have been able to successfully treat as I started buying sinkable pellets so he didnt gulp so much air. I have also treated him for white spot a couple of times too.....when I clear the tank out I was doing a total water change but then realised this was probably stressing him out so havent dont that for a while.

When I went to bed last night he was absolutely fine swimming about happy as anything. Fast forward to this morning, he has turned almost silver overnight, he is just floating on his side and seems to be breathing quite slowly. Am thinking he may be constipated but I cant see him lasting the day out...he looks a very sad sight indeed. There are 2 other small fish in the tank with him and they are ok although looking at their tummies am not sure if they are constipated too. Am thinking of not feeding them for the next 48 hours and then just giving them some frozen peas and cucumber.

When my black fish is ok though he stil spends most of his time at the top of the tank seemingly gulping air which obviously doesnt help.

My DS is going to be gutted when he comes home from school if his fish has died but I cant see him lasting.......has anyone had their fish in this situation but it has been ok? I thought they were hardy so I dont know what I am doing wrong. They have a filter and an air pump in the tank and I treat the water when I do a water change which hasnt been for a few weeks now.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

actually, he seems to be picking up a bit now. Trying to swim rather than just floating on his side although he gets a certain way down the tank and then seems to float back up....will starve him for a few days and then give him frozen peas and lettuce and see if I can move the tank into somewhere with a bit more natural light to see if that brings his colour back.

[Marne]

Have you got a testing kit to check the water? if not take a sample to a aquatic shop/pet shop and get them to test it. How big is the tank? what kind of fish is he?

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

No I havent but he has really perked up and his colour is back and belly gone down so I think it was constipation. Am just giving him peas for now.

The tank is 21 Litres which when I bought it I was told I could have 4 fish in it. Now I know more, I know thats not the case so I have bought a bigger 60 l tank so I think once its all set up, he will be a lot happier. He is a black moorfish and we have him and two smaller fancy tails in there.

[Marne]

Hopefully the bigger tank will make him happier, they like lots of space , i would invest in a testing kit though (you can get the dip stick tester kits for around £6.99 on e-bay) then you can rule out problems with the water if your fish look poorly.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

Yep I will do thanks :)