My calico fantail Sequin (an only fish) is hanging at surface, head down, tail high. He does this consistently when he is by himself, but swims around (asking for food) if someone comes to see him. He has been doing this off and on for a long time ... I feel that this is not a good thing. I will put his details below, but will preface by saying that my big issue with his tank has always been crashes in the pH level. I have read in my "Fancy Goldfish" book that his behavior may be either a sign of nitrate poisoning or bacterial infection but I am interested to hear if anyone else has a different idea. I think his nitrates seem ok and I am not sure where a bacteria would come from, given that he's been living by himself for over a year.


[*]Test Results for the Following:
Ammonia Level? low (I lost my test card but it is yellow-green (mostly yellow)
Nitrite Level? 0
Nitrate level? 5
Ph Level, (If possible,KH and GH and chloramines)? 7.2 pH, 60 gh, 0 kh
Ph Level (KH/GH) out of the Tap? I use bottled water. My well water has something I can't detect with test kits that kills fish. And the water company that provides my softener claims there should be nothing bad it it. But I had 2 dead fish before. So I have to use bottled water, which is like a 6.0 pH till I add Buff It Up.
Brand of test-kit used? (strips or drops?) Aquarium Pharmaceuticals drops (except for gh and kh which are Jungle Quick Dip)
[*]Tank size (How many Gals) and How long has it been running? 10 gallons. Over one year.
[*]What is the name and size of the filter/s? Whisper 5-15 BioFilter
[*]How often do you change the water and how much? 3 gallon changes, twice per week

[*]How many fish in the tank and their size? 1 fish. About 2.5 inches long, not counting his (large) tail. He is rotund.
[*]What kind of water additives or conditioners? Prime and Buff It Up with every water change.
[*]Any medications added to the tank? No.
[*]Add any new fish to the tank? No.
[*]What do you feed your fish? Pro Gold and occasionally a salad pellet
[*]Any unusual findings on the fish such as
"grains of salt",
bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? No.
[*]Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating,ect..? Last weekend spent 2 days on the bottom. But I am more concerned about the hanging at the surface because he does that a lot.

I am not sure what that is , but I am sure somebody hades know what it is will come along soon.

sorry you are having troubles..if your water is always crashing ph this can cause lots of stress leaving him very open to all sorts of illnesses..bacteria can lurk in a tank regardless of how many fish.. it hides in the hallow parts of ornaments cause water remains stagment and in the gravel if not vac'd enough . i would up the water changes for a while just incase of bacteria ...also just a thought ..have you ever considered your fish to be female... my females do this while full of eggs they kinda just float there and looked spaced out and then are normal and repeat once again.. hold tight, lets see what others have to say

It isn't nitrate poisoning, if you're reading 5ppm nitrate. Nitrates don't become toxic to normal fish until after about 40ppm (some fish are sensitive to nitrates, however). It is quite possibly bacterial, but before you start treating with harsh medications, I would fast for several days and then feed peas to see if your fish is constipated. Some fish are easily constipated and causes them to become "floaty."

I'm also curious-- have you ever treated for flukes? It's said that almost every single fish purchased at an LFS has flukes, and members here treat for flukes as part of the quarantine regimen. A high load of flukes can cause headstanding behavior-- and also significantly weaken the fish, making it vulnerable to secondary infections. Flukes are sneaky things-- it's quite possible that they've been laying low since you got the fish.

And, as always, at the first sign of a problem I do as large of a water change as I can, and rinse the filter media in old tank water. Water quality is the #1 cause of fish illness, and tests, however useful, can be faulty.

Good luck.

Is possible that you've had a cycle crash? The zero result on the ammonia test is bright yellow -- no hint of green. If you are seeing green at all, then you've got ammonia. Perhaps that is the source of his stress?

I have never treated for flukes. The treatment seems rather harsh (especially if I am not sure that is the problem.) Any other sign of flukes I should look for (other than his origins at a local fish store?)

His poops or casts or whatever you want to call them are looking a little weird too, kind of long and partly clear, and floating at the top

Since I posted, he has also moved down to about the bottom 1/3 of tank, kind of staying in one spot, maintaining position with occasional fin moves. I have not seen this behavior before. Perhaps the egg theory is right as he does look a little spacy while doing this.

There's definitely some green to the ammonia test, so there's a little present. Also, I've tested the pH a couple times today with the same result.

He did have a pH crash about 6 days ago.

The treatment for flukes (prazi) is extremely gentle. It is relatively new -- available since the Fancy Goldfish book was printed. See Goldfish Connection for more info. Prazi doesn't stress the fish and it doesn't adversely affect the biological filter.

Probably the most pressing thing is to figure out what's causing the ammonia in your tank -- perhaps your recent pH crash? Next I would treat for flukes with prazi. Other symptoms of flukes include flashing, bottom sitting, and split fins. Because the treatment is so gentle, however, it is probably best to treat before your fish develops a lot of symptoms.

I would worry about the unstable water .. and prazi is gentle I have also used parasite clear tabs which contains prazi among other things and they are available at wally mart..flukes are a sure thing on most fish they live up to generations on fish a lot of people treat yearly and twice a year for pond fish prazi is that gentle ....but if your water is always crashing stress and infection and ilness is almost always gonna happen evertime your fish becomes very stressed lowering it's immunities .watch for flashing ,yawning and eyerolling that is a good indicator that flukes are bothering ..if a fish is full of eggs your fish will become quite round have you noticed that she may be larger than usual and reabsorbed fish egg poo looks clear and zig zaggy and some bubbles.fasting is a good idea..