Hello Guys n Galls

I am new to fish keeping(@ 31!), i've had my fish for 6 Months now but have encountered my first problems :( .

I had a white cloud that expired aprox 4 weeks ago while i was away on a weekend break (a male). All fish appeared in good health before i left. I tested the water and found nothing out of limits, but did 50% water change just in case ( i use AquaSafe to treat water) The rest of the tank mates seemed perfectly ok, so i thought it was an unexplainable death but obviously kept an extra close watch to see if anything developed....

This week a white cloud (male again) seems to be unwell. It looks as if it has no bouyancy, it doesn't stay on the bottom but seems to be constantly swimming in order to not be on the bottom of the tank. it seems to swim nose up at a 45 degree angle. It swims diagonally up an inch then drops straight down 1/2 inch
It swims like the profile of a saw blade. It is still eating.

Any ideas, bearing in mind all other fish seem exceptionally healthy and in fine colour. Iam concerned it is suffering. It has been like this for 4 days now with no improvement.

PLEASE HELP ME TO HELP MY FISH :(

I have 5 white clouds (2 male 3 Female) (1 sadly departed had 6)
2 x Black moors (2 inch) (Winky & Wonky)
1 butterfly plec (1 inch) (Pleckie)
Temp 22 (70ish)
PH NO2 NO3
6.5 0.5 20
1/2 water change every other week
gravel hoover every 3-4 weeks
Tank size 43cm 40 cm 44cm
Volume in litres: 76
Volume in imperial gallons: 17
Volume in US gallons: 20
Air pump runs continuosly
Some real plants light on aprox 10 hours/day
Integrated filter that runs all the time

Hi Ninehunner. Typically, when a fish experiences bouyancy problems, there are no other signs of illness or disease. The problem can be caused by nutrition, the problem is internal or something in the fishes environment is the cause. Typcially, they are not picky eaters, but what are you feeding them? Make sure they have a variety of foods, not just flakes.

The pH looks a bit on the low end. Is this a well established tank? It may not do well to change much for the White Cloud without adversely affecting the other tank inhabitants. However, you can raise the pH by adding just a touch of baking soda mixed in a cup of tank water. Go slow and test as you go, so as not to cause too much of a change all at once. A neutral 7.0 is good for these fish.

White Clouds are found in cooler waters in the wild, but if your White Cloud was tank raised, then a cooler temperature may not be called for. Their colors show up better in cooler temps though. 70ish is about right.... low 70-ish, that is. A cooler temp is good for the Black Moor too. Maybe not for the Plec though.

Basically, it would be best to find out the conditions under which the fish were kept where you purchased them. If there is too much of a change, it could be what is causing the trouble. I am not sure how long you have had them. Maybe a separate tank for the White Clouds might be the answer.

Thanks V much for replying Fishfry

Typcially, they are not picky eaters, but what are you feeding them? Make sure they have a variety of foods, not just flakes.

I provide quite a varied diet i feed them, sparingly twice a day from the list below!!
Aquarian goldfish flake
Tetra fin sticks ( I crush some up to make the particles small enough for the W C's)
"Tetra Fresh delica" Daphnia in vitamin rich jelly
"Tetra Fresh delica" Bloodworm in vitamin rich jelly
"Tap" freeze dried daphnia food
I also feed cooked shelled peas as i have heard these are good to avoid swim bladder problems which the black moors are prone to (apparently). While the moors are busy munching on peas i feed something from the list above that the WC's can fit in their mouth.

The pH looks a bit on the low end. Is this a well established tank? It may not do well to change much for the White Cloud without adversely affecting the other tank inhabitants. However, you can raise the pH by adding just a touch of baking soda mixed in a cup of tank water. Go slow and test as you go, so as not to cause too much of a change all at once. A neutral 7.0 is good for these fish.

I have had the tank 6 months. I introduced the Moors first. The WC's came 2 months after, and the plec (beaufortia leverreti) about a month ago.
I will try altering the PH slowly over the course of the next week.

Iam afraid the extra tank is a no no i simply don't have any space.

I will try what youv'e said the fish still doesn't look good though, i want to give it a fair chance of recovery but don't want to leave it too long, as i think that would be cruel. Think i'll search the forum for euthanasia techniques just incase..