# EMERGENCY! - Blood Parrot Really Sick



## CaptainYoohman (Jun 26, 2016)

Hi all;

My first post here. One of my 4 blood parrots is really sick. Need help identifying the symptoms and, hopefully, solutions. He's been sitting on the gravel for the last 2 days, breathing heavily. Swims up to feed and then goes back to the bottom. This morning he started turning on his side. Water quality is not an issue. All readings are normal (Nitrates, nitrites, ammonia are all at zero. pH is 6.9, temperature is 80 degrees F.) I've had this tank for 12 years with only 4 blood parrots in it. This is the first time he's so sick.

Quick google research shows only two possible scenarios: swim bladder disease or ich. I ruled ich out, as he's not covered in white spots (although he is very pale). As he is starting to turn on his side, I did the emergency Epsom salt bath - 2 tbsp of salt for 2 gallons of water. He's been in the pale now for 15 min, but he's lying on his side. See the photo.

HELP! He's dying...


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## somebody (May 13, 2014)

Your nitrates should not be zero. Being how your ammonia and nitrite is zero I'm sure it isn't going to be a problem.

But......

I would venture to say your tests are wrong. weather contamination from you, improper method of taking the test, or just plain out of date. If you can rule those out great. IME, it looks like ammonia poisoning. I've had this same thing happen to an entire tank after a water change where I stirred up a lot of gravel and cleaned a lot of hard scape. Is this the only fish affected? Quarantine and double prime dosage. Seeing how symptoms arose 3 days ago and you posted yesterday and he is still like this idea venture to say it's likely not this but cover your bases. 
I'm gonna take a stab at an internal parasite being how symptoms aren't showing outside the body.

Did you recently do a "deep cleaning"?

Any new additions to the tank 24 hours prior to problematic symptoms?

I hope all turns well for you and someone with more experience will come on by and help.


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## CaptainYoohman (Jun 26, 2016)

The readings are all fine and true. As stated in my OP, this is a 12-yr old aquarium with the same four blood parrots, no additions, no newly introduced factors. I clean the tank gravel and contents and change 25% of the water once a month. I wash filter media in the water siphoned form the tank once every 3 months. If it was ammonia poisoning, all of the fish would show signs of it. He could be just old, I suppose, but the other three should be the same or similar age. I don't know. He is still alive and came up to feed this evening but he is doing worse and gets tired thereafter. I don't think he's got much more fight left in him.


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## somebody (May 13, 2014)

Ok I see now......the tank isn't the only thing 12 years old. The fish are too! Well yea that's would be my first guess. Maybe, to help him his last couple days, throw him in the breeder box so he doesnt have to swim so far to feed. 12 year old fish is an old fish. Then again I think if it was old age symptoms would have slowly progressed instead of all of a sudden. Maybe his old age made him susceptible to a disease and that's why he's declining so rapidly.


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## CaptainYoohman (Jun 26, 2016)

He's still alive, surprisingly. Has been doing the same routine for a week now. Perhaps, it's just that - he is just old and tired...


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## koby (Jun 30, 2016)

he is just old...


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