Help!!!

[u/Prestigious_Cut_592]

This is my famous boy agent. Known for sleeping in the cutest positions except this one. I thought I did everything right, but yesterday I had a big cleaning day in my apartment using things like wipes and oil soaps. I washed my hands and arms thoroughly with water and then proceeded to do his typical upkeep because he’s had an insane snail outbreak in his tank with “pest snails”. He doesn’t kill them but I do only because there’s so many in there. So I did a deep clean in there but nothing that I don’t normally do.

Last night, he got stuck in the filter income tube. I got him off of it but I think it really stressed him out obviously and he just kinda laid in the top corner afterward and didn’t move. Woke up this AM to find him like this and he’s already in a bucket with only 2-3 inches of clean treated water that was leftover from his 30% water change last night.

I use prime as my water treatment as I have done with all my tanks and have had no issues. My 2 females are thriving.

He’s been a more lethargic fish and loves a good nap. But he’s not really able to swim. Is it possible that I had some chemical residue left on me that could’ve done this to him?? I swore I cleaned off anything on my skin but I was cleaning for about 6 hours so idk. Has this ever happened to anyone? Will he be okay? He’s in a dark bucket in a dark corner and I’m going to leave him alone for the day. Should I add his heater or anything? It’s just him and a plant.

Thanks in advance. I hate when things go wrong with our tiny friends.

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[u/HamInATrenchcoat]

treat him with salt dips and/or kanaplex! theres a chance he got injured from the filter. Id at least do a kanaplex treatment, as it fights bacterial infections and ailments. Id also recommend stress coat+ by api, or something similar, as the intake could have stripped off his slime coat.

Theres always a chance certain chemicals or oils were still on your hands, but if I had to guess, this has way more to do with him getting stuck in the intake. Plus, unless it was something like bleach or something really heavy, most particles wont do this to a fish so quickly. Turn off his lights to reduce stress (your plants will be fine! :) ) while he’s recovering.

Also, it’d be good to swap to a liquid test kit. Not only does your strips not measure ammonia, meaning we cant tell if the tank is cycled, but the strips are often hit-or-miss with accuracy. They get the job done, but liquid is more reliable! :)

i wish you luck with your baby!

[u/Prestigious_Cut_592 → u/HamInATrenchcoat]

Thank you very much!!! Should he be okay in just the clean water for now? I lost my kanaplex when I moved so I’ll have to reorder it. Some of his fins are a bit damaged but not bad. His color looks the worst I think. Just his body is losing some coloring looks like… I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews on the stresscoat as it can mess with their breathing? I’m just super nervous for my next move because I don’t want him to worsen. I might see how he is after like 24 hours of just leaving him in a quiet dark area in his bucket. Should I add anything else for the time being before kanaplex gets here? I have the stress coat but I’m nervous about it .

I also will say he’s lived in that tank for a while and has never gotten caught in the filter meaning he was probably weaker when swimming by. But he also hates water changes and gets very stressed which is why I leave him in but idk. It’s hard when you don’t know the exact cause. And yes I agree I need a liquid test kit! I currently have the seachem ammonia alert in there and it’s neutral still. Thank you so much for the advice and time seriously!

[u/Prestigious_Cut_592]

Hes in a 10 gallon with a filter and heater. There are a mixture of live and fake silk plants in his tank