Emergency!!!! A Fish Seizure!?!

[Beeker]

Emergency!!!! Seizure?!!

I don't know what happened. He just started darting around the tank and diving into the floor of the tank. He kept doing it for about 20 sec. and then he went stiff, floating on the top, belly up. He isn't dead. I just grabbed him and held him upright. He was shaking a little and his gills were moving. I held him so he could get a little air in his mouth and after a couple minutes he came out of it. He seems blind now. I'm really concerned. PLEASE HELP ME!!! ASAP!!!

He is a plain goldfish. A "feeder" fish. Bred from pretty good stock.

 

[Blinky]

Here's a checklist of reasons I can think of for this happening, off the top of my head:
- Is it possible that something's gone awry with the water chemistry? (Water change overdue, air pump turned off, bottom material compacted and releasing gasses - anything?)
- Did someone/something bump into the tank?
- Was a light above the tank or in the room shut off/turned on suddenly, possibly scaring him?
- Could anyone have dropped anything toxic into the tank or fed the fish something toxic/sharp?
- Could one of the electrical appliances (heater, filter, pumps, etc.) have shorted out? (Probably not if you were able to stick your hand in the tank without injury)
- Are there other fish/critters in the tank that could have bitten him?
- Did you do a water change just before this happened? (Tap water chemistry/temperature vastly different from that in the tank might cause distress)
- Did you change/clean any of the tank glass/decor recently? (Chemical residue from plastics, changes in water chemistry from metal parts/rocks, residue from cleaning agents can all cause poisoning)
- Has there been renovations/painting/fumigation going on in your house?
- Is there ANYTHING you can think of that could have frightened him very badly or poisoned him?

If NONE of the above is possible, post any details you have - your water test results, tank specs, decor, any other details and we'll try to sort out what's going on with your little guy.

 

[Beeker]

tank specs

Thank you for responding so promptly!

tank 5 gal
temp 68 F
ph 6.8
NH3/NH4 0
NO2 0

No one was near the tank, everything is working properly. He lives with 3 other smaller fish of the same breed that all look up to him. They were actually upset about his behavior. At first they were avoiding him and now one is staying near him just sitting beside him in the corner and the other two check on him every now and then. He seems to be able to see now and he is slowly swimming a little. He seems to be returning to his normal self... slowly.

I just put a little ph booster in and brought the water temp up to 70. I also through a little food in. The other fish are eating. He is starting to eat too.

Any thoughts on what happened and how I might prevent it?
I am also considering putting him in the bigger tank with the adults. He is big enough to be able to live with them safely. He is in a 5 gal tank, the adults are in a 75 gal tank. (The 5 adults are about 4 years old and there are two other babies in there, one a year old and the other about 2 years old)

 

[Blinky]

If he's recovering, it sounds to me (though I'm no expert!) like he got a shock - either something electrical in the tank shorted out, he reacted to something outside the tank, someone bit him, etc.
Basically it sounds like he completely lost it and really hurt himself in the process. It's interesting to know that there are other fish in the tank that aren't affected, really makes me curious!
I wouldn't move him in with the big boys just yet - give him some time to get over whatever happened to him, since the stress of his ordeal yesterday coupled with the stress of moving could be enough to cause him to break out with an infection.

 

[Beeker]

Thank you Blinky

Thank you for your thoughts. I was really bothered by the whole situation. I still cannot figure out what caused him to go crazy like that. The other fish were not affected at all except by his behavior. He seems better now. I will just keep a close eye on him. Thank you again.

 

[Beeker]

Strange and sad

Yesterday I buried one of my other fish from that same tank. The one that had the seizure is fine but another fish died overnight. I set up a different tank and moved the two fish left into it. They are okay. I still don't know what caused it. I have to disinfect the other tank and maybe I'll set it up again. The other two liked the bigger tank and they seem to miss their friend. :sad

 

[Blinky]

I'm curious, why are you going to disinfect the tank? You may not have to take this drastic a step - If you run the tank empty for a few weeks, any pathogen that requires a host fish to live will die off. You can feed the biological filter with pure ammonia to keep it alive until you want to place fish in the tank again.

 

[Kristal]

I had to witness my alge eater have a seizure and that is exactly what it was... Nothing had changed in my tank of 30 plus years... I have seen many species have seizures... It was even on my local news that many horses were having them... At the same time a friend of mine... Her horse had a bad seizure and died... I have known many babies,children,adults etc. have seizures !!! It's automatic...it's all about the health and biology...all seizures present the exact same symptoms... Still can't believe I had to see and hear it... It killed it..

 

[Long Time Fishy Woman]

I had to witness my alge eater have a seizure and that is exactly what it was... Nothing had changed in my tank of 30 plus years... I have seen many species have seizures... It was even on my local news that many horses were having them... At the same time a friend of mine... Her horse had a bad seizure and died... I have known many babies,children,adults etc. have seizures !!! It's automatic...it's all about the health and biology...all seizures present the exact same symptoms... Still can't believe I had to see and hear it... It killed it..

I just experienced the same thing. My Plecostomus was huge and beautiful. My nitrates were too high, but have been so, and very hard to handle. He was possibly the second to blame following myself. It was very shaking to watch it happen and he (she) died. Very sad, as he played nanny to endless broods of fish fry. If I never experience this again, it will be too soon. I'd post a photo, but I just joined and I'm not allowed to yet. This Plecostomus was a foot long and exquisite. If the nitrates suddenly become more controllable, I'll know who was contributing the load. Sadly, I'd have traded the four Peacocks immediately to keep it.