Minnow lying on tank bottom, please help!

[NilsBaees]

Hi all, my white cloud mountain minnow has been lying on the tank bottom for the past two days. I did a huge water change so I know for sure params are perfect, but he is still lying there. He is not lying on his side. The only thing that moves is his mouth, it is very hard to see if the gills are moving, if at all.

I am very worried about him. I have no idea how I can get some food inside him! At first I thought maybe he was taking a little rest, so i stirred up the nearby water with an algae scraper, but all he does is readjust himself and move his fins listlessly, then return to a stationary position. The only thing out of the ordinary that I can see is a few red lines that look like veins on his body, and his back half is pale. no growths or fungus (see pictures).

Any help would be appreciated! (Note: this minnow suffers from herniated abdominal muscles but has since recovered, I believe. His belly has returned to a normal size, but it IS odd that it is still this size after not having eaten for a few days.) Thank you all for anything you might know!

Attached are photos. I will try to post a video of him "swimming" later, but Flickr is being uncooperative right now

 

[BettaFishMommy]

oh no! i remember this lil guy.

looks like he has a blockage going on, which most likely could have been caused by the herniation. his back half may be pale due to loss of circulation/pinched blood vessels from the herniation as well.

i'd maybe try putting him in a breeder trap and placing that in the tank where flow from your filter is lowest, to make him as comfortable as possible. do you have some floating plants you could put in the trap?

the red marks look like the start of ulcers to me. you haven't noticed any fish nipping at him have you?

i'm sorry, i'm at a loss as to what he could be treated with. hopefully somebody will chime in on that soon! my only recommendation is to make him comfortable as possible and keep the tank as clean as possible.

 

[NilsBaees]

oh no! Nope, the cories don't bother him at all. i will put him in a breeder trap for now, thank you BFM!

 

[BettaFishMommy]

blockage, i'm sure. he's fine for a while with no food, so don't think he's starving. in fact, feeding him now would contribute to the blockage.

maybe epsom salts would work? have you tried that before? (i can't remember and i'm too lazy to go threading, lol). i'm unsure of the dosage for such a lil fish, but a small hospital tank would work well for him.