Can you help my goldfish? :-(

[Mforman]

Relatively new to the forum and keeping fish as well (first one). Looking for some help figuring out what is up with my goldfish... any advice would be greatly, greatly appreciated!! Also, sorry for the long post...

Purchased a 5 gallon tank about 4.5 months ago, cycled for 1.5 weeks and then added a celestial eye goldfish (Hank). Ammonia was at .5-1.0 the first 3 weeks we had the fish but then dropped to 0 where it is now.

Approx. 3 weeks ago we thought he had SBD as he was having trouble staying upright and sides were slightly pointed (we though he may have swallowed some gravel...). We treated by giving salt baths approx 2 times a day and fasting. Symptoms all disappeared within 3 days.

One week later I came home to find Hank's sides extremely pointed. It looked almost like his fishy ribs (if they have them?) were pushing out. Other than that he had no symptoms. We proceeded with saltwater baths thinking that it was SBD again however his sides expanded more over the next day. (see pictures 1 and 2).

Thinking that Hank had Dropsy, we prepped for the worst. It was suggested to me by a different forum to feed him Jungle brand Anti-biotic food which we have been doing for approx 5 days. We also upgraded to a 10 gallon tank and added .3% salt to the tank.

5 days later, his right side became pointed again in about 1 hour, and a darker almost gray area on his left that has gradually developed over 2-3 days. (see pic 3) It certainly does not look normal and I can't seem to find anything suggesting what it might be. Two of his smaller fins also became black tipped in the past 3 days.

Water is at 70 degrees, Ammonia 0, Ph7.5-7.6, filter is a aqua-tech 5-15 (filter from the 5 gallon). No bio-media but there are some various plastic plants in the tank. Switched to new gravel when I upgraded to the 10 gallon tank.

Sorry for such a long post.... Thank you for any help, advice or tips!



1 week ago:

Earlier today:

Tonight:

[MCools]

You did good by getting a larger tank, but the 10g really isn't big enough either. He's going to need 20+g. Also, filter companies are very generous with the ratings of the filters. Your 5-15 isn't big enough for your 10, you should have something rated for 20g+ and if you upgrade to a 20g you'll need a filter rated 40+. Goldfish are HUGE waste producers, so they need very good filtration!

What do you mean there is no bio-media but there are plastic plants? The bio-media would be in the filter, not the tank...

Don't worry about him getting some new colors either, goldfish tend to change their colors and patterns when they are young.

He looks hungry! I think I would up his food a bit. Cooked, shelled green peas (cut if need be) might help to clean him out if he's constipated- which can contribute to SBD.

I have no idea what could be causing the bumps on his sides, though.

[Aeonflame]

Im not sure what to make of this. You say your filter has no bio media, but your tank is cycled. Any media in your filter will grow BB, but not all will have sufficient surface area to be efficient. Along with the size of the tank its not going to work very well once the fish grows some. Im not sure what the specific problem is but it appears to just be poor health. The biggest single cause of this is usually poor water conditions.

I suggest upgrading the filter (and eventually the tank) and keep up on water changes. Refrain from using the salt as you dont want to place additional stress on the fish. The routine use of salt is no longer in vogue with hobbyists for a number of reasons.

Is the fish supposed to look like that? Seems pretty deformed

[Lady Hobbs]

The only time I've seen fish like that is online and it turned out to be anchor worms. Those sores on his sides are indicative to anchor worm. Watch closely and see if you began to see a small white area which would be the tail of the anchor worm. (Common in goldfish, seems to me.)

If it is, you need to get a medication for anchor worms.

But your tank did not cycle before you added him or you would not have gotten high ammonia levels. I am very surprised he lived in a small tank with a small filter and high ammonia levels. Good luck. Hope he heals up for you.

You definitely need a more adequate filter for him.

[FishyGuy]

What you have there is a Celestial Eye Goldfish. And yeah, that is how they are supposed to look.

The black mark on his side may be bruising from the point in his side. The point may be because he's constipated. Or like you said he might have swallowed gravel. Which explains why he's having trouble swimming (swim bladder disease). I highly recommend feeding him cooked and shelled peas.

I agree he needs to be feed more. I feed mine 3 times a day and give them small amounts of peas daily as well. Only give him what he can eat in few minutes. Also, have you checked the nitrites.

You need a bigger filter. One that is for a tank twice the size of the one you have. I also recommend you get a 20gal tank. Goldfish need space to thrive.

Hope that helps.

[Mforman]

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all your help.The bump he had last night was gone by this morning (last night I gave 1 epsom salt bath and a shelled pea) but his side is still dark.

I'm hoping that it's bruising as mentioned or perhaps ammonia burn since some of his fins got black coloring on the tips although that still doesn't explain why he keeps swelling up...

Got an new filter today- an Aquaclear 30. Does everyone think that will be good for this tank for a while? Should I just pop it on with the old one? I don't want it to cause any ammonia spikes since he's so delicate right now...

I've been feeding 6 of the anti biotic granules and one shelled pea a day. Does that not seem like enough? Also, when giving peas I've read that they should be cooked and that they should be raw.... Which is best and why?

Thanks so very much!

[MCools]

Check out this thread: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ad.php?t=79227

It's a different issue, but it gets into detail about getting the food thing right so it should help you figure out how much to feed your fish- it certainly helped me

I've always cooked my peas before giving them to the fish- it's easier to shell that way. Also, they should be fresh or frozen- you don't get the same effect from canned.

[Mforman]

Thanks for the tip :) I'll start feeding him at night too.

Added the new filter (both going) but the current seems really strong (plants moving a lot), even with both filters at their lowest setting. How strong should the current be?

Hank is also sitting at the bottom of the tank a lot more now that I installed the second filter. Is this normal?

Thanks :) !!!!

[FishyGuy]

Sitting at the bottom of the tank means he's stressed. What is your water parameters?


Feed him a few more peas. If it is constipation, more peas would certainly not hurt. Has his waste been stringy and hanging out?

[Lady Hobbs]

Thanks for the tip :) I'll start feeding him at night too.

Added the new filter (both going) but the current seems really strong (plants moving a lot), even with both filters at their lowest setting. How strong should the current be?

Fill your tanks right up full and that will eliminate splash. The lower the water, the more water movement. You haven't mentioned how often or much you do water changes. You may have 0 ammonia but could have high nitrates if water changes are not frequent enough.

That fish living thru ammonia levels of .50-1.0 for 3 weeks is one tough fish. I've very surprised he made it at those levels and for so long.

Are you doing water changes weekly? Also, it does not hurt fish to be "fasted" for a day once a week. Helps clean them out but perhaps since this condition seems to return you are over-feeding him? He may do better on pellets rather than flakes but if you are feeding him flakes, wet them before feeding him. Dry flakes can lead to constipation in goldies.

Stick with the peas, too, but changing his feeding habits or his food type may also take care of this problem. Never hurts fish to treat them for internal worms, either.

Good luck.