FAQs About Goldfish Disease/Health 39

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FAQs About Goldfish Disease/Health 39

Bloated goldfish, skip the tea, read - 7/1/08
Hi!
<Brett>
I have a goldfish (white and gold comet) that's become bloated, with its scales sticking out (like dropsy?) and bubbles forming on its skin.
<Doesn't sound good does it?>
It had become bloated once before, after getting a fungal infection - on that occasion I treated it with product called Pimafix (active ingredient is Bay oil)
<Worthless>
which is both an anti-fungal and an antibacterial treatment (according to the label), and the goldfish recovered, with only a couple of discolored spots on its skin where the fungus has been.
This time there has been no sign of fungal infection, and the other goldfish in the tank are unaffected. It started as an odd looking lump on the underbelly, and some deterioration of the dorsal fin, but in the space of a couple of days the goldfish became quite bloated.
I went to my local pet store and they were out of Pimafix, but said that it sounded like a bacterial infection this time, and sold me another treatment called Melafix
<Also>
(active ingredient is Cajeput (Tea tree) oil). However, after a week of treating the tank (and feeding it some peas), the only result has been the appearance of these bubbles on the skin.
<...>
I have checked the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels in my tank - ammonia and nitrite are zero, nitrate less than 5 ppm. (The tank is 80 litres, and currently has only three goldfish and one large freshwater snail in it.)
<These readings and tank size are all fine...>
I'm now wondering if the problem is not bacterial at all, but maybe fungal or some sort of parasite. The goldfish is still active and feeding well, but obviously not getting better.
Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated.
Brett
<Actual bacterial, fungal "causes" of disease in captive aquatics are rare as chicken's teeth... these are almost always secondary effects of other etiologies... poor water quality, some sort of challenge otherwise... I suspect a root issue and cure here are nutritive in nature. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish With Ich Loses An Eye 06/15/08
Hi, today I was vacuuming my aquarium and my goldfish swam up the tube. I took the tub out so he would fall out back into the aquarium but when he came out he had only one eye and the eye was in the bucket were the water falls out. Is it gonna die? The fish has ich as well. Please help.
< Many fish lose an eye and go on to live long lives. They key is to make sure that the empty socket does not get infected until it heals. Keep the water clean and treat for infections as needed. Treat the ich too and soon.-Chuck>

From the WetWebMedia Crew, about your goldfish
Goldfish, Water Quality, Stress, and Melafix - 06/10/2008
Hi, I have a 30 gallon aquarium and 3 goldfish and 1 algae eater in it.
<I'm not fond of some of the fish that are called "algae eater" - if this is the common "Chinese algae eater", he will eventually grow into a big, mean fish that will harass your other fish. It'll take a while, though.>
They had ick and their tails were a little bit ripped so I looked up “ick” in WWM and I read that it could be treated with salt so I tried it and one algae eater died and the rest of the fish were all sad. So I changed the water and after 2 days tried the salt treatment again but this time I took the algae eater out. The goldfish were all sad again so I changed the water again and bought a remedy called “Melafix”
<This will do nothing at all for ich or any other parasitic problems.... and some folks feel that Melafix (extract of the Melaleuca tree) can be irritating to fish as well. I do not use or recommend it.>
and I did just what the bottle said and the fish’s tail got better and the ick didn’t get worse or better.
<Melafix will not treat ich.>
Then I left for vacations so I told my friend to take care of the fish when I came back one of them was on the floor and it was breathing very fast and its tail, head, eye, and fin were red; it doesn’t move much and it doesn’t eat it still breathes fast (it has been like that for 2 days). Please help me with an advise, at this moment we’re on the second week of Melafix treatment with a 25% water change after the first week.
<Were it me and my fish, I would discontinue using Melafix, as it will do nothing for ich at all. I strongly recommend that you test your water for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate - Ammonia and Nitrite must be ZERO, Nitrate less than 20ppm. If these are above these levels, do water changes immediately to bring them down. Again, Ammonia and Nitrite must be ZERO; this is vitally important, and I suspect this may be the cause of why the fish's fins, eyes and skin are red and he is breathing fast. Once Ammonia and Nitrite are zero and Nitrate is less than 20ppm, I would recommend using salt or one of the common ich treatments, like Rid-Ich, to treat the ich. I, personally, prefer to use salt and heat to treat ich, but it seems to me you are concerned about it after your experience. Make sure you do some big water changes before you use any medications to get the Melafix out first; please don't try to mix medications. Be sure to use a dechlorinator for the new water and try to match the pH of the new water to the pH in the tank as closely as possible. You might want to read here for a bit more about goldfish systems: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm
. Wishing you and your goldfish well, -Sabrina>

HELP! Black Wen going see through! 6/10/08
Hello,
<Howdy>
I am in need of some professional advise asap! I have a forty gallon tank with a 60 gallon filter with four fancy goldfish. One of my goldies is a panda Oranda with a black Wen. A couple days ago I noticed his Wen was becoming see through and I could see some red underneath the flesh of his Wen. It has slowly gotten worse and now a lot of his Wen is now see through. I searched and searched but could not find anything that would cause this. In a panic I went to the LPS and I bought some anti-parasite medicated fish food and parasite clear tabs and the ladies said I could use them together. My gut said to only use the food so that's all I've done tonight as I have an off feeling about using both at one time. Any suggestions would really help! Thanks!
<Mmm, this loss of coloration in hoods is actually not that uncommon... is NOT pathogenic... I would remove whatever medication you're using... pronto... by water changes, carbon use... as this/these are more deleterious than useful here. Many such instances are simply a matter of genetic/developmental expression... and will pass (re-color) or not depending on deterministic principle/s and environment... Otherwise, optimizing water quality, reducing metabolite build-up and maintaining good nutrition is all that can be done. You are not likely to find much detail re this condition on the Net, but there are references to it in good books on fancy goldfish culture. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish Surgery 6/10/08
Hello!
Have duplicate problem noted in "Massive tumor on a goldfish 1/08/06", found in your archives, and am going to attempt to excise as you
suggested. Fish is a big guy, about 7 years old. Is there a post-surgery treatment regimen?
<Yes... IF there is any bleeding at all, wiping the area dry-ish, applying a dab/smear of cyanoacrylate (super) glue is recommended. Isolating the candidate in its own system (to prevent other fish from pecking at it) is recommended... with monitoring aspects of nitrogenous accumulation...>
Fish is one of four GF in a 55 gal long
tank, with a clecko algae eater (sp?).
<Likely "Pleco"... short for Plecostomus... a generic name for South American Suckermouth Catfishes... family Loricariidae>
All are of good size, average
15cm in body length.
Many thanks!
Glenn Floyd
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Lionhead Help! ASAP! 6/7/08
Hi,
I'm new at fish keeping and bought my first fish, a lionhead, 1 week ago tomorrow, without much research, BIG mistake!!
<Quite possibly. How did you cycle the tank first? Adding a fish to an immature tank is a dicey business, and not really recommended.>
Initially I had him and a mystery snail in a 3 gal. bowl, but after a couple of days it was apparent that with a small ornament, filter, thermometer, and snail there was just no room for the little guy to swim.
<Minimum aquarium for an adult Goldfish is 30 gallons, though a juvenile could be kept in something like a 20 gallon for 1-2 years.>
I upgraded to a 10 gal. tank leaving about 2.5" (in depth from the top) available for the snail to exit the water.
<Ah, likely good money after bad. Goldfish get to at least 20 cm long, and often over 30 cm in the case of non-fancy varieties. So they're big fish, bigger than most of the tropical species we keep. Even something as small as Guppies can't be kept with much success in a 10 gallon tank -- so obviously a 10 gallon tank is a short-term "upgrade" that will last you maybe 6-12 months, tops. The price difference between a 10 gallon tank and a 20 gallon tank is trivial, and both take about the same "footprint" (a couple of square feet) so there is absolutely no reason to buy one except for things like breeding projects.>
Yesterday they did a quarterly pest spray in my apartment, I was told to unplug my filter and cover the tank with a towel as the pesticides "Weren't too terribly toxic." I was told to leave for 2 hours and that Pablo (my lionhead) would be fine when I returned. I came back to discover the towel had absorbed an additional 2 inches of water from the tank and Pablo never leaving the surface for air.
<Replace all the water, reconnect the filter ASAP. The filter bacteria are of course dead now -- without water flowing through the filter, the bacteria suffocate. So for next time remember this: Never, ever unplug the filter for more than 5-20 minutes. Right, that said, you now have an immature aquarium where ammonia and nitrite are real problems. Because the tank is so small, and Goldfish such heavy polluters, the water quality will likely be extremely poor. Ammonia especially can quickly stress and kill fish. At the very least, you're likely to see signs of Finrot and/or Fungus because the immune system is being undermined.>
I immediately replaced the water and added a few drops of API Stress Coat to the tank, after about an hour I noticed his presence at the surface didn't reduce. I assumed the Ammonia levels were
sky high so I went to my local pet store immediately and purchased a pH kit and Seachem Prime for freshwater & saltwater.
<Does not compute... Does not compute... Why get a pH kit if you're worried about ammonia? And all Seachem Prime does is remove chlorine and chloramine for your tap water. It does precisely nothing about the ammonia produced by livestock. Your filter is dead, and the bacteria need time to re-colonise the media. So your job here is to keep testing the ammonia at least every 2 days; do 50% water changes daily for the first couple weeks; underfeed the fish (every other day one small meal); and generally pray to the Fish Gods for luck.>
I added 1mL of the Prime to the tank as directed and tested the pH. (According to the bottle Prime won't interfere with ph testing). The pH was between 7.4 & 7.8, (my color chart doesn't have any in between options which is totally impractical) but from what I've read that is fine.
<Fine indeed.>
Did I mention we were also in the midst of a tornado warning and forced to take shelter? (Yesterday rocked.) I figure the drop in atmospheric pressure couldn't have been any good for the
little guy either.
<He couldn't care less; he's basically in a bucket of poisonous water, so isn't really worried about the weather!>
After this, Pablo was incredibly stressed (and who could blame him after being moved 3 times, nearly asphyxiating, having new chemicals introduced into his environment, and surviving an almost natural disaster),
<Do take care to understand things from an animal, not human, perspective. Fish react to what's immediately going on. In this case, the water likely has high levels of ammonia, and unless you're doing 50% water changes daily, they aren't going down. The ammonia burns his skin, and that leads to inflammation and blistering. Bacteria in the water that normally do no harm now become dangerous, entering his wounds, turning them septic. That's Finrot. You'll likely see red or white patches on the skin and fins once this happens. Often fish also produce a lot of mucous, another sign of irritation.>
and would alternate between swimming erratically and just huddling in the back corner of his tank. I tried feeding him, but he wasn't interested so I knew something was definitely wrong, but I didn't know what else to do besides hope he made it through the night. Luckily, he did, and
I fed him this morning which he happily obliged to. He is still very sluggish though and staying at the bottom of the tank and now covered in these white spots and a fuzzy film which I assume is ick (ich) .
<The white film could easily be mucous, and the white spots could be ick. Both need PROMPT treatment.>
His eyes appear to be slightly cloudy as well.
<Again, sign of irritation because of the toxic sludge he's being kept in. Time to get your "rear in gear" and do some massive water changes, test for ammonia, and then treat for Whitespot/Ick and Finrot/Fungus.>
I want to treat his ick (if that's what it is) in a way that is as gentle as possible and wont put him through anymore unnecessary discomfort.
<Bit late to worry about that now: bring out the industrial-strength drugs and cure him! Here in England I'd be using eSHa EXIT for the Ick and eSHa 2000 for the Finrot/Fungus. If you live elsewhere on the globe, have a review of this article and choose drugs that will treat Ick, Finrot and Fungus:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/fwfishmeds.htm
Seachem ParaGuard for example is a US medication that treats all three, but I have no personal experience of this product so can't comment on its efficacy. The main thing is you avoid things like Melafix and Pimafix that are marketed as "cure alls" but have very little testing to back that up, and lots of aquarists (including myself and Bob Fenner) consider them too unreliable to be worth much.>
How do I do that? How do I decrease his stress levels, especially because the tank just started cycling?
<There are products like Bio Spira and Tetra Safe Start that can be used to jump start the filter, though their reliability isn't always 100%. Certainly better than nothing. In addition, you can grab some filter media from another aquarium and put that inside your filter. That will do a great job of speeding up the maturation process.>
Should I replace all the water in the tank?
<I'd certainly replace all the water now, then do 50% water changes daily. Some medications may require to be used across several days; for the most part these medications "wear off" after a few hours, so provided you dose the tank in the morning and then do the water change that evening, they should still work fine. Otherwise, just hold off the water changes for the two, three or whatever days are required unless the ammonia level exceeds 1.0 mg/l, in which case you MUST do a water change.>
I'm really worried about him, and any info to keep Pablo alive and well is greatly appreciated.
Thanks SO much,
Brandi & Pablo
<Do please start reading here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/goldfish101art.htm
And then peruse some of the many other articles on Goldfish. Please understand Goldfish are very difficult fish to keep indoors. They are big, messy, and require a lot of space and good filtration. The vast majority of Goldfish sold are doomed to grim, short lives kept on their own in small, dirty tanks where they linger and die after a few months or years. That's not what we want here, is it? Goldfish are sociable as well, and if you love your new pet, you'll buy him some friends, at least two. Much as Goldfish do enjoy human companions, quickly become tame and even learning to recognise the people who feed them as opposed to everyone else, they also like pals of their own species. Good luck, Neale.>

Lethargic calico goldfish, system unsuitably small, nutrition lacking, water unlivable nitrate-wise... 06/06/2008
Hi WWM Crew,
I have a calico goldfish, Flash, that I have had for about a year and five months. Flash is living in a ten gallon tank with a fantail, Ginger, that I got two weeks ago.
<... need more room than this>
Both fish are about 2 inches. They've been getting along just fine, but in the past week and a half Flash has been very lethargic. He stays at the top of the tank and his fins droop and kind of fold over (especially tail). He seems to swim okay, but sort of floats up sometimes. Ginger appears normal. When I feed Flash, his appetite is still normal. I changed 25% of the water last on May 26.

I tested the water levels: nitrate=20-40,
<Much too high... polluted>
nitrite=0-.5,
<Must be zero>
total hardness=150-300, alkalinity=120-180, and pH=7.2-7.8 (ran out of test strips, but last week ammonia=0). Also, before I got Ginger I had another calico, Lightning, living with Flash. Awhile after Lightning died, Flash sat at the bottom of the tank (depression after Lightning died?),
<Perhaps>
but he could swim just fine to eat. Once Ginger arrived, Flash didn't sit on the bottom anymore. Could Flash sitting on the bottom previously have anything to do with his problem now?
<Mmm, yes...>
Before I got Ginger, I was feeding Flash "Jack's Aquarium & Pets Goldfish Flakes" twice a day.
<... need more than this dried food...>
Lightning was sitting on the bottom, so I thought he might have been constipated; I decided to feed Lightning and Flash just once a day. After Lightning died, I continued to feed Flash once a day. Could his weak, lethargic behavior now be a result from me feeding him only half as much as before?
<Maybe a contributing factor>
Just today, I realized that some of Flash's waste was white (a little see-through) and kind of stringy. This is the longest I've ever had a goldfish and I want to keep him healthy! Thanks for your time and can you please help me?!
<Oh yes... can and will>
PS-Just a little more info: Over the past several years I've had several goldfish. Only two are in the tank at a time because ten gallons is pretty small.
<Really impractical... too small to be stable, stay relatively unpolluted twixt maintenance on filters, dilution of wastes via water changes... Had you read...>
Most of these fish died the same way. They'd float at the top for around a week, and then would lie on the ground on their sides and would die soon following this stage. None of these fish were around more than a year. Do you think there's just something wrong with the water I dechlorinate from the tap?
<... Please start here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm
and onto the linked files above. Your system is unsuitably small, nutrition lacking, water unlivable nitrate-wise... Bob Fenner>

Re: calico won't eat 06/06/2008
Hi again WWM Crew,
I just sent you an email on June 5 about my lethargic calico goldfish, Flash. I told you he still had an appetite; he doesn't anymore. Because Flash seemed weak, I decided to try to feed him a few fish flakes tonight. The flakes passed right in front of Flash, but he refused to eat them. I'm getting worried! Again, thanks for your time, and please get back to me as soon as possible!
<... reading. B>

Re: lethargic calico goldfish 6/6/08
Hi WWM Crew,
I just wanted to thank you for getting back to me so quickly. You gave me wonderful advice, and I'm going to start using it immediately! Very sadly,
Flash passed away last night. I guess it was just too late, but with your advice I know I can keep Ginger healthy!
Thanks again,
Annemarie
<And happy I hope/trust! Cheers, BobF>

Re: GOT PROB... goldfish... hlth. – 6/4/08
Hello Dear Neale,
Thank you so much for guiding me again, Neale my black moor gasp a lot at top for certain time, I think that it do in search of food whenever i go closer to it.
<Yes, Goldfish will "gasp" at the surface when looking for food. Normally they do this when they think they are being fed. But if they "gasp" all the time, then it means they are trying to swallow air. They do this when water quality is bad. So, check the ammonia and/or nitrite. If either of these is NOT zero, then review filtration and question whether the tank is overstocked or the fish are overfed.>
But it never gasp at top all the time, it has no sign of white spot or anything on its body. It never lay down at gravels for long time and swim very actively when i go closer. I hope its fine. And from now i would not switch the filter. But Neale can you explain me that "when filter stops the bacteria die"? What does that mean?
<The bacteria in the filter convert ammonia (which the fish produce, as we produce urine) into a non-toxic chemical called nitrate. These bacteria use a LOT of oxygen in the process. The oxygen comes from the water. When you switch off a filter, water stops passing through the bacteria. Eventually the bacteria suffocate and die. It is safe to switch a filter off for a few minutes, but supposedly any more than 20 minutes and the bacteria start to die.>
I know I always ask silly questions. Thank you Neale for helping.
Take care
Ali
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: GOT PROB - 06/08/2007
Hello Dear Neale,
<Hello again!>
Thank you so much for helping me, water quality is perfect and I also check the nitrite and ammonia level which is also perfect equals to zero.
<Very good.>
Now I would not switch off the filter its running 24hr.
<Good!>
Thank you Neale, may God blesses you.
<Let's hope, anyway!>
Take care
<You too,>
Ali
<Neale.>

got prb... Goldfish hlth. – 06/29/08
Hello dear Neale,
How are you, hope so you’re fine there?
<Hello again! I am well, thank you!>
Neale I have one black moor, 1 red white goldfish and 2 pearl scale goldfish. They all are doing best. But I got a problem with my pearl scale goldfish. One of them got black lines and big spots on his tail and two very small black spot on his body. I am feeling that my goldfish is changing its color is it common thing to do so?
<Surprisingly common. Goldfish all start out green and then change colour, and sometimes they seem to change back! So, provided the fish only has colour changes, and otherwise is healthy, I would not worry. In particular, check there are no missing scales and no damage to the fins (e.g., Finrot or Fungus). If all is good, then just accept your have "quirky" Goldfish. Actually, what it means is they have mixed up genes, and long term that's good: it implies greater hardiness and disease-resistance. True-breeding forms of Goldfish have "pure genes" because they are inbred, and that makes them weak in the long run.>
Or anything else, should I worry about it? Neale in Pakistan very hot summer is going now a days and I keeping the temperature of my aquarium 27C-29C. Is it fine?

Neale one thing I have notice that I am keeping these fish from last 3 months but they are growing very slowly. Is everything is fine with them, because they are doing very well and I am used to feed them twice a day in the morning with normal fish food which they are in small bolls shape and in the evening I give them bloodworms on the daily basis.
<Goldfish growth rate is very variable. It depends a lot on the size of the aquarium or pond: the more space, the faster they grow. If they were stunted when young, they may never reach full size. This is often the case with fish. Fish grow throughout their lives, until the day they die -- but the RATE at which they grow varies, and normally they grow fastest when young.>
I change half of the water weekly as I have 2*1 feet aquarium. Filter runs 24hr which also provide good amount of oxygen. Water pumps are also running 24hr. I hope everything is fine.
<All sounds good. If your fish are healthy, and they are happy pets, then do not worry!>
Thank you Neale.
Ali
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: got prob... goldfish dis. - 7/1/08
Hello dear Neale,
<Out for a while... working>
Thank you so much for replying me, i have checked them there is no missing scale and no fin damage, I mean Finrot or fungus. And they are doing best and swimming very well. Neale i tried a lot to control the temperature even by keeping aquarium light off, but temperature still remains between 27C to 29C. They are swimming good and happy. Neale what do you think about my fish growth, is there growth is stagnated due to the size of my aquarium?
<Perhaps due to the temperature alone... it will/should resume with cooling weather in the Fall>
As i have 2*1 feet aquarium and having 4 goldfish of 1.5 to 2 inch. Is there enough space for them to move? Although they are happy and healthy.
Thank you
Ali Zaheer
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Obviously goldfish, and not reading/using WWM 5/29/08
Hello, First I would like to say that I learned alot
<... no such word>
about goldfish just reading other people's questions. I did a few searches on Google and this is the only site that I found that really answered questions and actually gave research links. Definitely the most helpful...hopefully the same will be true for my situation.

Ok so I have 2 Goldfish, both pretty big, like 4-4 1/2inches from nose to tail. I don't remember what kind they are but one looks like a typical goldfish, gold but with a very flowy tail. the other is black and has the flowy tail as well but his eyes are kinda like goggles. hopefully you know what am talking about.
<Sort of... all goldfish are the same species (actually a dihybrid cross likely)... some more "fancy" than others>
anyways my black fish all of a sudden has white spots on his tail that I've never seen, why would he all of a sudden get white on the edge of his tail?
<Have you introduced "wild" material/s to the system in recent time? Live freshwater foods, snails or plants let's say?>
unrelated to that am sure, he has Popeye,
<Mmm, no... is likely related>
my 2nd question is what causes this?
<Numerous influences can... most likely environmental or nutritional deficiencies>
I went to the pet store where he was purchased 5 months ago and they gave me some powder to put in the water.
<... powder?>
Am I supposed to clean the water and tank and rocks out and then put the powder in or do I put it in the water they are in and do the 25% water change?
<... change the water first>
Now at the same time the other fish has been very bloated for about 3 weeks.
<?!>
Im talking like busting at the seems bloated. From what I have read on your site its most likely that this is a digestion problem or can the Popeye and the bloating be related?
<All these issues are very likely related...>
I clean the tank completely every month, its a ten gallon tank.
<Too small... and changing all at once is a poor idea... you need to read...>
And weekly I do a 25% water change. I put the chemicals the pet store gave me to take the chlorine out of the water and the filter is changed regularly.
my husband still thinks she (the gold goldfish) is going to lay eggs.
<Uh, no>
if this were the case do they get bloated like this when they lay eggs and if so how long would that last before they actually lay the eggs?
I thought Goldfish were a simple pet, man was I wrong haha
Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated
Thank you so much
Tammie
<You should start here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm
and then on to the linked files above. Your system is overcrowded, mis-managed, likely not cycling regularly... You don't mention foods/feeding, but there are likely (dried) issues there as well. Read. Bob Fenner>

Sick young Ryukin
Hi Bob,
I've scoured your site to find out what is going on with my new Ryukin, and fear that maybe I simply over-fed him.
<In which case he'll recover. Just needs to go on a "crash diet".>
I'm not sure because his tank mate Vincent is doing great... at the moment. I have a 4 gallon BiOrb tank (no heater) with two 1&1/2 long Ryukin. From what I've read that's way too small of a tank.
<Quite so. Bio Orb tanks may look neat, but their value as Goldfish aquaria is minimal. Frankly, zero. Even the biggest models are simply too small and too under-filtered for adult Goldfish. The bottom line is Goldfish are pond fish. They're big and messy. If you *must* keep them indoors, then you have to "think" pond -- a big tank with a big filter. I personally don't recommend them for casual aquarists and certainly not for beginners.>
The guy at a very respectable fish store told me I could have two in this tank. Hate to think he was just trying to sell me another fish.
<Likely no malice intended, merely his best guess. In this case, I'd argue he's wrong, at least in the long term.>
Anyway, I digress. Theo was doing great and swimming happily, when I decided to go away for the holiday weekend. I left one of those pellets that feeds them, but greatly reduced the size at it was for 20 fish for 10 days.
<Next time, let 'em starve! Does Goldfish zero harm. If you must, stick some floating plants like Elodea and let them go vegetarian for a while. This will do them a lot of good, providing plenty of fibre and vitamins without any risk of water pollution>
Anyway, Theo is floating on his side, lethargic. He looks like he's barley hanging on, but from what I've read on the site maybe I can turn this around.
<Yes, you can.>
Maybe I can save him. What can I do Bob? Is it gas bubbles, constipation, over-feeding?
<The first thing is to consider water quality: most fish crises come down to that. Check the nitrite concentration. Do a nice big water change, at least 50%, taking care of course to add dechlorinator. Do also review water chemistry: Goldfish hate soft water, and like all fish they don't like rapid changes in pH. If he's overeaten, then stop using flake/pellets and offer high fibre foods like the aforementioned Elodea. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm
He seemed to be doing just fine until I left home. Martina
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: sick young Ryukin
...thanks, Neale. Unfortunately, Theo passed this morning and only Vincent remains. I will be more mindful and certainly will not add any
other fish to the tank. Hopefully, he will survive. Thanks again, Neale.
Martina
<Ah, that's too bad. Since he died, "overfeeding" as such wasn't the issue, though water quality may well have been. If you put too much food into the tank, the waste isn't processed by the filter and/or diluted by the water, and you end up with nitrite and ammonia in the water. These stress, eventually poison, your fish. Review the needs of Goldfish, and act accordingly.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/goldfish101art.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

My Butterfly Tail, GF hlth., CAE incomp. 5/17/08
Hello! I have 4 goldfish, 1 (Bertha) who is quite large, the size of a baseball without the tail and then a calico looking goldfish Gecko), an orange fan tail (captain Golden Eye) and then MiBello my black googly eyed guy. My mother in law bought us an algae eater (the smaller cat fish looking ones) he has been in the tank for over 6 months now, but I recently noticed him attaching himself to my googly eyed guy.
<Is a Chinese Algae Eater, Gyrinocheilus... needs to be removed immediately. Not compatible>
And then today I noticed that MiBello is slow with a filmy look to him and gold spots showing through his normally BLACK scales...I instantly started to research and so far he doesn't have any of the symptoms of ICH or VELVET. I saw that you had a similar question on the website, I read that and went to the site suggested but still found no answers. Please help! I love my Googly MiBello and want to make him better.
Thank you!
Marilyn Rosa
<Translate this "love" into action... Read re the use of CAEs on WWM... Remove it and all will likely be fine. Bob Fenner>

sick orander - stick like threads sticking out of bodies... Mis-stocked, uncycled Goldfish system of too small size, Anchorworms 4/19/08
Hi, Firstly apologies if there is info on your site about this. I have scoured Google and your site for many hours and finding nothing that sounded like this, I finally decided I need to ask for direct help!
About 4 and a half weeks ago we bought a 15 gallon cold water tank, under gravel filter, pump, gravel, and live plants as a present for our 4 year old son to start having his first pet. Before buying it we went to the pet store and asked advice about what we could have in it, how long we needed to run the tank before introducing the fish, which ones could go together etc etc. They recommended two small Oranders
<Orandas, fancy goldfish... will need more room than this...>
and said the tank needed to run for at least 48 hours before introducing the fish.
<Uhh, no... more time... to cycle... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm>
We let it run for 72 hours, floated the bag with the fish for 20 minutes and so our journey began.
'Goldie' and 'Parp' (he's a four year old boy - what do you expect him to call them?!) appeared happy at first but on day three we became concerned about Goldie 'she' was listless and hanging at the top of the water but not gasping. The shop suggested she may be stressed by the change and recommended a tonic containing Bronopol, Copper EDTA, Formaldehyde and silver Proteinate.
<... a very poor idea>
By the next day she was much happier as were we.
Two days later (5 days after fish introduced) we noticed Goldie's tail and 1 or her fins were ragged and disappearing, we then saw Parp nipping at her. We researched on line and many sites said this can happen with a new tank and it should settle down.
<Mmm, no. Most often fish's die from such treatment>
She also appeared to have a white thin thread coming from her side. We spoke to the store the next day who said it may have been that she had fin rot and parp was trying to make her better and to try Phenoxyethanol.
<...>
She improved greatly, the thread dropped off and all was well until the water began to cloud (about day 6). We did 10% water change we had been told to do, using a gravel vac and the next morning the water was very cloudy.
<... ammonia, nitrite?>
My husband went to the store and they recommended bringing in a sample the next day. By the time we got home the store was closed, we could hardly see the fish and they were gasping at the top of the water. Again we turned to the internet and were recommended a 50^% water change with the suggestion it was bacterial bloom. The fish settled down, although the water didn't.
<Cycling...>
Back at the store the next day they tested the water and the test went bright purple - they said we needed to bring down the PH. They said the problem may have been from using two treatments with less than a 7 day gap (as the last store had advised us to do!) They said not to change anything that day as we had changed so much water already, and do a 20% change the next day, then two days later take back another sample.
After the 20% change, the water really cleared and all appeared to be improving - until!!! - the stick/thread like things appeared again, this time out of both of the fish.
<Anchorworms... Lernaea... Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/anchorwrmfaqs.htm>
The shop said the water level was much improved, ammonia was up a bit but not vastly (they didn't give me numbers)
<Any amount present is toxic>
and another water change two days later and reduced feeding should sort that.
<Ah, no>
They also tried to contact their suppliers to see if they had any idea what the attachments could be.
<Ditch this store>
We reduced feeding to once every two days on advice but now one is hanging at the top, one sitting on the bottom, or occasionally hanging almost vertically mid tank and we don't know what else to do or where else to go for help. I have tried desperately to get pictures, but am obviously not meant to be an animal photographer. The attachments are about 1 cm long and then at the end are split in two.
The are essentially white, although one or two have become a little darker tonight.
<Good description... these are crustacean parasites...>
They don't appear to move at all but are just like little sticks. Parp has one at the base of 'his' tale but that has now developed a white fluffy area at the bottom of it. PLEASE can you help? I just don't know how to help them.
Thanks for your time
Erica (and more importantly Goldie and Parp)
<Please read where you were referred to above and here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm
and the linked files above. You have made a few simple though drastic errors... as you will soon realize... the means to possibly fix them will be detailed in the reading. Bob Fenner>

Re: sick orander - stick like threads sticking out of bodies 4/22/08
thank you for your help. Your advice was really useful - feel like we have been trying to be really responsible and get advice, but now find it was bad advice - unfortunately it is the fish that suffer.
<Yes>
Sadly Goldie died yesterday, but she had become very ill. Parp seems to be beginning to recover, so we are crossing our fingers we can get through this bit to get him steady and once again a happy fish. Still concerned over the cloudy water, but following the advice from the links you sent and crossing our fingers.
Thanks again
Erica
<Welcome. BobF>

Goldfish with tapeworm? Not likely, no data, reading... 4/16/08
Hello,
My five year old comet had been sick and it's been very difficult to diagnose. First, he is in a 25 gallon tank
<Too small a volume...>
with good water chemistry that I test often
<Results of these tests, data please>
and do frequent water changes.
<Good>
He also has two smaller goldfish tank mates who all appear perfectly fine and healthy.
I first noticed that he had stringy white feces and at first assumed it was constipation. I fed him thawed peas for a few days and there was no change. It was then recommended that I try to feed him Metronidazole in case it was an internal infection.
<Mmmm>
Again, there was no change and it was clear the fish was losing weight. After much searching, I was finding that his symptoms could be that of an internal parasite or tapeworm. I must admit, finding a good solid list of symptoms of a tapeworm in goldfish hasn't been easy. But he still has thin, stringy white feces, losing weight, tends to rest near the surface with his head up and very recently has developed black spots,
<... environmental>
almost resembling a spotty dust on his head and around his mouth (which I've read some places can be parasite larvae). That said, he is still quite active, often swims around with all fins out and loves eating (although he chews his food for a very long time before finally swallowing, which is a new thing). I have been trying to feed him Jungle Anti-Parasite food for just over a week now and using Garlic Xtreme. The anti-parasite medication says to feed the fish for 3 days a week for 4 weeks. He is now on his second week of the medicated food. On his last 4 days off the medication, I was trying to feed him sinking sticks to get some weight back on him. He seemed to fill out a little bit and one morning passed long pinky brown feces. I definitely wouldn't say it was 'healthy' looking, but I figured it was better than the white strings. However, now that he is back on his medication, his is back to the white strings.
My main concern is that I have correctly diagnosed him. It has been several weeks since I've seen him pass healthy feces and I am very concerned about the weight he is losing (and these new black spots). If this is a parasite, I am wondering if I am doing the right thing to kill it. I am wondering if I should try something like PraziPro, and if so, can it be used with the Anti-parasite food.
<Yes>
If not, how long should the fish be off the food before trying the PraziPro treatment. Should I cut the food treatment early to use the Praziquantel?
<Not necessary, however, these treatments are not called for. Might I ask, where do you think the Tape/Cestode originated? Do you feed foods, have you introduced an organism that carried this in?>
And of course, if this doesn't sound like a parasite at all, what can be done?
Thanks so much
<Is not a parasite, or at least, highly unlikely. IS the environment. You've provided no data on water quality, the system... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/mollies.htm
and the linked files above... Hopefully your circumstances will "click" with others here. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish developing lumps in fin and red sores on body - Urgent help needed! -04/11/08
Hi,
Thanks for maintaining this wonderful site, it really has tons of useful info.
<Welcome and sorry for the delay in reply here...>
My two new goldfish have a problem and I am unable to diagnose even after going through the diseases FAQs, could you please help?
<Yes... have looked at your pix and have a good/high confidence re the root cause and cure here>
My tank is 90 gallons and there are 5 fish in it - 2 Orandas (Lionheads I think) which are about 4 inches long (body only), 2 baby Ranchus (2 inches long) and 1 Pleco (5 inches long and I will soon remove it).
<Mmm, I keep Hypostomus... one of the "medium size species" Plecos with my fancy goldfish... not usually a problem in this size/sort of system>
The water is (and has been) clean - 0 NH3, 0 Nitrites, 10ppm Nitrates, pH is 8.2 though (my tap water tested 8.0). Water is aerated constantly and has a filter which pumps water overhead and back through sponges.
Some background - I got the 2 Orandas eight days back and they have been fine so far, eating well and not constipated. One of them (store said it is a she) is a bit plump and spends a lot of time just floating near the filter in a dark corner. Sometimes, she floats a bit lopsided (leaning to one side). On one side, her tail fin seems a bit bent and this makes her swim with a clumsy, wriggly movement (the tail fins don't open up fully at all). I am not sure if she has some swim bladder problem or if the tail fin hurts when she tries to swim but she does seem happy otherwise. The 2 Ranchus were brought in 2 days back and are so far eating and swimming actively with no visible signs of disease.
Today, both of them have developed what seem like whitish lumps inside their tail fins (mostly near the base).

Also, one of them (not the floater) has developed three or four red sores on its body (it looks like a scale has been peeled off here and there exposing the blood behind). There is no worm sticking out of the sore,
<There will be...>
no mucus, no yellow, just red like it was poked with something sharp. The two little Ranchus seem to now be chasing them to try and get at the blood and the lumps (the Orandas don't seem to be harassed too much by this though).
I have attached some photos which show the lump and the sore (marked in white). I can sense that they are going to get worse tomorrow so could you kindly let me know what it could be and how to treat it? I am planning to move them to quarantine now after giving them a 10 min treatment in a 10mg/Litre solution of Potassium Permanganate with an aerator in a bucket.
<Mmm, it's obvious you've been studying... I would not use the KMnO3... too harsh and won't solve the issue here>
Thanks again in advance,
Shankar
<And now (finally!) my input. This is very likely the beginning of "Anchor Worm"... a crustacean parasite complaint... at times common with pond-reared goldfish... Needs really to be treated with an organophosphate... usually Dimilin or DTHP/Masoten/Dylox/Neguvon... and other generic names... Please insert the term "Anchorworm" in your search tool, or the one on WWM. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Re: Goldfish developing lumps in fin and red sores on body - Urgent help needed! 04/14/2008
Dear Bob,
Thanks very much for your reply. You are right, it is indeed turning out to be Anchorworms.
<Ahh! and ouch!!!>
I have tried and removed them whenever I see them dangling out more than 2 mm and have been mostly successful (except a couple of cases where I couldn't get the whole worm out). Dabbing the worm with a swab of cotton soaked in potassium permanganate seemed to help while pulling them out but I cant say for sure. The whole thing seems to be subsiding but, to make sure, I started treating the tank with Paracidol (copper sulfate based medicine).

The bottle says 3 doses alternate days and that it will remove ich also, hopefully I should have a clear tank in a week.
<Again... the use of an organophosphate>
Another thing - the guy at the pet shop told me it is a 360 litre (~ 90 gallon) tank but when I actually measured the dimensions of the water column (minus some allowance for rocks), it looks like I only have 65g!
<Very common to have such a difference in real volume>
So I guess I will have to restrict to just 4 or 5 goldfish:-(
<Good point, call>
Thanks again for the wonderful site, I now read it everyday because it is so informative (and entertaining).
-Shankar
<Thank you my friend. Bob Fenner>

Rid Ich+ and goldfish's apparent fungus (?) problem... Env... 3 gal. sys. No useful data re water quality 4/7/08
Hi Bob, I hope you can help me, I am a new aquarium owner. I have a fancy goldfish, quite small, (about 1 inch long) who was showing white spots a few days ago, looking like tiny sugar crystals, along his fins.
<Mmm, but not on the body?>
I figured it must be ich after looking on the internet.
<Maybe>
As I go to school in another city, I wasn't able to get to the pet shop until yesterday evening, and I bought Kordon's Rid Ich+. Then when I got home I noticed the fish has fine cottony tufts on his body, (I can't see the "crystals" anymore) and his fins are looking more transparent and frayed. So I did a 25% water change as advised on the bottle, left the bio-filter but removed the filter which contains carbon, (I have a 3-gallon Eclipse System-3
<... this volume is too small to support even one goldfish>
tank with a bio-filter) reconditioned the filtered water I was adding with Tetra Aqua Safe,
<This will remove the active ingredients in the Rid Ich product...>
(I have a Multi-Pure filter on my tap-water*) and added the Rid-Ich+ according to instructions. Today he is still tufty with cottony bits on his skin. I did some research on the internet, and I think he has body fungus: Chondrococcus columnaris.
<Mmm, doubtful>
Can Rid Ich+ treat this,
<The Malachite might well address a true fungal or even bacterial issue... however... the root cause here is neither of these>
or is there another treatment I should be doing instead or in addition to Rid Ich+?
<... Need more info... water quality tests principally>
Otherwise, aside from staying under the ornamental bridge most of the time, he has swum around some, and eaten a little. If I'm on the right track with the treatment, I'll continue doing the daily (during the treatment) 25% water changes and adding the prescribed amount of Rid Ich+ every 24 hours.
<Mmm, no... this fish will be killed by this treatment... directly and not...>
Also, do you think I need to condition the aquarium water with Tetra Aqua Safe, since it is filtered?*(Multi-Pure Drinking Water Systems reduce MTBE, Chlorination By-Products, PCBs, Chloramine, Pesticides, Herbicides, heavy metals like lead and mercury, and many other contaminants. http://www.multipureco.com/ )Thank you very much in advance for your answer! Kalisa
<What you really need is a larger system... Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm

Goldfish tail rot 4/5/08
Hi, WWM!
About two months ago, my husband and 9-yr-old came home with -- surprise! -- three small (about 1-1.5² each) goldfish and an apple snail from our local Wal-Mart (much to my chagrin; we already have three dogs, a mouse, and five hermit crabs... most of whom eventually become my responsibility!). We put them in a ten-gallon tank with a power carbon filter that hangs on the side of the tank, splashing water back into the tank in a constant waterfall.
A week ago we noticed that one of the fish had lost a substantial amount of her tail. She was spending much of her time near the top of the tank. She was also constipated (trailing long white poop strand). I did some research online and discovered all the WRONG things we¹ve been doing these couple of months ? no water changes, overfeeding with boring/starchy flakes only, etc. I diagnosed her with poor water conditions, constipation, and tail rot, got the water checked at the local pet store (not so bad, considering it had NEVER been changed ? Ph neutral, Nitrites/nitrates of 40 and ammonia of .25, all of which the store employee said were in the ³safe² range), and have treated the tank with Triple Sulfa for an entire course of treatment ? 5 days, changing 25% of water halfway through process and again last night, at end of process. I also did not feed for two days, then gave a little fresh spinach, and am now feeding small amount of dried krill; this seems to have cleared up her constipation. I should mention that I treated the ENTIRE tank, upon the recommendation of the store employee. I also added a live plant to the tank (something we didn¹t have before), after doing the water change and replacing the carbon filter last night.
My question has to do with the tail rot. Although the fish is now very active and happy, eating and swimming well (or as well as can be expected without a tail!) and is not hovering near the top of the tank, she still has white fuzzy signs of tail rot on the stub of what was once her tail. Does this mean that she is still infected, or has a secondary fungal infection that I should be treating some other way? Or is it normal to still see the fuzzy white signs of the tail rot, even when she is ³all better?² I¹ve searched everywhere online for this info, and am still feeling clueless about how to know definitively if she¹s ok now... or not. I don¹t want to do another course of antibiotic treatment, unless it¹s necessary.
Thanks so much from all of us!
Susan
<Hello Susan. Yes, it sounds
<You don't mention filtration. Finrot is almost always caused by poor water quality. So, when fish get Finrot, the first thing you do is check for Ammonia or Nitrite. Do this, and then get back to me.>
I am treating with MelaFix and elevated the salt to one teaspoon/gallon of new water.
<Melafix won't help here and neither will salt. Goldfish DO NOT NEED salt. The guys in the store sell you this stuff because they can. It's useless. Much better to provide good water quality through filtration and weekly 50% water changes.>
The Finrot has not gone away yet, but I'm still hopeful, since I had forgotten to take the carbon filter out . . .
<Carbon has zero effect on salt and Melafix. In any case, carbon is useless is this sort of tank. Again, it's mostly about getting money from fishkeepers than anything else. Instead go with a plain vanilla filter with sponges and/or ceramic noodles. Choose a filter that provides not less than 6 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. You'll see the rating on the filter or the package it came in. So for a 20 gallon tank, you need a filter rated at no less than 120 gallons per hour. Anything smaller will be overwhelmed by the dirt these fish produce.>
I'm new at this, and trying to learn all the tricks of keeping them healthy.
<No tricks. Just science. Read, learn.>
So one, does the above treatment plan seem like a good one?
<Not really, no. Go for something like Maracyn (in the US) or a real antibacterial remedy such as eSHa 2000.>
And two, what is a normal alkalinity for goldfish? According to the chart on my testing kit, their alkalinity is pretty high.
<That's fine. Goldfish like hard, alkaline water. A pH around 7.5 to 8, general hardness around 10-20 dH, and carbonate hardness not less than 5 degrees KH will suit them well.>
Thank you for your time!
Genia
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: sickly goldfish 4/1/08
too late its dead
<Well, please learn from this. You can't keep Goldfish in a small aquarium, and you can't mix them with Algae Eaters (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) -- Algae Eaters attack the goldfish and rasp away at their skin. Do have a read of the basics of Goldfish keeping here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/goldfish101art.htm
Cheers, Neale.>

Goldfish... WWM 3/30/08
Hi- I just got two new gold fish, I am new to this so I have know idea what kind they are but there eyes are NOT the ones that have the eyes that are bubbled out.
<Do start by reading this:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/goldfish101art.htm
>
But I think they are the double fined ones. They are on the bigger size and are in a 7 Galen tank with an out side filter (I now realize its getting to be on the rather small side and are not going to be putting any more fish in and might only have one soon.)
<Two fancy goldfish of whatever sort need a 30 gallon aquarium with a filter. Non negotiable. They are going to get pretty big and are notoriously messy. Fancy goldfish are also very prone to Finrot and Fungus. They MUST have lots of good, clean water. If you can't accommodate them properly, consider returning them and keeping something appropriate to your budget and space.>
I also live in an area with “hard water” and the people at the fish store said that this “Aqua Safe” would help.
<Yes, you need to dechlorinate all water before putting it into the aquarium. Hard water is excellent for goldfish so in itself not an issue.>
But one of my fish “k-fed” had had a substance on his eye I thought it was strange because I had had him for two days max. I thought it was just that he had bumped his eye and it was healing but then the next day it seemed to get worse. After 2 ½ days and the other eye also seemed to be getting this substance and he seemed to be tired and run down. I went to the fish store and started asking them what I should do, so they gave me “Mela fix” to fix it (and that it was a bacteria thing.) I gave him his stuff in the morning and I know its not a miracle worker and will take time but the film is still there cloudy and now red coming through under the filmy substance. Is this just a stage in clearing up the cloudiness? And should I move it into isolation ( the other fish is fine and seems to be happy swimming around eating, having a good time if fish can do that). would the aqua safe, hard water and the Mela fix have some reaction and kill the fish (aren’t dead yet and trying to keep it that way) and I tend to have over cleaning tendencies and clean the tank when its get hard to see the fish like 3 times a week not all the water but about 1-2 glens each time and at the end of the week I do a bigger clean about ½ to ¾ of the water and get out the fish net and get the uneaten food still hanging around if the filer has not gotten it. Am I over cleaning my tank (can you over clean you tank). I know now after reading the web page that you can stress you fish out and would changing the water so many times do that?
I was hoping you could help. my fish are like bonnie and Clyde and I would be hart broken to see them suffer, or die. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. M.Miller
<Nothing really unusual here to be honest. You have two fish in an aquarium too small for them and with too little water. End result is unquestionably bad water quality, and what you're seeing on the fish is either Fungus or Finrot or perhaps both. Needs to be treated with something like Maracyn or eSHa 2000. You MUST also remedy the environmental conditions as well, upgrading to a filtered aquarium with not less than 30 gallons of water. Trust me on this. If you look over the WWM Questions & Answers pages you'll see we get about a billion "sick goldfish" letters a year, almost all of which come down to people doing precisely what you're doing: keeping them in unfiltered, too-small aquaria. So provide medication, upgrade the aquarium, and you will do something constructive to help your fish. Ignore this advice, and they'll likely die painful deaths. Hope this helps, Neale.>

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