Dropsy problem, GF    6/30/07 Hi, how are you? <<Just smacking, Mr. Bond! Tom with you.>> Now one of my large goldfish is suffering from dropsy. Please guide me how can I treat her. <<Optimize water conditions/quality and keep your fingers crossed. 'Dropsy' isn't a condition, in and of itself. Dropsy is merely an indication of an internal infection/infestation that affects one, or more, of the internal organs. Without knowing what, exactly, is causing your Goldfish's problem, a course of treatment is nothing more than a 'crapshoot'. In other words, pure luck.>> She has not eaten food for last 4 days. Please help me. <<Not eating isn't 'bad'. Fish can go for days, or longer, without eating. It does 'fit' with a fish that isn't feeling well, though.>> It is about 5 inches in length. I have also put Epsom salt. She has also not done her toilet. <<You might try an Epsom salt bath rather than merely adding the salt to the tank, which probably won't be as effective in this case. Add one tablespoon to some aquarium water, in a separate container, and bathe the fish for about 10-15 minutes. With luck (here I go), the compaction, if any, will be relieved. Again, water quality and water conditions must be kept high in the main tank. Your pet's immune system will have to do the rest. Best of luck to you and your pet. Tom>>
Re: Dropsy problem continues   7/2/07 <<James. Tom once again.>> I even gave her an Epsom salt bath but still she is sitting down. Please tell me what to do. <<Change out 20%-25% of the tank water starting now (even if you've done so recently) and continue with this regimen every other day. As I mentioned previously, Dropsy can have a variety of causes making a specific treatment nothing more than guesswork. With that in mind, I want you to opt for a different mindset here and think in terms of 'water keeping' rather than 'fish keeping'. In short, your priority is going to be to maintain the tank at the highest level of both water quality and water conditions that you can. Raising the water temperature might be of some value here but you must also provide for additional aeration if you don't already have the means. (Warmer water holds less oxygen than cooler water.) Lowering the water level somewhat will assist in this by allowing your filter's return water to 'splash' the surface accomplishing the same thing as would an airstone/air wand. Finally, go back to adding one tablespoon of Epsom salt per five gallons of tank water. (I still believe this to be less effective than the 'bath' but it's much less stressful on the fish. Something we can't afford right now.) Beyond what I've suggested, particularly if the scales of the fish have begun to 'pinecone', there's little more that you can do. (As an aside here, you might be thinking that you're not really doing anything to 'help' your pet by concentrating on the water rather than the fish. Exactly the opposite is true. EVERYTHING is about the water. Just something to keep in mind.) My best to you. Tom>>

Goldfish Question... induced troubles  -- 06/29/07 > Hi, I have recently got my daughter 2 goldfish. I have a 15 litre tank with undergravel filter (I know this is not the best to have but am doing water changes often) And an airpump. Now my bigger fish swims slightly on his/her side, and my smaller one has started to do it too. > Also the bigger ones back fin (not sure if its called dorsal) is flat on his back. (but it is all there, i.e. hasn't been ripped) and now the smaller one is starting to do that too. Now is this the latest trend for fishies? or is something wrong? I feed them small pellet like things and the occasional pea (after reading on your site to do this) They get on great and don't fight. I have looked around for an answer but cant find any regarding the back fin. > Any help would be appreciated. > Jacqueline <Hello Jacqueline. As you seem to be aware, a 15 litre tank is simply unacceptable for goldfish. End of story. In all honesty, keeping goldfish in anything less than 125 litres (~30 Imperial gallons) usually ends up badly for the fish and the fishkeeper. Goldfish are big (20-30 cm), messy fish that need to be kept in groups and appreciate swimming space. In a 15 litre tank, which let's face it contains about as much water as a bucket, the fish is condemned to living in filthy conditions with no swimming room at all. The type of filter doesn't make any difference at all, though I'm glad you do at least have a filter. Too many people don't even bother with that! Now, the problem is that goldfish are often sold as "cheap" and "easy" pets. They are in fact neither. Goldfish are expensive to care for properly and demand quite a lot of work. That's why I think they make appallingly bad pets for children, and we really shouldn't be teaching children that animals can be used and abused at our whim. Now, as to the state of the dorsal fin. In some fancy goldfish, the dorsal fin can be floppy in the way you describe. But fin damage is also a common sign of poor water conditions. Do a test for ammonia or nitrite (some aquarium shops will do this for you if you don't have the test kits). If ammonia and nitrite are present, Finrot is often not far behind. This can be treated with over the counter medications, but since it follows on from water conditions with the bacteria being merely opportunists, you need to fix the underlying problem as well. My advice is simple: upgrade the aquarium at the first opportunity. This needn't be expensive, as used fish tanks are easy enough to find if you don't want to buy a new one. But your goldfish will be happier and healthier given proper conditions. Good luck! Neale.>

Re: Lionhead goldfish eye problem -- 06/27/07 Hi Neely: <Neely? Getting to call me that usually comes with a two-drink minimum.>
<<Heeeee, ha Haaaa, you're slaying me Neale! RMF>> Sorry to bother you, but my Lionhead this morning is "swimming." not really just going to the bottom of the tank and stands vertically with his head towards the gravel. <Very un-good. Sounds like a serious swim bladder problem. Usually but not always diet-related. Switching to green foods helps. Be sure and read this article: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm > It doesn't stay long in this position but he is doing it often. Also I found him near the top of the tank this morning like drinking water from the top. It doesn't look like hi is breathing bubbles, that's what I'm trying to say. Of course he is breathing! <Now, when fish gulp water from the top of the tank this usually means that the water in the tank is polluted or low in oxygen. The surface layer is the bit with the most oxygen (it's closest to the air) so fish use this bit of the water when the rest of the water is bad. It's definitely an emergency sign though. Increase aeration in the tank, for example by adding an airstone or using the filter to "splash" the water some more. Make sure the water in the tank is circulating properly -- check the filter isn't blocked up, and that it is big enough for the tank. Do a 50% water change, to get rid of any pollution.> anyway, any thoughts. Thanks for your help. His eye continues unimproved and I'm quiet concern. Emilia <Sounds bad. MY basic feeling is that you have water quality issues and perhaps poor diet issues that need fixing. Review the basic care you're offering, and act accordingly. Good luck! Neale>  

Very sick, sinking goldfish - HELP!   6/25/07 Hi there, <Hi Laura- Jorie here. Greetings from Chicagoland, Illinois USA!> I really hope you can help. <I sure will try.> We have two 3 year old goldfish in a 125 litre (which I believe is 33 US gallons)... <Approximately, yes...> ...tank, who have been fine up till now. <Definitely a good sign of a well maintained, established tank. But, just to be safe, I would suggest you check ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings. Also, are there any other inhabitants in this tank? What sort of filtration is used? What is your regular water change schedule like (amount changed and frequency)? At first blush, it doesn't sound like your problem is environmental, but it never hurts to check there first. Any new additions to the tank? Or any new cleaners/pesticides/chemicals used anywhere near the tank?> About a month ago one starting having trouble swimming downwards and was stuck floating at the top of the tank, we fed him food soaked in water for a couple of weeks and he seemed fully recovered. <Take a look at this article by Sabrina Fullhart of our WWM Crew - it provides lots of insights, suggestions for what she refers to as the "floaty, bloaty goldfish".> http://mail.wetwebmedia.com/main/frmComposeInner.aspx?action=reply&folder=Jorie&uid=9&sb=true&mapped=false&user=crew&returnPath=http%3A//mail.wetwebmedia.com/Main/frmReadMail.aspx%3Ffolder%3DJorie%26messageid%3D9%26sortType%3DInternalDate%26sortAscending%3DTrue%26mapped%3DFalse%26user%3Dcrew%26cRow%3D0%26returnPath%3Dhttp%253A//mail.wetwebmedia.com/Main/frmMessagesX.aspx%253Fuser%253Dcrew%2526folder%253Djorie%2526mapped%253Dfalse%2526leftnav%253Dtrue > However, about 3 days ago we noticed that he was spending a lot of time stuck at the bottom of the tank, and yesterday he got even worse. He was stuck on his side at the bottom of the tank, unable to get himself upright or move very far. We put him in a hospital tank, added aquarium salt and a treatment for swim bladder, along with a pea - but there has been no change in the last 24 hours and he is unable to eat. He is constantly stuck on his side, and only moves occasionally. When he does move it's constantly around in circles, either on his side, upside down or doing somersaults. It's very distressing to watch but we have no idea what else to do to help him. We've also noticed that the other, perfectly healthy fish left in the main tank has been very unsettled since we removed the sick one, almost as if he's upset (although I may be guilty of applying human emotions to a fish there!) Basically, any advice on what to do to help the sick fish, and to calm the well fish, would be greatly appreciated. <As for the fish in the main tank, I'd suggest adding some extra decor (plants, rocks, etc.) for cover - that should help make the little guy feel more safe and secure in his own territory. As for the sick fish, I'm glad you've isolated him into quarantine. I agree that this sounds to be a swim-bladder issue, and there are a couple of things you can try, in addition to what you've already done. There's definitely no harm in your having added aquarium salt to the hospital tank, but for swim-bladder disorders, Epsom salt is generally more functional. I'd suggest adding the Epsom salt in the ratio of about 1 tsp. per 5 gallons (approx. 18.93 liters). You can safely do this while the aquarium salt is in the tank. However, you did mention that you had added a "treatment to swim bladder" - what exactly was this? As I am sure you know, it's best not to mix medications and remedies, generally speaking. As for the pea, again, you're on the right track - the fish could well be constipated. Soaking the pea (frozen, thawed, then cut into bite sized pieces generally works best) in a bit of pure garlic oil can help entice the fish to eat it. Also, adding one or two drops of the garlic extract directly to the tank's water just prior to feeding can also help. Also, fasting for a couple of days can help a fish pass material blocking its intestines, so it may not be the end of the world that he hasn't eaten for a bit. Try the Epsom salt and the garlic extract (I don't know if the product is available in the UK, but I use Kent's Garlic Xtreme. I'm told you can also use pure garlic oil extract, available in most grocery stores, though.) I do think, based on the fish's history, this is a constipation/digestive disorder, but there is always a possibility that an internal bacterial infection is causing the problems. See here, under FAQ #3: http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/FAQ.htm#swollen Let me ask you this: when you look at your fish from the top, are its scales protruding from its body, giving the fish a "pinecone appearance"? If so, I suspect an infection, as opposed to plain ol' constipation. In that case, an antibiotic administered either via food (which obviously won't work if the fish continues not to eat) or via the water would be called for. Be sure that whatever "treatment" you previous administered is out, via multiple water changes - never good to mix medications. In all honesty, though, I'd recommend the pea and Epsom salt treatments first; give a couple of days to work, then re-assess the fish's progress.> Many, many thanks, Laura (UK) <Best of luck, Laura. Jorie>
Re: very sick, sinking goldfish - HELP!   6/25/07 Hi Jorie, <Laura> Thank you so much for replying so quickly, and in so much detail! <You're welcome.> To give you the information you asked for: we have a Juwel tank and use the filter which was included, which I understand is of a very good quality. <I'm not familiar with that brand of filter, but what I will say is that you've got a nice sized setup for two goldfish.> We've just got the two goldfish, a couple of aquarium figures and gravel, and about 5 coldwater plants which the fish like to nibble on. We change 10-20% of the water every 1-2 weeks, with a gravel vac. <Sounds good. As I'm sure you know, goldies are pretty messy guys!> I'm taking some of the water to be tested this afternoon, but as the other fish is absolutely fine I think the water's ok (but I'll definitely check it out anyway!) <Sometimes one fish can be weaker than another, and thus show symptoms from poor environmental conditions quicker than another. I don't think this is the case with your setup, but it doesn't hurt to check. Also, I always recommend that folks in this hobby have their own quality liquid test kits (not the dip stick kind, which are notoriously inaccurate). This solves two problems: one, the convenience of being able to test when you need to and two, ensuring that you do the test properly. So many times LFS employees, albeit well-meaning, just don't do the tests properly. Not to mention the fact that the water sample has changed some by the time you get it to the store for testing. I realize you are in the UK, so I don't know if Aquarium Pharmaceuticals or Tetra are brands available to you (I think so, but am not positive); in any case, both make good "master" freshwater test kits. You need a kit that includes pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If you have trouble finding one, let me know and I can refer you to one of my several UK colleagues!> We haven't added anything new in about a month, and that was just another plant. <Sorry, not quite following. In any case, all new livestock, even plants, should be quarantined, to minimize the risk of importing disease, pathogens, even unwanted hitchhikers.> The tank is in the corner of the room away from sunlight and we don't use any cleaning products near the tank. The only thing we use in the water itself is Tapsafe when we top it back up. <Sounds good.> The treatment we've put in the hospital tank is an Interpret Aquarium Treatment no. 13: Swim Bladder (it's a UK brand so I'm not sure if you're familiar with it?) <I am not familiar with it. I tried to "Google" it, but no luck. Are the ingredients listed on the bottle/package?> It says it works best when used with aquarium salt, so I'm not worried about combining the two, <No, I wouldn't be worried about that either. Generally speaking, salt (both aquarium and Epsom) are just about the only treatments that can be safely combined with true medication. I was just trying to figure out by what method you had been treating this fish...> ...but I will look into getting hold of some Epsom salt and also the garlic oil/extract, as he is not eating anything at the moment. <I do think this is your best route. Have you gone through a full course of treatment using the Interpret? If so, and it hasn't worked, I might suggest doing several water changes to remove the medication from the water prior to the Epsom salt. Even though technically I think it would be "safe" to add the Epsom salt as is, you don't want too much in the way of treatment going on in the tank. Also, you want to be able to figure out what worked when he gets better!> As for his appearance, his scales aren't protruding from it's body, so hopefully it's not an infection. <Good - not dropsy.> One thing I have noticed is that all his fins are lying very flat against his body and his tale is completely limp, which makes him look very subdued. <Clamped fins are a typical sign of a generally unwell fish...> Also, when I moved him from the main tank to his hospital tank, he didn't move at all when we took him out of the water, or when he was in the net - in my experience, however careful you are when netting a fish, they always thrash about, especially when taken out of the water to be put in other water - and our fish didn't even flinch, which really worried me. <Yes, he doesn't sound too well. I am now very curious as to the ingredients in that medication - although I don't think so, perhaps he's reacting poorly to it? Has he gotten significantly worse since you've added that? I'm going to e-mail one of my fellow crewmembers from England to see if he readily knows what's in that med...> If any of these details makes you think of anything else we could or should be doing I'd be so grateful if you could let me know! <I still suggest the Epsom salt and garlic oil/pea feeding combo.> Also, we've been thinking about getting a third fish for a while, and wondered if now would be a good time, so we could give the fish in the main tank a bit of company which the other one is ill, and also to hopefully have three in total if the sick fish recovers. Is this a bad idea given that the fish in the main tank seems a little unsettled? We're only thinking of doing it to settle him and give him a bit of company, but if a new companion will only stress him out more we'll avoid it! <Well, since you should always be quarantining new arrivals, I'd advise against this. Also, although it doesn't sound to be the problem, but you definitely want to make sure there aren't any environmental issues going on. Also, what type of goldfish do you currently have, and what are you thinking about getting? I think you'd be "pushing it" by adding another fancy goldfish to a 125 litre (33 or so gallon) tank, but I won't say for sure without knowing the species we are talking about. But I will say that I think you should hold off for now, 'till things settle down. I know you feel bad for your fish in the main tank, but he will adapt shortly, I am sure...maybe just "play" with him a bit more?> Thanks ever so much, Laura <You're welcome, Laura. Best, Jorie>
Re: very sick, sinking goldfish - HELP!  7/2/07 Hi Jorie, <Laura> I just wanted to let you know that unfortunately our fish, SpongeBob, passed away last night. Seems like it was all too much for the little guy, but at least we know that we did absolutely everything we could to try to make him better. <Sometimes there's just nothing left to do, but let nature take it's course.> Thanks again for your advice, you really helped us out, even though he didn't recover in the end. <I'm glad something good came of it. Do be sure to sterilize SpongeBob's hospital tank; then you can re-set it up, cycle it without fish, and get it ready for the other goldfish you were previously inquiring about! Remember, always quarantine...> Laura <Best regards, Jorie>
Re: very sick, sinking goldfish - HELP!  7/2/07 Hi Jorie, <Laura, I'm sorry, but I'm just getting to this e-mail now. I've already responded to your later e-mail, but will address your questions here in any case!> Thanks again for the quick response. The poorly fish is still pretty much the same, still very listless, although we've added some frozen bloodworm this afternoon and that's perked his interest a bit. I've been watching him and it looks like he's sucking some into his mouth, but whenever he moves some sprays out again.. but I hope some are going down to give him a little energy at least! I've checked the ingredients of the swimbladder treatment but (rather oddly) they don't list them all, but there is a warning that it contains formaldehyde and methanol. It's a well known and well respected brand over here in the UK so hopefully there's nothing too damaging! <Formaldehyde, especially, is one of the harshest meds in the aquarium business. I usually save it for last resort. Obviously you can't change what's happened in the past, but for future edification, I would not have used this (or any) medication first; rather, the Epsom salt and pea w/ garlic would have been my first try. Hopefully you don't encounter these sorts of problems in the future, but if you do, perhaps this info. will serve you well.> We've also had the water tested - all levels are fine, and the PH is 7 which they said was also totally fine. <Again, I do suggest investing in your own test kit...much more practical and reliable in many cases...> We've decided against getting another fish for the main tank for now (we got the fish in there a nice new plant which seems to have perked him up!), but they're just plain goldfish so there should be enough space if we decide to get another one in the future? <I definitely think your 33 or so gallon tank would comfortably house another goldfish. Of course, no rush. And, do see my previous e-mail response emphasizing the necessity of quarantining any new fish, when the time comes:-)> Thanks again, Laura <Sorry the ultimate outcome wasn't better, Laura. Best of luck to you and yours, Jorie> My Goldfish needs help... no readily OR useful info.  6/23/07 Just a couple of days ago, out of the three goldfish I have, my smallest one started to float upside down and float to the top. Even though it did that, it started to swim but in circles. <Mmmm> After that I decided to isolate it from my other fish because it was tackling my other fish and I thought it was a sickness of some sort. After isolating it, I gave it some salt medicine which relieves stress for my goldfish. <What?> It seems to be better but the isolated fish keeps on tackling the wall of the Tupperware I put it in. (It stopped going upside down.) When I feed it, it doesn't eat either. What is happening to my poor goldfish... <... What re the system, upkeep, water quality tests, foods/feeding...? The problem here is likely "environmental"... But this is a very wide guess... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the linked files above... Bob Fenner>

Sick gold fish, no useful info., subj. eval.s   6/20/07 Why does my goldfish appear bent or curled up at bottom of tank? <Mmm... likely environmental stress reaction... could be nutritional...> It did this last week and I did a partial water change, added acq salt and stress coat. Was fine for a week and then did it again last night. I cleaned gravel, changed 25% water, added salt and stress coat. It was in a bad way yesterday and seemed better this morning. It is in a 10 gallon tank and chemical readings are fine. <... what does this mean?> Sincerely, Irene <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Barnacle like parasites in freshwater aquarium  6/20/07 Hello, <Greetings,> I'm hoping someone can help me with what I believe may be a parasite problem in my 75 gallon goldfish tank. I've recently developed a problem with what appears to be a gray barnacle appearing parasite in my tank. <Need photo. There are no freshwater barnacles. Brackish water ones, yes, but no marine ones that I'm aware of. So likely something else. Perhaps a freshwater bivalve or a "shell"-building aquatic insect like a caddisfly larva.> They're about the size of the small brown snails that can sneak in a tank when you buy aquarium plants at the pet store. <Sounds like regular snails.> They mainly cling to the walls of the tank and the only way I've been able to keep them out is to remove them from the walls everyday and throw them in the trash. <Again, sound like snails.> I've never seen anything like them before and I've been unsuccessful in getting rid of them when I treat them with "Life Bearer". Any suggestions on what they are and how to get rid of them. <Why are you so anxious to get rid of them? They sound rather interesting. Snails don't do harm in most aquaria, and only prosper if the tank is basically badly maintained, i.e., there's plenty of leftover food and algae for them to eat. In a clean aquarium snails barely eek out a living, and it's easy enough to remove them with a snail trap or by adding a snail-eating fish, such as a loach or pufferfish. Life Bearer is brand of medication for removing gill flukes and other external invertebrate parasites *on the fish*. It is rather nasty stuff, and shouldn't be used willy-nilly. I seem to say this daily, but here goes: identify a disease first, then treat appropriately; don't add a random medication and hope for the best. How would you like it if your doctor simply gave you a random medication without listening to you explain your symptoms? Because Life Bearer contains copper salts, it irritates the gill membranes and other sensitive tissues in fishes, and certain fish, such as puffers, Mormyrids, and clown loaches, are notoriously intolerant of copper and may die during such treatment. So, treat all medications with respect, and use ONLY when you have fully identified the disease.> Thanks, Sharon <Good luck, Neale.>

Bloody Head! Goldfish    -- 06/19/07 Hi everyone! <Stacey> I've had my beautiful (what I think is...) Oranda for about 6 months now and have encountered a few problems, all of which I've solved by info from this website and some other research, but she has some sort of problem that I don't know how to solve. She has a large transparent cap that looks very much like a brain, and around May 30th, I noticed a pinkish dot on the left side of her cap--it seemed to be deep down at the base of her head, underneath the cap. I thought that maybe it was just some of her color showing up through the cap. Over the next few weeks, the color became more prominent and looked like a pinkish oval that was forming, and then it spread to the other side of her cap. It now is extremely large, but it is not protruding out or anything, and tonight when I went to check on her, it looked like blood was actually seeping through her brain-looking cap. <Is a possibility> I really have no idea what it is and I'm worried about my other fish who just got over a fungal infection. <Mmm, perhaps the stress... broken blood vessels...> What is it that is ailing her and what can I do about it? She's grown rather large and I really, REALLY don't want to lose her. Help! -Stacey <Mmm, this animal is in suitable surroundings... a stable system of size, filtered, well-maintained? I would likely do nothing "treatment" wise here... Perhaps add a bit of Anacharis/Elodea/Egeria to spiff up the water quality, add something to nibble on... and be patient. This fish will "self-cure" if all else is well. Bob Fenner>

Frankenfurter is near death and having tank problems what to do? GF hlth.    -- 06/19/07 we have a 75 gal tank for about 7 mths no problem we couldn't handle at first. levels were great till about 1 to 1 and a half mths ago we have 3 Orandas 2-3 inches each 2 black moors 2-3 inches each 2 Ryukins one 2 inches & one 3 inches 3 fantails at 1 inch each and 1 fantail at 2 inches a Lionhead at 2-3 inches and a pearl scale at 2-3. <Sheesh... that sentence read more like an algebra problem than English. Please can you use capitalization of words, proper spelling, comma, and so on to make the job of the reader a little (actually, a lot) easier?> our Chinese algae eater became aggressive so we took him out <No surprise.> a few weeks later we cleaned 1 of our filtration systems using hot water not knowing it would kill the bacteria ( we have 2 duel wheeled bio-wheel filters and 2 rain sticks as well) and then algae became an issue our nitrate went up to 80 we continued to change 25% water weekly to every week and a half with cycle and dechlorinator and cut feeding down to every other day nitrate still an issue. <That's 76 words without any punctuation. Some sort of record, surely?> fish began to hide in plants but would swim to the front when tank was approached. <They were stressed but still hungry.> decided to add a Plecostomus and a few small live plants to help with algae bring down nitrate levels. <A "few" plants does nothing to nitrates, and unless you have lots of light, will probably die and add to the nitrate anyway. The Plecostomus catfish will add MASSIVELY to the nitrate levels, and has no real effect on algae in the long run.> all levels are currently at: nitrate 80 ammonia .5 nitrite 0 ph 7.8 alkalinity 120 hardness 300 chlorine and Chloramine 0 we also add salt to keep disease bacteria at bay. <What a mess. Nitrates are very high. Not quite lethal, but stressful. Ammonia is at a lethal level. Chlorine way too high. Goldfish don't need (or want) salt and salt certainly does nothing to keep anything "at bay" except perhaps the health of freshwater fish.> next day we awake to our black moor near death after we had him for 6 mths he died within hrs we left for a few hours and came back to our Pearlscale we've had for 2 mths near death it too died within hrs we removed Pleco and things were okay for 2-3 days we added 2 baby Pearlscales and a fantail each about an inch they all were swimming fine sometimes hiding in plants we but otherwise okay they were salt dipped prior to entering tank 2 days later a Pearlscale died the next evening the other one died. <Oh, the humanity! When fish die, you don't rush out and go buy more. Goldfish live something like 20-30 years kept properly. If your fish are dying, one after another, at a few months old, it means your aquarium is bad and your fishkeeping skills are flawed. Try and figure out the problem before adding more fish.> the next day an Oranda we've... <we've> ...had for 4 mths became listless and appeared near death its been hanging in there sometimes it has bursts of energy where it will swim around but is disorientated and swims into things sometimes becoming seemingly stuck but if you move the plants will swim out slowly just to swim into something else and get stuck again salt was added to ward off disease bacteria we are keeping the tank light off to reduce stress changed 25% of water and Frankenfurter has been hanging in there for 3 days there are no visible parasites all looks well and the other fish are doing fine they eat a diet of frozen plant matter fish flakes frozen shrimp bloodworms and freeze dried bloodworms and krill on an alternating basis what else can we do? <149 words without grammar! Amazing. Were you beaten up by an apostrophe as a kid, or mercilessly teased by a comma?><<Haaaaa ahh! RMF>> we don't want to lose anymore of our fish <Probably too late. You are almost certainly overfeeding, under-filtering, and not doing enough water changes. On the positive side, the pH and hardness are OK, so the "raw" water from the tap is acceptable for goldfish. A 75 gallon tank is a nice size as well, so you have the space for your fishes. I'm not wild about keeping goldfish in tropical tanks though, as they do much better at ambient room temperature, enjoying things a bit cooler in winter. So I wouldn't personally keep goldfish and Plecostomus together. Adding plants to a goldfish tank is a waste of time for nitrate control, but goldfish appreciate having plants to eat, so not a bad thing to do. You'll just need to add new plants periodically. Canadian pondweed is the ideal for goldfish really, as it is edible and enjoys the same hard, alkaline water goldfish like. Now, look at your filtration system. It is clearly inadequate or you wouldn't have ammonia in the water. At a minimum, you need a filter providing 4 times the turnover of the tank per hour. For a 75 gallon tank, that's 300 gallons per hour. That's the absolute minimum though, and you really should upgrade that by 50% because goldfish are very, very mess animals (and big, too). So let's say 450 gallons per hour. To get that level of filtration you'd need either one really big filter (like the Fluval FX5) or more sensibly two medium sized filters (like a pair of Fluval 205 or 305 filters). Alternatively, you could go with one medium sized canister filter plus a full undergravel filter with a pair of powerheads. Undergravel filters deliver excellent water quality and the digging behaviour of goldfish means they don't get clogged up, but undergravels do need a fair amount of maintenance and can be fiddly to use, so read up carefully. Water changes need to be substantial. I'd recommend 50% weekly. You *must* use dechlorinator, and if you live in an area where Chloramine is used, make sure that dechlorinator treats Chloramine as well (otherwise you get residual ammonia). Please spend some time reading the Goldfish articles as Wet Web Media for more info on basic care, diet, etc. Cheers, Neale>

Could Maracyn Make a Fish Sick/Red Streaks? Mmm, yes. Goldfish misplaced in a ten gal. sewer    6/18/07 I have had my goldfish for nearly 3 years. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed his fins have been fraying on the edges, but no red streaks and good appetite. <Likely environmental...> But it's true - he's about 6" long and in a ten gallon tank <... def. env.> with good Marineland filter, but he needs more space. He's been in this tank for 2 years and has been sick before - I brought him back from a bad case of septicemia a year ago with Maracyn 2 and the homeopathic remedy belladonna 30C potency. No other fish in the tank. <...> So earlier this week, I did a 50% water change - readings were regular "normal": before hand: <...> 7.9 PH, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and some what high nitrate of 40 <Toxic...> (the water here is heavily buffered so PH is naturally high and the nitrate comes out of the faucet at 10, so hard to get it lower.) <I would NOT consume this source water myself... see WWM re> I added Maracyn. <For?> The tank got cloudy after the 3rd dose and he seemed lethargic. Fourth dose was yesterday evening, but today we noticed big red streaks in his tail and that he was sitting on the bottom with his fins closed. I did another 50% water change, put in a new filter, added Cycle <Not worthwhile> to boost the beneficial bacteria, but the last thing I expected when I decided to add the Maracyn was that he would get worse. He is swimming around in his usual lively fashion right now after the latest tank care, but I think the Maracyn did something to bring on the streaks. When I used it last year (to no effect) and then the Maracyn 2 to deal with the septicemia, it did not turn the tank cloudy. I plan to try the homeopathics again after a couple of hours for the tank to run. At the moment, I am loath to give him more antibiotics. Suggestions welcome. <Good speculation... An antibiotic can have such an effect... not-so-selectively killing off microbes... But the real issue here is overall health... and your system is just too small to accommodate this one large goldfish... as evidenced by the hemorrhaging, the high accumulated Nitrate (and much more)... What you really need to do is read and heed here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Maracyn Makes Goldfish Sick and Tank Gray... Mmm, no... sys. too small    -- 06/19/07 Thanks for the following reply and please see below: Re: Maracyn Make a Fish Sick/Red Streaks? Mmm, yes. Goldfish misplaced in a ten gal. sewer 6/18/07 I have had my goldfish for nearly 3 years. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed his fins have been fraying on the edges, but no red streaks and good appetite. <Likely environmental...> But it's true - he's about 6" long and in a ten gallon tank <... def. env.> with good Marineland filter, but he needs more space. He's been in this tank for 2 years and has been sick before - I brought him back from a bad case of septicemia a year ago with Maracyn 2 and the homeopathic remedy belladonna 30C potency. No other fish in the tank. <...> So earlier this week, I did a 50% water change - readings were regular "normal": before hand: <...> 7.9 PH, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and some what high nitrate of 40 <Toxic...> (the water here is heavily buffered so PH is naturally high and the nitrate comes out of the faucet at 10, so hard to get it lower.) <I would NOT consume this source water myself... see WWM re> I added Maracyn. <For?> The tank got cloudy after the 3rd dose and he seemed lethargic. Fourth dose was yesterday evening, but today we noticed big red streaks in his tail and that he was sitting on the bottom with his fins closed. I did another 50% water change, put in a new filter, added Cycle <Not worthwhile> to boost the beneficial bacteria, but the last thing I expected when I decided to add the Maracyn was that he would get worse. He is swimming around in his usual lively fashion right now after the latest tank care, but I think the Maracyn did something to bring on the streaks. When I used it last year (to no effect) and then the Maracyn 2 to deal with the septicemia, it did not turn the tank cloudy. I plan to try the homeopathics again after a couple of hours for the tank to run. At the moment, I am loath to give him more antibiotics. Suggestions welcome. <Good speculation... An antibiotic can have such an effect... not-so-selectively killing off microbes... But the real issue here is overall health... and your system is just too small to accommodate this one large goldfish... as evidenced by the hemorrhaging, the high accumulated Nitrate (and much more)... What you really need to do is read and heed here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Despite the 50% water change yesterday, the tank got worse. Grayer and grayer as if I had never changed the water at all. Poor fish was on the bottom and having problems breathing by evening. <... did you read where you were referred to?> so I spent another 2 hours on WWM trying to piece together the problem and found some suggestions in different places - thanks - the info is there, but I had to troll. I clearly started a tank re-cycle with the Maracyn <Yes...> which I added for the fin rot. <Won't generally cure this...> I added an airstone: started homeopathic remedy Veratrum Album 30C which is specific for internal bleeding. My goldfish got more active and looked better, but the tank did not. I finally took him out when tank was nearly obscure and water readings were as follows: PH 7.9 (it is always this and efforts to lower it chemically has resulted in poisoning other fish) 0 ammonia .25 nitrite 10 nitrate and put him in a 1 gallon bucket with the airstone (I live in an apartment and usually only have 7 gallons of water aging at any one time and used most of it for yesterday's water change). <Good technique> Took WWM advice, bought Bio-Spira today (Marineland Penguin is filter.). At the LFS they suggested I do a !00% water change and start over (tank was nearly black when I returned from store this AM.) <Good idea... but again, this is just a stop-gap measure... this goldfish NEEDS at least twice this size world> I changed the water 2x, still slightly gray after the second time. I put in new carbon filter, added Bio-Safe, Bio-Spira and Bio-Coat, put Bio-Spira in the filter as WWM suggested. The tank is getting clearer in the last few hours. I trust I will get the tank to rebound. When can I put him back in? <Soon... better than leaving in the one gallon bucket> Yes, 10 gallon sewer, but he was a an inch long when we got him and grew like topsy - turns out he is a pond Comet. I never thought he'd live this long...my then 4 year old son won him at the local school fair and loves him dearly. <Ah, yes... how many of us (myself included) "got into" this field...> I'd like suggestions for what I can do for the fish while I am waiting for tank to cycle.. <Keep the airstone going, do NOT feed period... change water out if necessary (the nitrite or ammonia exceed 0.5 ppm...)> He is mostly sitting, sometimes swimming around, putting his red- streaked tail in the airstone bubbles. He is upright and hanging on. I have not fed him today. <Good, DON'T> LFS said to do nothing - no more antibiotics. I plan to change his water at the 24 hour mark, but don't want to do anything to push him over the edge. I added a 1/8 tsp of marine salt. Water had Bio-safe and Bio-coat in it - next water for bucket will have only aged 24 hours. A thought: should I filter tank water through a Brita carbon filter? Thanks for all your help. Eileen in Washington DC where Potomac River water is considered bad. <Look into a 20 gallon plus system... Stat! BobF>
Re: Maracyn Makes Goldfish Sick and Tank Gray 2   6/21/07 This is for Bob F. from Eileen in Washington DC. Hi Bob: I added the BioSpira Monday after filling the 10 gallon tank <... one (hopefully) last time... as I'm apparently not making this clear. The 10 gallon tank won't work... there is NO way that this large goldfish can be made well, be healthy in this small volume. Do you understand this?> and emptying it once and filling again. It was still slightly gray, but finally looked clear this Wed AM. It took nearly 48 hours. You may recall the Maracyn crashed the biological filter and turned the tank nearly black. Readings are: ammonia is .05 ppm nitrite is 0, but has a whisper of purple nitrate is 10 ppm I tested the tap water which I hadn't done in a while and nitrate is between 5 ppm and 10 ppm. The goldfish is swimming around in a bigger bucket (the kind of plastic basin you get at the hospital) that I found and seems stable - recovered from death's door. Red streaks in tail look lighter, but I need a side view to really see him. He has the airstone and I have been changing the water every 18 hours. I can't tell from the WWM website what I should do about returning the fish to the tank - <...> the link about BioSpira cycling does not work and I don't want to return him when the ammonia is still up and he's still fragile. In this case the BioSpira did not work "overnight" because the beneficial bacteria was still "cleaning up" the bacteria bloom until today. Should I do a water change or just wait another day to see if the ammonia drops completely before returning old Thunderbolt? <I would keep changing the water wherever this fish is if it approaches 1.0 ppm of ammonia or nitrite... I would NOT feed it at all at this time> In the meantime, someone has given me a 20 gallon tank, <Yay!> but I need a stand and a way to figure out how to set it up since it needs to go in the same place as the ten gallon.... Thanks ever so much. <Get that twenty up stat! And move this fish to it. BobF>
Maracyn Makes Goldfish Sick and Tank Gray 3 -- 06/27/07 Stressed Goldfish Became Ill After Move Hi There: I moved the goldfish to new 20-gallon tank, but used the old gravel, BioSpira, old filter and airstone. Each day he is weakening and sits on the bottom, upright but not swimming much after the first day ( It has been 3 days since the move.) He still has the big red blowout in his tail from last week, but it looks as if part of his tail has come off. Tank had fully cycled before he was put in. His fins are clamped, and the first 24 hours he roused himself when I would come by, but not the last 24 except when I offered some antibiotic fish pellets, of which he ate 5 yesterday. Water had a mild nitrite spike of .25 and I did a 15% water change, added more BioSpira and it dropped. I added 9 1/2 tsps of salt and that really perked up him up for a day, but no more. I think I should add an antibiotic, but reluctant to do so in such a newly cycled tank. LFS opens 10 AM. Any suggestions on treatment, though it likely is too late? Water readings are Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5 and pH 8 (usually 7.9). <The stress of the move has weakened your goldfish and it is fighting an infection. Daily water changes and keeping up on the tank maintenance may get him over the hump. If things look worse then treat with Nitrofurazone or Erythromycin as per the directions on the package. Keep in mind that antibiotics will affect the nitrifying bacteria so you will need to watch for ammonia spikes after treatment.-Chuck>  

Treating a Street Goldfish -- 06/11/07 Dear Crew, Thank you for your website! It's very helpful. My husband and I have become adoptive parents to a sick goldfish that we found two weeks ago, floating in the road gutter during the village fair. We scooped him up, and named him Puddle. Having got him home, we saw a gaping white hole in his side, filled with fluff, and a hole in his tail. The next day, the holes were worse, so I went to the pet shop and got Interpet Disease Safe and used it as instructed. He got less fluffy, but a week later, he lost half of his tail to rot. He also started gasping at the water surface, despite daily water changes. (We do this to try to clear up the fungus and stop the spores from spreading, and always try to minimize stress to the fish.) I went back to the shop, and got oxygenating tablets and a stronger potion, Interpet Aquarium Treatment 8 "Anti Fungus and Finrot." A week later, this has stopped the Finrot, but the hole in his side still has not healed. He's still gasping, his poo is white, and three small lumps (~1mm long, they look like skin tags) have appeared on the edges of his fins. He's a survivor, and we want to make him better, but we don't know how. We know he has Finrot and fungus, but don't know if he has anything else. Any ideas gratefully received. Thanks, Michelle <I am not familiar with the Interpet line of products so I am not sure what you have been treating with. I would start with Nitrofurazone for now. It is antibacterial and also antifungal so it should take care of that gash on the side of the body. The heavy breathing could be from gill damage, flukes or ammonia. Feed your fish once each day. Remove any uneaten food after 2 minutes. That should take care of the ammonia problems. The flukes can be taken care of with Fluke-Tabs. Gill damage will take time to heal. An airpump with an airstone or a filter would increase the oxygen levels in the water and relieve lots of the stress.-Chuck>

Lionhead goldfish eye problem -- 06/11/07 Sir/Madam: I have searched the internet for help re: my Lionhead, who is 3 years old, and found no matching with his/her problem. <Oh dear.> It has a whitish ring around one eye, with some bluish/purple. mainly white very define swollen ring around the eye. <Could be a variety of things. Mechanical damage, through, for example, rough handling can cause problems with the eye. Poor water quality can also cause problems, allowing bacteria to infect the delicate surface of the eye. So we need to narrow down the options. How big is the aquarium? What sort of filter to you use? What is the pH and hardness? What are the nitrite and nitrate levels? Nine times out of ten, eye infections are caused by poor water quality or the wrong water chemistry.> I have treated with tetracycline and parasite food and meds and there is no healing. <Antibiotics may relieve symptoms, but if the underlying problems aren't fixed, in the long term they're useless. Further, simply throwing medications at a problem without determining the exact problem is almost always a waste of money, and potentially harmful to your fish.> Used salt and I'm lost. <Salt isn't terribly useful for this sort of thing.> Please help. Emilia <Eye infections are commonly related to water quality issues, so start by reflecting on how your fish is maintained. Lionhead goldfish are much more delicate than regular goldfish thanks to inbreeding, so anything stressful to average goldfish is doubly stressful to Lionheads. Eye problems are often very difficult to treat directly, but typically get better by themselves (over a long period) when water conditions and diet are optimal. Cheers, Neale>
Re: Lionhead goldfish eye problem -- 06/11/07 Thank you so much Neale. Really appreciate all the info and time you have taken to answer my query. <Not a problem, and happy to help.> And more than query my dilemma. I love my little fish and think he/she is the cutest! Anyway, I have been keeping an eye on the pH more closely than ever and I know that nitrates and such are not a problem since I clean their 30 gallon tank, on the clock, every week. <30 gallons is a good minimum size aquarium for goldfish.> Every morning clean the poops that are floating and try to be watchful. The other goldfish is 6 years old so, since they have been troopers I have tried to do my part as well. <All sounds very diligent!> But I agree with you the underlying problem is the cause of the disease and treating symptoms is not the way to go. I know that well. In fact it is my gripe with the so called "traditional medicine." So, I completely understand what you are saying. I will continue to see what to do. The filter is one of those that you saddle on the back of the aquarium and has two filters, the regular carbon and the other, I believe is called biological, anyway, standard equipment. <I'm not a fan of carbon in filters. Whatever good it does is usually not important. Much better to remove the carbon and replace with more biological filter media. Filter wool, ceramic hoops, whatever works for you.> The food is tetra flakes and pellets. <Ah, try and add some green foods to their diet. See here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm > I think that the pH may be the caused of the problem since I have found that sometimes when I change the water it becomes low. <Changes in pH are not good. Goldfish like pH 7.5. Perhaps adding some coral sand to the substrate will help? Certainly, think about how to steady the pH.> I use the buster and bring it back to 8. But thanks again, Can I write again if I feels that I need more help???? Thanks again, Emilia <Of course, please do write when/if you have more questions. Cheers, Neale>

Hope you can help with our Goldfish  6/10/07 <<Hello, Dawn. Tom with you.>> I have a goldfish.. it's rather large around 7" but its tank is amply large and lives alone. <<I'm guessing from the size that your Goldfish is either of the Common or Comet varieties. Since these fish can grow to 12' in length, I would consider an 'amply large' tank to be 45-50 gallons, or larger.>> Recently it stopped eating so we bought new filters and cleaned the tank. <<The new filters may have been an appropriate purchase, Dawn, but was the media retained from the old filters? In conjunction with a thorough cleaning, brand new filters without being 'seeded' with beneficial bacteria will cause your tank to re-cycle itself and place your pet at risk.>> The fish seemed to be much happier and started eating again. <<Likely due to a 'fresh start' but potentially short in duration.>> Now the fish is swollen in the body and its scales are protruding.. pine cone-like and has stopped eating again. I have read your website and presume its Dropsy, but I'm not sure of the sex of my goldfish and as I read on, it says do not mix dropsy with spawning. How can I tell the two apart? <<As I've mentioned in other posts, I consider 'Dropsy' to be a rather unfortunate term in the hobby since it really describes nothing of value other than the fish is ill. The 'pine-coning' of the scales indicates an internal infection of some indeterminate type and gives us nothing to go on where treatment is concerned. As to your question, an egg-laden fish will appear fatter/rounded in the belly area but won't, typically, show protruding scales. Tied in with the fact that the fish isn't eating properly, I would discount that it's filled with eggs as opposed to being sick.>> I am going to the pet shop tomorrow to get some Epsom salts and a water testing kit. <<The Epsom salts may provide some relief for the fish as would feeding your Goldfish shelled peas. These both will act as laxatives and should help with any compaction that the fish may have. Unfortunately, neither will deal with a bacterial or parasitic infection, though.>> Is there anything else I can do? <<A 'Do' measure is to ensure that the water conditions in the tank are, and remain, optimal. The test kit will help a lot here. A 'Don't' issue is treating the fish for something that you can't specifically identify. Medicating fish, even when done appropriately, is stressful and is even more stressful when you treat for something the fish doesn't have. Good water conditions are going to give your fish its best chance at surviving since poor water quality is almost invariably the cause of illness in our pets. Good conditions lower stress and will allow, hopefully, the fish's own immune system to fight back at whatever is causing the problem. If your tests show ANY levels of ammonia or nitrites, do whatever water changes are necessary to get both of these down to 0 ppm. This might entail multiple changes in a single day if necessary. Again, don't be led into using a 'shotgun' approach of treatment. Success using this method would be nothing more than sheer luck and would likely be more harmful than beneficial.>> Thanks Dawn <<You're welcome, Dawn, and I wish you and your Goldfish the best. Tom>>

Sick fantail - poisoned? 6/5/07 Hello WWM Crew, My apologies for contacting you again so soon after the last time, but - as seems to be par for the course - I have a problem with my fantail goldfish, Horatio. If it's Bob reading this, you may remember me emailing you in a panic a couple of weeks ago regarding some strange clear tissue protruding from Horatio's gills - I'm happy to report that it hasn't worsened and doesn't seem to be affecting him at all. <Yes, I do recall> Now, onto my current problem. My partner spoke to you last week about a reddish smudge that had appeared by Horatio's mouth a few days before - you said it COULD be septicaemia but weren't certain, so going on the basis that it can do more harm than good to treat a fish unnecessarily, we decided to watch and wait. However, this morning I woke up to find that Horatio had some inflamed blood vessels showing up red in his tail. <... this is all directly environmental likely... If not, then largely environmentally mediated> There are also lots of faint red streaks/threads in the tail, but I can't tell if these are also blood vessels. They do follow the "lines" in the tail though. There's now a red smudge at the base of his tail that also appeared overnight. He has also had some reddening at the base of his fins since we've owned him, but we watched this and when it didn't worsen or change for months we thought it must be part of his colouring. In the context of this new problem however, it may be relevant. I immediately rechecked the symptoms of septicaemia, but Horatio doesn't fit the pattern. He's still very active and, far from losing appetite, is eating more than usual - in fact, he's really not acting as if he's ill at all. He is also "tilting" very slightly to one side. This appeared to right itself after I fed him two peas the day before yesterday, but today has reappeared. His water quality is still great (ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5mg/l or less - all stable - oxygen around 8mg/l and pH between 7 and 7.5). <These are all good values... but there are a myriad of non-testable qualities that can/may be at play here> I thought he was doing well as he has perceptibly grown in the last week. Maybe his tank being too small is something to do with this somehow? <Definitely so> His new tank is on the way but obviously that doesn't help him now. I change 20% of his water every week, clean his tank out every week with a gravel vacuum and feed him a varied diet (Aquarium flakes, TetraFin pellets and cooked peas). <Mmm, I would severely cut back the amount of dried prepared food here> I always wash my hands (with water, nothing else) before feeding him/touching anything in the tank). The only thing that concerns me a little is that Horatio has taken to nipping at my hands in what I think is a friendly way whenever I put them in the water! There's no harm in this for him, is there? <No, should be fine> One thing that did cross my mind is possible metal poisoning, as I found out (while researching in a panic this morning) that the metal "clips" at the base of the new plants we put in last week were not supposed to be there. The fact that we put the new plants in this week (two went in on the 30th, two on the 1st) and then he got sick does suggest that it could be caused by them in some way. I don't know if such a small amount of metal could harm him but I really wish I'd read somewhere not to put metal in the tank... <Likely this is okay as well... most all these "bands" are lead... not really soluble in most settings> I buried the clips deep under the gravel so Horatio couldn't hurt himself, but unfortunately it didn't occur to me to take them off altogether. In any case, I took them out this morning and washed off the plants they were on. I don't know what else to do, or if this is even the problem, but I can't think what else could be. <Mmm, methinks the size of the tank, other metabolite accumulation... I would suggest more frequent and larger percentage water change-outs WITH stored water...> I feel awful; it's as if no matter how much I read and how hard I try, I can't keep my poor fish healthy. I half-think that it'd be better for him to take him back to the place I got him, but I'm far too fond of him so I want to try my hardest to look after him myself. Am I doing something else wrong? Please help! Thank you very much, Sarah <Let us hope the new tank is on its way, will solve this issue. Such symptoms as you relate are slow to cause real trouble, and slow to resolve... but they will, given better living circumstances. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Sick fantail - poisoning? (second sending as I'm not sure if you got the first!) <Was responded to... by me. RMF> -- 06/07/07 Hi WWM, sorry if you've got this email already (sent 06/04/07) but haven't reached it yet - I just wanted to check you've got it as I'm panicking a bit now; my fish's condition has worsened since I emailed previously so hopefully you'll be able to answer me soon! Original email was as follows: ***** Hello WWM Crew, <Hello.> My apologies for contacting you again so soon after the last time, but - as seems to be par for the course - I have a problem with my fantail goldfish, Horatio. If it's Bob reading this, you may remember me emailing you in a panic a couple of weeks ago regarding some strange clear tissue protruding from Horatio's gills - I'm happy to report that it hasn't worsened and doesn't seem to be affecting him at all. <Good.> Now, onto my current problem. My partner spoke to you last week about a reddish smudge that had appeared by Horatio's mouth a few days before - you said it COULD be septicaemia but weren't certain, so going on the basis that it can do more harm than good to treat a fish unnecessarily, we decided to watch and wait. However, this morning I woke up to find that Horatio had some inflamed blood vessels showing up red in his tail. There are also lots of faint red streaks/threads in the tail, but I can't tell if these are also blood vessels. They do follow the "lines" in the tail though. There's now a red smudge at the base of his tail that also appeared overnight. He has also had some reddening at the base of his fins since we've owned him, but we watched this and when it didn't worsen or change for months we thought it must be part of his colouring. In the context of this new problem however, it may be relevant. <It's most likely not septicaemia, which is really pretty uncommon. It's far more likely an opportunistic bacterial infection such as Columnaris ("mouth fungus") or Finrot. Both are very common on fancy goldfish, especially when kept in sub-optimal conditions. Both can be treated with commercial remedies, though it has to be said that Columnaris can be stubborn.> I immediately rechecked the symptoms of septicaemia, but Horatio doesn't fit the pattern. He's still very active and, far from losing appetite, is eating more than usual - in fact, he's really not acting as if he's ill at all. He is also "tilting" very slightly to one side. This appeared to right itself after I fed him two peas the day before yesterday, but today has reappeared. <Goldfish need regular feedings of green foods, not occasional "treatments". Personally, I'd recommend making at least 50% of their diet green food of some type, and use flake/pellets are treats rather than staples.> His water quality is still great (ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5mg/l or less - all stable - oxygen around 8mg/l and pH between 7 and 7.5). I thought he was doing well as he has perceptibly grown in the last week. Maybe his tank being too small is something to do with this somehow? <Aquarium size *is* a factor. In a small tank with a small filter, even if water quality is good most of the time, when you feed the fish, the ammonia level can rise considerably. In a bigger tank with a bigger filter, this ammonia spike is diluted (by the greater volume) and dissipates more quickly (by the higher filtration rate).> His new tank is on the way but obviously that doesn't help him now. I change 20% of his water every week, clean his tank out every week with a gravel vacuum and feed him a varied diet (Aquarium flakes, TetraFin pellets and cooked peas). I always wash my hands (with water, nothing else) before feeding him/touching anything in the tank). The only thing that concerns me a little is that Horatio has taken to nipping at my hands in what I think is a friendly way whenever I put them in the water! There's no harm in this for him, is there? <No harm at all, assuming you're hands are clean. Quite normal behaviour for tame goldfish.> One thing that did cross my mind is possible metal poisoning, as I found out (while researching in a panic this morning) that the metal "clips" at the base of the new plants we put in last week were not supposed to be there. <Those clips are probably lead, which is harmless. While lead does of course dissolve slightly in water, especially acidic water, the rate is so low that it is neutralised by regular water changes.> The fact that we put the new plants in this week (two went in on the 30th, two on the 1st) and then he got sick does suggest that it could be caused by them in some way. I don't know if such a small amount of metal could harm him but I really wish I'd read somewhere not to put metal in the tank...I buried the clips deep under the gravel so Horatio couldn't hurt himself, but unfortunately it didn't occur to me to take them off altogether. In any case, I took them out this morning and washed off the plants they were on. I don't know what else to do, or if this is even the problem, but I can't think what else could be. <If plants grow properly, they have roots which secure them in the substrate quite quickly. But floating plants, such as pondweed, won't ever root themselves, and are best left floating at the top anyway.> I feel awful; it's as if no matter how much I read and how hard I try, I can't keep my poor fish healthy. I half-think that it'd be better for him to take him back to the place I got him, but I'm far too fond of him so I want to try my hardest to look after him myself. Am I doing something else wrong? Please help! <Well, I hope this helps a bit. In my honest opinion, goldfish aren't easy fish. I have no idea why people think they are, except for the fact they're cheap. Everything about them is difficult: they are big, they are messy, they need a specific diet, and the fancy fish at least are inbred and lack a certain degree of vigour and hardiness. Goldfish are orders of magnitude easier to keep as pond fish. All I can recommend is that you read some of the articles and FAQs here about goldfish, and maybe buy/borrow a book about goldfish and spend an evening reading through it. They are delightful animals, easy to tame as well as being genuinely fond of human interaction, but they are a challenge.> Thank you very much, Sarah <Good luck, Neale>

Bubble Eye Goldfish Fungus in Eye sac? -- 06/04/07 We have a Bubble Eye goldfish (Cheeks). We've had Cheeks for about 1.5 years. Have dealt with body fungus before and used Maracyn with good results. Now he has what looks like fungus on his eye inside the eye sac. <Mmm, there are a few issues that can result in such a cloudy appearance here> Maracyn doesn't seem to be effective. Do you have any suggestions as to what this might be and the necessary treatment. Does the medicine in the water penetrate the eye sac and get into the sac? <Mmm, no... does not> We are very fond of this fish. Thank you. Kay <Best to optimize and stabilize water quality here, proffer good foods, feeding... curing such eye complaints is a long-term proposal... You mention none of this... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm Scroll down to the gold line... Re: Goldfish Systems, Feeding... Bob Fenner>

Fantail fish query...and a bit of a rant! - 6/1/07 > Hello to everyone at WWM, and once again my thanks for being there when I need you! <Hello!> > This is just a quick question regarding my fantail fish, Horatio; both my partner (Oliver) and myself have been in touch about him before (we originally thought he was a Pearlscale, but Bob helpfully cleared up any confusion there for us). We're getting a new tank for Horatio based on Bob's confirmation that his tank is way too small (it's 10 gallons and Horatio is already four and a half inches long), but there is one small matter we need clearing up; Bob advised a tank of around 30 gallons, a size I have seen recommended for fantails repeatedly on this site - however, is this US or UK gallons? <Since Bob's an American, I'd suggest US gallons. But opting for 30 UK gallons (36 US gallons) will do harm at all. Of course, being an advocate of the metric system, I'd say let everyone use litres and be done with it!> > I ask because Ollie and I are considering getting a 125 litre tank from Juwel (we were going to get another fish to keep Horatio company, but at the moment that's not possible - the floor won't take a larger tank and we're stuck living here until August - obviously Horatio needs the larger tank now). This tank is around 27 UK gallons; however, if Bob meant 30 UK gallons, we don't want to go too small. I just wanted to ask if this would be sufficient, really, as we can't afford to be buying another new tank in a year or so and we want our fish to be happy for a long time to come. <The Jewel 125 litre tank is a very nice aquarium. It would be a good choice for goldfish. I have the very similar Jewel 180 and enjoy it very much. The only flaw with Jewel tanks is that filter is a low-pressure system. While this means you get excellent biological filtration despite the small size of the pump, it does mean that solid waste is barely sucked up at all. I'm having to siphon out the "wood chippings" from my Panaque catfish almost every day. Adding an external canister filter, such as the Fluval 104 or something similar, as and when funds allow, will make keeping the tank clean a darn sight easier. By the way, the Jewel filters come with a (black) carbon sponge. I happen not to consider carbon even remotely useful, but if you do use it, don't forget to remove it any time you add medications.> > One other thing - I've just come home from investigating a new local pet shop. I'm never going there again. I saw several fish that were struggling for oxygen, two with cotton-mouth, others with fungus and at least a couple with Ick. The people in there hadn't a clue about how to look after fish, it was really upsetting. Short of buying the sick fish (I can't afford enough  tanks or I would've!) is there anything that can be done when shops are being so horribly callous? <Welcome to the "Horrified at Local Pet Shops" club. We were thinking of having some jackets made up. Anyway, what you describe is, sadly, too common. In theory, all pet shops need to meet some basic standards to get a license to trade animals, but in practice these don't seem to affect pet fish to any real degree. What you can do is simply not patronise those stores, and instead look for stores that are members of trade associations (in the UK, OATA). While this doesn't guarantee the store will be a slice of paradise for the fish, it is a very good step in the right direction. Buying the sick fish you see in bad shops, sadly, has the reverse effect: the bad shops simply buy more fish to replace them. Sometimes, its genuine non-malicious ignorance, and having a quiet word with the manager helps. This is often the case where the store is otherwise clean and tidy, and the other animals are healthy. It's just the fish they're having problems with. Explaining what the problem is and suggesting a cure will be appreciated. But other times it is not, and if the rest of the shop is seedy, then these are basically bad people who shouldn't be running a pet store. Writing to the local council is the thing to do here, expressing your concerns and itemising what was wrong. The council should send along an inspector, and in theory at least the shop will have to fix things. The reality is, of course, that councils are often over-stretched checking out schools, hospitals, and the rest, so goldfish come pretty far down the list of priorities.> > Thanks, as ever, for your help and for the wonderful site, > Sarah <Cheers, Neale>

Goldfish with blood-filled eye  5/31/07 Hello, <Hello.> I have written you before about my goldfish, Goldie, although it's been awhile. She's about 11 years old, about 6 inches in length and was passed on to me after having several owners who didn't take very good care of her. She has always had swollen eyes. One eye has always been about three times the size of the other (the bigger being about the size of a pencil eraser). Most of the time things stay constant, but when they appear to be getting more swollen, I've always treated her with an antibacterial medication (you have suggested several). <OK.> Now Goldie's worse eye has ballooned way larger than I have ever seen it. It's about the size of a small marble and is filled with blood (see attached photo). She also had some blood streaks in her fins and looked generally stressed, so the guy at the fish store recommended Maracyn-Two. After five days of that she looks worse and just sits on the bottom of the tank. She'll perk up for a minute when someone walks by the tank or when there is food given, but that's about it. The rest of her body is looking a bit better (except for the not moving part), but I have a feeling the meds are not going to drain the blood from her eye or decrease the swelling. Is there anything that can be done at this point. She looks really uncomfortable. <I have to admit to being out off my breakfast a little by the photo. It does indeed look very uncomfortable. To be honest, at this point, I'd be considering getting professional help from your local animal health practitioner. I don't think anything "off the shelf" will cure this sort of problem. A scattergun approach with antibiotics tends not to work in chronic cases like this, where there is clearly an underlying problem. Broad-spectrum antibiotics tend to work better for opportunistic infections that set in after trauma or secondary to something else, like a parasitic infection. Continually using antibiotics on the same fish without using a specific drug for a specific bacterium also tends to kill off the "easier" bacteria while strengthening the hand of the resistant bacteria, and so the antibiotics become less and less effective as time goes by. Bottom line, a vet would need to find out precisely what bacteria was involved and treat with a specific antibiotic. I'd also like to see the fluid in that swelling drained off with a syringe, something you cannot possibly do at home. In the long term that vesicle will burst, and in doing so allow for a massive infection in a vulnerable part of the body. If you don't want to consult a vet, then to be honest euthanasia would be, in my opinion, the correct thing to do. It doesn't sound as if this problem has been improving or is likely to in its own time.> About water quality...I upgraded her tank a couple of months ago to a 20 gallon (longer and shorter) tank, and I've been keeping the water quality as close to normal as I can, considering how messy she is. It has a hang-on filter that is supposed to be adequate for a 50 gallon tank. Her ammonia and nitrites are 0 or close to, but she always has some nitrates showing, which I try to control through frequent water changes. I feed her a small amount of goldfish pellets a day (about a 1/4 teaspoon in a feeding ring) and occasionally supplement with peas or Spirulina flakes. <In my opinion, goldfish just aren't fish for small indoor aquaria, period. However good the filtration and the diet, they're fundamentally pond fish, and indoors need a suitably large tank (at least 30 gallons) to do consistently well. The only reason people *think* they do well indoors is that they are [a] cheap and [b] replaced quickly when they die. I probably reply to more queries about sick goldfish that anything else, so by that measurement, a lot of aquarists have problems with them. More specifically, the nitrates in your aquarium aren't an issue really, anything below 100 mg/l is basically safe for most freshwater fish, but the fact you measure any ammonia or nitrite at all implies inadequate filtration. By my reckoning, goldfish need a filter with 6 times the turnover of the aquarium per hour to get acceptable water quality, i.e., a filter with a turnover of 120 gallons per hour in your case. This is about 50% more than the baseline for small community tropicals. Whatever it says on the box for the filter you bought, that you have ammonia and nitrite in the system proves it is inadequate for the job. Hope this helps, Neale>

Goldfish tumor - not eating  5/30/07 Hi, I hope you can give me some advice about a goldfish that has a tumor on its side below the dorsal fin. "Nemo" has had the tumor for about 4 months and was doing fine, but suddenly stopped eating about 9 days ago. He acts O.K. (fins not clamped, swimming normally), but just won't eat. <Not good> He is in a 50 gal. tank with one other goldfish. I do a 30% water change every week <Good> and add about 1 TBS. salt per 10 gals. <Mmm... I would NOT do this habitually... hard on the fish> All the water parameters test good. I'm beginning to think he may not start eating again, but he doesn't seem distressed. Do you think I should euthanize him, or wait a while longer? <!? What re water quality, foods/feeding?> I got him about 10 months ago from a tank that hadn't been maintained for almost a year. He had "globes" over his eyes and is blind as a bat, but he has grown quite a bit since I got him. I'm not sure if poor conditions in his past have contributed to his tumor growth or if it's unrelated. <Likely IS related to some degree> Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated - I don't want the poor guy to suffer, but I've never had a fish start eating once it stopped. Thanks in advance, Cindy <I would try Epsom Salt treatment here (see WWM re... the indices, search tool), and switch to Spectrum pelleted food... of an appropriate diameter. Bob Fenner>
Re: Goldfish tumor - not eating  5/30/07 Thanks for answering back so soon. The nitrites and ammonia are zero and the nitrates are between 20 and 30 -sometimes a little hard to tell on the test kit. <Too high... see WWM re... THIS could be IT> I don't test for PH but if you think it's necessary, I will. Thanks for the advice about the salt. I will stop salting the tank. I feed the fish about 10 different kinds of food - floating and sinking, although Nemo only eats the sinking food because of his blindness. Basically there's That Fish Place's brand of sinking Spirulina pellets, Tetra Spirulina crisps, Wardley floating pellets, Hikari floating pellets, and wheat germ pellets, O.S.I. sinking/floating pellets, Tetra goldfish crisps, Tetra sinking goldfish food, Hikari algae pellets, MarineLand Bio-Blend for goldfish, sometimes bloodworms and Gammurus (sp? dried shrimp). <Good foods, mix... I like the Spectrum because it is "all in one" nutritionally complete and very palatable> I also give them peas occasionally. I feed in the morning and in the late afternoon. I also mix up jars of floating and sinking food and freeze the rest so it stays fresher. I will get some of the Spectrum food and try the Epsom salt. I will let you know the outcome. Thanks again! Cindy <Real good. Please do make it known what you observe. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Re: Goldfish tumor - not eating  5/31/07 An update: I went to the petstore to get some Spectrum GF food but they didn't have it. I did see some "seaweed salad" for fresh or saltwater fish <Mmm...> so I bought some. When I put it in the water, I kinda waved it in front of Nemo's nose and he grabbed it like he was starved but then he spit it out. I waited to see if he would try to get it himself, but after a couple of hours I finally broke off a little chunk and put it in front of his mouth. He took it and it seemed like he chewed on it for about 5 minutes. I was wondering if he could even swallow it or if he maybe had a rock caught in the back of his throat (he normally picks up a lot of rock when he eats then spits them out). Anyway, he is now grazing a little on the seaweed and I am hopeful he will start eating the pellets off of the bottom again. Is it possible he could have a rock stuck way back in his throat or gut somewhere? <Yes... principally the throat... in a "corner" of one of the joints of the mouth/buccal cavity> I did buy some Epsom salt and am getting ready to do a good size water change before I add the salt. By the way, according to the nitrate test kit, nitrates up to 40 ppm are showing in the SAFE range. <Is not safe... see WWM re...> If that's too high, what should they read? <The lower the better... less than 20 ppm for sure> Also, other than water changes, how else can I keep the nitrates down? Less food? Thanks again! Cindy <... please learn to/use the indices, search tool. For here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsubwebindex.htm To "Maint.", then to Nitrogenous... BobF>
Re: Goldfish tumor - not eating  6/3/07 Last update for now: The "seaweed salad" is Green Marine Algae. Nemo ate a large chunk of it this morning and this afternoon (about a 2"x2" square). He seems to have quite an appetite now, but still will not eat from the bottom of the tank. I've seen green feces hanging on him that looks pretty healthy (not stringy). I did a 30% water change and added 6 tbls. of Epsom salt to the replacement water. <Good> I didn't want to add any more since I've been putting aquarium salt in the tank. The nitrates are now down to 20 and I will continue to work at keeping them down. <Very good> If Nemo ever decides to eat from the bottom of the tank, I will let you know. I have no idea what made him stop in the first place. Your crew is great and I have been reading tons of FAQS from your site! Good bye for now, Cindy <Thank you for this update Cindy. Sorry for the delayed response... am out in Chicago giving a pitch at IMAC. Cheers, BobF>
Re: Goldfish tumor - not eating   6/5/07 Last Update: Nemo is now eating off the bottom of the tank! I started moving the clip that held the seaweed salad closer and closer to the bottom of the tank at each feeding. Finally he tentatively started picking at the rocks, and is now eating fairly well off the bottom. I will continue to supplement with the seaweed - both goldfish really like it and I'll make sure the nitrates stay down. Thanks again for you help!! Cindy <Ah! Great news! BobF>

My goldfish wound fungus? Reading   5/29/07 Hi, I recently bought a telescope eye goldfish from a PetSmart a few weeks ago. The PetSmart was kinda ratty, a lot of the goldfish there were missing eyes and stuff, <Leave such places... let them fold. Vote with your feet...> but the ones in this tank seemed fine, plus she was so pretty I had to get her. Well anyways, a few days later I noticed a weird wound on her side, close to her dorsal fin, I wasn't sure if it was a wound or a fungus. I took her into a different PetSmart and they told me it was a wound so I bought her some MelaFix. <Not a fan> The wound was originally white but now it's a kind of red-ish color it also seems to have gotten bigger, now it looks like it's getting a little better but I noticed some strange white/clear stuff on the edges of the wound, it trails off in strings. also right beneath the wound some of her scales seem to be bulging outward and it seems the white stuff is growing beneath them. Is this a fungus? I've looked up stuff about goldfish fungus but I haven't heard of any that looks like this. Thanks for your time I hope you can help and recommend something for her. <... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm Scroll down to the Gold line. Bob Fenner>

Can't figure out what's wrong with my goldfish  5/29/07 Please help me. <Will try!> My fantail is about 4 yrs old and very dear to us. He stays at or near the bottom of the tank and acts like his tail doesn't move very well (he swims very poorly with it) the edges look slightly jagged, but there is no build up or discoloration on it. <Almost certainly a water quality issue, with early stages of Finrot setting in. What are the ammonia or nitrite levels in the tank? And the pH?> It also appears curled under. He's been like this for 2 days and is still eating well. The black Moor he shares his tank with seems totally fine, except for a circular black spot on his tail. <Again, water quality sounds the issue.> Tonight we added Proquatics bacteria starter hoping that would eliminate excess nitrates if there were any. <It won't. This product is intended to help start up a biological filter in a brand new tank, and so reduce ammonia and nitrites (not nitrates). Whether it actually helps is debatable. Either way, a waste of money in this instance.> I have a box of instant ocean sea salt, but I'm not sure if I should add any, I have never added salt to their aquarium. <Quite right. Don't add salt to the aquarium.> There in a 10 gallon with filter and aeration if that helps any. <Well, it helps explain the problem. Two 4-year old goldfish in a 10 gallon aquarium simply isn't a healthy environment. The tank needs to be *at least* three times that size. The filter should be of a suitable size as well, either a plain vanilla undergravel filter or some type of electric canister filter with a water turnover of *no less* than 120 gallons per hour and ideally twice that. The fish are slowly being poisoned to death. As they grow, they use up more oxygen and produce more waste. So while the 10 gallon tank might have been fine when they were babies, by now it's basically a cess pit. Not nice for your fish, and probably not that nice to look at either.> Thank you for your time Dorothy <Hope this helps. The solution is: [a] upgrade the aquarium and [b] add anti-Finrot remedy to stop any further sickness and allow the fish to recover. Cheers, Neale>

Fish In Danger! Goldfish, no data  - 05/26/07 I left Town for about a week, Leaving the care of my fish in the hands of a house keeper.. When I returned I noticed immediately that One of my fish had a problem.. I have ! Gold Fan Tail and One Orange Fan Tail and a algae  eater  in a 50 gallon established Tank. The Orange Fantail Has What I believe to be Fin Rot by reading your Website but he also has what seems to be a more dire sickness. his mouth is wide open and I don't think he has the ability to close it also there seems to be skin around his mouth turning white and falling off he looks horrible like something out of a sick horror movie.. <Yikes... what happened while you were gone for this short period of time? Simple overfeeding, pollution?> also before I left he seemed to have red streaks in his tail but otherwise seemed fine.. I looked this up as well and seems it may be Septicemia but when I returned home this had cleared up but around his mouth there is similar redness..   He is in A QT tank at the moment and the other to fish are vibrant and healthy.     I don't like a lot of animals and even less people and I like this Fish More then most of them.. His Name is Khelendros, He is about a year and a half old and I would hate for him to die because of my lack of knowledge. please assist!!!   If pictures can help I can provide them.   Thank you   Raymond    <... No useful information re water quality tests, set-up, maintenance, foods/feeding... Improve this world and this will improve your fish's health. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm Scroll down to the gold line... Bob Fenner>

New Print and eBook on Amazon Goldfish Success What it takes to keep goldfish healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner