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

Goldfish Ailment - 08/03/2005 Hi, my name is Jack. <Hi Jack, Sabrina with you tonight.> I've had this gold fish for probably 3 years, along with two others. About 2 months ago one of mine developed a white bumpy lump on it's side near it's gill. I was hoping that it would just go away, but it just got bigger. Right now it's about the size of nut out of it's shell. <There are a great number of things this could be, from a relatively benign viral infection known as "carp pox" which often affects goldfish in tanks with high nitrates, to a potentially life threatening bacterial infection....  Without actually seeing the fish, it is impossible to difficult to diagnose.> It mostly sits on the bottom. It will get up to eat and every once in a while it will move, but it just sinks down back to the bottom. I don't know if it's dying, or what. <Would need to know more about your system to offer suggestions....  Size of tank, number/type of fish, readings on ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH....  What you feed them....  Please read here for more information:   http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm .  Please also be sure to read the links in blue at the top of the page, specifically the FAQs about Goldfish Disease and Goldfish Feeding.> Please help me. Reply back as soon as possible. Thank you very much. Jack <Best wishes to you and your fish, and a speedy recovery to him as well....  -Sabrina> Repeated Request For Help - 08/03/2005 Good Evening... <Hello.  Sabrina here, tonight.> I have moved my sick black moor to another tank. (I think he has Gill Disease- his one gill is very inflamed, and red, and the part that usually covers it is rolled back.) <From your previous description/explanation, I suspect that his hills have been damaged/burned by ammonia.  Please be testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate - if ammonia and nitrite are anything but zero, you must do water changes immediately; further damage to him at this point could very well be life-threatening.  Nitrate above 20ppm can be dangerous, as well.  I heartily encourage you to remove many/most of the seven fish in the six gallon tank before you have others with this problem.> I put him in his own little tank with a filter and air pump. I have been feeding him an antibacterial fish food made by Jungle twice a day. <Ahh, good.  I know the product you are speaking of, and I too would be using it in this case.> I have been putting medicine in his water everyday for 6 days. The medicine is called Maracyn-Two. The package said to pour 2 packets into a 10 gallon tank the first day and then one packet everyday there after for 5 days... and repeat if things didn't get better... but I only had a 6 gallon tank to put him in...so I halved the medicine. The first day I put in one packet, and half a packet everyday there after.  My problem is- his gill is still very inflamed, and sometimes a bubble here and there comes out of it. <Honestly, depending upon water tests, I would probably discontinue the Maracyn-Two and just focus on maintaining optimal water quality....  If water quality is already perfect, it's a judgment call you'll have to make, whether to continue the meds or not.  Keep in mind that too much medication for too long can be quite harmful, as well.> Last night I came home from work- and he was not swimming all over the place like his usual self, nor looking for food. He has had a good appetite so far. <VERY good news.> I have had to change 40 percent of his water every other day because it would get so murky, I could barely see him. <A bad sign indeed!  Test that water right away!> I thought maybe I wasn't giving him enough medicine.. So I put another half of the packet in. And tonight when I got home, he was swimming all over- ready to eat. <Very, very good news.> So my questions are: 1. I have been giving him meds for 6 days, how come his gill is still so VERY inflamed? It doesn't even look the slightest bit different. <Test your water.  If it checks out *perfect*, I would suspect that he either does have a parasitic or bacterial condition, or that he is simply of a color that his gills show through very easily, or that he has sustained permanent damage from ammonia burns.> 2.Did I make him hungry and feel better by putting in more meds? Or was that just luck? <Quite likely coincidence.  It sounds as though he is on the road to recovery at this point, active and feeding.> Please direct me on what I am doing right, and what I am doing wrong. I don't want to hurt him in any way- THANKS!!! <Just as above....  And please try not to overmedicate, as that can be just as harmful as disease.> ~Marcy <Wishing you and your fishy pal well,  -SCF>

Goldfish health issues 8/3/05   My black Oranda's hood has fallen down over his eyes.  Is this normal, or do I need to treat him. <Is normal>   And he has turned yellowish around the gills, and the face area. <Also not a worry> Swimming and eating normal; although, he sometimes seems like he is getting ready to die. (If that makes sense)  But then he will perk up.  I found somewhere on treating for flukes, would this hurt? <What? Trematode medicines are indeed toxic, potentially harmful. Bob Fenner> Thank you for any information.

The usual goldfish fate in the West 8/3/05 I recently bought some new goldfish for my daughters fish bowl and I've noticed that they all have red blotches on their tail and fins, what is it?  Thank you for your time, Angie <Trouble. Evidence of stress, pollution, bacteria in their blood. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm  

Goldfish disease 8/2/05 Hello, I have 2 beautiful fantail goldfish for about 2 years now. They have both been fairly healthy except the one has an area right above her gills that is missing scales and seems to have a growth of some sort.  It is lighter in color than the rest of the body and over time, the growth actually protrudes out from the body and seem to be getting larger.  Any idea what it could be or what I could try for treatment? It doesn't really look like fungus and they have been treated for fin rot and fungus in the past.  If I sent you a picture, would that be able to help you identify the problem? Any help or advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you so much.  I look forward to your answer. Judy <There have been a spate of these tumorous growths reported to us recently. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisfaq10.htm and the linked files at top... Excision is a possibility, though with good care (nutrition, water quality), these growths can remit spontaneously. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish with punctured cornea 8/2/05 Hi, <Hello> My 14 year old goldfish seems to have punctured his cornea.  His eye looks fine otherwise.  Will he lose sight in the eye or is it already lost? <Perhaps...> How well will it heal?  Is there anything else I should do to help him heal? Thanks, Mike <Adding a bit of Epsom salt might be of use here... a level teaspoon per ten gallons of system water. I wish you and your old fish friend well. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish problem 8/2/05   Hi my names Tania and two days ago I bought 3 goldfish (called stripe, spot and Nemo) (they are orangey red with silver bits on them) and I also bought a sucker fish. (called lightning)   I have got a 5 litre goldfish bowl <Too small...> and I have made sure the water is safe for the fish (e.g. letting it stand for a while before placing the fish into the bowl and I also got advised from my local pet shop to add something called AquaSafe which makes tap water safe for the fish and neutralizes the chlorine inside the bowl). <Good> I also have goldfish flake food which I brake up for them before feeding the fish) additional info: the fish are about 1 inch or just over, all accept for the sucker fish.   anyway on the first night I had the fish I fed them a little amount of food and they all ate it up accept for lightning (the sucker fish) anyways I went to bed and I woke up the next morning and I found my little lightning dead. I phoned the pet shop up and they immediately apologized to me and said 'we are really sorry, we should of told you that because you have a fish bowl, it doesn't collect a lot of algae so the fish wouldn't of had anything/much to eat, so we should of told you to buy some special algae food for it'. So that was that problem sorted out, I realized why lightning had died.   later on that day I noticed that all three of the fish were swimming to the top and sticking the tip of their little noses out of the water and then shortly after swimming back down, this has been continuing since then and is still happening now. I know it isn't because they want food because they have already been fed and I thought at first it could be because they wanted oxygen, but then I though it couldn't be because I have these little tablets the pet shop gave me called 'Supa' and it says on the box 'oxygenating tablets' and on the instructions it says add 2 tablets to every 5 litres of water, every 2-3 days. so far I have put the two tablets in, and they are still going to the top, and then swimming back down after, they look perfectly healthy, and swim around a lot. Do you know why they could be doing this? <Mmm, yes... very likely this small system is not "cycled"... and it is too small for this amount of life>   And finally two of the fish (stripe and Nemo) keep following each other around (mainly stripe following Nemo) (also stripe is larger than Nemo in length). stripe has been rubbing itself against the side of the bowl and the two fish are almost always near each other. is this maybe because they are breeding or are they being violent towards each other. is it also possible for the two fish to breed in a five litre bowl and if one of them did have babies what should I do?    please reply thanks for you time and help - Tania <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm and the linked files above where you will lead yourself. Bob Fenner>

Query about aquarium goldfish disease 8/1/05 Dear FennerRobert, I got your name from a fish health website which I hope is still valid.  If not, I do apologize for bothering you unnecessarily.       We have had goldfish in a small aquarium for years, but our last one has outlived everyone else and is now about five or six.  Unfortunately, some months ago it developed a small external growth on its left side near the tail. I tried describing it to people in various pet shops and read all the descriptions of disease in the over the counter remedies, but nothing seems to fit the description.  It started off as a small round lump like a (human) wart or a cyst with (as one shop fish assistant said) its own blood supply as it is the same red as the rest of the body.  Then another lump started to grow beside it and another.  Now there is a cluster of four with one spot being black. <A type of virally mediated tumorous growth...> Nothing I have done so far seems to have helped, but the fish itself doesn't appear to be suffering.  It swims normally and is an enthusiastic eater despite its growths looking increasingly repulsive. The same salesperson said perhaps it was a tumour as fish could get them and still live for years,   apparently unbothered.  Whatever it is, it looks horrible and I feel bad that I haven't been able to do anything about it.       Any help you may offer will be most gratefully received. If you have retired from answering questions or have no idea what I am describing, you don't have to bother to reply.        Thank you in advance.        Sincerely yours,        Penny Root <Can be excised... please take a read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisfaq10.htm and the linked files above, the indices, search tool on WWM... you will see others have had similar circumstances with Goldfish. Bob Fenner>

Please help me to stop my goldfish dying 8/1/05 Hi I set up an aquarium a few months ago, only a small one, suitable for 2-3 fish.  I bought it as a complete kit from PetSmart, so it has a filter, gravel etc.  I set it up 1 week before purchasing any fish, as advised by the staff at the shop.  When I went back to purchase the fish, I again took advice from the staff and chose 2 small fish, living in the same tank in the store.  I picked out a Black Moor and a Red & Black Oranda.  For the first few days they seemed perfectly happy, but then the black moor just kept lying in the corner at the bottom of the tank.  After I had had it for about 10 days (and my 7 day guarantee had run out!!) it died.  It died suddenly, which in my experience of goldfish (which is limited - just always had them as a child) was a bit odd.  One minute he was alive and then 5mins later it was suddenly floating and the Oranda was trying to nibble on his tail.  I waited to see how the Oranda was for a few days and as he seemed fine I decided to buy another fish.  I went back to Pet Smart and explained how the Black Moor had died, but the only advice I received was that they are not as 'hardy' as most goldfish and suggested that I buy a different type this time.   <Mmm....> I chose a Silver Oranda, thinking this was more likely to be compatible.  I introduced the new fish and they both seemed happy, very active at first spending a lot of time together.  However, after about a month they both started lying on the bottom of the tank as the Black Moor had done.  I thought that it may just have been due to the hot weather at the time, however they became increasing more inactive.  About two weeks ago the Red & Black Oranda appeared to have stopped eating, not coming to the surface at all.  Then about a week ago I got up to find him dead.   I have tried to search for information on why this is happening, but I can't pin point it, and now I'm quite certain that my Silver Oranda is going to die too, unless I can find a way to help him (I think he has stopped eating now.) I have done everything by the book, as it were, and am now at a loose end. Please help Thank you Kind regards Alexandra Frost <Very likely... the root causes of trouble/contributing factors here are 1) too small a volume, 2) inadequate filtration, 3) uncycled system and 4) bunk quality livestock to begin with. You can read re all these and other possible inputs (e.g. nutrition) on WWM... starting here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm and on to the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Some Goldfish problems... 8/1/05 Just re-sending this in case the last one didn't get there... We had three fish in an 11 gallon tank until recently, one goldfish and two Shubunkin; we renamed the goldfish 'Kamikaze' after he jumped out of the tank four times over a fortnightly period, <Get a cover... or leave the water level down a few inches...> the last time spending half the night under the sofa. He was dry to the touch when we found him and only the slightest movement of his gill cover stopped us from just chucking him in the bin'¦ jumping out of the tank? What the hell's that all about? <Perhaps just rambunctious ("because they can"), but maybe poor/toxic water quality at play> He now only has about half his tail because of the damage he did the last time and big patches where his scales came off. We then bought a tank which is roughly two-and-a-half times bigger, put Tails (3 years old), Gorazilla (2 1/2 years old) and Kamikaze (2 years old) in it (using old water, old gravel, letting it mature) <Good technique> plus two new small lemon goldfish (Honey and Pumpkin), a kind of Dalmatian effect Shubunkin with red gill covers (Patches) and a tiny goldfish (Fatty) <I hope this is a much larger system...> which our eldest son's best friend had been keeping in a green plastic box in his drawer'¦. So far so good. New tank has under-gravel filtration and a big pump, also there is a range of live plants in the water (two got eaten). Tank left with pump working for a week before fish put in, using old water, old pump and filter, three old fish put in a week later and left for a week, new fish added after that and have been in for two weeks. Water tests fine. Yesterday we realized that Tails, the oldest, had lost half his tail and his fins and tail are full of microscopic bubbles (*not* white spot, I'm sure); I watched as Patches zoomed round nipping at Tails' tail and just about everybody else's, took him out and isolated him (after Kamikaze leapt out the back of the new tank in a new bid for martyrdom), put in a load of anti-disease tonic in the tank plus a bit of stress enzyme, then gave him back to the shop. Again, what's with the tail-nipping stuff? <Literally "pecking order" mostly... aggression brought on by crowding> Everything we've done has been on the advice of the shop, and they should know given they've got a full-scale tropical reef going in their shop'¦ Is it my imagination or do goldfish just sit in the tank thinking up weird things to do? <Heeeee! Maybe> New diseases to manifest? Or am I just crap at this? <I'm in the same boat> The new tank should be paradise for them, all checks out, plants to wreck, loads of nice oxygen in the water, all feeding fine, loads of gravel to chew on and things to hide under -- are they just ungrateful or what? Jon <Only time, their future behavior will show. Bob Fenner>

Please help, I think the fish is dying :( 7/29/05 Hi WWM crew, thanks for taking the time to help me.   I'm having some problems with a calico fantail goldfish.  I am fish-sitting for my friend's 2 calico fantails.  They are in a 2.5 gallon tank <... needs to be about ten times this volume> with a filter and light, but no airstone (yes, I am aware this is WAY too small, but they are not mine and I can't afford to buy all the necessities for someone else).  Here's the current problem: yesterday, one got his tail caught in the filter.  I turned off the filter and he got himself out, but the half of his tail that was caught is shredded.  I called a pet store right away to ask what I could do and they said that the fish would regrow the tail in time.  I then looked at your site for more info and saw that the main thing I could do was keep the tank clean to prevent infection. <Yes> As she had not told me to clean it (or even do partial changes), I was unsure what to do.  I bought Stress Coat and did a partial water change yesterday (maybe 10-15%?).  Everything seemed to be going fine until this morning when he would not eat and seemed very lethargic.  Then, I caught him under the filter again! <Can you screen the intake somehow?> I was very upset, but he was not hurt this time.  I went to ask my neighbor how she cleans her tank and she told me that I should remove most of the water (I left about 25% in) <Better to only change this much at a time> and then add tap water with the Stress Coat in it to dechlorinate it (I put the water and SC in a separate container first).  I did all this and rearranged the (fake) plants to try to keep the fish away from the filter.   <Good> However, then the tank was even murkier than before and the hurt fish (Tiger) was looking even worse!  I again called the pet store and they told me that Stress Coat was not sufficient to remove the chlorine in the tap water <Incorrect> (which is weird because the bottle says it does that), so then I added some  Amquel (I think that's what it was called).  I tried to keep the tank aerated but with no pump or airstone, I doubt it was aerated enough.  So now, Tiger is worse than ever!  He's lying on the bottom of the tank on his side, moves a little, but only to get to a new spot to lie there.  I caught him stuck by the filter again and moved him, but I can't understand why he likes it over there so much.  Now when he swims, he spins while he swims, but he's not floating.  I just feel so horrible for him and I want to help, but I do not know what I can do.  The people I spoke to when I went to buy an airstone, not knowing how much it would be, told me I was doing everything right, but there wasn't anything else I could do for him short of buying a properly sized tank, filter, pump, etc. <Agreed> which I can't afford and is not really my responsibility for someone else.  Please let me know if there's anything I can do because I am so sad to see him suffering and I'm worried that he's dying.  Thank you for any help you can offer, Hayley <I'd place a call to the owners re the goings on here... ask what they want to do. All you have done thus far, other than the overly-large water change is fine. Bob Fenner>

Has my fish got a tumor? 7/29/05 Dr. Fenner, <Just Bob, please> I am no fish expert so bear with me please.  Two years ago I purchased two scavenger fish to eat the algae in my freshwater tank.  One of them was unfortunately immediately attacked by my rather aggressive goldfish and soon died.  The other scavenger made friends and thrived.  He does like to eat fish food more than algae most times, but is a bit of pig and keeps the tank clean as well. Yesterday I noticed a growth that appeared to be growing out of the side of his mouth/lip.  To be graphic it is brownish in color and looks as if someone has attached a tiny liver to his mouth and it is hanging by a couple of threads.  Usually, he rushes to the bottom of the tank when he sees we walk by (as if he knows it is feeding time), so I unfortunately have no idea how long he has had this growth.  I happened to walk by yesterday as he was sucked to the side of the tank and did a double-take at what I saw.  I immediately rushed over and fed him to see if it was hindering his eating and he was sick.  But he rushed to the bottom of the tank like usual and ate happily with the other fish.  My other fish have no signs of having the same problem, and the fish in question appears healthy aside from the alarming growth on his lip. I cannot tell if this is fluid filled or a piece of cartilage. Either way it is very worrisome to me. If it is some kind of tumorous growth what do I do? <Does read like this is so> How can I help him? <Mmm, it may be best to "do nothing"... but hope that the fish's immune system recognizes this growth and works to reduce, halt, eliminate it... If it becomes very large, a go at excision (cutting it off) can be tried> Should I quarantine him? <I would not> Angelshark (that's what he's always looked like to me) is my favorite fish, (don't tell the others) there must be a way to cure him. Help! <As with humans, such growths are mainly virally mediated, cured by the same sorts of procedures. Bob Fenner> Thank you so much. AM

Stressed Fishies??? Knowing better, illiteracy, WWM 7/29/05 Hi- my names Katy About 1 month ago I got a 20 gallon tank, of which I have 1 male Betta, 4 zebra Danios, 1 powder blue dwarf Gourami, 3 balloon bellied mollies, 3 guppies (2 females, 1 lucky male), and 1 chocolate albino Pleco. I love my tank dearly and its really soothing after a long day. I've had a few births between the mollies and the guppies and love raising the little ones. BUT I was strolling along in PetSmart looking at the fishies and the goldfish caught my eye. I knew that since they we're tropical as all my others are, I would have to set up another tank. However, I didn't have that kind of money on hand, so I took a 5 gallon with a screen top and set it up.. there is no filter. <Not adequate...> I let it stand for the bacteria and all to get settled in first for about 1 day. <Not long enough...> Last night I bought my goldfish. They're are all beautiful, and so tiny. I bought 2 Fantails (one calico, and one bronze colored one that caught my eye), and 1 beautiful red and white Oranda. <This tank is too small...> They are all so tiny, and cute. the Oranda being about the size of a half dollar or smaller, and the fantails being about the size of a penny-nickel. Now here's my problem: Everyone seems to be stressed or shocked. <They are> I checked water chemistry already, they are all fine. But my precious little fish seem to sink to the bottom and ...stay there. Bobby (Oranda) lays on his side, I know he's not dead cuz he's breathing. David (the calico fantail) does the same thing. and Steven( the bronze fantail) is actually very active and seems to be fine, but it looks like he's worried about his "brother", David. Either that or  he's hungry and is thinking of cannibalism. He swims around David and then settles in right next to him. I'm Worried my fish are stressed and will die because of it. I'd hate it (like my fish lovers) if my babies died.. they're absolutely gorgeous. Hope you can help. Thanks-Katy <Please read... here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm and learn to proof, have your computer correct your writing before sending. Bob Fenner>

FW Tank Problems 7/27/05 Hello, Before reading much on your incredible site, it appears I did all the wrong   things to relieve my poor fish of 1) green water then, 2) Ich.  I have a 29 gallon freshwater tank with a biofilter and air pump, that was housing a  new calico (the culprit Ich carrier?), a new frog, an old apple snail and a 2  year old black Moor.  A 2.5 year old enormous calico had died the week  before of something I don't know what was. The water quality had become very  poor as I allowed light to hit the tank and it had turned into green water,  which didn't clear even with 1/2 to 3/4 water changes.  Armed with enough  info to be dangerous, I tried encapsulating the tank in darkness and when it  didn't show signs of clearing after 24 hours, I decided to totally empty it  and vacuum thoroughly.  This may have been rash, but my poor Moor was  looking terrible.   Once, someone told me that if a Moor's sides start to  turn goldish, it is a bad sign. Well, the scale portions closest to his body  were turning and I could see red (blood?) in his gills.  He had developed a  raised spot on his side, which I believed was the result of having scraped  himself and then, with the dirty water, having gotten infected. I put the Moor into a 5 gallon (?) temporary tank with some salt in it and he appeared to be bleeding or something. Some sort of goo was stringing around in the tank, so I quickly setup a new tank, thinking I had put too much salt in.  I didn't take the time to get the temperature set in the new tank, and it was cooler than the first tank.  I put no salt in it, but some chlorine remover and some anti-biotic to help his side.  I left him in this tank for about 12 hours. I set up another tank and put my frog, the snail and the new calico in  it.   I then stripped the 29 gallon tank and vacuumed it.  I scrubbed  the filters and removed all the gravel and washed it.  I figured I had  ruined whatever biofilter I had going, but figured it was the worse of two  evils. During this time, while scrutinizing my Moor, I noted a couple of white spots on him.  Never having seen Ich before, I construed that they must  just be bubbles captured on his skin.  I was trying to see them with a  magnifying glass, which didn't work very well through water, and my glasses just  weren't enough.  I re setup the tank, put everybody back, and everyone  looked happy.   The next morning, I noticed the white bumps had multiplied  on the Moor and no doubt about it, he had Ich.  He was rubbing and washing  himself all the time in the air bubbles, but at least his gills looked  better.  I did some hasty research on the net and went to Petco to buy some  malachite green, which I promptly administered to the main tank.  Then I  got the idea that maybe the frog and snail wouldn't like it, so more research. I  found your site and hastily removed the frog and snail. Each has his own tank at  the moment as the snail is bigger than the frog and keeps getting on him.   (Do snails eat frogs?) <Yes, if they can catch him.> I left the Moor and Calico in the big tank, which I have now treated with green for 3 days.  The second day the most of the spots fell off the Moor,  and two that I saw on the calico were also gone.  Today there are only a  tiny few.  However, I have now learned from your site that I should have  removed the fish and treated them sans the tank.  Also, I treated the water  prior to the Ich falling off and doing their cycle, so did I waste the  treatment time? It says on the malachite green not to use it more than three  times and since I already used up my three times, does that mean my fish  will reinfect, or the tank can no longer be treated? So now I read that you  are not supposed to treat your main tank.  Why not? < Any time you medicate a tank you affect the good bacteria that breaks down the fish waste from toxic ammonia and nitrite down to less toxic nitrate. Follow the instructions on the bottle to make sure the Ich is gone. Add carbon to the filter to remove any remaining medication after the fish are cured. Add BIO-Spira by Marineland to get the bacteria re-established in the aquarium to prevent ammonia spikes.> I read some of the links you had referred someone else to learn about quarantine, but I have already botched up this situation.  How would you  advise I remedy it? < Too late for a QT tank. Follow the advise mentioned above but QT new fish before adding them to the main tank.> Also, since I have treated my tank with Malachite  green, I am wondering if it will dissipate sufficiently to ever put the frog and  snail back in, or will I need a complete water change again? < Good quality carbon will remove it in 24 hrs.> I forgot to  mention a couple of things: 1)It has been very hot here and I don't have  cooling in my house.  I think the tank may have gotten very warm during  this entire time, < Increase the aeration. It will cool the tank and increase the oxygen in the water.> 2) One of my puffers in a different tank (brackish water) died  the day after the Moor got sick.  He had looked very sprightly the day  before and seemed fine, except that I noticed his skin looked somewhat blanched  late in the day.   The next a.m., he was dead.  I did a partial water  change and reduced the salinity and the other two puffers seem fine. < Hard to say. Not much info to go on.> I am embarrassed to be learning all of this after the fact, but am glad I found your site.  Please offer some suggestions to getting my tank back to normal and my fish healthy. I did purchase a testing kit, finally, but outside  of testing the PH, I haven't done the rest yet as I am still researching the significance. Best regards,--Yolanda < Go to Marineland.com and look under Dr Tim's Library for articles on water quality. This should help you understand what is going on and what you need to watch out for.-Chuck>

My goldfish is falling... 7/27/05 Your site has been very helpful, however, I couldn't find an answer to this question. My goldfish is lying at the bottom of the tank and she seems to have trouble breathing. <Trouble> Once in a while, she swims to the top of the tank but then she "falls" to the bottom and hits the bottom rather hard. We have a 5 gallon tank,
<Too small> one 2 yr old goldfish, she is fed 2 times daily and has a complete water change every 6 weeks. <Too much, too infrequent> She has been on the bottom for a couple of  weeks. We have used a parasite tablet and ICK solution <Why? Toxic> with no improvement. We will perform 25% water changes and try adding salt. Can we save our fish? <You might... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm You need water quality tests/kits... an understanding of this animal's nutrition, basic husbandry.
Read. Bob Fenner>
Re: Fwd: my goldfish is falling Hi I forgot to mention that the chemicals (pH, ammonia, nitrite) are currently normal. <This is not data, but a subjective evaluation. BobF>

Face down goldfish 7/27/05 WetWebMedia crew-- <Jason>      About 3 weeks ago my wife and became the owners of 2 fantail goldfish, Walter and Nigel.  We first put them in a 5.5 gallon tank, and then after a bit of reading, upgraded them to a 10 gallon tank. As soon as we can afford it, (2 or 3 weeks) will get them a proper tank of at least 10 gallons per fish. <Ah, good>      I have watched Ammonia levels since we first got the fish, and have done daily water  changes (~50%). <Yikes... try to limit these changes... no more than about a quarter of the water at a time... unless ammonia, nitrite are creeping up toward/beyond 1.0 ppm...> Last Friday, Ammonia levels registered below the level of our tap water for the fist time.  The only changes to the tap water that I make is to add a dechlorinator.      Cutting to the chase, Walter has some sort of swim bladder problems.  As well, he and Nigel both had trouble shaking their stool, so I figured he/they were constipated. <Mmm, actually... very related to poor environment...> I gave them a few days off of eating and added Epsom Salt.  After that, I started feeding them shelled peas as per previous WWM FAQs.  Walter has had less floating problems, however his tail seems to want to turn upward when he swims. He also still seems to have trouble shaking his stool.      The big problem has been in the last two or three days, Walter has taken to sitting in the corner perpendicular to the ground with his nose down and tail up.  He floats just above the bottom of the tank.  Both fish have seemed a little bit lethargic lately, but they both still eat.  Also, if Walter notices someone is at the tank, he will come out of his corner and start to beg like a good goldfish.      What's wrong with him?  What should I do? Jason <"It's the environment"... Please read here re means to establish nutrient cycling: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm and the linked files above, and re Goldfish Systems... Bob Fenner>

Sick Goldfish 7/26/05 I searched for an answer, didn't see one, sorry if I missed it. Question: referring to large snail, 2 large goldfish that do need a larger tank. I'm saving. I bought a large snail about a month ago, snail only name...an African snail. Is it possible that the snail can poison goldfish in some way. They have stopped eating, I thought it was our heat wave. Now, they have basically stopped swimming. They look miserable. I took water to pet shop for testing. It came back fine. I do 60% water change every week. No gravel, I use marbles. Same marbles for 2 yrs. The tank is a 20 long, outside filter. This is my first time to your site. it's great! Thanks < Water should have no ammonia or nitrites. The nitrates should be under 25 ppm. The water temp should be in the low 70's . Pretty difficult these days with the heat wave hitting the country right now unless you have air conditioning. Next water change try vacuuming the mulm out between the marbles. Increase the aeration. The heat may have weakened them to the point that they are coming down with a disease. Watch for problems and find out what "fine" water means. the snail may have had some water from its tank that contained pathogens that cause disease. Snails carry few diseases that affect fish but I don't think that this is your problem.-Chuck>

Goldfish with White Coloring 7/26/05 Hello, We have a pond with goldfish and Koi. Last year, one of our larger goldfish got white splotches on his gills and we were told he was a male fish ready to mate.  Then other white spots appeared, these looking like the whole scale is white.  This was a year ago, and I thought he was getting Ick, but he is still perfectly healthy.  He has these spots all over, but it doesn't look like powdered sugar or salt, and no scales are missing. He always eats and swims well and none of the other fish have gotten any spots.  We haven't lost one fish except to a bird, and now we have netting.  This guy has been this way a long time.  What action should we take?  Thanks! < I think that you are experiencing normal color changes that goldfish go through as they grow. Your fish doesn't look or act sick then I would take no action at all.-Chuck>

Sick goldfish... actually crowding, mistreatment/poisoning, mis-feeding... 7/26/05 Hi All, I am writing from Australia. <I'm responding from Hawaii, where the "discoverer" of both countries, James Cook, was murdered in 1793> I have a 110 litre tank, in which I have recently tested my water quality. Ammonia 0 and nitrate 0. Our Ph is usually a little low between 6.6 and 7.0. This tank has been setup for over 18 months. I have 7 goldfish and 6 clouds in the tank. <... this tank is too small for this much, type life> A few months ago after some research on the net we treated them for what we thought were flukes. We were recommended Cupramine. <Not what I would have used on Trematodes...> This appeared to work on some but during this course we lost 2 fish. We have since replaced one of the deceased, now 6 of the fish are laying on the bottom of the tank for most of the day and the remaining fish is near the top. They are very active in the morning at feeding time, however, soon after they lay around. I am feeding them Nutrafin sinking pellets for the goldfish and a small amount of flakes for the clouds. <... there are better foods> Occasionally a couple of them make some strange fast jerking movements through the tank. They also have there fins clamped. The sites I have looked at describe some symptoms but I cannot see any clear symptoms on my fish aside from the listlessness and clamped fins. Can you give me some answers please. <Likely what you are seeing is resultant from the copper, directly and not... the system and your fishes are being poisoned, their systems biological filtration being subtended. Please read (this will take a while) re Goldfish Systems, Disease, Flukes, Cupramine... on WWM... I would execute a few successive daily water changes (25% or so), stop the copper use, switch foods... test for ammonia, nitrite... Bob Fenner> Nichole

Black Moor with only one gill working (7/24/05) HI- I have spent so much time reading and trying to find someone with the same problem as I...I already know my first problem--I have way too many fish in a 7 gallon tank-3 goldfish and one Pleco. YES, I know...very bad. <Which is why your first step here should be to return the healthy fish so you can treat the sick one.> I have done everything I can to keep the ammonia levels down, and the nitrate/nitrite...I used Bio-Spira twice, and was told not to do any water changes...they told me they wanted my tank to cycle...<Usually a good idea, but if ammonia and nitrite levels are high, large water changes are called for. There will be plenty left over to promote cycling.> but I finally did a 30 percent water change because after 2 weeks--my nitrates went down, but my ammonia levels were really high...all of my fish are still alive- thank god- eating properly, swimming normal- except, I went out of town and had someone else feed them, and the filter had become severely clogged, and wasn't even working! <They must have overfed.> When I got home tonight I noticed all of the fish were at the top dying for air...I was so upset--I knew what it was and fixed the filter...all of the fish seem OK--EXCEPT the moor...he is eating great, but on his left gill- it is REALLY RED and looks like it is inflamed. He keeps going to the top and gulping for air...I want to help him heal! What can I do? I have more Bio-Spira...should I put it in? <It does provide good bacteria, but your problems is more serious.> I changed the water 30 percent tonight after I fixed the filter... Please help me... <The underlying problem is too much fish pee/poop in the tank, a long with rotting uneaten food. I suspect the Moors' gill is burned and possibly infected. You should get it into a hospital (quarantine) tank ASAP. You could set one up with a several-gallon Rubbermaid container and a sponge filter, but a small tank would allow you to see it better. Ten-gallon tanks can often be had for $10-15. Charge the filter with the Bio-Spira and keep the water ammonia-free. Also, keep the water well-oxygenated. If the gill does not begin to heal soon or gets worse, consider adding a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Bear in mind that this will kill the Bio-Spira, so close monitoring of the ammonia and frequent water changes may be needed. Hoe this helps, Steve Allen.>

Blind Goldfish 7.24.05 Hi, we have a fantail fish. It was attacked by another fish, and had both of its eyes pulled out. Apart from it being blind, can it still live a normal fish life? The attacker fish has been removed to a another tank. <Ouch!  Yes this fish can live a normal life, it would be far better if this fish were kept alone, it has an extreme disadvantage when it comes to finding food.  I would also plant the tank with Anacharis for the fish to graze on.  Best of luck, Gage>

Grey Fungus Growth on Eye Area Black Moor 7/24/05 Hi, Can you please help Oscar the Black Moor who's not looking very good at all.  I noticed some grey fungus like growth growing all over his eye socket area over the whole eye bulb.  This is getting worse every day.  He's had this for six days and its spreading on both his eyes.  It's nowhere else on his body.  Since discovering this problem I immediately have looked on the internet at fish diseases. <Mmm, likely directly environmental...>   I have not come up with anything.  Except for fungus on body.  It's not on his body only his whole eye area and now on the outside of the pupil.  The way things are going he's not going to be able to see shortly.  I've asked the Pet Store lady about it she gave me Myxazin and said he could have cloudy eye. She also told me to add blue water crystals to the water which I just added straight into the tank.  Then I searched on the internet for pictures of cloudy eye. On the pictures I saw the inside of the eye was grey.  This is not the same as Oscar.  His is actually growing on the outside.  Before using the Myxazin I thought it was some type of fungus so I tried Fungus Aide, <... likely bacterial... secondarily> the problem kept getting worse.  I've also noticed he has tiny red splotches around the lower gill line and also where his first set of fins attach to his body tiny small red splotches.  It looks like this is blood. I've only been using the Myxazin for 2 days.  I don't think he's going to last much longer.  Please Help Oscar.  I don't do water testing etc. But change 20% of the tank water weekly.  For the past 2 changes I did it fortnightly. <Better to do weekly> I think this may have caused this.  Before this he was going great. He's been happy for the past 6 months until this. The celestial has now started ramming him to my disgust and horror!  He's not going to last long if he keeps doing this either.  There's only the two of them in the tank. Thank you Maree <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm and the many linked files above, particularly the article on Goldfish Systems and the Related FAQs files... I would get/use water quality test kits, apply aquarium salt and Epsom here. Bob Fenner>
Re: Grey Fungus Growth on Eye Area Black Moor 7/25/05 Dear Bob Thank you for answering my email it is very much appreciated.   I purchased the aquarium salt and the lady in the pet shop said not to add it to the tank. <... for what stated reason/s?> Since I have no idea what I am doing or whether to apply this to the tank or not.  I gave Oscar a salt dip 1 teaspoon to a litre of water. I left him in there for 1 minute as per the instructions I was given. I was very anxious as to how he would react in this bath.  When I put him back in the tank  he sparked up tremendously, considering before the dip it looked like he was going to die.  I would even go as far as to say I think he enjoyed the salt bath.  Not the same as Fudge the Celestial he is not very happy. Since my email to you Fudge the celestial has white spot.  My question is should I put white spot medication in the tank or not.  Considering in the last week I've used Fungus Aide, Myxazin and now a salt bath.  As you can probably tell I'm clueless and have no idea what I am doing. <... which is why you should be reading...> Should I put the aquarium salt in the tank or not and if so do I follow the instructions on the container which is one level teaspoon per 10 litres of water. Oscars fungus seems to have cleared but he has these red small splotches of what appears to be blood around his gills and where his fins meet his body. Since the bath he has picked up tremendously and is swimming happily apposed to sitting on the top of the tank lifeless like, will the salt bath help with these splotches?? Will the salt bath help fudge the celestial with the white spot?? Or do I need to put the white spot medication in the tank. Thank you very much for your help.  Not even the vet can help me, apparently they no nothing about fish?? Maree (Australia) <Don't write, read... Bob Fenner>

Redcap Disintegrating??? 7/23/05 I have a red capped Oranda. He had a nice healthy head and fins. He's about 9 months old. We moved the tank, but saved the water and placed him back in it after the tank was moved. About a week later, his fins started getting ragged and his bright red Wen started getting pale. Then, his head basically started rotting away and flaking off into the tank. We moved him to a hospital tank and treated him first with Melafix for 2 seven day treatments. We did 25% water change, consulted aquatic suppliers. We then treated him with Furan-2, 2 treatments for a total of 4 doses. We removed the carbon filters during this. After the Furan treatment, we did a 25% water change and replaced the carbon filters. His fins and tail are looking better and regrowing but his head is still in very bad shape. We've heard of giving them food with vitamin C and that might help but what else can you suggest? Thank you, EJC- Florida <Something very amiss with the water, system... Vitamin supplementation is a good idea (for fishes, us)... and I would add aquarium salt to this fish's system... I do hope it recovers, re-grows its Wen. Bob Fenner>

Summat about a sick goldfish 7/22/05 Hi I think that there is something wrong with my goldfish...  he is about 2-3 years old and he is about 3 inches long.  he is the only one in the tank.  he is in a one gallon tank <Too small...> and it's one of those tall ones, it's not boxy...  anyway, this morning I noticed that he was laying on the bottom of the tank...  I looked at him and he is alive and breathing...  he moves his head area sometimes but that's about it...  he moves his eyes somewhat, too.  he eats, too, but he waits until it sinks to right above his head.  then he gets up really fast and he eats...then it looks like he is going in slow-mo.. and he drifts and stays wherever he lands. I haven't noticed anything weird in his tank...but lately we have had these tiny gnats that come from our guinea pigs (that are in the same room as the fish) and they float at the top of his tank (not a lot, and whenever I see them I get them out)... I don't know if he was eating them, and I don't know if that would make them sick, but if you have any advise, please tell me, because I love my fishy...please email me back, thanks Amanda <Please... read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Summat about a sick goldfish 7/28/05 alright well, my fish died, and do you think it was because the tank was too small? Amanda <Definitely a contributing cause... learn to proof your correspondence and read where you were referred to previously. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish illness... due to? 7/21/05 We have noticed a change in one of our spotted goldfish.  She appears to have redness around her nostrils and on her lips, is eating less, and moves very stiffly.  The fish used to be nearly all white with black and orange spots, but the white has slowly turned to a grayish color.  Is there anything I can do for her? Kayleigh <Goldfish do change color at times... likely there is some trouble here... that is based on environment. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and on through the linked files... where you'll lead yourself... till you understand what your concerns cause/s are here. Bob Fenner>

Injured goldfish 7/21/05 My friend came to my house tonight with her calico Oranda. <...> I have a large tank (200) and we put him in. His cap got caught in the water intake tube for a while she thinks, but he seemed okay. This actually happened several times. Today she woke up and the other fish in her tank had eaten the entire cap off. Anyway we did not leave him in there we took him out because my fish were after him then. He is in a 12 gal. Nano right now with guppies, platys, Gourami dwarf and some tetras. My question is will this re-grow or just get ulcerated? <With time, good care, likely the Wen/hood will re-grow> Is death imminent? Should I put the fish down so it is not suffering? Please help if you can....Thanks! Aquariumlvr <>< <I would not destroy this fish, nor keep it in a tropical setting... Bob Fenner>

Goldfish environmental problem/s 7/20/05 Hello! I have been searching on this site for a few days now and I can't seem to find the whole answer to my problems, but sorry if you are having to repeat yourselves. I have a 65l, 14 imp. galls tank with 2 goldfish and 1 black moor. They are about 5 years old. <Need more space...> I moved house about 3 months ago which was fine and they settled in well. About a month ago I decided to swap their plastic plants for 6 real plants which they thought was fantastic. However the tank got really dirty, really quickly (like pea soup) and their ornaments and stones were covered in green slime. I changed 30% of the water, rinsed off the ornaments and took out 3 of the real plants. This didn't help and within a few days everything was green again. <Likely the new water, perhaps more sunlight, the season change... and your system re-cycling... dangerous> I removed all of the live plants and put the plastic ones back but the water is still very cloudy. I took the water to be tested and the levels are all fine and they suggested changing 10% of the water every other day, which still hasn't helped and now my moor fish has  developed fin rot. Is it beneficial to do a more drastic water change? <Likely not> The fish seem fine (apart from the one with fin rot, sushi) and are all eating and behaving normally, however the tank gets more murky everyday. I have a Fluval 90l filter system. Hope you can help. Thanks for your time. <Do check to see if there is measurable ammonia, nitrite present and seek to eliminate this biologically. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re: Goldfish behaviour 7/20/05 Hi <Hello there> I bought the water testing kit today and got satisfactory results, the pH was certainly 7 and all the others almost nil.  I wondered about the temperature having put an outside thermometer into the pond at the shallow level.  My grey water has now gone green (do you think I bought duff barley straw? <Possibly> although we have had temperatures in the mid 20s for days on end) but the remaining fish (Harry the heron has been having a wonderful time) seem very happy despite being fed less and have stopped spending dawn and the hours immediately following on the surface - I did take out some weed (probably 10%) and have been pretty pro active re dying lily leaves and such like.  Still spraying the water each day as the oxygenator has failed to arrive! Cheers Angie Watts <Hopefully it will arrive soon, do measurable good in improving your water quality. Bob Fenner>

A goldfish with red spots 7/20/05 Hi, My kids have a pet goldfish they got from a neighbor. He has grown in the time we have had him/her (1 yr). Today I noticed he/she has a rather large red spot (looks like a red blood spot) between its eyes. The spot is all red and is about the size of one of its eyes. I called the pet store but they said to bring the fish in. I don't want to transport it if I don't have to. I read the website but didn't see anything about a red spot like I have described. Should I try to change the water? Thanks - I would hate for anything to happen - I adore this fish. <Could be resultant from a physical "bump"... best to not move the fish, as you state... You could add a bit of aquarium salt... or just wait, see if this will self-cure (likely). Bob Fenner>

Goldfish Disease Problem 7/18/05 Hi, Ok, so here it is. I have two fish in a ten gallon tank a fantail, and a regular comet and my little tank cleaner who is a snail, I also had a dwarfed African frog in the tank with them. Both at the moment are being treated for Ick, but today I noticed my fantail had some grey looking marks in his body, so I started searching the internet for possibilities. One of the main culprits looked to be a fungus, but the description has said cotton-type looking, These marks are grey, and almost look like smudges, just dapped there. Well after many hours of searching in the internet I went over to see my fish, and now the comet is getting these marks too. I'm at a loss for what to do. I was also informed that while they are being treated for Ick, I can't really have any other medication in the tank. And that I have to be very careful about which medications are put into the tank as they may seriously hurt my snail, I already removed the dwarfed frog, due to the fact that the medication may do him serious injury. And well anyway, I am hoping you will be able to help me in determining what it is, and how too remedy the problem. The medication they are currently on is rid Ich, the bottle says that it treats Ick and other external protozoan, Dinoflagellate, and fungal diseases, I have also put some stress coat in to help them out, and a quarter teaspoons of aquarium salt, it's a small amount because I don't want to kill the snail. Anyway, thanks for any help you can provide. Sarah <Adding the stress coat was probably not a good idea. This coats the parasites too so the medication cannot get to the parasites and kill them. The grey areas may be a secretion by the goldfish to fight off the Ich. If it turns into a bacterial disease then I would treat with Nitrofuranace. check the ammonia levels as medication may affect the good bacteria that break down the fish waste.-Chuck>

Goldfish swimming upside down 7/17/05 We have a comet (feeder fish) that we've kept in a bowl for several years (I didn't realize that was wrong until today when I ready this website). Over the years, the fish has grown bigger and it's always been healthy. But two weeks ago we noticed it was kind of listless, just floating toward the bottom of the bowl.
<<... Goldfishes don't live in bowls. RMF>>
 Then it got better and everything was fine. <Temperature change...> We recently went away for a four-day trip out of town, and had a friend check on the fish and feed him. When we got back last night, the fish was floating upside down at the top of the bowl. He's never done that before. After we changed the water, he seemed to be doing a little better, but still spends most of his time upside down and has some severe buoyancy problems. The friend who watched the fish doesn't remember how much food she gave him, so it's possible the fish was overfed. The fish is usually fed a pinch of TetraFin goldfish flakes. Reading other postings on this site, I'm unclear whether the problem is genetic, or was the result of overfeeding, or the result of feeding him the wrong kind of food. <Mmm, the food is fine for small goldfish... the fish likely has little wrong with it genetically... it's just in an inappropriate environment mostly> Can you give me some advice? Also, while we were gone, the air conditioning in the house malfunctioned, and it was 87 degrees inside the house when we got home. <Yikes!> I don't know how long it was that hot inside (or it could have gotten hotter), although the water seemed pretty cool. Could the fish's problem have been the result of the heat, presuming the water temp increased to, say, 85 degrees? <Yes, for sure> Please advise. Thank you very much. David <Upgrade this fish's world. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm Bob Fenner>

Oranda Damage - 07/16/2005 Hi there, please help, my red Oranda's head suddenly tore a little portion on the middle part, will it still grow back to it's original shape?   <Possibly, depending upon the severity of the injury.> What might be the cause of it? <Aggression between tankmates, sharp objects or decor in the tank....  really, any number of possibilities.> any suggestions for the treatment? <I would just observe - if it appears to become inflamed or infected, or if the fish is not behaving normally, I would consider treatment with an antibiotic such as Kanamycin sulfate or Nitrofurazone.  Tetracycline or Oxytetracycline would do.> Thanks <You bet.  Wishing you and your Oranda well,  -Sabrina>

Red cap Oranda head injury 7/16/05 Hey there, please help me, my medium size red cap suddenly torn a chop flesh on her head, which is really ugly (can you imagine a big hole on her head), what should I do?  Would it still grow and back to it's original state???  What's the possible cause and is there any treatment?  I put aquarium salt in the tank.  Thanks.... <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm and the linked files above... or learn/use the search tool or indices on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Sick Black Moor- Please reply A.S.A.P 7/15/05 Hello, Wet Web Crew.     I have recently switched my fantail and black moor goldfish from a five gallon to a ten gallon tank. When changing tanks I added Stress Coat to the water. I kept the water at the same temperature it had been previously. <I do hope you moved most all the old water, the substrate, filter media...> In the five gallon tank the fish were healthy. Their diet has not changed. <"Their?"... there's more than one?> I feed them floating/sinking pellet food that seems to be nutritionally balanced. The tank has a filter and O2 supply. It doesn't have a lid yet. I got one but it was the wrong size. The only new additions to the tank are two small Amazon sword plants and new gravel (which I rinsed thoroughly before introducing to the tank). I also have Gary the snail but he has been with them the whole time.     Anyhow, those are some things about my tank. I haven't tested the water with a kit but they have been just fine for many months so I don't think this is a contributing factor.     The problem is that my black moor (named E.T.) is very lethargic. He is staying in the corner of the tank most of the time. He has white discoloration around his eyes and gills and a bit on the top of his head. I am not sure that he is eating properly. My other goldfish seems to be doing all right. He also seems to be "gasping." I am thinking that it may be a protozoa disease but I'm not certain. I am not expert and need some advice quickly. I would greatly appreciate an expedient reply. Thank you. <Sounds like this tank is not cycled, cycling... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm the linked files above... and either test your water or have it tested for ammonia, nitrite... Bob Fenner>

Comet With a Bump 7/15/05 Hi! <Hello there> I have a 55 gallon aquarium with 3 fantails, 2 moors, and a comet living in it.  I do bi-weekly water changes of about 15 gallons.  I run an Aquaclear 70 filter and a Rena XP3 filter to keep the tank clean. <So far, so good> My 3 ½ year old comet (Floyd) has developed a white cone-shaped bump above his right eye.  The bump is soft (I just had to touch it!).  Floyd has also lost most of his color over the past year.  He went from orange and white to mostly white.  He has had problems with this eye off and on for about 6 months.  The last time he had swelling around his eye, I put him in a 10 gallon hospital tank and treated him with bacterial medicine and parasite medicine.  This seemed to do the trick, and Floyd was right as rain.  About 3 weeks ago, he again developed swelling near his eye.  It turned into a big bump this time, and he stopped eating.  I put Floyd back into the hospital tank and treated him with Maracide, Maracyn, Maracyn 2, and Melafix.  He still didn't eat, the bump didn't go away, he had a bit of stringy stuff coming off of him, and mostly sat on the bottom of the tank.  So, I tried dipping him in a bucket with aquarium salt and water.  I read someplace that his would kill parasites but not the fish.  Floyd didn't like the treatment, but he survived.  After the 'salt bath', Floyd started swimming around the tank again, but wouldn't eat.  Also, the bump is still there.  He was in the hospital tank for over 2 weeks.  I decided to put him back with his friends. A couple of days later, Floyd decided to eat again.  He still has the bump near his eye, but otherwise seems to be fine.  Do you think this is just a tumor?  Also, do you think Floyd will pass this on to the other fish? <Might be> The others all seem to be healthy.  Thanks for your insight.  I'm baffled by Floyd's condition and the fact that none of the other fish are sick.   Diane <Ah, the Huntress... What do you feed your fish? I would try some antibiotic laced food of low protein (for goldfish). These come pre-made or you can make your own (please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/holedispd.htm). Sometimes such growths cure of their own accord. Bob Fenner>

Bloated Pogo - 07/14/2005 Hello Gwen, <Actually, Sabrina with you today - I'm uncertain, but I believe Gwen is no longer volunteering with our crew.> My compliments to the efforts and dedication of the WWW crew... <Many thanks for these very kind words!> Hi I am Priyanka, I hail from New Delhi, India. <A long-distance "Hello!" from California, USA!  Glad to hear from you.> My Oranda, POGO, seems to have contracted dropsy. (I have scanned a number of related websites including the health FAQ section in your website and found symptoms matching to swollen belly, pinecone like scales and red-rashes on its body). <I do want to quickly clear up some confusion - "dropsy" is not a disease, but a collection of symptoms that are caused by any of a number of different diseases....  Just like coughing - a person can cough because they have a cold, or emphysema, or even just because they breathed in some smoke from a campfire.  I know that's not the greatest of analogies, but I hope it kinda makes my point.  The detailed description - especially the red rashes on its body - lead me to believe your fish *might* have a bacterial disease that can cause dropsical symptoms.  His condition might also have environmental or dietary causes.> I bought POGO from a pet-store 2 months ago and she is approx. 4 inches in length. I tried to consult a few-pet stores, but I am not convinced if they are giving me the correct information or whether they are altogether aware of this condition. <Alas, many fish store folks really aren't extensively learned on all types of fish or all fish diseases....  That's just too much to expect of any person.> In desperation, I thought the best way to seek help was from you. To start with I have isolated POGO in to a separate fish bowl (with approx 2L of water). The normal room temperature is around 30-32 degree Celsius (it's been raining and humid). <WOW.  This temperature is *way* too high for goldfish.  I would suggest immediately aiming a fan at the surface of the water, and try to get that temperature down some. Goldfish do better in temperatures of about 18 to 24 degrees Celsius.  In all honesty, you might in the future want to consider switching to tropical types of fish that prefer warmer water.> I am not able to get hold of any medicated feed and therefore I am feeding it with pellets/shelled peas. <I suggest you omit the pellets for now, and just stick with the shelled peas or other vegetable matter.  If the fish is still interested in food, this is a good sign.> I figured out from your website that antibiotics like Nitrofuran <Nitrofurazone?  A good option.> or Kanamycin Sulfate could provide some relief. <Kanamycin is also a great choice.> I am able to procure Kanamycin Sulphate (in powered form) but I am not clear on how to administer the same and in what quantity. <Added to the water, you could use 2.0-4.0g/100L of water.  I have used significantly smaller quantities with good effects.  You might want to check dosage with a vet.> Further, I was suggested by a Vet that Epsom salt/Nitrofurazone bath would help too. <Yes....  this may be the best option - especially considering that you have a vet that can help tell you what to do.> I would be highly obliged If you would kindly advice me the dosage and how to administer the suggested medication. <You might find further dosing information at http://www.fishdisease.net > P.S : I did a 50% water change on the 9th July, which is when I observed these symptoms in POGO. My other 2 fishes (small black moor and a redcap ) in the fish tank (10 gallon) seemed fine and chirpy after the water change.   <Water changes are quite important - have you been testing your water?  Do you know the levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in the water?  Please understand that goldfish are very good at fouling the water (err, simply put, they poop a lot), so please keep this in mind and do frequent water changes.> On the 11th, I saw the water had turned foggy and I found my black moor dead. Following this I changed the water in the tank and isolated POGO. <The fogginess is likely from an increase in bacteria in the water from the dead fish....  A big water change was definitely the best thing you could have done.> Please let me know, if I need to provide some other info. Thanking you in anticipation. <....and it continues....> Sorry, I forgot to mention a point which I have a query about. Yesterday morning I had fed some pellets to POGO, which she ate without any problem. In the afternoon, I saw some mass of whitish fibrous substance floating in the fish bowl (apart from its excreta) in to which I have shifted my fishie POGO. What could this be...?? <Sounds very likely to be fungus growing on a bit of leftover food or excreta.  Probably nothing to be grossly concerned over - just remove it.> Many Thanks for your guidance.  Regards/Priyanka <Wishing you and Pogo well,  -Sabrina>
Bloated Pogo - II - 07/16/2005 Hi Sabrina : ) <Hello again, Priyanka!> Thank you so much for your guidance. <Glad to be of service.> 1) Would it be advisable that I administer Kanamycin Sulfate in the feed (shelled peas). <Possible, but likely difficult.> What would be the suggested dosage..? I referred to the website http://www.fishdisease.net suggested by you. In the treatment for dropsy like condition, they had suggested giving dosage of Ciprofloxacin 250mg-500mg/100gms of feed...should I use the same suggested dosage for Kanamycin Sulfate.... <No.  Well, not necessarily, anyway.  Kanamycin sulfate, administered orally, should be about 50mg per kg of body weight of the fish per day....  A little more difficult to figure, but more accurate than adding a certain amount in relation to the amount of feed.> 2) Any suggestions on frequency and amount of water change of the fish bowl in which POGO is living. <Depending on the size....  Daily?  Every third day?  Test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, and maintain ammonia and nitrite at ZERO, and nitrate at 20ppm or less.> 3)The live plants in my fish tank have been rotting very fast. I was suggested by a friend to make a sand bed in the aquarium for the plants and then cover it will gravel. so that the sand does not mix with the water and make it dirty. Two issues...1) is it advisable... <Well....  yes and no.  Err, that is to say, unless you plan to plant the tank very, very heavily, and have proper lighting, etc., the sand may actually make it more difficult to care for the tank.  Please read more about caring for planted tanks here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/AquariumGardenSubWebIndex.html > 2) Could sand me a source of bacterial infection in the tank (which POGO seems to have contracted). <Possibly, yes.  But only if not properly cleaned, or if it does not have a great deal of plant life in it.> And Yes, I have a snail in the fish tank too...and my plants continue to rot. : ( <Many snails will eat/kill plants, so keep this in mind.> Many thanks and fond regards/Priyanka <My fingers are crossed for your dear Pogo.  Hope everything turns out okay.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>
Bloated Pogo - III - 07/21/2005 Dear Sabrina, <Hello, Priyanka.> Greetings! I am happy to hear from you! <Likewise, I am glad to hear from you!> It is unfortunate, POGO is no more. I was besides her when she breathed her last... <I am so sorry for your loss; poor Pogo.  I am confidant you did all you could for her.> I buried her in a big pot in my backward garden and have planted a white-rose sapling in it. <A very kind memorial for her, indeed.> I miss her. it was POGO, who brought out my hidden passion for animals. My Husband is very fond of pets and I had brought POGO as a wedding gift to him. <How sweet - may she always live on as a kind memory.> I am contemplating now, whether keeping goldfishes would be advisable with the kind of temp. in Delhi (32-35 degrees Celsius on an average for 7-8 months). kindly advise. <I would advise against keeping goldfish in water that warm - you might want to see if you can find out what temperatures your aquarium reaches during these hot days.  Many tropical fish will tolerate high water temperatures....  Fish like guppies and other livebearers, tetras and characins, maybe even a Betta, are all fish you might consider.  If you're looking for a fish that might have quite a personality, a single Betta would do great in a small tank, or any of the South American or African cichlids would be great options for larger tanks.> It was wonderful interacting with you. <Thank you for writing to us, Priyanka> Thank you and take care. <You too.> Priyanka New Delhi/ India <Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Bigger is Better - (Spinning Goldfish) - III - 08/04/2005 Hi Sabrina! <Well hello, Keva!  Good to hear from you!> How are you doing? <Quite well - I hope you are well, also.> I have not forgotten to reply. But, my hands are full. <Understandable.> Bigger is alive and doing well. <Ahh, such good news!> He is still spinning but not as much or as often.  They do not like the frozen spinach but they love the frozen sweet peas and I also try frozen sweet corn and they love it also.   <Go light on the corn - this is probably a perfectly safe food for them, but "greens" are more "natural" for goldfish.  I would urge you to try blanched cucumber, zucchini, and other blanched green veggies.  And, if you haven't yet, please do consider adding some live aquarium plants like Anacharis for them to eat - basically, the idea is to provide them with a diet as close to natural as possible.  Especially for the rather delicate-tummied Bigger.> I tried to change half or more of their water on Fridays. I try to let the water be clean as possible. <Glad go hear it - do please start testing your water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate if you haven't yet; sounds like you're doing great!!> Someone was telling me to get 2 filter for the tank seen as they are so big.  So I am thinking of that. <A very good plan; if you have trouble maintaining nitrate below 20ppm, this may help.> You had ask me about natural things that I tried on them.  Well, I would scrape fresh aloe vera from the leaf into a little container and use a dropper to put it in its mouth. When I am doing that I do not take it fully from the water and I immerse it to breath, while still holding it. (sometimes 2 times daily I gave which ever one is sick) Sometimes I add water to the aloe vera. <In all honesty, I would not do this.  Aside from the fact that Aloe vera tends to make me break out in hives <grin>, I am not at all confidant of what it could/would do to a fish's digestive system.  I suppose it might not be harmful, and may even be beneficial, but I really don't know.> At one point I did put Bigger in a 10 gallon tank and put it in the sun with aloe vera in the water. But, with that I should have changed the water daily and that did not come to my mind so it was very uncomfortable and starting to beat itself against the tank. I did that for about a week with out changing the water. That was when I removed it and put it shortly in the pond. <Yeah....  honestly, the pond is a more natural and healthier place for him.> However, now they are for the most part O.K.  If it is possible I will one day send a photo of them to you.   <That would be a delight!> They do not like their feed anymore. They prefer the corn and peas. My fishes are very big and healthy, for the most part. <Hee hee!  That's not a bad thing, at all.> I still have a special love for Bigger because that is the most sickly one.  Oh! I for get to tell you that they love sweet orange but that causes me to clean the water quicker. The filter does not handle the particles from the orange very well. So I would prefer to give them the orange the day before I clean the tank or give them in the morning if I am cleaning it in the evening. I peel and cut the orange in thin pieces.  One orange can do for two or three meals depending on the size of the orange. (One of my friend got the orange information from a petshop. They fed their goldfishes on it) They had different fishes with different type of fruits. My friend fishes, which I do not remember what kind she had, was eating Kiwi fruit. My friend had a mixture of different fishes. She is no longer living here to ask her.  I also tried them with very sweet pear.  They will eat it but it takes long for them to recognize it. May be if I had continue that would be on of their favourite too. <Heh, fish sure are peculiar critters, aren't they?  Do please be very sparing with fruits, especially citrus fruits, and offer more in the way of green veggies....  natural food to them is algae and aquatic plants, so think green :) > Thank you Keva <Thanks for updating me, Keva!  Let Bigger know we're thinking of him!  Wishing you and your fishes well,  -Sabrina>

Golden orfe floating upside down 7/14/05 Hi Do you know of any problems with orfe with these symptoms? floats upside down, seems otherwise healthy, sometimes turns right side up and swims down but as soon as it stops swimming rolls over and floats back to the top. <Yes... either fatty degeneration or gas bladder ailment of some sort... poor orientation...> I have had a good look at the fish but it looks in great shape, it is around 6 inches long and has been in the pond for around 18 months. None of the other orfe or Koi seem affected and they too are in good nick, any answers would be appreciated Kindest Regards Roland <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm and the many Related FAQs files linked above... till you understand. You may need to change foods, perhaps add Epsom... Bob Fenner>

Re: Injured goldfish... great news 7/12/05 Hi Crew, <Kelly> Several months ago, I questioned you about my Shubunkin goldfish, "Blue." He lives in an outdoor pond and has been battling a bacterial infection. The infection began after Blue's swim bladder was injured via electric shock from a broken heater (I had mistakenly used an aquarium heater in my outdoor pond. The infection, or red patch, developed on the fish's side where his body rests on the bottom of the pond.) Other than brief swims across the pond, Blue spends most of the day lying on his side and requires hand-feeding. Until now! After three months of lying on his side, Blue has suddenly righted himself and is now swimming and eating normally! The bacterial infection is also showing dramatic improvement now that he is up and about. This transformation has been unbelievable . . . like seeing a person who has been bed-ridden, get up and resume a busy life. <Yay!> I wanted to thank you for your advice and for running this website - it has been a terrific resource. But also, I just wanted to share this good news with you. After reading so many fish stories on the WWM site that end sadly, I wanted to share an uplifting one. Thanks, Hecetabride <Thanks so much for sending this along. Congratulations on your success. Bob Fenner>

Cloudy Eye on Black Moor 7/13/05 Hi... I recently set up a new tank a couple weeks ago.  I let it run for a week, and did all of the necessary precautions (dechlorinator, stress-zyme, and all of that stuff).  I even added water from a thriving, established tank as well as some of the gravel from that tank. <Good techniques>   I bought 3 small goldfish about 3 days ago; 1 black moor, a orange and white Ryukin, and a bluescale.  They all seem to be doing fine; they are all eating well and swimming around normally.  I added aquarium salt to the water and also added more stress zyme to the water when I added them to the tank.  The black moor has developed a cloudy eye, but only one is like that. <Likely resultant from a scraped, bump... in handling, swimming about the system> It doesn't seem that he's affected by it; he still appears to be able to see normally.  He is also eating and swimming normally.   I've had goldfish for a long time, but this is my first time having a black moor, and didn't know if there's any treatment for this.  I wanted to consult someone before putting an antibiotic that might harm the other fish.  Thanks! <I would add nothing here. You can read re others similar experiences on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish systems... health, longevity 7/12/05 Hi all, this is the first time I have read your Website and have found it really interesting. Please if you have a moment, can you answer this one for me, my family have had a restless night. <Not good> We have three goldfish in a big, outdoor bowl, a pump, water plants, everything that the pet shop asked us to do. These three have been with us since mid 2001, the fourth died about a year ago. How long does a normal, healthy goldfish live ? <Ten, twenty years or more. Most are prematurely killed off... from inappropriate environments, pollution, lack of nutrition, stress...> Yesterday, I found one of them on his/her back, motionless I thought. It then turned over and went swimming away. But behaved erratically I thought for the rest of the day, lots of upside down, motionless floating and then dashing about the tank. This morning, Thank God, he/she is more normal. Could this fish be pregnant, is this normal behaviour for a fish carrying eggs ? Please tell me what I should look for and anything I should do. I will be extremely grateful and my family all cope a lot better. This little one is our favourite and we thought we'd lost him/her. Is this a good time to get another pair of medium sized goldfish, how large do they need to be, so the two bigger fish won't eat them ? I will check this site many times today, my son is so anxious. I sincerely thank you for any help you can give us. Regards, Lyla Sydney, Australia <I suspect the crowding, growth over the years, change in season/temperature are taking their toll here. Please read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm Goldfish need more gallons per than you are providing... Bob Fenner>

Re: Aussie goldfish in a bowl languishing 7/13/05 Good morning Bob and thank you for your time and replying to my question. <Welcome> Our three goldfish are in a big outdoor bowl, approximately 20 to 25 gallons. There is a pump to circulate water, elodea plants and we feed them only pet shop recommended pellets. Two fish are about six to seven inches long, one is three to four inches. So I am still concerned as to why the little one did the floating upside down on the surface, motionless behaviour, and then mad dashing about the bowl. Yesterday and today, there is far more normal behaviour, though I sense all three of them are a bit stressed. I have reduced the feeding amount over the last two days as well. I do apologize if I have missed something, but I read through a good deal of your Website and could not find anything to explain this strange behaviour. <Just the ill effects of crowding... metabolite poisoning... affects the newest, smallest individuals the most> Any thoughts please Bob ? Are we doing anything wrong ? Weather in Sydney is usually warm, and in these winter months, I cover the bowl at night to give them some protection, but our temperatures never drop below 7 degrees Celsius. Also, we run the aeration pump through the day and then switch it off at night. They have settled into this pattern for four years now. Look forward to any more suggestions. Many thanks again. Lyla <Each fish needs about twenty gallons of water... thin the herd. Bob Fenner>
Re: Goldfish, bowl, down under 7/14/05 Thank you again for your time and patience Bob. I am hoping things will settle down. Obviously, we will stay at three fish and not add any more. Regards. <Do keep your eye on the goldfish's behavior... particularly during warmer days... this is the best indication of pending trouble... need for water changes. Bob Fenner>

Bubble Eye Trauma 7/11/05 Hi, <Hello> I was cleaning our tank this morning and our Gold Bubble Eye, who is a bit too curious for its own good, got sucked up in the vacuum and popped one of his bubbles, from what I have read in other articles and what the fish guy at the aquarium said, it should heal on its own. My question is: Is there anything I can due to help it heal and to ensure the fish's' survival? <Mmm, yes... optimized, stable water quality, adding a bit of aquarium salt and vitamins> It is my wife's favorite, I am already in the dog house and if the poor guy dies I might as well start packing. Thanks, Patrick <... and perhaps a replacement fish to ease the pain here... Bob Fenner>

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