Oranda Lost Both Eyes! Please Help!!   4/21/06 Dear Wet Web Crew, <Adrienne> I am writing you on behalf of my friend whose Oranda lost both eyes. She said she came home and they were both gone, when just the day before he had both of them. She says he is acting okay, however seems disoriented and swimming erratically. He lives in a tank with 4 other Orandas and one small Pleco and one small Cory. The Orandas range from about 3-4 inches each. He is one of the larger ones. She has never before seen any of the goldfish act aggressive. She has also never seen the Pleco mess with the goldies. She says the Pleco keeps to himself and has never bothered any of them. <Perhaps at night... or something sharp in the tank...?> The tank only has gravel, water, bubble bar, and Eclipse filter; no plants or décor. Do you think another tankmate did this? I recommended she add Melafix, but what else should she do? <Nothing> And what kind of life will he have now that he has no eyes? <Can likely still locate food through "taste" sense...>   I have heard of this sort of thing happening to telescope eyes and moors, but not Orandas. And it is so strange he lost both eyes at once. This is very disturbing. Please help!! Adrienne N. Duque <Not much "to do"... Bob Fenner>

Black Moor Goldfish dis., env.    4/20/06 Hello,    <Howdy>   I'm in the UK <So are some of the Crew> but your site seems pretty good so I'm wondering if you can help me with my Black Moor Goldfish (Delroy). After researching fishkeeping thoroughly over several months I took the plunge and set up my first aquarium 8 weeks ago. It's a 45 gallon tank with a Fluval filter, air bubbles, natural plants, bog wood and rocks.       I've slowly been introducing my fish, carefully checking the water quality, establishing what I hope is a happy and healthy environment for my new friends. I added my fourth fish two weeks ago. Last Tuesday my first fish, Pug, mysteriously died. He had been acting completely normally, swimming fine, eating fine, a very happy Pug I thought. After immediately checking water conditions and inspecting Pug's littly body I could find no outward signs of disease, infection or injury. To be on the safe side I asked my local aquatic centre (I'm very lucky to have a dedicated centre near my home) who tested  the water further and found it to be perfect. They concluded that Pug was probably a weak fish, I had been unlucky and that as long as I kept an eye on the others I should be fine.    <Some aspects of water quality can/do change quickly...>   I've had my face glued to the tank for a week and all seemed fine until yesterday Delroy began to try biting the other two fish (a red and white Oranda - Fluval, and a Fantail - Petrie). He seemed to be acting aggressively towards them for about an hour, but today seems ok. What I did notice however is that his poo was white. I've been searching the web and can't find anything about white poo. Can you help because I'm worried he might have an internal infection or something. <Might...> I apologize if I'm being paranoid but I was devastated when Pug died and have worked hard to create a happy home for my fish, so if something is wrong I want to put it right! Any advice?      Thanks   Shelley <No information on the size of this system, history of water testing... I encourage you to peruse our Goldfish Disease articles and FAQs files: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Lola, the Pampered Picky Eater - 04/19/2006 Hi Sabrina <Steve!  Good to hear from you!  I hope your Abelmoschus crop is doing well - I'm still interested in trying to grow this plant some time.> This is about Lola, the large fantail. <I do very clearly recall.> She was very stable for several months on a diet of mashed, cooked, peeled peas, cooked zucchini, and minced, boiled greens.  When I feed her the greens, she has large, dark green, well formed stools, which she doesn't have with the peas.   <Sounds like good goldfish poo.> Other vegetables like mashed, cooked beans and carrots seem to constipate her--as evidenced by a period of immobility and large, well formed stools.   <Immobility is definitely a symptom to avoid....> I was--and am--concerned about a varied diet so I thought I would give both goldfish (Golda and Lola) some defrosted, frozen brine shrimp enriched with Spirulina for protein.  I was hoping...    They both loved it.   <Adult frozen or live brine shrimp is another very good food to use to help correct constipation, actually, as it is very high in "roughage" content.> Golda was fine, but 3 days after the seafood, Lola stayed on the bottom, dorsal fin clamped, barely moved and barely ate!    <Yee-IKES!  Any possibility that this was coincidence and related to some other variable?  Water parameters ideal, I trust (ammonia, nitrite ZERO, nitrate less than 20ppm)?> She didn't interact with Golda at all--even though Golda was constantly nudging her, trying to get her to move.  This was the worst she had been ever.   <Disturbing.> The next day, a long, irregular white thread started to emerge from her anal spot.  I had read that this was not a good sign.   <Indeed....  Can be a symptom of a number of internal complaints (including constipation), but usually associated with parasites.  I would probably wager that it was from constipation (again).> After fasting for a day, I returned to her usual diet of peas.  It has been 3 days of slow recovery--and a few long, thin green stools-- but she is definitely improving and eating more!    <Ahhhh, good.> Today she raised her dorsal fin when I fed her and she actually started to resume her old feeding behavior of chasing Golda away from the peas so she can (try to) eat them all.  (Golda is no dope--she sneaks in when Lola isn't looking and gulps down a lot.)   <Heh!  I'm glad she's improved....  Whew!> She is still "resting" with clamped dorsal fin but not nearly as much.  Now when I enter the room, she gets up and swims around.  It appears that mashed, peeled peas are the only food she can tolerate without digestive distress.   <What about the other greens that gave her well-formed stools but no distress?> I read that a constant diet of peas can cause cataracts.   <To be honest, I wouldn't know - however, a diet of only one thing can in fact be harmful, just for not giving "well-rounded" nutrition.> I am completely at a loss.  Just about everything besides peas causes some distress as evidenced by immobility and then large stools.  (When she gets just peas, I never see stools.)  Yikes!  Could she be that fragile? <Yes, she really could.  "Fancy" goldfish are notorious for having digestive issues, and once in a while they can be as bad as Lola.  "Fancy" goldfish are bred to be (literally) deformed - deformed, shortened bodies leads to deformed "innards", too.  In Lola's case, deformed to the point of being dangerously unhealthy.  For this and other reasons, I am not a fan of selectively bred fish; I'm still not even sure where I stand on things like fancy guppies and long, fancy finned Bettas....  But I won't get on my soapbox now, I promise.> What do I give her for better nutrition?   <Hey, I don't know if I'd written this before our last correspondences:   http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm .  In Lola's case, I would try with some aquarium plants like Anacharis/Elodea/Egeria....  Maybe also some floating water lettuce or watersprite, as these plants have tasty dangling roots that would be of good nutritional value.  If it were me, I would also experiment by keeping a small tub outside with water lettuce or watersprite in it and "change out" the one(s) I keep in the tank every few days - this way, not only would the plants have a chance to grow their roots back, but you'd be brining in some nice tiny little organisms living on the roots that would also be consumed by the goldfish, adding more nutritional worth.  I canNOT speculate how this would cause Lola's sensitive tummy to react, but if it were me/my fish, I would try it.  You know her better than I do, though, and know better what you can/should risk....  A tough call with the experiences she's had thus far.> How much protein does she need?   <Mm, not a great deal.> Has anyone tried baby food with goldfish?   <I don't know....  Honestly, I fear this would foul the water significantly and very quickly, so I wouldn't recommend it.> Do I need to boil the greens even more than 5 minutes? <Nah, even 5 minutes is longer than I do; they just need to be soft enough for her to munch.> As usual I am so grateful for your help with Lola.   <And I am glad to be of service to her and you.  Thank you for your diligent care of your animals!> Steve <All the best to you,  -Sabrina>

There is something wrong with my (gold)fish  04/17/2006 Hi, I have 4 goldfish don't know the kind or many stuff about them but I have been told how to take care of them. <What size tank are they in?  They need approximately 10 gallons per fish, depending on the size of the animal.  Do you know how to do water changes?  How to vacuum the gravel?  Do you know what a cycle is?> I have had them for nearly 3 months now and just today one of them started going to the surface and turned to the side. I emptied the tank and I put fresh water again <You shouldn't do water changes more than 20-30 percent at a time.  Large water changes are extremely stressful for your fish.> (I did it yesterday) thinking its the water that makes it behave like this. Then I separated it from the other fish and kept it alone in a smaller tank. It seemed to be tired and it made a lot of effort to stay down. Its belly is a bit swollen and I squeezed it just to see air coming out. <This is a very bad idea.  Manually removing blockage is a task that should be left only for an expert, i.e. a veterinarian.  I suspect that only a handful of the WWM crew would even feel confident performing such a procedure.  I wouldn't.> The fish now is better it swims more but every now and then it comes up doing the same (turning to the side). Is my fish dying??? What can I do??? Let me tell you that all other fish are ok. Please help me I love my fish. <Your fish is suffering from a condition called swimbladder disorder.  It is a condition where is unable to inflate or deflate its swimbladder due to an intestinal blockage.  The most common cause is an inappropriate diet.  Do not feed your pets for a few days to allow the ill Goldfish to pass the blockage, and then change their diet to something more appropriate.  I'm going to send you a few links, please read all three. SBD and correct Goldfish diet: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm Goldfish systems: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm Cycling: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm > Thank you. <Good luck. Jason N.>

There's something wrong with my fish! Goldfish in not-ready world   4/18/06 <Hi am Dara and am 14. I bought three veiltail fish and a 19 gallon fish tank. I did everything it said to (clean the gravel add the water conditioner, etc.). I'm not sure what gender my fish are. How can I tell? <... posted on WWM> I know Veiltails are supposed to be kind of fat but I have a whitey yellowish one and it is far fatter than the other two. Also, the other two fish swim about near the surface of the water and near the bottom, but the white one just stays mainly near the bottom. <This system is not cycled> It can swim around ok but it just doesn't behave like the other two. Do you think  there is something wrong with it? <With its environment, definitely> Or is it pregnant maybe? How can you tell if your fish is pregnant? Thank you so much for reading this am so new to owning fish and am worried about the white veiltail! Please help me! Thanks, Dara <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm and the linked files above. Do this now, as your fish may well die from their present circumstances in short order. Bob Fenner>
Re: there's something wrong with my goldfish!  - 04/19/2006 Hi again, thank you for reading my previous email, I appreciate it. What do you mean by 'the system is not cycled'? <Likely this is the root cause of your difficulty> I added a biological aquarium supplement to the water which produces the good bacteria. doesn't that mean its cycled? <Mmm, not necessarily. Testing is still required... for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate... most such adjuncts actually don't work... well or at all. The only one I'll "plug" is BioSpira currently> My tank is 19 gallons, and its far from small and the fish don't seem cramped at all. The white fish is ok now, I think it was just getting used to its new home. I have one more question, my other 2 fish, one speckled and one grey, the speckled one keeps chasing the smaller grey one, sometimes it tries to bite its tail. is this playing or bullying? <A bit of both. Best to keep your eye on... and read re Goldfish Behavior... on WWM> much appreciated Dara <Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Please help me Goldfish trouble   4/16/06 Dear Mr. Fenner, <Tom with you this time, Alfredo.> I am having a lot of trouble with my goldfish. I sent a message to the crew on Friday but it has gone unanswered. <E-mails "passing in the night", I'm afraid. As you've seen, Bob F. did reply to your original post.> I also posted in a less detailed manner in the forum that day, without much of the info. I have supplied it this time around. This site is magnificent and I am grateful that you offer this help to fish owners. <Thanks much for the kind words and, for the additional information.> I have 3 goldfish, a small Pleco and a tiny catfish in a (approx.) 50 litre tank. Their diet is composed of flakes, sinking pellets, Pleco pellets, skinless peas, goldfish crisps and live food. The tank has an AquaClear 20 waterfall filter and a powerhead. The temperature is kept at 79 F and I have been using bottled water for the tank (the tap water is terrible here in Mexico City). I tested the water for the first time today and the readings were as follows: pH = 8.5, NH3 & NH4 = 0.0, NO2 = 0.3. <Bob already mentioned the tank size and temperature to you so I won't be "redundant" here. You might be aware that your pH level is quite high. Goldfish do best with pH levels in the mid-7 range (7.2 - 7.6) and your Pleco and catfish will appreciate lower pH, as well. (As a side note, ammonia, when present, can be more problematic in alkaline water than acidic water where it tends to be ionized into non-toxic ammonium (NH4).) You don't mention your nitrate (NO3) readings, however, which is normally not an overriding concern except that it may be in this instance. High levels of nitrates can starve the tank of oxygen. Based on what you describe, this might be consistent with the behavior/condition of your lost pets as well as your Ryukin.> I lost three goldfish in the past month. The Ranchu spent days on end swimming in place by the plants and sometimes by the heater as if hypnotized. One day its eyes became very sunken and it began breathing very quickly, opening its gills very wide and then died. The celestial died soon after with the same symptoms. The others began scratching against the gravel soon after and at times showing jerky movements. I tried Aquarisol unsuccessfully. The lady at the aquarium recommended General Cure (I have read about all kinds of medications that you guys recommend in this site but I cannot find the vast majority of them here in Mexico) pills for 4 days. The treatment was followed by more scratching so I was advised to treat them with a copper containing medicine for 5 days. This had seemed to work until last night that the Ryukin began scratching again. The fish also had stringy feces with transparent bubble-like segments like linked sausages. The redcap died yesterday after a day of sunken eyes, rapid gill movement, and wide open gills. <Again, please check your nitrate levels.> Today the Ryukin has been spending lots of time at the bottom, sometimes swimming in place and at other times laying on the gravel; sometimes swims wildly and scratches. It seems that only one gill is working and seems agitated. I did a 35% water change yesterday and added a tablespoon of aquarium salt. <Wild swimming behavior is sometimes associated with "shock". A number of possibilities here but one cause that stands out, to me, is a dramatic change in water conditions over a very short period of time. Please, test your bottled water. Frequently, we become so focused on what is occurring in the tank that we overlook what we're putting into it.>   The lady at the Aquarium recommended that I put the Ryukin in a plastic bag with tank water plus 2 drops of  the copper medicine for less than 5 minutes. Waiting for that fish to hopefully recover. Please help me. I would like to save these fish that I care about so much. <Nothing would make us happier, Alfredo.> Thank you very much.---Alfredo Echeverria <Best of luck. Tom>

Re: Sunken eyes, frantic breathing--- addendum   4/18/06 Dear Mr. Fenner, <Tom> I apologize for bothering you again. <Stop apologizing. (It demonstrates good manners and a fine upbringing, however...) :) Tom> I forgot to add that the current in my tank is on the slightly tempestuous but swimmable side, in case the strength of the current in one´s tank can be harmful (too oxygenated or not enough or something suchlike). <It would be hard to over-oxygenate an aquarium, Alfredo. Usually we look for the opposite condition. That said, there are species of fish that don't appreciate tanks with too much water current. Shouldn't be a problem in your case, though. (When you say "tempestuous" I assume you don't mean that they're being blown all over the tank.) My "Rule of Thumb" is that, the more delicate, or finely-finned, the fish are, the less current in the tank they will appreciate.> Thank you very much. Alfredo Echeverria <You're very welcome. Tom>
Re: Sunken eyes and frantic breathing goldfish 2   4/18/06 Dear Mr. Fenner, <Tom with you once again, Alfredo.> I appreciate your response and the thoroughly sound advice you have given me. <We're only too happy to be of assistance whenever possible.> I have read in the search feature about Nitrates (which my test kit doesn't cover) and have several questions pertaining. I also researched a bit concerning pH levels --- all matters that you and Tom stated in your replies I should look out for. <Excellent. You're making my job easier. :)> Undergravel filters can seriously tinker with nitrates, as I read, and I am afraid I might have one in my tank. Are they the kind with a small platform in the bottom (beneath the gravel) that connected with a tube to a powerhead above gravel level? I have one like that. <Then, you have an undergravel filter (UGF).> I also have the kind that one hangs on to the edge of the tank and is outside the water - it has different filter cartridges (a sponge, a carbon filter, and some ceramic bits for beneficial bacteria breeding). <You might see these referred to as "hang-on" filters, HOB's and "power filters".> I read that if chemical filtrants like carbon are used too much or too soon they can mess with pH. <Activated carbon can alter pH for a couple of reasons. The first is that it can "adsorb" (versus "absorb") carbon dioxide (CO2) which can raise pH levels in the tank. This is considered "temporary" but is also dependent on your water chemistry. The second is that carbon contains ash and phosphate, both of which can be leached into your tank. Higher phosphate levels can lead to algae build-up. Ash can lead to what is referred to as "pH shock" and could, potentially, send your pH levels to as high as 10. Please note that a high-quality, acid-washed carbon will likely leach little of either! The problem is that there are companies that market so-called "activated carbon" that is of poor quality and may, in fact, leach a good deal of both of these elements into your aquarium. Everyone needs to be aware of this and it's one reason why I, among others, don't advocate the use of carbon as an "everyday" filter medium. (Note that even well-regarded sources who advocate the regular use of carbon caution hobbyists to purchase carbon with care and to change it, typically, every four weeks.)> My multi-insert filter has room for the three inserts that I mentioned above; yesterday I fitted the filter with an addition of an Ammonia-reducing insert (containing little white rocks). That makes it 4 inserts in total. Is this an example of too much or too soon? <In a word, "Yes." Personally, I have three AquaClear filters such as yours and use only the sponges and Bio-Media in mine, occasionally adding some "floss" for a little extra "polishing" of the water. The ammonia remover will tend to starve your bacteria of nutrition, for one thing. Also, your basket may be packed so tightly that the water will bypass the media and you'll lose filtering effect.> The pH on the tank tested at 8.5 yesterday. How can I lower it? <The best, and most efficient, way is to use a source of water for water changes that tests near the pH level that you desire. Even Goldfish advocates - not to exclude your Pleco and Catfish - recommend that it's better to adapt your fish to less-than-optimum, out-of-the-tap pH levels than to chemically alter the pH with additives. It's the change in pH that's potentially dangerous to your pets more than the adaptation to pH levels that are higher, or lower, than they prefer. (Peat moss in your filter basket will release tannic acid, lowering the pH. A CO2 injector will form "carbonic acid" into the tank but, now we're back to "toying" around.)> Is the undergravel filter in my tank (if it qualifies as one) producing deadly nitrates for my fish? <It's well-known that UGF's can produce serious problems where nitrates are concerned. My recommendation is to pull it out. (I'm betting that many of my fellow WWM Crew members are asking themselves what took me so long to suggest this. :)> How can I control these two aspects as the fish might be in shock as Tom mentioned? I wrote that I had been using bottled water and Mr. Fenner wrote back that fish need a lot of minerals in the water. Do you mean tap water? Should I start using more tap water instead? <The minerals needed to "buffer" changes in pH are missing in distilled water. I would recommend using tap water (with a good dechlorinator, or course) for water changes in order to help stabilize your water chemistry. You may have to do a mix of both tap and distilled water here but it's better to do it in a "water change bucket" than in your aquarium.> (No stores open today. Don't have acids for lowering pH and the like.) <Already covered, hopefully...> I am sorry to sound like an overly-concerned Jewish mother (Oi Vey! Oi Gevaalt!), but I should like to keep my dear goldfish alive and happy. I appreciate the tremendous help that you ladies and gentlemen provide.   Thanks again,  Alfredo Echeverria <You're welcome, Alfredo. Tom>
Re: Sunken eyes and frantic breathing goldfish 3   4/18/06 Dear Mr. Fenner, <Tom, again. (I don't like to leave things "unfinished", Alfredo. :)> Firstly, I would like to thank you for your patience and kind advice. I wrote you an e-mail this morning but I think I may have sent it to a wrong address--- instead of FennerRobert@ I put RobertFenner or perhaps I wrote BobFenner@. <Actually, we got it...> Anyways, I was wondering how I could get the pH down and how I might reduce the nitrates ( my kit doesn't test nitrates). If my readings for nitrites and ammonia were perfect, could there still conceivably be a problem with nitrates? <Absolutely. Nitrates are the "end product" of the cycle. The Nitrosomonas bacteria feed on ammonia and Nitrospira bacteria feed on nitrites. It's left to us to handle the nitrate levels through proper feeding, cleaning, water changes, filtration, etc.> I read in the articles that undergravel filters are not recommended for Goldfish as they can boost the nitrates. Are these filters the kind with an underground platform connecting to a powerhead by means of a plastic tube? <Deja vu. Yes, they're the ones...> I have one like that, as well as the kind that latches on outside the rim and has insert cartridges of carbon, sponge, and ceramic bits for the bacteria. I managed to carefully cram an extra cartridge containing whitish rocks that remove ammonia (same brand as filter and inserts -- Aquaclear). Would this be an instance of using chemical filtration "too much or too soon" as you warn in the pH article? <Yes...> I decided to try using tap water instead of bottled water for the first time today. Please pardon the stupid question: Does one have to stir the bucket of tap water after adding the dechlorinator? <No such thing as a 'stupid' question. Measure the temperature of the water from the tap, add the dechlorinator and let the tap agitate the water. Let the water sit for a few minutes before adding it, giving it a stir if you like. I like to wait until the water is crystal-clear before adding it to the tank and stirring seems to quicken this.> I did a 40% water change this evening and added the treated tap water in hopes that beneficial bacteria will thrive in the extra minerals and pH will lower (the water tested 8 in pH as opposed to the 8.5 in the tank). <The minerals will help the fish and buffer against "dramatic" changes in pH.> Taking these shots in the dark. <Not "shots in the dark", Alfredo. I'm only sharing what many, far more qualified than I, have researched, documented and shared with the rest of us.> I appreciate any advice you can offer. Thank you and sorry for the trouble, Alfredo <What trouble? That's what we're here for... Tom>
Re: Sunken eyes and frantic breathing goldfish 4   4/18/06 Dear Tom and the WWM crew, I really appreciate all the great advice you have given me and the enormous help you have been. It is very comforting to know that people like you --- altruistic, dedicated, and passionate fish experts--- are sharing their priceless knowledge and time with the general public. Personally, I had tried to contact vets here in Mexico City with any knowledge about fish and found none. I thank you for your time and trouble. (Please excuse me for repeatedly calling you Mr. Fenner, Tom.) Alfredo Echeverria Ripstein <On behalf of all of us, I thank you for your kind words and thoughts, Alfredo. We all  take pride in contributing whatever we can to make this site the best it can be and in making every effort to assist all who ask for our help/guidance. Our very best to you, my friend. Tom>
Re: Saving my Pets ( Sunken Eyes Frantic Breathing III)... not reading    4/25/06 Hello, dear members of the WWM crew. My much loved Goldfish, Snowy, died today. I have lost 6 very dear fish in the last year and I am determined to make the ones I have left survive--- with your help, of course. These are the details: I have a 50 litre tank with a small Ryukin, a small Lionhead, and a tiny Catfish. <A larger system would help you to provide stable conditions> The tank is heated at 75, and is equipped with two filters and one powerhead. One filter is undergravel <I would not use this with goldfish> and the other is a hang-on Aquaclear filter from which I have removed the carbon insert, as instructed by Tom, and now houses only the sponge and ceramic inserts. I feed my fish once daily. Their diet consists of goldfish flakes, sinking pellets, skinless peas, and brine shrimp. <I would not feed dry food daily> The readings taken this afternoon from the water test are as follow: Ammonia = 0 Nitrites= 0.3 Nitrates = 5 pH = 8 <This pH is really too high> Some of the goldfish that died had been scratching against the gravel and on occasion given to wild, erratic swimming. I also noticed that they began bouts of frantic, heavy breathing; opening their gills very wide before their unfortunate death. <Environmental... likely anoxia, too little oxygen at play here among other possibilities> Several weeks ago I treated with AquariSol, then with copper <Aquarisol is copper-based nowadays... you're also likely poisoning them here> medication and also with general cure pills. Bad move, I know. <...> Since then I have done frequent and well-planned partial water changes (20-50%) and given aquarium salt at recommended doses. I syphon and pick up uneaten food and sometimes add Cycle, the beneficial bacteria solution, to the water. I haven't been medicating for a while now. I have been doing frequent test of the water and getting readings like the one I included above, but day before yesterday I found my little Pleco dead and my beloved Pearlscale had fallen ill -- spending much time at the bottom. This morning he began with buoyancy problems (I feed them in accordance to the articles and keep the water in very good condition) and died in the afternoon. One of the fish that is left still once in a while shows the erratic, wild swimming and also scratches on occasion. She otherwise seems fine and swims happily. Sometimes she spends time near the bottom, swimming in place by a plastic plant as if hypnotized. Is this normal? <No> Should I treat her with something? <No> I love these fish and want them to survive and be happy. Its devastating to lose so many dear pets in such short time. Please tell me what I should go about doing, given the specific situation, to ensure their survival and well-being. I appreciate all your help tremendously. Thanks, Alfredo Echeverria <... Again... please read the responses you have been sent... and read on WWM re goldfish... Systems, Disease: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm Your answers are stated, re-stated there over and over. Bob Fenner>

Battling Ich and Septicemia Re: goldfish - using antibiotic and antifungal simultaneously  - 04/15/06 Dear WetWebMedia Crew, I have two fish with severe Ick and also early stage hemorrhagic septicemia (possibly due to reduced immune system caused by the Ick) <Maybe, but more likely caused by too much organic matter in the system>. I have bought an Ick treatment and also an anti internal bacteria treatment. They are both from the same company (Interpet) and no ingredient list is given with them. <Return or throw away. Don't need or want them> It warns that the Ick treatment contains formaldehyde and methanol (and I suspect Methylene blue also due to the blue colour and staining warnings). No such warnings are given with the antibiotic which is colourless. There is no specific information in the booklet about whether these products are compatible and Interpet appear not to have a website. Can you please give me some advice on whether I should use these treatments can be used together, and if not advise me on a course of action (i.e. which problem to treat for first). Thank you very much, Lewis. <Lets treat both at once. It would be helpful to know what species of fish we are dealing with here, but the vast majority of FW fish can tolerate this approach. You will need aquarium salt (and a scale to weigh out the proper dose), heat, a few buckets and a gravel vac. Start with a big 50% water change using the gravel vac to get as much of the organic matter out of the system as possible. Then measure out 76 grams of salt per 10 gallons of water. Put the salt in a jar, fill with tank water and shake to dissolve as much as possible. Pour the brine (only) into the tank, then refill the jar with more tank water. Repeat over the course of a day or two until all the salt has been added. Then crank up the temp to around 86 degrees. Now comes the fun part. You will need to do water changes daily, always with the gravel vac, replacing the water with water salted to the same concentration. It's best to dissolve the salt in the water before adding to the tank, therefore the need for a few buckets. The heat will speed up the Ich lifecycle and clear your fish in a few days. The salt will kill the parasites in their free swimming stage and stop reinfection. The water changes will reduce the organics in the system and allow the fish to fight off the septicemia. I would not use an antibiotic. They tend to kill off the good bacteria in the tank that control your water quality. If the septicemia does not improve then the fish must be moved to a QT tank for treatment. You should never treat in the main. A sick fish in bad water is not a good thing. You can lower the temp a bit when the Ich clears the fish, but keep the salt in the water for at least two weeks after the last spot drops. You can reduce the water changes when you see the septicemia improving. This approach is a sure fire way to remove Ich from your system. Unless reintroduced you will never see a spot again. Keeping up with water changes, always siphoning with a gravel vac, will greatly reduce the chance of seeing the septicemia again. Good luck. Don>  

Black Moor Goldfish env. dis.    4/15/06 Hello, I have a beautiful Black Moor Goldfish, his name is Fred and I think he might be sick or have an infection. I recently replaced (wed April 12th) all water in the fish tank due to some algae growth and very milky water. <Not usually a good idea...> I basically started over. <How about your biological filtration?> I noticed yesterday when I got home that he has this pink growth on his butt. Its the color of salmon and it looks like a hemorrhoid. <Environmental> I also noticed that trailing it was a white thin substance which I am guessing is poop. Is there anything that I can put in the water or feed him to help him get better? I have only had him for a little over a month. He also shares his 10 gallon tank with a Calico Goldfish and her name is Ethel. Fred and Ethel get along great and they play a lot. I haven't noticed any change in his demeanor or eating habits, he still eats like a pig so I don't think, or at least I hope he's not in any pain.   Please help!! I don't want to lose my Fred!!!! <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Sunken eyes frantic breathing goldfish    4/15/06 This site is incredible I am very thankful that you offer this help to fish owners. <And we're very glad to do so> I have 4 goldfish, a Pleco , and a tiny catfish in a sixty litre tank <Will or do need more room than this> with a powerhead and a waterfall-like filter -containing carbon, sponge, and ceramic components. I keep them heated at 79 <A bit high...> and their diet consists of flakes, sinking pellets, skinless peas, Pleco pellets, goldfish crisps, and live food - ´´Artemias´´ (are they also called by this name in English?). <Yes, Artemia salina in Linqua Latina, brine shrimp commonly called> I also use Cycle, the beneficial bacteria solution. I use bottled water <Mmm, goldfish need a good deal of minerals in their water> for the tank which I condition with something called neutrastress (eliminates heavy metals, chlorine and the like). I love my fish very, very much <I see> I lost two goldfish in the past month, a Ranchu and a celestial. The Ranchu spent days on end swimming in place by the plants and sometimes by the heater as if hypnotized. One day its eyes became very sunken and it began breathing very quickly, opening its gills very wide and then died. The celestial died soon after with the same symptoms. The others began scratching soon after and at times showing jerky movements. <Very bad signs> The lady at the aquarium recommended that I treat them with Aquarisol, which failed to cure the itching. I then proceeded to medicate with General Cure pills at the Aquarium lady's prompting (I have read about all kinds of medications that you guys recommend in this site but I cannot find the vast majority of them here in Mexico). The treatment was followed by more scratching so I was advised to treat them with a copper containing medicine for 5 days. <Yikes... too much chemical exposure. I would have just used aquarium salt...> This had seemed to work until last night that the Ryukin began scratching again. Also, some of the fish have been exhibiting frayed fins and small splits in the tail and the redcap is missing several scales (from fighting, I am told). The fish also had stringy feces with transparent bubble-like segments like linked sausages. Today the redcap has very sunken eyes and is spending time swimming in place near the bottom with rapid breathing and wide gills. The Lionhead seems to have the beginning of sunken eyes. I don't have a water testing kit and everything here in Mexico city is closed until Monday for holidays. Please help me. Thank you very much. <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the linked files above, particularly on Goldfish Disease... I would just use salt/s as covered there... Do check your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. I strongly suspect that your root problem here is environmental, not a biological disease agent. Bob Fenner> ---Alfredo Echeverria

My goldfish, killing them    4/15/06 I recently decided that I wanted to get a couple of goldfish, so I went to the local tropical fish store and picked up 1 (fish #1) then went to Wal mart and got 1 more (fish #2), (they were both in a pretty big goldfish bowl and I read through your site and I am going to go get a 10 gallon tank soon) then the next day my Shubunkin (from Wal mart) died. <...> I figured maybe it was just because the fish were cared for differently from different stores, so I went back to the fish store and got a little red fantail (fish 3) and then it was fine for a couple of weeks so I decided to get a calico fantail (fish 4)and a baby clown Pleco (fish 5). I noticed that the calico seemed to be acting kind of funny (spinning and rolling over) in the tank but I had heard of other fish acting strangely when they are first introduced to a new home and didn't really think anything of it. <... two> The calico had just gotten off of hold from the fish store. I had been waiting for 2 weeks to buy it and so it might have been taken off hold too early, but it died while I was gone (I put it in with my other 2 fish at 3:00 and it was dead at 8:00). <... tres> Then the next day fish #1 died too and it was just fine 3-4 hours before. So now I have my little red fantail and the Pleco. But then today I noticed that the fantail has a red and pink spot on his forehead where his nose would be and am wondering what that is and if that could be what's causing the other fish to die? <Nope> Also, am wondering if a filter is completely necessary and if adding salt would help him? <... is, and maybe> I know I must sound very irresponsible but that wasn't my intention. <...?> I know plenty of people that did the exact same thing as I did and their fish are just fine. Even the people at the fish store said that I was doing everything right but obviously that isn't the case I all my fish would still be alive... Do you think it could be the water? I was thinking of using bottled water to fill the tank, would that change anything? I usually use tap water and use a stress coat that clears the water of harmful toxins, is that enough? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Elizabeth <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: My goldfish, killing them  - 04/15/06 Do you know what the reddish pink spot on his nose could be and any possible treatments? <... please read where you were referred to. BobF>

Oranda Stuck on Bottom of Tank Upside Down    4/14/06 Hi, My name is Brian and I have 3 Orandas.  One of my Orandas, the smaller and rounder of the 3 has always had floating issues.  These seem to always have been corrected by pea feeding and such.   <Mmm...> So when it happened a few days ago, I didn't think much of it and went to the peas again.  Her situation has gotten progressively worse.  Over the last couple days, she has gone from floating right-side-up at the top of the tank and eating, to stuck at the bottom of a hospital tank upside-down and no longer eating.  I'm not sure what to do at this point as I think it may be too late.  She has the clear zigzagish poops now also and her eyes have gone back and forth from being "popped".  I've added salt to the hospital tank along w/ medicine for internal bacterial infections.  Any suggestions and/or education to this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Brian <Please read Sabrina's piece here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm and the linked files at top... Not an uncommon problem. Bob Fenner>  

Unknown goldfish disease....    4/14/06 Hi, I have 2 common goldfish in a well established 18G tank. One of them has started just sitting on the bottom of the tank holding its fins close and breathing slowly. When I feed it, it becomes active and eats plenty food. It has lots of white lumps (1 -2 mm in size) on its tail, and today I noticed streaks of blood in its tail, with more blood around some of the whittle lumps. <Do the spots look like Ich?  Look up pictures of Ich on the internet, it is very recognizable, esp. under fluorescent lighting.  If so, the fish likely has hemorrhagic septicemia as well, probably brought on by the Ich, and should be treated with medicated food.  The Ich should be treated with salt and heat, minimal poking around on the 'net should give you an idea of how this treatment works.  If the spots really don't look and behave like Ich to you, you should also look into Carp Pox.  Google is your friend.> I have searched the internet and cannot find anything resembling this, unless it is a combination of more than one disease? Although they could do with more space I use a canister filter which is rated for aquariums of 21-40G and perform regular water changes of 25-50%, so the water quality should be okay I think. <The first thing you should do when you see a sick fish is test the water quality.  I strongly suggest that you invest in some test kits.  A savvy shopper can have a test kit including Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH tests for as little as $20.  Ammonia and Nitrite should ALWAYS be at 0 PPM, Nitrate below 20 PPM.  As you gain experience, you will learn how Nitrate and pH can tell you about potential problems with water quality that are difficult to measure.  Second, small (20%-30%) daily water changes should always accompany illness in fish.> Thanks for any advice you can give. Lewis. <Good luck! Jason N.>

Goldfish with only one open gill... env. dis. Hello, <Hi there>             I have a white fantail goldfish which I've had for several weeks. This morning he was swimming around happily, both his gills were opening and closing, and there seemed to be no abnormalities. I did a water change today, and for several hours afterward, he seemed perfectly fine. But then I noticed he was floating on top gasping for air. <The new water...> Now, his right gill barely opens (if at all). Sometimes he will start violently shaking and opening/closing his mouth. Then for a few minutes afterward, his right gill opens and closes just fine. But eventually it seems to seal again. He hasn't ended up floating at the top again yet, but he does spend a lot of time near the top. I moved him to a small 1 gallon hospital tank so that I could keep an eye on him. I'm wondering if being in the net could have damaged his gill, or if it is early signs of some disease that needs to be treated. <... not a pathogenic one, but environmental. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/treath2o.htm Best/better by far to allow new water to "rest" a week or more ahead of use. Bob Fenner>

An update, and another question.... Goldfish dis.   4/12/06 Hi there, <Hello> Thanks so much for the earlier help with the "lonely only" goldfish.  I am glad to report that his own tank has now finished cycling, and he is back at home, having spent almost six weeks in the quarantine tank.  The fungus that he acquired just after his move to the small tank cleared up nicely with the salt.   <Good> I have now acquired a chlorine/Chloramine test kit (unfortunately, the dip stick type was all I could find), and I now keep an eye on that as well as the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.  Ammonia and nitrite both zero, with nitrates between 5 and 10. <Acceptable> Once the original goldie was back in the 20 gallon, I acquired another goldie, an almost pure silver fantail of approximately two inches body length, which took up residence in the quarantine tank. <Good>   He has now been in there about ten days, and last night I noticed he had started to show some red streaks and veining in his fins and tail. <Ahh... aren't you glad you quarantined?> No marks on his body.  I had been doing 30% water changes daily, with the appropriate amounts of Aqua Plus added each time.  The tank is bare bottomed, and I make sure to pick up all the fish poop with the gravel vac when I'm doing the changes.  As this is a small 3.3 gallon spare Betta tank which had never fully cycled, I was testing the water every second day just to keep an eye out for any unwanted spikes.  While I did have detectable ammonia and nitrite levels, these were not that high, at 0.6 ammonia and 0.1 nitrite. <Are actually high... potentially lethal... at least debilitating> Nitrates tested at 5. These levels had remained pretty steady for the whole period of time he had been in the tank.  Chlorine/Chloramine was undetectable via the dipsticks.  I had also tested the tap water directly with the dipsticks, as I wanted to know just how effective my Aqua Plus was, and I am glad to report that it works perfectly, as the raw tap water certainly has detectable amounts of chlorine/Chloramine.  The tank has a small corner filter, which is filled with filter floss only - it initially had charcoal in it too, but I had to take that out as this fish took to knocking the lid off the filter, tipping it over and spilling the charcoal all over the bottom of the tank.  He then tried to eat it, so out it went. <Typical goldfish behavior> I also noted that the fish is spending a lot of time sleeping on his left side at the bottom of the tank.  He rouses easily, and has no problems swimming - he is very active if someone is around his tank and he thinks there is the chance of a meal.  He is his usual greedy self at meal times.  He is fed two small meals a day - the one in the morning alternates between staple pellets, colour enhancing pellets, and Spirulina flakes.  His evening meal is a thawed, skinned pea.  His poop seems to be normal - varying in colour depending on what his last meal was.   I had initially wondered if the red showing in his fins might have been some colour change brought about by the colour enhancing pellets, but I didn't like the look of the veining or the lethargy, so I also suspected that I might be looking at septicemia.  I had some Jungle Labs Anti Bacterial medicated food on hand (not sure exactly what medication it contains), that is supposed to be good for septicemia, <May be bad for biological filtration...> so I switched his meals to this.  I didn't have any Furan 2 left in stock (figures), but I did have some Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Triple Sulfa, which says it is effective for septicemia, <... marginally> so he got a dose of that as well, as the Jungle Labs food labeling said it could be used in conjunction with external treatments.   I also added some aquarium salt.  He only got the triple sulfa a few hours ago, so I'm not sure yet if it is working, although I'm beginning to wonder if his fins aren't just a little bit less red.  Does this sound like bacterial septicemia, or am I possibly looking at a combination of colour enhancing food and sheer boredom? <More likely the latter> This fish has never really liked the small tank, unlike the other, who loved it, and I'd like to move him to the bigger one as soon as possible, but NOT until I know he's not going to pass anything on to the other fish.  How much sleep is normal per day for a gold fish? <Akin to dogs, cats... variable, but a bunch> None of the others I've had seem to sleep quite like this one does, but I saw from browsing your site that its not quite unheard of, either.  Is there anything else I should be doing to try to save this little guy? <Mmm, not other than you relate here> My daughter  has already become quite attached to him, and has christened him Snowball.  Thanks for any additional information here. Fiona <I'd soon "risk" moving this specimen... Likely is about as clean as it will get. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish Concerns... no info.    4/12/06 Hi guys... Not sure if you guys can help but I have 3 goldfish and my concern is that one of them is bloating up like the one in the picture on your website in the FAQ's section. The others looks as if he had ashes all over their body...as if peeling white stuff off their skin..? <Yikes...> please tell me if this is normal or if I need to do something about it. Thank you. <Uhh... where's the "beef?"... No info. provided re your system, testing of water quality, history... Please read on WWM re Goldfish Systems, Disease, Nutrition... Bob Fenner, not a mind reader>

Yikes!  White spots and blood!! Goldfish dis.    4/12/06 Good afternoon! Okay, I've searched your site and my question has been answered...BUT...the link that was posted for "more info" didn't take me anywhere!  It was a  blank page; so could you please tell me what medicine I need for  septicemia? <Depends on "cause/s", species involved, the system... Usually just a return to good water quality...> I have a 35 gallon octagon tank with 3 fantail goldies.   And in my completely ignorant opinion.. I think two are males... and both "males"  have all of a sudden come down with ICK....AND...one of my "males" who is  solid white, not only has those white spots, but he also has a streak of blood  running thru his tail. <... have you read re Ich on WWM: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm> My lone "female" doesn't have any symptoms of  ICK.  She's her regular happy fat self!  Well, other than the fact  that her "stomach".. the bottom side of her has turned to a shiny goldish  color... it was previously white.  For a brief moment I thought that maybe  the "males" had the white spots for mating reasons... but when I noticed the red  streak thru the white one's tail...I knew I was in trouble.  So, can you  please tell me what I need for septicemia?  Oh, and BTW.. I did add Rid-Ick  (Ich?) a couple hours ago... Thanks so much! ~Laura <... use the Google search term on WWM... "Goldfish, septicemia"... view the cached versions (for highlighted terms)... read. Bob Fenner>
Re: Yikes!  White spots and blood!! Goldfish dis, poor maint. Thank you so much for your fast response.  I did as you suggested and  read all the articles... I do have just one more question:  In one of the  articles it said to use Maracyn and Maracyn 2... that's not a problem b/c I know  I can get that at the LFS.  This is my question:  Can I put in the M  and M2 in the same tank that I've been treating with Rid-Ich? <Yes> OR... should  I move all the fish (total of 3..one with spots and red streaks in the tail, one  with only spots and one with no apparent disease at this time) into a 29 gallon  tank that is running but with no fish in it?  The 29 gal. tank I've had for  years... but just started "running" it again about 3 months ago.  (It's my   "just-in-case" tank...haha...never hurts to be too prepared, right?)  The  35 gallon (the one with the fish) was my brother's tank and it's been up and  running for 3 months as well.  The fish I have in the 35 gallon tank have  been there for over a month...I do weekly water changes at 40%.. I test the water  3-4 times a week, and everything is 'within' range...except for NITRATES.. and  that is high when I just change the water.. but they settle down to normal after  about 24 hours.... And this leads me to another question (sorry! ).... <... where are the spaces between your sentences?> I read on your site that  poor water quality could be the reason for the septicemia...but all of my  numbers are reading that the H2O is okay.. could I be changing the water too much? This is all very frustrating!  I've had goldfish for 18 years...(off  and on)...and 'in the beginning' before the internet and all the information  that's readily available...my fish lived longer ( two of them for 7  years!!)...and at that time all I knew about was ICK...and they never had  ICK!  And now, it seems like I can't keep a goldfish for 3 months!! Thanks for ANY help you can give me!!!  Keep up the good work...this  website is AWESOME!!!!!!!!! ~Laura <The Mardel products are mixable with the Malachite Green. I would not move these fish. Bob Fenner<>

Re: Fan Tail Fish sick    4/12/06 Well thank you for your quick response, I have removed the plant, changed his water and he still takes ''naps'' at the bottom of his tank. The infection isn't white anymore but still a little red and so is where his tail meets the body! His waste is green??? Strange! I just hope he gets better... <Me too. BobF>

Unable to diagnose goldfish disease    4/10/06 Hey there, my name is Matt.  I have one female redcap goldfish (appx. 2.5years old) and one male redcap goldfish - about 2 years old. The female has been getting what look to be pimples where the Wen meets the rest of the body and at the top of her gills.  These pimples are orange in color just like the rest of her body and are about the size of a pin-head at their largest.  I am not sure what is causing these pimples however, as I cannot find any pictures online that look like what she has.  I feel she is also beginning to lose some of her motor control and uses her pectoral fins alternately to move now, giving her the appearance of waddling.  Water quality has been fine in the tank whenever I have tested it.  This fish just doesn't seem healthy though she still eats and still lays eggs which produce several fry about 3 or 4 times a month. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Matt <... some "pimpling" of wens does "just" occur... with growth, hormonal/seasonal changes... the "motor control" issue could likewise be "nothing"... not uncommon for very fancy goldfish to "waddle" about... due to their body shapes. That the fish is breeding is telling... that you're likely doing most everything right. I don't find from what you've written here that this fish is actually not healthy. Bob Fenner>

Black Moor Sick    4/10/06 Hi! My name is Stacy, and I am desperately trying to find out what is wrong with my fish. I would appreciate any help you can give me. I have a forty gallon tank with one calico fantail, one Koi, and two black moors. <Best not to mix Koi with fancy goldfish... they're too rambunctious, able, greedy to eat all the food... and Koi grow to be huge if kept in good health> They were originally in a pond with four other fish, but when the weather changed, the other fish began to die, so I moved the remaining four in the house. They have always been together and have always gotten along. I have two twenty gallon whisper filters at each end of the aquarium with an air stone that sits on the bottom of the tank and is the length of the depth of the tank. I feed them regular pond flakes. I went out of town on several consecutive trips, and when I came back I noticed that one of my black moors was lying on the bottom of the tank. He would go to the top of the tank gulp air and quickly swim back down. The pupil of his left I also seemed to be much smaller than the other leading me to believe that he lost his vision in that eye. I did a search on the internet and it seemed that I had allowed the tank to become toxic (even though all my other fish seemed fine). I added fresh water, ph tablets, and took out the carbon filter. He seemed fine for several weeks, and all of a sudden began to display the same symptoms even though I had meticulously been watching water levels, <Mmm, changing out water I hope/trust... not just adding> vacuuming, cleaning out algae etc. I started to soak their food because he always seems constipated. I added more ph tablets and, later, antibiotics. He seems fine if I medicate the tank but after a week begins to display the same symptoms. All my other fish are healthy. I observed him very closely, and here is a description: Usually has white poop trailing (or green if fed peas) Lethargic unless feeding Gulps air at surface Top fin seems to have some damage Darker Black spot on right side Small pupil in left eye May have a rust colored tinge where lower fins meet body Acts normal and healthy almost a week after medicating, but suddenly reverts back to old symptoms I am trying to be very descriptive because I am constantly reading bits and pieces of his symptoms in other people's questions, but there is never anything that fits him perfectly...Therefore there is nothing that seems to completely heal him after I medicate him. This cycle has been going on for almost a year now, and he is the only fish that acts this way. However, I am not isolating him because if there is a problem in the tank, I want the whole tank rid of the problem. Should I isolate him? <At this point... of possible use> I am also thinking of buying a forty gallon filter and using it in addition to the other two filters, but I don't even know if this would be beneficial. I am just desperate, and I hate him being so sick all the time. I am sorry that this is soooo long, but I would love any insight that you could give me! Thank You, Stacy <Does read like a genetic/developmental anomaly rather than something biological/infectious or parasitic, even environmental. Isolation with the Calico ultimately is the route to go though. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish beh./disease question  4/09/06 Hello Mr. Fenner. <Hi, Gage here today.> My name is Dale and I have recently purchased 10 goldfish for my outdoor garden pond and I was wondering if you could help me. I have a problem because 3 of my goldfish are turning black from gold and I have never heard of this happening before.  So I was wondering if you knew what the cause of this may be. Even though the 3 goldfish are about 85% black they seem fine in every way. I would be grateful if you could get back to me and tell me the problem. <It is fairly common for goldfish to change color; it could be related to their temperature, new diet, or just genetics, nothing to worry about really.  You can find more on this and other Goldfish issues at the following URL. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/goldfishfaqs.htm Best regards, Gage> Thank you very much.                                                            Yours sincerely Dale

Ripped Bubble on my Goldfish   4/7/06 I've had 2 red eyed bubble goldfish for 1 year.  They got so big that last week I bought them a new 10 gallon aquarium. <Good. Will need even larger in time> The largest one's bubble got sucked into the plastic catch basket at the bottom of the filter tube, and tore it completely off except the part under his eye.  The bubble floats around when he is swimming, kind of like a deflated balloon, but I am worried about the gapping hole that surrounds his eye where the bubble used to be attached.  Will he get infected? <Mmm, only time can/will tell> Should I cut the bubble off, would he feel this, or would it unbalance him.  He is still eating good, and swimming around.  I don't want him to die.  Can you help? Shaken in Las Vegas :) <Please insert your subject/title in the Google search tool on WWM and read the cached versions (will highlight the search terms). Bob Fenner>
Re: Ripped Bubble on my Goldfish   4/8/06 Thank you for your answer, just 2 more questions.  I cut the fishes bubble off last night, he was trying to eat it, and it was pulling the wound open more.  What can I put in the water to make sure he does not get a fungus, <Aquarium salt, perhaps a sulfa drug, Acriflavine...> and will be safe for the other bubble fish to be in there with the medicine. <Yes, the above are safe and effective> I am going to the petstore as soon as you respond, the eye does not look too good, but he is still eating like crazy and swimming just fine. I am at your mercy! <Mmm, no... Bob Fenner>

Six weeks on.... CSN revival song title?   4/7/06 Bob, <John> Thanks so much for all the help you've given me in the past.  It's about six weeks since I last emailed you and things aren't quite perfect yet with my Lionhead.  She's been here just over three months now, alone in a 10 gallon tank with an AquaClear filter and a bit of Polyfilter on the bottom, and as I have to transport her to a friend's house while I go away for several weeks, I thought I'd trouble you again to ask about a few lingering items. I've put her on a mainly vegetarian diet, she's eating a lot of Formula Two, with the occasional pea or bite of lettuce, and a bit of Jungle Pepso Food once a week.  My LFS (very well respected place) sold me the Pepso Food a while back saying they give it to all their new arrivals for three days and I should try that, <Worth trying> and then one meal a week thereafter just to ensure there was no bacterial problem causing the stringy/tape-like white or clear poop.  It helped, though she'd get a little constipated and bloaty and need the pea after a couple helpings.  Anyway, the poop (and I can't believe how often I'm using this word) <Ahh! Good to recognize, retain elements of our childhood... poop!> is usually a nice thick dark green now, but the last couple days I've seen it come out stringy and white again, sometimes with bubbles in the middle, and just since yesterday a couple bright red spots in it.  As some of the gravel is bright red, and her favorite hobby is, of course, gravel-sucking, I'm not sure if she's swallowing tiny bits of gravel and expelling them or if it's something more dire.  I wish I could figure this out, but there's no consistency to it--the poop will be dark green and thick for days, then have a bubble or two, then be a six inch long piece of white thread with a red spot.  I'm afraid of overfeeding her, but she never gets tired of food so I cut her off after what seems like a decent but not gluttonous feeding.  She also has an after-dinner ritual of coming to the top for air.  Every single time she eats, she then spends at least an hour going up to the top, taking in air, dropping   back down, blowing a bubble or two, and all over again and again.  Could this be a really obvious cause of some of the issues with the bubbles she expels from the other end? <Mmm, possibly, yes> I'm also still concerned about the pH of the water, which is only around 6.6, but it's been that way all along, as well as the nitrates, which have been steady at about 30 since the tank cycled.    <Really needs to be lower... under twenty ppm... there are means... detailed on WWM. This factor/chemistry alone "could be it"> Not sure about hardness of the water, as different test kits have given wildly different results, but I don't think there's reason to assume there's an issue there. <Not likely an issue... or high, considering the measured pH> Could all this be stress (including the red spots in the poop) after over three months? <Yes> And if so, would a couple hours' trip (I'll bring the tank water with me) make it worse? <Maybe a bit more, yes> Thanks so much; I hope I haven't left anything out. Regards, <If there is/will be time, I'd try a one-shot treatment of Flagyl/Metronidazole in this fish's food. Please read on WWM (the Google search tool) re. Bob Fenner> John

Black Moors... sick, env.  4/6/06 We just bought fish for the first time. <Welcome to the "pet fish experience"> We bought 3 black moors and when I brought them home we let the bag sit in the water for 15 minutes , then added a cup of aquarium water into the bag so the moors could get used to the new temperature.   <Good technique> When I finally put the moors into the tank them seemed happy they were swimming really fast in the tank and going up to the surface frequently. <... could be okay... but there might be something amiss with your water quality... was dechloraminated (the sanitizer removed/neutralized)? The tank cycled?>   One of the moors has one eye that's cloudy and the other two seem to have one eye slightly bigger then the other.  Is it normal for my black moors to spend the majority of their time at the surface of the tank and are there eyes supposed to be  the way they are?    <Mmm, no... something is wrong here. Please read: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>   Thank you

Damaged goldfish - 04/02/06 Hello, <Hi, Ben. Tom> My Orange Fantail got stuck in a ornament a couple of days ago. <Had one pull the same silly stunt on me a few years back. Some kind of "ancient" helmet decoration, if I recall. Got tossed. Not the Goldfish, the decoration. :)> I have now noticed that he has two small white patches where it looks like his scales have come off. I assume this was while he was stuck. <Would be my guess, as well.> I have now removed the ornament but am worried about the wound.  Will his scales heal or do I need to treat them and is he likely to be in any pain. He is still swimming around a lot and eating fine. <Ben, with optimum water conditions, your pet will heal up fine. If he were in pain, the stress involved would show up in the form of a lack of movement/swimming and a loss of appetite. Doesn't seem to be the case here.> Kind regards, Ben Hudson <The same to you, Ben. Tom>

Goldfish with Ich   4/1/06 I have 5 small goldfish (1 inch) in a 37 gallon tank. <Just a note, you are or soon will be overstocked at that rate... you will eventually have to remove some fish or get a bigger tank.> This morning I noticed that one of my fish had a tiny white spot on his tail. I thought perhaps this was Ich and decided to keep an eye on it, no other fish had spots and they were all active and eating normally. Later than afternoon I noticed another one of my fish had a single spot on his tail and so I called our LFS to ask what salt dosage to use. The first store told me that salt doesn't treat Ich and to buy a commercial medicine.. <They would, they really like the money that you give them in exchange for the medication!> so I called another store for a second opinion. The other store told me that although they used to treat with salt, it is better to treat with medications to be on the safe side. <In my opinion, it isn't.  If your fish are comfortable with a salt treatment, it is far better to use that than it is to use the more dangerous chemicals in commercial treatments.  Many of the commercial treatments use formaldehyde -- the stuff that we use to embalm bodies!  Salt takes a bit longer, but is definitely safer.> I had a white spot treatment on hand (its called "Three Day White Spot Remedy", and has malachite green and formaldehyde in it) and decided to use that as I really don't want to lose any of these goldfish. I had a cycled 10 g tank already set up as I was planning to use it as a quarantine tank for new fish, so I moved my fish into that tank to be treated as I do not want to kill the bacteria in the larger tank. <The larger tank still must be treated.  It has Ich in it, in the reproductive or free-swimming stages,> The fish have been acting normally and did not display any signs of illness other than the 2 spots... the man at the LFS said that Ich is in the water all the time, so when my fish don't have Ich anymore I can move them straight back to the old tank.. however I have read that Ich has a life cycle of two weeks, so should I leave my fish in the quarantine tank for two weeks before moving them back to the main tank, just to be sure the Ich in the main tank is dead? Also, since the medication kills bacteria and I'll have to do daily water changes, would I add the appropriate amount of medication to the new water I am adding? The bottle says to re-treat after three days, but after that do I stop treatment entirely? I thought that perhaps I introduced Ich with the new plants I bought just recently.. unless Ich is present all the time like the LFS guy says. I just recently got back into the hobby and have really been trying to do everything right by these fish, but things just keep going wrong... is there anything else I can do? Thank you, Emma <I think that you should switch to aquarium salt after you finished your first treatment... much safer than the meds you were using.  For Gobies, I suggest at least 2-3 TBSP/ 5 Gallons, hold for at least two weeks after the last white spots disappear.  Raising the temp to 85 degrees will speed up the process.> <Jason N.>

It All Began With Good Intentions.... Goldfish Plight  - 04/01/2006 Hello WWM. <Hi, Julie!  Sabrina with you today.> Before I begin, let me tell you that I am a newbie to Aquarium keeping, but find it enjoyable and want to learn more. <*Perfect* attitude.> I have made mistakes, <Me too.  All of us in fact.> but am looking for specific advice on where I went wrong. Some mistakes I learned about after the fact, for which I feel horrible, but I'm willing to learn. <Hopefully we can help a little with that - or at least point you in the right directions!> Your FAQ's here have been helpful, but not specific enough for my particular case. It began 2 years ago when I was horrified to discover what to me seemed cruel at a fundraising event. The organizers decided to use 2 large pickle jars filled with a total of 5 one-inch-sized Feeder Goldfish on the bar, used as decorative "Tip Jars". <.... such disregard for life disgusts me.> When I inquired what they planned to do with the fish at the end of the night, their response was "Flush them down the toilet". <Nothing short of murder.  How many animals must this hobby/industry produce for people with no regard for living things to use and abuse, then destroy with no care?  Terrible. Shame also on the store that sold to this purpose.> I asked if instead I could take them off their hands, thinking I could save their lives, and they obliged. <You are kinder than I'd have been!  Kudos to you for keeping your cool.> 2 died within 24 hours. <Not at all surprising.> The remaining three were transferred to a large Goldfish Bowl (3 or 4 Gallon?) which I purchased immediately along with basic Goldfish supplies advised to me by the Pet Store. No filtration whatsoever, but at the time I thought I was doing the right thing. Amazingly, all 3 survivors lived in that bowl for 2 years, with bi-weekly complete water changes to the bowl, (I used one of the "pickle jars" for holding as I cleaned and de-chlorinated the bowl (never washing it out, just a rinse), and allowed it to sit overnight with de-chlorination chemicals. Suddenly, the smallest of the three developed what I believe was a Swim bladder problem. <Mm, more likely a nutritional disease....  See here:   http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm .> This inspired me to do Google research on curative measures... at which time I learned that most experienced Goldfish keepers claim that Bowls are deathtraps. <Indeed.> The next day I went out and bought the largest tank I felt I had space for... a 6 Gallon, which came in a kit including filter, test kit, food, thermometer, etc. No live plants were added to the tank, only artificial plants. After bringing it home, I realized I have room for perhaps a 10 Gallon where I placed it, but I set up the 6 Gallon anyway thinking it was better than the bowl. After cycling the tank for a week, the 2 Healthy Goldfish were moved in, and I kept the Swim Bladder affected one behind in a tank where he was being monitored for his problem and treated with skinless Peas in hopes that he would recover. He died a few days later... but gave up a good fight. <You gave him a far better life than he'd been fated by the folks from whom you procured him; I'm sure he was not unhappy.> My tank maintenance regime is set by calendar to once a week, at which time I "replenished" about 10% of the water level which naturally evaporated throughout the week. Because I also treated my tank with "Cycle" and "Waste Control", products, and tested the PH levels (which were reading normal), I felt the "replenishment" was enough... that perhaps I didn't need to "vacuum" the bottom or change out more water in such a small tank. Perhaps I was wrong, but the 2 Inch-long Goldfish were doing very well in the new tank, and their inquisitive personalities developed even further. They would "follow" my husband and I whenever we came up to the tank... feeding time was always a pleasurable thing for us. De-skinned Green Peas were even more fun... like a little toy ball in the tank they'd play with for hours. <Hah!  Fun, yes, and much better nutritionally than "just" flakes.> Three months into the tank, their environment started to grow little green tufts of algae. After some more Google reading, I learned that some believe Algae is very good for a Goldfish tank, but it is good to also try to control too much growth. I wanted to avoid snails because of my understanding [of my fathers tanks as a child] that reproduction can be somewhat uncontrollable. They multiply faster than rabbits! The last thing I want is a tank taken over by hundreds of snails. The pet store I went to recommended a Pleco, (which after the fact, I now realize was a HUGE mistake!). <Indeed....  And a play on words, there, with the ultimate size of the Plec.> Not only did I introduce a tropical into a Goldfish tank, but I didn't quarantine (I don't yet have a hospital tank). <Uh-oh....> 3 days after introducing the Pleco, both goldfish developed what looked like Ich, for which I began a treatment of "Super Ich Cure", the dosage of which calculated considering the Pleco in the tank. 2 days later, the Goldfish Fins began to split, and were streaked with red, and had red spots on their bodies with random scales missing. <Likely toxins/waste building up....  Most/all Ich medications damage or destroy the bacterial colonies that keep your animals' environment healthy for them.  In this heavily overstocked small space, ammonia and nitrite can become deadly VERY quickly.> The Pleco also had some white dots on him (Ich?). Yesterday, I lost both the Pleco and one Goldfish within an hour of each other. The Goldfish was very pale, streaked with red, and looked "skin" was hanging off of him in random parts of his body. <Though the Ich is partly responsible, it was environmental disease that killed these fellows.> The remaining Goldfish is perkier, but is rapidly degenerating. It appears as if a "skin" of sorts is hanging off of him in several places... a similar fate to the first Goldfish, but he has not lost his orange color as the other one did. <Major water changes are urgent, here.  This guy's environment needs to be fixed, and fast.> I am pretty sure the Pleco came in with Ich and Fin rot... and infected my friends. <Mm, Ich, yes, but fin rot is (usually) largely or entirely an environmental disease.> I can't tell you how upset and angry I am about this... 2.5 years considering what they've been through... and we were attached to these "Feeder Fish". <I wholeheartedly understand, and feel very bad for this devastation.  I am heartened to know that you are passionate enough to research and try to help the animals in your care.  Thank you for this.> I admit I wanted more activity, and perhaps was a bit selfish getting another fish for such a small tank, but I wanted to share this for anyone else contemplating the same mistake. <Thank you.> It seems these environments are much more volatile than we may want to believe. <BINGO.  And THAT, my friend, is a VERY valuable piece of information.  Your future finned friends will fare much better for your understanding of this.> What I don't understand though, is that I took daily pH tests since I introduced the Pleco, and all appeared normal. <pH is but one water parameter that affects your animals' environment, and by far not the most important.> I am now of the opinion that perhaps a pH test is not enough? <Right.> Are there other tests that I should be using on a Goldfish aquarium? <Oh, yes, most certainly.> Does PH also account for Ammonia levels? <No.  You absolutely need separate tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, in addition to pH.  Ammonia and nitrite should always be maintained at ZERO, nitrate below 20ppm, with water changes.  None of the "waste control" stuff, it's entirely unnecessary and (in my opinion) is of no real use whatsoever.  Water changes are urgent, and your only defense against the waste your pets produce.  There is no substitute for a water change, despite what some products might lead you to believe.> Whether or not my last Goldfish perishes, <I do hope he doesn't.  Please get on those water changes, ASAP.  A healthy environment may be all that this guy needs!> I intend to buy a much, much larger tank and try again, and keep the 6 gallon as a hospital/quarantine tank. <Very, very good.> What I don't want, is to fall into the same situation again. I plan to stick with Goldfish (I like them, and I don't think I'm ready for anything harder to keep. But I now know to never, ever to introduce anything other than Goldies into a Goldfish tank... despite what people at the Pet Store think. <Mm, dojo/weather loaches make great goldfish tank inhabitants - and fare perfectly well in cooler water.  Can even be kept in outdoors goldfish ponds in some areas.> Are there snails that don't multiply faster than rabbits? <Yes, actually!  Apple snails are great critters, are EITHER male OR female, and not both (need one of each to reproduce them), lay their very LARGE egg clusters above the edge of the water (very easy to remove if you desire)....  And, like their name implies, they get quite large.  If you follow our general rule of thumb with goldfish (a minimum of 10 to 15 gallons per goldfish) and have a sizeable tank, you could perhaps keep a couple of these.  There are other, smaller, snails as well.  If you'd like a few suggestions, I would like to give you a couple of ideas for a good tank plan for your upcoming upgrade in tank size....  I'd like to see you get something on the order of a 55 gallon aquarium, as that would allow you space for up to five goldfish to live out their entire lives comfortably.  You could do four or five perhaps, and get a couple or a few weather loaches, as well.  A male/female pair of apple snails to round this out, and I think it'd be a very neat tank indeed.  Or you could go smaller, say, 30 gallons or so with just a few goldfish, omit the loaches, and have one snail buddy.  Or any other variation on the theme.  Ultimately, I do wish very strongly to advise you to go for as LARGE a tank as you can reasonably afford.  Remember, goldfish *should* grow fast (given appropriate conditions), and *should* be able to reach nearly a foot in length.  Also, keep in mind that there ARE plenty of tropical fish that are just as "easy" to care for as goldfish, so if you choose that you prefer tropicals, and wish to go that route instead, there are many options open to you.  And, most importantly, please keep reading/researching.  We have many articles that will help you greatly with this endeavor, from setup to maintenance and beyond.> Thanks again for this service! <And thank you for these kind words, and having such high regard for the lives in your care.> Julie <Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Sudden Death of Goldfish    3/31/06 Hi, We have had a 2.5 gallon tank with two small fancy tail goldfish for a little over a week. <Very small world... almost impossible to keep stable, cycled...> It has a medium sized whisper filter and gravel, and plastic plant decor.  This morning, both fish seemed fine, but this afternoon, one of the fish started floating sideways and sometimes vertically. <Biological waste poisoning...> Then, it floated to the top laying on it's side with its gills moving rapidly then slowing after a while.  After about two hours, it was dead :-(  The other fish seems perfectly fine.  The only thing I noticed was that its sides seemed a little bulged, but not like the constipation pictures that I've seen on your site.  Could it have choked on the gravel or ate too much? <Not likely> I don't have a water test kit yet but plan to purchase one. <Ah, good> I did a partial water change just in case for the other fish.   <Also good> The tank has small bubbles around the edges at the top which didn't really go away after the water change.  I haven't used any soap so maybe it's a protein buildup?  Thanks! <Of a sort. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the linked files above. Your filter's okay, but the system's too small... likely uncycled. Bob Fenner>

Oranda with Ich    3/31/06 I've got an Oranda which developed the dreaded salt-like flakes on his tail and hood a few days after bringing him home....obviously bunk pet store stock.   <Perhaps> Anyway , I've quarantined him and are currently treating him with Rid-Ich and waiting for the parasite to cycle yadda yadda yadda before introducing him into my large tank. <Good... I'd "hold off" a good two weeks, post seeing such symptoms> My question is....the parasite took a large chunk of the Oranda's hood off - <Yikes!> now he's got a hole in the middle.  Will an Oranda's hood grow back or will he forever has this unsightly hole? <Can grow back... takes a good long while... months, sometimes years to never. Bob Fenner> Thanks Cheri'

Bubble Eyes and Bettas    3/31/06 Hi, I'm having problems with my two bubble eye goldfish, X and  Deepthroat. We got them a week ago and they live in a 10 gallon tank  with an Oranda and a Calico (fantail? I'm not sure). I am upgrading  their tank to 20 gallons tomorrow. <Better... but will need much more room than this in time> Anyway, one of X's eye bubbles has  become clouded and it's been suggested to be that he might have an infection. <Possible, but much more likely this is resultant from environmental insult, stress> What's the best way to cure it and what can I do to prevent  it from happening again? <Salt use... detailed on WWM, and good environment, maintenance and nutrition will prevent> The other bubble eye seems to have injured one  of his eyes - it's looks a bit bloody. <Yes, not uncommon... just from water quality difference/s, being netted...> Both fish are active and eat  well, though they do like to spend time resting on the bottom. Any  advice?   <Yes... posted on WWM>   Also, when I get the 20 gallon tank I'm moving my Betta from his 1.77  tank to the 10 gallon. Since he'll have so much room I'd like to get  him some tankmates, and was thinking of five Danios or tetras. Would  that make for a good community? <Depending on the species chosen, yes... there are some too large and aggressive of both groups...> Regardless of what fish I get, would it  be ok to add them to the tank at the same time as the Betta? Or should  I get the tank, move the Betta, and the wait for him to become adjusted  to his new home first?   <Much better to wait, do the latter. Bob Fenner>   Thank you!     ~Torey
Re: Bubble Eyes and Bettas    3/31/06 Thank you for the fast reply! Unfortunately my bubble eye with the  cloudy bubble died this morning. When I found him his back fins were  all shredded, and I was told it might be from fin rot. <But caused by... env. influences... "poor water quality", crowding> The other bubble  eye is doing fine and does not seem upset by the loss of his companion,  which I think is odd since they always swam and slept together. Do you  think he realizes that the other fish is gone?   <Not likely. Goldfish are pretty "autistic">   So now it will be 3 goldfish in a 20 gallon tank. I would like to get  them a 29 gallon or larger, but there just isn't room for it and I  think that with often enough water changes and careful monitoring of  the water conditions the fish should be ok in the 20 gallon. Am I  right?   <For a time, yes>   Also I intend to use the Betta's 1.77 gallon tank as a hospital tank  after he's moved to the 10 gallon. Is that too small to use, even  temporarily? Would it be better to get a second 10 gallon to use as a  hospital tank?      ~Torey <Bigger would be much better. Bob Fenner>

New Tank = Stressed Goldfish  3/30/06 Dear crew <Astrid> I have had a goldfish for the last 2 years.  He has been very happy in a 28 litre tank, with filter (triangle shaped that fits in to a corner of the kitchen).  Two weeks ago I  bought another goldfish and the two were very happy. <A very good idea to quarantine, keep separate all new livestock for a few weeks...> My boyfriend gave me a new tank 34 litre (45cm height, 40 cm width), with in built filter, lights and has streams of water from the lid (water circulating from the pump).  The new fish is very happy, but my older fish is so stressed about being in this tank, he just swims frantically around the surface knocking into the corner and getting caught in the stream of water from above and swirls around the top of the tank.  He is clearly not used to these little jet streams and doesn't seem to want to dive where the water is calmer.  Will I leave it for another couple of days so see if he gets used to it? <Yes... I would>   It's quite distressing to see him like that.  Your comments would be greatly appreciated. kind regards Astrid <How to put this? Goldfish are extremely "creatures of habit"... and moving them to new quarters, adding tankmates is quite stressful for/to them; and takes a good while (weeks, months) for all to settle in. Do keep an eye on your water quality and all should be well here. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish tail - ripped or rotting?    3/29/06 Hi Crew, Firstly I'd just like to say thanks for all your advice - it has been a great help to me and my goldfish so far. <Good> Just a minute ago a noticed that one of my goldfish's tails is ripped and there is a large section missing. The ends are not red and the tail is not red streaked either. This is a double tail goldfish - one side is completely normal, the other is torn, which leads me to believe that this is not tail rot.. my other fish are acting normally, swimming around, eating etc and have nothing wrong with their tails at all. <What other fishes are present?> I have never noticed any aggression between these goldfish, there are no sharp rocks or drift wood in the tank, and my filter intake tube is covered with netting (this same fish once got his tail sucked into the tube which is why I covered it, but even after I freed him there was no tail missing and no rips). The most likely thing I can think of is that there was a fight between my fish? I was just wondering what you thought as this is baffling me. Thank you very much! Emma <Fancy, fancier goldfishes do suffer such tears, damage from faster, slimmer kin... A bit of salt and careful attention to your regular water changes will likely see this tear self-repairing. Bob Fenner>

Uncycled goldfish system? Lots of angst, regret, lack of useful info.    3/29/06 Hi Crew,   I am totally and hopelessly new in fish things, and after having done every single thing about goldfish care wrong (unknowingly) am trying to get things right. I had three fantail goldfish, Alfredo, Mauricio and Damian. Alfredo and Damian have already passed away on account of my stupidity.   Mauricio's symptoms are the following #1 Sits at the bottom of the tank ALL day, sometimes he lays completely on the side. #2 He has stopped eating #3 It looks like he just can't move, as if it takes all of his strength to even try to move #4 When he does move it's when he goes on this mad dash around the tank   In trying to help him get better I have now started doing daily water changes (he lives in a 10 gallon tank, I've been changing at least 2 gallons a day). I'm doing Maracyn, and wonder if I should change that to Maracyn 2, <Is this system cycled? How is it filtered? What is the pH..., ammonia, nitrite, nitrate concentrations> I also have been adding salt into the aquarium though maybe a little too much. I'm trying to start feeding him peas, to do that do I just drop the peas in there and hope he nibs at them or is there a trick to make him eat it. How am I supposed to feed him rice, I read it helps with bladder gas disease. Too many questions I know, but I do need the help, like desperately. <Need more useful information. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and the files linked above. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish, Anchorworm, flukes, something innocuous?   3/28/06   I sent you guys a message last week about my new Blue Oranda who was very sick, please read old message below to refresh your memory. I treated him with Anti-Fungal remedies and a round of Maracyn Two and he perked up significantly. However, while doing a water change I discovered two little wormy looking things in his quarantine tank. They were tiny and almost clear and had little black dots on each end and moved around like inchworms and also waved around. They were less than ½ mm in length. I never saw these things actually on the fish, but they had to have come from him because it is a brand new tank I bought just to quarantine him and he is the only one in the tank. By the way it is a bare tank with no gravel, plants, or decorations. I read about flukes and they fit the description perfectly, but I am still unsure. What are these things??? <No way to tell from here> I also need to know the most effective treatments for these parasites. How long do I treat him before he is considered cured because he will be going into a tank with other healthy goldies? (I will be treating that tank after adding him just in case). P.S. I can take pics of the worms if necessary. <Please do. There are suggestions for Anthelminthics posted on WWM. Please use the Google search tool re. Bob Fenner> Adrienne N. Duque

Black Moor In Trouble - Please Help!   3/28/06   I have a black moor that sustained an injury about three weeks ago, I'm assuming from a plant, tubing or some other ornament in my 30-gallon tank which also houses a Shubunkin and a fantail. I was afraid fungus would set in from the injury, and I was right. Within a day or two, a small patch of white cottony growth appeared on the injury. His eyes also grew cloudy and his one eye swelled and is now much larger, Popeye perhaps? <A symptom...> I immediately added Mardel Maroxy (because I believed this to be a true fungus from the injury) as well as Maracyn to prevent a secondary bacterial infection. I added the medicine to the entire tank so that the other two fish were protected from infection. The MarOxy states to use no more than five days. Well, the fungus and the eye cloud did not clear, so I did a 50% water change and switched to Jungle Fungus Clear for the designated time period. Again, the patch of fungus seemed to get a little smaller (but did not disappear), but the moor's eyes got progressively worse. The Shubunkin and fantail did not show any signs of fungus, so I thought it best to move the moor out of the tank and do a large 90% water change and add a new carbon to clear all medication. I moved the moor into a 10-gallon hospital tank complete with power filter and a 7-inch bubble wand. I used a product called Stability to kick-start the cycling process (bottle stated fish could be added immediately as long as product was added for seven days), added Stress Coat and made sure the temperatures were the same before moving the moor. He was fine for a couple of days, but barely eating, mostly resting on the bottom of the tank, but this was typical behavior for him...he was pretty much a bottom feeder in the other tank. Well, the other night he was breathing rapidly, like hyperventilating! <Likely just from all the handling, treatments...> I checked my water parameters and my nitrates were high, but nitrites were zero. Anyway, I thought for sure he would die, so I got him out of there and moved him into a 3-gallon bucket (only thing I had) with distilled water <Not a good idea> and a little salt, no other chemicals except for stress coat. I did a 50% water change of the hospital tank and added distilled water, stress coat and Easy Balance. I thought for sure he wouldn't make it through the night, but he is a fighter. I made sure the water parameters and temperature were ideal and I moved him back into the hospital tank (Nitrate and Nitrite readings were zero). He is breathing much better, but overnight he seemed to develop a very stringy type of fungus on top of his tail fin and covering both eyes, is this now a bacterial infection...columnaris? <Likely just body mucus...> The end of his tail fin appears frayed too...fin rot? <Environmental stress effect> He is not eating, but he is resting on the bottom of the tank, however he is not listless, he is swimming. I know it is hard for him to see the food because his eyes are disgusting covered in white, but one flake actually floated into his mouth and he seemed for a second to try to root around the gravel for more, but then gave up and continued to just hover on the bottom watching me through the glass. Yes, I added gravel and a couple plants (well-rinsed) to the hospital tank because he seemed scared to be alone and maybe it wasn't a good idea but I thought it would make him more comfortable. I've added Mardel Maracyn Plus since the bottle claims it is for fin and tail rot as well as fungus, but is there a better treatment out there? <Yes, I would now and would have originally just treated this fish with salts... Aquarium and Epsom... as proscribed on WWM> It says to maintain normal filtration and air while medicating, so I did not remove the bio bag. His eyes have been clouded for weeks, but got this disgusting stringy fungus on them overnight. I'm so afraid I'm going to lose him! I test the water two, sometimes three times a day. I don't know what else to do. Please, please help me save my black moor!!!! Please hurry with a response. I don't know how much longer he can hold on. <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm and the many FAQs files linked above... till you have some gist of what to do here. Bob Fenner>

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