Question and pictures moor and 1 other goldfish      3/19/17 Alison; please re-size your images (90 some percent) and re-send. We can't accept large file sizes (yours are taking up more than half of our mail server space). Bob Fenner Question and pictures moor and 1 other goldfish      3/19/17 Omg of course Bob, I'm so sorry, I am not so great with that stuff. Okay so for now here is the black moor. I added a pic of him about a week or so ago too so you can see him then and also the resized pics of what he looked like when I found him dead last night. :( he has this large black spot on him but of course I never noticed before because he was so black . <Hard to know precisely what this is from the photo, but my money would be on an ammonia burn. The fish also seems to have a damaged cornea. In this situation I would suggest optimising water conditions (zero ammonia and nitrite, of course) and raising the hardness a little if your water is soft (Goldfish prefer hard water, so a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate per 5-10 gallons can help a lot). Avoid very cold conditions when keeping fancy Goldfish; Moors are fairly robust, but even they don't like water colder than, say, 18 C/64 F, particularly if they're sick or damaged. Certainly, don't expose fancy varieties to frosty, overwintering conditions outdoors. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Question and pictures moor and 1 other goldfish      3/19/17 Here is the other fancy fish that is now a weird tiny red spotted sick looking fish with a white sick hue to him. I hope you can see the pics? He is amazingly still alive after I took out the dead black telescope friend and put him in this different tank. He used to be a shiny silver grey color? His fin keeps clamping down he swims around all crazy. I'm so sad I don't know how to help!? <Again, the red colouration of the fins suggests irritation (just as it would with humans) so I'd be looking at environmental conditions before anything else -- see my previous email. I'd also treat with an antibacterial or antibiotic as per Finrot just in case. Not Melafix or salt, but something more reliable, such as Kanaplex or eSHa 2000. By the way, that green-grey is the natural colour of Goldfish; they're all born that colour, and as they mature, they develop the colours we've bred into them. Some never quite change, which sometimes gives you interesting bronzy or brassy coloured fish that might not be as colourful as standard Goldfish but gives them an understated charm of their own. Cheers, Neale.>

Tail fin growth    3/2/17 <Kbytes, not megs....> I have a 2-3 year old comet goldfish that just this week developed a growth on its peduncle just before the tail fin. <A tumor of some sort; usually environmentally mediated; viral or not. Not treat-able directly...> I have no idea what it is and how to treat it. It does not seem to be bothering it, but it just doesn't look good. Any clue and or suggestions? <Oh yeah; read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/GFGrowthsF7.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish (Bob, can you double check?)       2/15/17 <I concur w/ your analysis and suggestions Neale. Bob Fenner> I got my first goldfish a few days ago, and just noticed that she seems to have white, string-like strands coming from her fins. I'm not sure if it's the beginning of fin rot or something else. She also has two white dots on her dorsal fin that I'm not sure about, whether they are the start of an ich infestation or just part of her pattern. Tank info; 2" fantail goldfish, 25 gallon aquarium, filtration, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 10-20. I've attached some pictures, please don't mind the poop (I've heard that's normal for goldfish?) For now I might pick up some Paraguard... I really appreciate your help! Lena <Lena, I'm fairly sure these "threads" are Anchor Worms or some other crustacean parasite of that type. This is a pain to treat! Traditionally people used potassium permanganate baths, but products like Waterlife Parazin are probably safer (and certainly easier) to use. Regardless, once the parasites die and fall off, you need to keep a sharp eye out on the fins and skin. The white "pock" marks on the fins could easily be wounds from previous parasites, and have a tendency to become infected. I wouldn't medicate immediately (healthy fish should recover quickly in good water conditions) but if there's any sign of Finrot, such as raggedy edges to the fins or pink/white speckles on the fins, then medicate with a good quality antibiotic (such as Kanaplex). Salt, Melafix and other such products are NOT what you want here, despite their "cure all" reputation. Let me also have you do some reading: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/anchorwrmfaqs.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/goldfish101art.htm Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Goldfish (Bob, can you double check?)      2/16/17 Thanks so much for your help! I'll look into those meds and keep a close eye on her. I'll also read through those pages. Thanks again! Lena <Glad to help and good luck. Neale.>

Goldfish with waving/kinked lower caudal fin    /RMF   12/3/16
The lower caudal fins on my Watonai has a definite wave in it on both sides.
<Mmm; how long have you had this fish? About how old is it? You may have "just noticed" this "wave" though it was there, growing more pronounced all the while>
These fins also appear to be less flexible than the same fins on other watonais without this kinking/waving defect. My question is: Is this a genetic defect?
or the result of broken fins that have healed.
<Mmm; likely the former; as you report both sides are similar...>
Joan
<Please do send along a well-resolved image of moderate size, showing what you're referring to. In the meanwhile, am going to share your message w/ Neale Monks here for his separate reply.
Bob Fenner>
Goldfish with waving/kinked lower caudal fin   /Neale   12/4/16
The lower caudal fins on my Watonai has a definite wave in it on both sides. These fins also appear to be less flexible than the same fins on other watonais without this kinking/waving defect. My question is: Is this a genetic defect? or the result of broken fins that have healed.
Joan
<Hi Joan. There's a question to ask here. Did the kink appear recently, or has it always been there, though perhaps less noticeably? If the kink was always there, even when the fish was young, the chances are it's a genetic abnormality. But if the fins were fine until recently, but suddenly bent out of shape, then either physical damage or vitamin deficiency are more likely explanations. Genetic abnormalities are extremely common among domesticated goldfish (indeed, the distinction between an abnormality and an artificial trait like a fantail is purely semantic). Not much you can do about them, except avoid breeding from livestock that display unwanted traits. Physical damage may fix itself with time, though there's some risk of 'scarring'. Vitamin deficiencies are probably the next commonest cause of deformities after genetics, though some diseases like Mycobacteriosis have been implicated too. Usually the result is kinked spines, but hard to know if other bones, like those in the fins, might be affected too.
Regardless, no cure as such, though optimising living conditions and providing a more varied diet can prevent things getting worse (or the symptoms developing in other fish in the tank). Hope this helps, Neale.>

weird goldfish exophthalmia      9/26/16 Hello WWM Crew! <Hey Bill> I have a 4-year-od fantail goldfish, Natasha, with a weird case of PopEye. She’s in a 55 gallon aquarium with another, smaller fantail. I weekly water changes of around 50%. Water parameters are: pH: 70-7.2, ammonia: 0, nitrite: 0, nitrate: 10-20. <All good> The aquarium has been running for 14 years, and I’ve never detected any kind of nitrogen cycle crash based on regular testing. I feed the goldfish peas, broccoli, various beans, wilted spinach, strawberry pieces, and dried seaweed (Nori), all of which is organic. They occasionally get live earthworms, scrambled eggs, frozen Mysid shrimp, frozen brine shrimp, and frozen bloodworms. They mostly get the veggies to prevent constipation problems. There is also some Bacopa and Sagittaria planted in the aquarium, too. <Very good> About a week ago, I noticed Natasha’s left eye was a bit swollen but not red. The eye was (and still is) clear, so I thought she might’ve just bumped it on something. <I concur; this is my guess as well. Unilateral exophthalmia (one sided) is almost always due to physical trauma. Like humans, fishes eyes are highly vascularized... given to "popping out" if bumped> This has happened before and has cleared up after a week or so with no treatment other than more frequent water changes. Natasha was acting normally and eating, so I wasn’t worried initially. The other goldfish is fine, and neither fish is bloated or has ragged fins. This time, the swollen area around Natasha’s started turning red all around the eye after a week, and she started keeping her dorsal fin flat, which is very unusual. I did a 50% water change and started treating with Seachem’s Kanaplex on Sept. 15th in case her eye was getting infected. <Which would also be my next level, step of treatment> She perked up after the first dose. By the third dose (Sept. 20 th), she was sitting on the bottom and moving only when I fed them. On the 21st, I noticed red streaks on her belly, so I started treating with API tetracycline. I took the photos on the 22nd. Since then, the red streaks on her belly disappeared, and she’s almost back to her usual activity level, but the swelling has increase slightly and is more oriented under her eye. The white streak in the second pic (popeyesm2) appears to be pus that started draining when I took the photo. The whitish area on the bottom toward the front of her eye also started draining. I don’t know what that that white, mushroom-looking thing is on top of her eye. That showed up a little before I took the photos. Is it a parasite? <No; not likely. IS some bit of tissue/growth from the fish itself> Since she’s been about a year old, the back, inside part of her eyes have always looked white like she has especially vibrant tapetum lucida, but that made me wonder the white areas are really something else. It’s always seemed like she couldn’t see food falling in front of her face, but she can see me sitting on the couch and knows when I get up. I’ve been feverishly reading about PopEye, eye parasites, and tumors, but I can’t really figure out what’s going on. Here eye is still clear, and she can still move it somewhat. What should I do? <I would cease medicine treatments and rely on time going by, your good care, nutrition to heal this eye in time> I’m out of tetracycline (more should have been delivered by now, and I will make sure it gets delivered soon). It seems like her eye started draining after I started the tetracycline, but the swelling hasn’t gone down or gotten less red. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help and for running a great website, Bill Connelly <Thank you for your kind, encouraging words, and sharing your situation with us. Bob Fenner>

Can Goldfish Develop Tumors?         9/17/16 Hello all: <Hey Deb> I have a plain old "feeder" goldfish from Petco that I bought years ago so he wouldn't get eaten. His name is Q-tip and he's about 16 or 17 years old now. He's in a 5 gallon tank <Uhh; "bonsai'ed"; dwarfed from negative feedback from metabolites, lack of oxygen...> by himself and has been for many years now. Today, I spotted what looks like a growth (kind of gray-ish/reddish) in the middle of his back. <I see this in your pic> It's at the base of his dorsal fin, right where it connects. I initially thought it was a piece of food or feces that stuck to him, but it's not. Any ideas on how I can help him? <A real environment. Needs MUCH more room especially. Please read here re: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/gldfshsystems.htm and as much of the linked files above as it takes> Thank you so much for your help. Debbe <Oh, and to answer your subject line (which you could've done by following our suggestion and searching WWM ahead of writing); yes; goldfish do develop tumors; but this bump is most likely a sore from this animals confinement alone. Bob Fenner>

Cloudy Fish Eye      8/21/16 Hi my name is Isabelle and your site was sort of confusing me so I hope you don't mind I email you. <Tis what we are here for: to serve folks in need of help, inspiration> My fishes eye looks like it does in the photo it however looks like his eye is hanging or something is hanging off. My mum got me antibiotics to put in the tank once a day 2.5mL a day <What product, active ingredient/s is this?> but it only looks to be getting worse it is the only fish in the tank and I was about to get another one but I will hold off until it gets better hopefully. its like a dark purple, blue, white colour and I am wondering if it is just a cut off of an ordainment <ornament?> and will heal or is worse? <Need to discern the cause...> The places I have gone to too see if they knew what it was said they had no idea. Thank you for your time, - Isabelle Brealey <Let's start with your telling me, us about your system. Size, set up, history, maintenance. And your water quality, tests. Bob Fenner>

I do see "Mela (non) fix" in the backgd. and it angers me.

Re: Cloudy Fish Eye      8/22/16 The Medication we are giving it is called Melafix there is a photo attached it contains this is a quote from the site as i am not home currently "Melafix contains active ingredient 1.0% Melaleuca (Cajeput or 'Tea Tree' Oil), water and an emulsifier to blend the oil into the water." <Not an antibiotic or actual medication period. A worthless sham. Try searching on WWM re the API rip-off> I do a water change once a month as it is always quite clean but in a few days the antibiotics i am using said to change it every 7 days. It seems his eye has worsened over night and it peeling and there is a hole in the middle of the purple area, <STOP using this worse than placebo. It's toxic to nitrifying bacteria> He lives in an Aqua Tank 24L there is a pink tree and a statue/orinamte in the tank and pebble rocks. I have had 3 other fish in there since January 1 2015 he is number 4 the first one had a head problem and it had a friend in there with it so i got another 2 fish to keep him company and this is one of the 2 fish i brought around November 2015 there was something in the tank which killed the other two so he has been alone since march now and his water has been change a fair few times since then. <Do please see/read on WWM re "frequent partial water changes"... s/b done weekly> I am taking out the statue when i get home now as he is running into walls a bit because he can see through one eye better than the other. Thanks again! <Welcome. Bob Fenner> Re: Cloudy Fish Eye So do you think that he could potentially die from this? <Yes; more depends on the cause here. Is there something environmental as an important influence? Was the origin a simple trauma? B> Re: Cloudy Fish Eye      8/23/16 I have a cat if that's what your asking and she likes to sit near the tank because its high up <No hon, am referring to items in the tank itself. You mentioned a pink plant and an ornament if I recall. I would remove those for now. Later I will tell you how to test to see if they're possibly toxic. Also, I would add some activated carbon to your filter... to hopefully remove such issues. Do you have a LFS, stockist... that you can take a water sample to for them to test for quality? I'd like to know especially re nitrogenous wastes. Bob Fenner>

goldfish issue      8/16/16 wondering if you could help identify this weird white growth with a big black dot in the middle on one of our goldfish. <Appears to be a fungal growth... resulting from a trauma likely; environmental influence. Comet (variety) goldfish get very large (more than a foot long, lb.s weight): NEED large quarters, redundant filtration, circulation, aeration....> It is a 40 gallon saltwater tank. <? Saltwater?> He is still very active, eats good… does not seem to be bothering him. We treated for fungus about a month ago for one of our other fish. <Need to re-treat, but first re/visit proper systems... I'd have you read re goldfish systems period, and fungal disease issues with this species... on WWM. Do you need help w/ the search tool, indices?> Thanks for your time. John <Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Gold Comet w/ fungal infection? Hypochondria sans knowledge; the usual       5/10/16 <Jas, 14 megs of the same pix? > Hi, I don't have much experience with fish disease as I don't really get sick fish but just once every 15-24 months (except for the occasional Endler's female guppy getting skinny). Does my Gold Comet in these photos look like it has a fungal infection? <More like "Spring" Viremia to me> What medicine and frequency of dosing would you recommend? Currently I am stocked w/ Melafix, Pimafix, <Worthless. PLEASE search on WWM and READ re these scams> API Tetracycline, Furan-2, Kanaplex, Tetra ParasiteGuard, Mardel Clout, and Seachem  ParaGuard. <None of these will treat viral troubles> Here are some treatments I gave to my Gold Comet last month that may have or may not have contributed to this fungal infection by causing immuno-compromise: <Wowzah!> 4/7/16 from 5:33-6:20pm put Comet in a bucket that had 12 tsp of table salt for 47 minutes 4/9/16 from 5:18-6:20pm put Comet in that same bucket again for 62 minutes Then I moved the Comet to a 5 gallon x-large bucket to be treated w/ Tetra ParasiteGuard in case it had internal parasites, anchor worms, or fish live 4/12/16, 12:04am poured dissolved 3/5 tablet of Parasite Guard inside to treat possible fish lice 4/17/16, 9:46am did 25% water change 4/17/16, 12:24pm dissolved 2/5 tablet of Parasite Guard before pouring it into the bucket 4/19/16, 4:31pm did 30% water change and then threw in 3/5 tablet of Parasite Guard (since upon reading the directions again realized I didn't have to dissolve the tablet prior to putting it in the bucket unless I had "soft water and/or acid water with low alkalinity") 4/23/16, 4:02pm did 25% water change and then threw in 1/2 tablet of Parasite Guard 5/5/16, 7:54pm did 25% water change <-- I actually should have done this 48 hours or 7 days after my last dosing of Parasite Guard on 4/23/16 depending on if I was treating for anchor worms and lice (water change after 1 week) or not (water change after 48 hours) Thanks, Jason <READ here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/GFinfectionsFAQs.htm These issues are almost always a result of environmental issues. DO review Goldfish Systems on WWM, Water Quality, Filtration.... Bob Fenner> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?      5/10/16 I also have Seachem Focus and Seachem Garlic Guard <Good products but of no use here. B>

Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?      5/10/16 Hi Bob, <Jason> I read only about 25% of the linked article on Goldfish Infections that you provided as it is a very long read. So I did a word search on "Viremia" and found just one post mentioning it. Your response in that post was that it was not treatable directly. What do you mean by not treatable directly? What should I do then? <... read further? Improve the fish's health indirectly... through improved environment and nutrition principally> There is a possibility that my Comet along w/ my other fish in my 55 gallon tank (it was previously in this tank) may have had contact w/ Tetrahymena (Guppy Disease) since the bucket I used to clean my 55 gallon's largest HOB filter (the AquaClear 70) was previously used to clean the HOB filter (Fluval C2) of my 5.5 gallon tank that may have had Tetrahymena back in January as I lost all 30 guppies in there. I did disinfect the bucket on several occasions with Potassium Permanganate before using it to clean my AquaClear 70 filter. However, I read that Potassium Permanganate is unable to kill some Protozoans like Tetrahymena- what do you think? <Bleach... see WWM re> How does Viremia compare to Tetrahymena- do they have similar symptoms and thus sometimes get mistaken for each other? <? Not to me. You can take a look at my bio.... I've taught classes on fish pathology... written extensively on topics therein... I almost always use comet goldfish for presentations... they never disappoint; harboring a dozen or more pathogens...> Can Viremia wipe out a tank full of Endler's Guppies, esp. affecting the females? <.... not likely; no> Though it is possible that my Guppies had Fish Tuberculosis instead of Tetrahymena or Columnaris according either you or Neale when we discussed this back in January. I did have a few fish that did have Fish TB symptoms like a hunched back and skinniness. <There are a few other causes of such symptoms> Thanks, Jason<Keep reading. BobF> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?      5/10/16 Hi Bob, <Jas> To improve the environment, I'll be sure not to put any unnecessary medications that could further immuno-suppress the Comet. <Good> It's going to be tough improving nutrition as he has only eaten maybe once about 3-4 weeks ago (some dry blood worms) and before that he didn't eat for about 4 weeks. <Not good. A plug here for New Life's "Spectrum" pelleted... what I used exclusively for years w/ my Goldfish> I might have to try something like frozen brine shrimp, frozen blood worms, or live food. <Try the sinking pellets first. High palatability, complete nutrition. Bob Fenner> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?      5/11/16 For sinking pellets, I have Hikari veggie and carnivore mini pellets. Recently I also got the Hikari carnivore medium pellets. <I see> The only NLS brand stuff I have are jumbo FLOAT pellets which a lot of my fish don't care for (it also has a strange odor). So though I've read a lot of comments online boasting how good NLS brand is, these jumbo FLOAT pellets are the opposite of being "great". <Thank you for this input> For the NLS pellets you're recommending, what size and type (like there's something called Thera+) should I get to feed my sick Comet? I usually order things on Amazon.com. Thanks, Jason <You could use their Thera; but I would just use the un-laced variety of a small size... Goldfish have no real teeth. B> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?     5/13/16 On May 11th or the afternoon of May 10th, most of my Gold Comet's symptoms went away. <Ah good> When can I put him back in my 55 gallon tank which has 2 Kissing Gourami's, a Convict/Red-Point Honduran Cichlid Hybrid, Butterfly Koi, Tilapia (from a nearby stream), Clarias Fuscus (Hong Kong catfish), and Trinidad Pleco? <Never. Not compatible with these others; and this tank is already overcrowded physiologically and more> Should I worry about transmission of Spring "Viremia" to any of these other fishes? <Your GFs problems were environmental; caused by your poor choices.... stop writing and start reading. Re the needs of this mish mash you've tossed together. B> I'm under the impression that he'll be more likely to eat if have him in the 55 gallon tank as compared to the 5 gallon white bucket I have him in right now. Thanks, Jason Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?     5/13/16 Oh yeah, I also have a Yoyo Loach in that 55 gallon tank. <....> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?     5/14/16 According to this presentation http://www.vet.cornell.edu/microbiology/FishDisease/AquaticProg/documents/NEUSAHA.pdf: "Dead or dying fish that are suspected to be infected with VHSV or SVC should be immediately submitted for evaluation to regional agencies." My fish is neither dead nor dying. Is Spring Viremia such a rare disease in fish purchased at pet stores that it must be submitted to a wildlife agency when the fish is dying or has died? <Mmm; could be other viral issue; but... the root cause here as already mentioned twice: Environmental> Is it more likely that the Comet I purchased became a carrier while it was at a pet store (in this case Petco, which doesn't have the best reputation for having healthy fish) or that it was infected by water, water plants, and/or fish from a local Hawaiian stream? Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection? Poisoned by treatments    5/15/16 According to this http://bluecollarprepping.blogspot.com/2014/08/potassium-permanganate-for-water.html : 2.5 mg/L of Potassium Permanganate will completely kill bacteria. But you need 50 mg/L to completely inactivate viruses, a dose 20 times that needed to kill bacteria. This is my calculation: *50 mg/L to PP to inactivate viruses = 10 tsp/L = 10 tsp/0.246 gallon = 40 tsp/1 gallon * *While in contrast you just need 2 tsp/1 gallon to kill bacteria - however, I usually just use 1/2 a teaspoon of Potassium Permanganate per 2 gallons of water to disinfect my buckets* *So do you think I really need 40 tsp/1 gallon to inactivate viruses?* I read online that Spring Viremia can also affect Guppies, so perhaps what wiped out (within just about 1 week) almost 30 guppies in my 2.7 and 5.5 gallon tanks was Spring Viremia and not Tetrahymena. So that would mean that the Cobra Guppy that I got at Petco was a carrier of Spring Viremia rather than Tetrahymena. But there's also the possibility that adding 32 tsp of Aquarium Salt to my 2.7 gallon and 25 tsp of Aquarium Salt to my 5.5 gallon could have killed the guppies and/or made them sick. <No sense using these or any other treatments. Please read on WWM re Goldfish Environmental Disease/s. RMF> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?     5/15/16 I don't really see much or any symptoms of Spring Viremia anymore. <.... are you reading? NOT Viremia, env.!> Is it okay to now move him from the 5 gallon bucket to my 55 gallon aquarium? According to the link you provided me earlier (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/GFinfectionsFAQs.htm)  the Comet/other goldfishes do a lot better in larger aquariums/fish ponds. Should I be worried about him transmitting Spring Viremia to my Butterfly Koi in the 55 gallon aquarium? Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection? Poisoned, mis-placed....        5/16/16 Hi, You forgot to type your message. <Nope; READ here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/GFenvirondis2.htm Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection? .... abuse     5/24/16 Hi, When I put my Gold Comet back in my 55 gallon tank about a week ago, it was attacked over and over by my Kissing Gourami until much of its back's scales came off leaving white meat exposed along w/ some redness. So I removed the Gold Comet and put it back in the 5 gallon bucket. Now its back is getting redder. Should I put in any kind of medicine or antibiotic to assist it or should I just let the Comet's own immune system heal these injuries? Thanks, Jason <You've repeatedly written in w/o taking our advice. YOU are responsible for the troubles your fishes are suffering. Re-read our prev. corr. and/or go elsewhere. Robert Fenner> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?   in which Neale takes over this mis-mixed crowded iatrogenic...   6/24/16 Hi, <Hello Jason,> About 6 months ago one of your staff recommended to me the Cichlid Rift Valley Salt Mix. He gave me the link to the instructions on how to prepare it. Recently, I used it for maybe the 2nd time on my 55 gallon tank (I also used it once for my 29 gallon and never had cloudy water) and the water has been cloudy from 6/20/16 until today 6/23/16. <Assuming you dissolved the ingredients properly, and at the dosages stated, the water shouldn't be cloudy. The quantities of the minerals used is very low indeed. However, if you use the wrong amount you might have trouble. More likely though is one of two things: silty water or a microbial bloom. The former indicates insufficient filtration. Clean the fine media that traps silt, replace some if necessary, and do water changes regularly. The latter indicates an unstable set of water chemistry conditions, which often trigger algal or bacterial blooms. Review, and act accordingly, ensuring water chemistry stays steady between water changes. Randomly adding pH-up and pH-down products without understanding how water chemistry works can create precisely this sort of unstable set of conditions.> I also had cloudy water for 7-10 days that started on 6/7/16. This may have been caused by me adding a little bit of Seachem Alkaline Buffer 2-3 times over a span of 4-6 weeks to slowly increase the pH and KH. <See above.> So it seems that the cloudy water may be related to using Seachem's Alkaline Buffer as well as the Cichlid Rift Valley Salt Mix. What can I do to make the cloudiness go away and what do you think is causing it? This website (http://aquariumfish.net/information/cloudy_water.htm) recommended I do add these chemicals: aquarium salt, water conditioner, and Quick Cure. <Not a bad article at all. But to be clear: you're already adding salt via the Rift Valley salt mix, so adding more is NOT helpful. Water condition should be added with new water anyway, so not going to fix anything. Quick Cure is the one thing I'd skip. It's medicating for the sake of medicating. No obvious reason at all why it'd somehow magically arrest the bloom of algae or bacteria. These two life forms are symptoms of a problem, not the problem itself. So nail down the water chemistry so it's relatively stable and they'll die back, all else being equal.> btw- I measured tonight the Nitrite to be at the lowest level of 0.3 mg/l. <Lethal in the long term. Alongside possibly silty and/or unstable water chemistry, strongly suggestive of: too many fish, too little filtration, or immature filter media (this can include over-washing mature filter media). Easiest option probably to add another filter if your aquarium isn't overstocked. If the tank is simply new, it may well be an immature filter and needs time to settle. "Blooms" of bacteria and/or algae is absolutely normal for new aquaria (or aquaria where conditions are changeable, whether water chemistry or something else, like direct sunlight at times of the year). On the other hand, non-zero nitrite is NOT NORMAL and never acceptable. Focus on the nitrite first; the cloudy water genuinely doesn't matter that much. Fish certainly don't care.> Couldn't get an accurate reading for Ammonia though b/c regent bottle#2 dried up On 6/18/16 I measured pH to be 8.5 and KH to be 8 thanks to the Cichlid Rift Valley Salt Mix (before that pH was 7 and KH 3.5) Thanks, Jason <Welcome. Neale.> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?       6/25/16 I also noticed my male half Convict and half Red-point Honduran Cichlid hybrid has been sitting on his belly a lot for the past 24 hours... probably a signal that he's not too happy about the hard water. <Eh? Central American cichlids are hard water fish. Anywhere between 10-25 degrees dH, pH 7-8 is ideal for all species. Of course they won't be happy if water chemistry isn't stable, but that applies to all fish outside of brackish waters. Please, DO some reading on the fish in your charge; DO review our previous messages; DO use test kits to review conditions in the aquarium and make gradual, appropriate changes as suggested.> I'll be measuring my pH and maybe KH again as well to see if the pH and KH are actually higher b/c the water is cloudy compared to when I measured the pH at 8.5 and KH at 8 on 6/18/16 when the water was clear. <Do the Goldfish and the cichlids inhabit the same tank? Not going to work. Cheers, Neale.> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?     6/26/16 My 55 gallon tank has the Convict hybrid I mentioned, a Tilapia, as well as a Butterfly Koi. As for my Gold Comet, it died about a month ago. There are also two Kissing Gourami's, Clarias Fuscus, a Trinidad Pleco, and Yoyo Loach. <Well, obviously the tank is massively overstocked and your selection of species is, well, bad. Interesting fish, but they don't belong together. Clarias for example are huge, and notoriously damaging to tankmates. Kissing Gouramis are fish from soft and acidic Asian habitats that feed on plankton, hard to see how they'd be happy in a tank with aggressive hard water cichlids. Please, don't write; READ! The problems with your aquarium aren't to do with magical parasites that flew into your house one summer's eve, but from a profound lack of planning. Read; review; rehome. Cheers, Neale.> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?     6/26/16 For the Nitrite test that I have from Tetra (one of the most popular companies in the aquarium hobby in America) the yellow color on the color chart is the lowest reading you can get, and it says it means the Nitrite is <0.3 mg/l. I don't know why Tetra's test doesn't have a color that means exactly 0 mg/l. Maybe there is another brand out there that would give a reading of exactly 0 mg/l? If so, do you know which brand? <API, for example.> As I just mentioned, the Comet died. Even if my Koi also likes hard water I don't think the water softener pillow will lower the pH too drastically as this one pillow's maximum capacity is only for 20 gallons. I just want to soften the water enough so that the cloudiness goes away <Why do you think these two factors are related? I don't.> and so that the pH of 8 and KH of 8 (I measured them again last night and the readings are the same as back on 6/18/16) can maybe go down to pH of 7.5 and KH of 5-6. Some people online (comments on Amazon.com) and working at fish shop(s) in my area have said that the water softener pillow is better/safer than the pH up and down solutions. 12 hours and 50 minutes have passed since I added the water softener pillow and my Convict hybrid is now a bit more active and the water has gotten a little clearer. <The stocking list you supplied in your other email explains the situation perfectly. This tank is overstocked, and stocked badly. You're looking for cheap, easy solutions that will make any inconvenient science vanish. Good luck on that! In all seriousness, your approach to water chemistry is haphazard and reflects no more research than looking at the back of packages that contain products you can afford. That's a terrible way to do research. GET a book on aquarium fish and read the chapter on water chemistry, or READ a magazine article on water chemistry if there's one in print this month. LEARN how pH and hardness are related but not the same, REFLECT on the importance of stability, and UNDERSTAND that there isn't a target water chemistry to aim for, but a need to choose fish that all tolerate the ambient water chemistry your tap water provides. THINK about stocking and filtration, and REVIEW the huge number of jumbo fish you've bought. Even in a tank twice the size of yours you'd have problems. Good luck, Neale.> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?  Plus Clariid f'      6/27/16 Hi Neale, Actually, I think Clarias Fuscus doesn't get as big. <Easy 20 cm/8 inches. Plenty big enough to cause harm to fish below two-thirds their size. The problem with clariids is that they have a "suck it and see" approach to foraging, trying their powerful jaws on anything organic their long whiskers touch. I'd be leery about combining with, for example, Kissing Gouramis. On the other hand, no real issues alongside Loricariids or Doradids of similar size.> It is the smaller cousin of Clarias Batrachus, the Walking Catfish, that can grow to about 2 feet. Clarias Batrachus is legal to sell at pet shops or keep at home in most Asian countries but is illegal here in Hawaii and in a fair number of other U.S. States. <Quite so. We used to keep/breed them at university, and I'm well acquainted with them. Nice fish, but keep adults (or even large juveniles) singly. So hardy they don't need a massive amount of space.> However, the smaller Clarias Fuscus, also called the Hong Kong Catfish, is legal in most if not all U.S. states. But like Clarias Batrachus, Clarias Fuscus also seems to harass (at night mostly) certain tankmates more than others. <Correct; see above.> It harassed my Albino Oscar for 6-9 months until the Oscar got fin rot while recently it occasionally chases around my Tilapia, but not nearly as bad as it did my Albino Oscar. It seems to harass/is more adept at harassing Cichlids and other deep/thick bodied fish a lot more than long bodied fish like Iridescent Sharks. <Yes, probably a fair observation. Given space, larger and faster midwater fish might be fine. But honestly, I'd only combine them with armoured catfish of similar or greater size. Clariids just aren't community fish. Interesting fish, yes; companionable, not so much.> Thanks, Jason <Most welcome. Neale.> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection? More re Clariids       6/28/16 When I bought my Clarias Fuscus (about 2 yrs ago) it was around 10.25 inches, now it is 13.5 inches (its rate of growth has been pretty moderate IMO). I'm guessing its maximum size in aquaria may be around 14-16 inches... but probably not 24+ inches like its cousin Clarias Batrachus. <Would seem about right. Few Clarias fuscus have been kept, so it's probably anyone's guess what their aquarium size might be. It's not a species I know from personal experience. Over here Clarias batrachus used to be very common, but I haven't seen them in years.> As for Clariids having a "suck it and see" approach, it is actually my 8.75 inch Trinidad Pleco that sometimes gets angry or gets hungry and will suck on my Clarias. <Hah! Reinforces my point that Loricariids are suitable counterparts for Clariids. Right level of robustness. The behaviour you describe is actually pretty common among the larger Loricariids (and a few of the smaller ones, such as Otocinclus) and related to their grazing habits in the wild. It may well be your Plec is hungry: provide a continual supply of hefty plant foods to chew on, such as sweet potato, courgette, melon rind, etc. Cheers, Neale.> Re: Gold Comet w/ fungal infection?      6/28/16 I never saw any of the fish shops in my area sell Clarias Fuscus until about 1 year after I bought mine at an Asian fish market one of the fish shops I regularly go to sold some smaller specimens around 6 inches long for about 8 dollars... while I got mine for just 2 dollars at the fish market. That fish shop only had it in stock for about 2-3 months (this was back in Fall 2014 or Spring 2015) and after that I never saw them in the store again. I have however found a small fish vendor in Chinatown that also sells them but at a smaller size, of around 5-6 inches, for 2 dollars as well. <They're farmed in Hawaii.> There is a famous fish vlogger on YouTube (probably the only notable fish vlogger in Hawaii) who during one of his outdoor excursions showed video of catching two 5-6 inch Clarias Fuscus in local Hawaiian streams. <Very depressing.> Too bad he usually doesn't disclose the locations of his outdoor excursions as he doesn't want too many people fishing in these secret fishing spots he's found for himself. <Shame. Overfishing these catfish is precisely what's needed to exterminate them or at least reduce their numbers. Can you imagine the harm they're doing to the native fish and insect faunas?> He also did a video showing herds of either Bronze or Emerald Corydoras in one of our local streams. <Interesting. Cheers, Neale.>

What's wrong with my fish?      4/28/16 I noticed these on my daughter's fish yesterday. I don't know anything about fish and my husband usually takes care of them. <Mmm> This doesn't seem normal to me. Is there something wrong, are the sick? <Yes... the markings... opacity to fin membranes, petecchia... point to deficiencies in the environment ("water quality")... Need data on the system water tests... Please READ here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/gldfshsystems.htm Bob Fenner> Thanks in advance for your help! Yours truly, Lana

Gold Comet that had prenuptial tubercles.... Still ludicrous speed.    4/10/16
Hi,
<Hello
I sent you some photos over a month ago of my Gold Comet that had white protruded spots on its forehead and you said that they were prenuptial tubercles as this was the Spring mating season for Comets. I tried to mate this 7 inch male Comet w/ a possible female Comet 6 and 5/8 inch long om a large cooler holding around 8 gallons.
<? Much too small...>
I put in some Arachnis for the eggs to attach to. Nothing happened.
<Not surprising. Might I ask you; in this "age of the inter/net"; do you read books, magazines? Take a look about (at a library, online book finding services.... you should READ>
Anyway, I no longer see the tubercles but soaked the Comet in 2.5 gallons of water in a bucket that had 12 tsp of Morton Iodized Salt 5 days ago for 30 minutes, 3 days ago for 45 minutes, and today for 62 minutes. I did
this in case there were external parasites on the male Gold Comet as it sometimes had clamped fins, was a little sluggish and not eating for the past 2 weeks.
<This variety of (American) goldfish never disappoints in terms of having extensive parasite fauna... external and internal>
Now the Comet is in a 29 gallon aquarium
<Much too small>
w/ a pH of 7.0 (it
was originally in my 55 gallon w/ some pretty big tankmates) w/ the possibly female Comet, 6 Tiger Barbs, a Red Parrot Fish, Clown Barb, Arrow Shark, Pictus Catfish, Sunset Gourami, Redtail Botia, Clown Pleco, Rainbow
Shark, and Giant Danio.
<What an incompatible mix... did I mention that you should investigate the water quality, nutritional needs and temperament of all this mish-mash of species last time?>
It still has clamped fins and is a little sluggish,
<Same as last time; environmental>
relying more on its front fins to swim and not using its tale as much.
Though this could be due to it still recovering from being in the salt bath for 62 minutes.
<....>
I hope that the Gold Comet did not contract Tetrahymena (that killed 30 of my Endler's Guppies in January-early February) or some other protozoan from my AquaClear70 that I cleaned with a bucket that I previously used to
clean my filter from one of my infected Guppy tanks- that I did disinfect w/ Potassium Permanganate more than once... however, I read that Potassium Permanganate is not able to kill certain Protozoans like Tetrahymena. btw-
it hadn't eaten for at least a week in the 55 gallon before I moved in to the large cooler... turned out the pH was 5.0 for the 55 gallon tank.
<Yes; I recall>
What do you think?
<That you should READ, understand and ACT... putting these animals in suitable sized and type settings. We can't help you IF YOU WON'T READ. Bob
Fenner>
Thanks,
Jason

Ryukin goldfish 3 years old very sick    4/9/16
Hi
I wonder if you could help please?
We have a 180 litre cold water fish tank with built in jewel filter.
<Nice tank.>
The water gets changed 30% every week with gravel cleaner. I check ammonia, nitrite, nitrate pH etc levels weekly or fortnightly as our tank was set up 9 months ago. Once the cycle got going (it took around 2 -3 weeks) we have
had 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite and nitrates sit at around 40 or just under.
<Sounds fine.>
We previously had our goldfish (1) in a 60 litre tank since she was bought but bought bigger tank to give her more space.
<Wise choice.>
She is not well and been sitting at the bottom of the tank for days not eating and hiding behind some plants. She struggled with her balance in the water quite a bit for a long time and swim bladder treatment has not helped. She now has red \ blood streaks at the base of her tail and I see blood spotting \ streaks now under her pelvic fins.
<Could be incipient Finrot. But for the most part, I'd have you review this:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm
And at the bottom of this next page, you'll see something about using Epsom Salt, which can help a lot with constipation...
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/SaltUseFWArtNeale.htm
So far as medications go, I'm a fan of eSHa 2000 for bacterial infections.>
We have air bubbles going to keep oxygen good in tank. I don't know what to do to help her. She seems really sick and don't like seeing her suffering.
Do you know what would be wrong and if there is anything that we can do to help? We have a black moor female too and she seems OK just now. The black moor female is quite new to our tank as we swapped our male black moor with our local fish shop because he had started chasing our female Ryukin and stressing her. Before she became ill she spawned a lot of eggs in the tank.
I hope you might be able to help. Thank you so much.
Angela
<Most welcome. Neale.>

Sick goldfish!      3/30/16 <Liz; your image files are an order of magnitude larger than we allow> Dear Sir/Madam, <Read my book?> I was just wondering if you could help me please. We have had 4 goldfish (3 fan tails) for about a month now, and for the last two days I have noticed that something is wrong with 1 Gill of one of them (I have attached pictures below). <Not new likely. This is a common genetic defect... in the worst bred variety; and only American... Comet.> Unfortunately, as I am writing this on behalf of my parents, I do not have the parameters of the tank/size of the tank etc. to hand, however, I would very much appreciate an opinion on the following please. I have researched online and I cannot tell whether it is due to infection or possible just an incomplete gill that we had never noticed before. <The latter almost assuredly. Otherwise a physical trauma.... from a house cat? Power filter? At any length, not something "to treat". May live a good long while as is> It looks red with a bit of white" fraying". The other gill is fine and there hasn't been any attacks from the other fish to my knowledge. Any guidance/ideas would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance, Lizzie <Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Re: Sick goldfish!       3/30/16 <Liz; your image files are an order of magnitude larger than we allow> <<My apologies, I have tried a different photo but still may be too big>> >Ah yes; phone pix. We unfortunately are limited to 50 megs of incoming mail storage. Past that, all get bumped< Dear Sir/Madam, <Read my book?> <<I'm sorry, I don't quite follow what you mean? I assumed the website would have a team responding to questions therefore I did not know who I was writing to>> >Ah no; sorry for the obscure Beatles referent... "Paperback Writer" starts with "Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book"...< I was just wondering if you could help me please. We have had 4 goldfish (3 fan tails) for about a month now, and for the last two days I have noticed that something is wrong with 1 Gill of one of them (I have attached pictures below). <Not new likely. This is a common genetic defect... in the worst bred variety; and only American... Comet.> Unfortunately, as I am writing this on behalf of my parents, I do not have the parameters of the tank/size of the tank etc. to hand, however, I would very much appreciate an opinion on the following please. I have researched online and I cannot tell whether it is due to infection or possible just an incomplete gill that we had never noticed before. <The latter almost assuredly. Otherwise a physical trauma.... from a house cat? Power filter? At any length, not something "to treat". May live a good long while as is> <<No cats, may be filter but it looks like the gill "cover" is completely missing, rather than it being damaged through trauma so I agree possibly genetic defect>> >Heritable trait/defect< It looks red with a bit of white" fraying". The other gill is fine and there hasn't been any attacks from the other fish to my knowledge. Any guidance/ideas would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance, Lizzie <Cheers, Bob Fenner> <<Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to respond>> >BobF<

goldfish mystery illness (RMF, anything else?)<Just to agree w/ you B>    3/13/16
Hello! I am truly hoping you can help me to solve the mystery illness of my beloved goldfish, Clementine and Jujuby. I've read through all the boards and previously answered questions, and can't seem to find a case like mine.
<Oh?>
My goldfish are two fantails in a 29-gallon-long tank.
<Just about big enough.>
Water parameters are consistently ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates between 0-20, pH 7.2, gH between 75 and 150, kH around 40.
<All sounds fine. Would also check temperature though. Fancy Goldfish truly appreciate a bit of warmth, certainly not less than 18C/64F, and ideally around 22C/72F.>
I do a 20-25% water change once a week. I feed Spectrum small sinking pellet goldfish food, plus shelled peas about twice per week.
<Sounds good.>
Jujuby has been ill for a couple of years at this point- she has always had trouble with keeping herself upright, and always has clamped fins.
<Clamped fins unusually indicate stress in fish, whether psychological or physiological. To be fair, fancy Goldfish are sometimes so deformed (their funny shapes are deformities, if you think about it) that they sometimes unable to swim properly. This is usually down to a problem with the relative positions of their swim bladders and guts, so when they become constipated, which happens easily on flake alone, they start listing like an unstable boat.>
Other than that, she eats well, and does not gasp at the surface or flash.
I almost never see her poop, which troubles me- I suspect she has fishy diarrhea.
<Constipation. Diarrhoea is when the faeces are loose and copious, relatively unlikely to be noticed in fish given their aquatic environment. Constipation is where the faeces are slow to emerge, and often (in fish) take the form of long brown strings hanging from the vent of the fish.>
Clementine was the healthy one until this past fall, when she developed white bumps on her fins- several on her tail, a few on her dorsal fin, and even a couple on her body near her dorsal fin. I noticed Jujuby seems to have these spots, too. They are definitely not ich (though I did treat for ich just to be safe)- they don't resemble salt crystals, they almost look like they're growing out from the inside of her tail.
<Curious. My gut feeling is something viral, like Fish Pox. Not treatable, but usually goes away when the source of stress is removed. Some vets suggest Fish Pox is extremely rarely seen in fish, others that it's pretty common and latent in most specimens! There's also Coldwater Ick, which looks very like Fish Pox and completely unlikely the Ick seen in tropical fish. It can be treated in the same way as regular Ick though, but with the proviso you MUST warm the aquarium up to at least 20C, ideally 22C, before treating. That's because the Coldwater Ick cysts will take a long time to burst at cold temperatures, and they must burst if the Ick/Whitespot medication is going to kill the free-living stage in the parasite's life cycle. If you don't warm the water, it'll take weeks for the cysts to burst, by which time the active chemicals in the medication will have been metabolised by the fish filter bacteria. Make sense?>
Clementine's poops are often stringy or zigzaggy, or both, suggesting an internal infection.
<See above; this symptom could be constipation. Would make the usual reminder: all-brown faeces are constipation, but if the faeces are pale, even glassy in places, then that indicates the gut is shedding a lot of mucous. That in turn tends to mean there's a parasitic infection of the gut, because the parasites irritate the gut causing it to secrete the
mucous. Such parasites might be worms, might be Hexamita-type Protozoans.
Difficult to diagnose without examining the faeces, so one option is to medicate for both.><<Agreed. B>>
I have tried EVERYTHING- Kanamycin, Erythromycin, Ich Cure, everything.
<Understood. But this sort of scattergun approach is rarely effective (or economical).>
The thing that worked best was putting both fish in a hospital tank. First, I treated with Methylene Blue for 10 days. Then, I treated with MetroPlex, both in the water and food, for 10 days. Though Jujuby was still her clamped-fin self, I noticed that Clementine's white spots disappeared, and both fish seemed to have actual normal poops (a first in a long time).
While the fish were in the hospital tank, I did a 90% water change in their regular tank, and allowed it to fully cycle before reintroducing C & J. I also added a Hydro-Sponge filter to supplement their hang-on-back filter.
Within days of returning to their regular tank, Clementine's spots reappeared- in the EXACT same locations where they had been before! And both fish no longer have normal poops. I am so sad and baffled.
I know this is a lot to read and take in, but I really need an expert's help. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my message.
~Laura
<Do hope this helps, Neale.>
Re: goldfish mystery illness (RMF, anything else?)<Nada; thanks>     3/15/16
Hello, Neale! I truly appreciate your quick response, and am off to make a donation to WetWebMedia!
<Ah, that's kind of you. Be sure it goes towards keeping the site on the web; we're all volunteers here.>
You're right, I forgot to mention the temperature of my tank- it's always around 68 degrees F/ 20 degrees Celsius right now, and goes to a maximum of 75 degrees F/ 23 degrees Celsius in the summertime- I am careful to use a fan or air conditioning to keep the water temp from going much higher.
<Sounds fine.>
I realize that constipation is the issue most often seen in goldfish, but I never see Jujuby poop, ever. Never any trailing poop- just nothing. I did see a little explosion of feces from her anal area one day, which makes me think diarrhoea. By contrast, Clementine (the healthier fish) usually has good poops- food-coloured on pellet days, and pea-coloured on green days.
But sometimes she produces poop that looks exactly like a knotted thin white thread. Based on my research, of course I was thinking re-absorbed eggs or a parasitic infection, but my Prazi-Quel treatment did not seem to help.
<Agreed. Does sound at least in part as if this fish isn't eating much/enough. Even with worms, something should come out of the vent! Would make the observation that Prazi-Pro isn't the most effective dewormer in
all course. I'm going to direct you to some reading, here:
http://www.loaches.com/Members/shari2/levamisole-hydrochloride-1
Loaches are commonly "wormy" when imported, and in some cases deworming is essential. Loaches.com is a great website, and very reliable, and even if you aren't keeping loaches there's much of value there.>
About all that medication, I agree- constantly medicating is probably not the best course of action, but it is difficult to watch them suffer, so I end up trying everything.
<Totally understood.>
I've done a full course of each type of medicine, taking care to follow instructions and remove all traces of medication and let the bacteria in the tank return to normal before beginning another treatment. As I
mentioned, the Methylene Blue followed by the Metro-Plex seemed to work best, but what really baffled me is how quickly the spots returned, and that they were in the EXACT same place as before.
<Odd, but does make them sound more viral than anything else.>
This leads me to agree that you're right in thinking fish pox might be the culprit? You've also got me thinking that Coldwater Ick may be a possibility, too (I didn't know that existed before!). But would an infection like Ick return to the exact same locations on a fish's body?
<Could do. The infective free-living stages will favour damaged or thin skin, where the mucous is lacking or whatever. But agreed, if all the "cysts" are in the same place, it does sound unlikely. In any event, since
Ick is relatively easily treated with a combo of heat and salt, and Goldfish have a high tolerance for brackish water, going nuclear on this fish for a couple months might the way forward. Something around 2-3 gram/litre isn't unreasonable, and should kill off most external parasites, let alone Ick.>
Not the same general area, but the same exact spots, as if I had marked them with a pen and they re-appeared right there? What do you think?
<Much as you do. Most curious. Leaning towards the virus, which isn't treatable. Or even some sort of unusual tumour (hardly rare among Goldfish). Neither treatable beyond waiting for nature to take its course.
Provided the Goldfish is active and feeding, these sorts of cysts or tumours are a cosmetic issue rather than anything else.>
I really appreciate your help, Neale- it is difficult to speak to someone who actually knows what they're talking about, versus online speculators who, even with the best intentions, may just be re-cycling what they've read or mixing up information.
~Laura
<Thanks for the kind words. Sorry can't be more categorical though. Good luck going forwards, and if anything changes/improves, be sure to let us know.
Neale.>
Re: goldfish mystery illness (RMF, anything else?)
Thank you so much, Neale- the symptoms of nematode infection as listed on the Loaches site match my fish's symptoms almost exactly- bloody streaks in fins, nodules, white stringy feces, and a bloated vent area. It looks like Levamisole Hydrochloride is difficult to come by here in the US, but I just ordered what I could find, and I hope that it will all work out. Please cross your fingers for me! I will let you know how it goes, in case your other readers are struggling with the same problem one day.
With much gratitude,
Laura
<Definitely an excellent website and I'm pleased you've got a direction to work in now. Good luck! Neale.>

I think I have a sick goldfish. No info. of use or reading        2/8/16
Hi,
I have noticed for a month now, my goldfish will eat his food but will quickly spit it out and then have a mouth spasm.
<What are you feeding? Have you read on WWM re GF nutrition?>
I thought it might be the water, so I did a full water change yesterday and cleaned the rocks. The fish is still doing the same thing. What can I do?
<Read; send data... what re the system, water quality, history of the set up, maintenance, other life present.... Bob Fenner>
Thank you,
Monica Wayne

Lionhead goldfish - Is this a torn scale?      2/2/16 I adopted this little guy from Wal-Mart about 2 weeks ago. >... what lessons here?< As per usual, I cruised past the tanks there and was taken aback to see all their tropical tanks empty. The goldfish and koi were still there but all the tanks were putrid. >Ugh< The Wal-Mart employee informed me that there had been a massive die-off in these tanks. (And apparently they have no one to break down and clean them. ) <......> Now I already have 1 lionhead, "Eggbert" ("Eggsie"), and I've been wanting to get him a little friend so I decided to rescue one. That was about 2 weeks ago. "Newbie's" been in quarantine and has shown no sign of disease or whatever it was that swept through the store tanks so I was just getting ready to introduce him to "Eggsie's" tank. I netted him into a plastic Sterilite shoe box filled with 'quarantine' water to begin the acclimatization process and noticed this little 'thing' flipping and flapping along as he wiggled around the container. I swear it wasn't there yesterday. It's 'goldfish orange' where it emerges from his body and white at the other end. At the white end there's this little notch giving the projection a sort of lily pad shape. I can see no sign of blood, fungus, infection or rot. He's active, wiggly and a good eater. Sooo...Is this a torn scale or what? <Pic please> I've put a very, very diluted drop of Methylene blue in the water just in case. pH is 7.0-ish with Seachem Prime and API Stress Coat. Your opinion will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Pat. <Waiting on the image. Bob Fenner> re: Lionhead goldfish - Is this a torn scale?      2/2/16 I thought I had an image attached, there. Let's try again. <Maybe the next...>

Re: Lionhead goldfish - Is this a torn scale?      2/2/16 Drat! Hit the wrong button. Thought I had an image attached, there. Let's see if this works. Pat <Yes! Does indeed look as you've stated; a pulled on/out scale. Goldfish, minnows have what are termed "cycloid" (vs. "higher fishes", ctenoid) scales; not inter-digitating, solidly embedded... easily lost from physical action. I would not "pull out" this one scale, but simply continue w/ your good care, nutrition. It may well be shed/lost in time on its own accord. A note: There are some who do "pull out" what they consider unattractive scales of goldfish, and koi... in an effort to make them look better for competitive shows... they do grow back, though slowly. Bob Fenner> Re: Lionhead goldfish - Is this a torn scale? /Neale chimes in         2/3/16 Drat! Hit the wrong button. Thought I had an image attached, there. Let's see if this works. Pat <Certainly looks like a loose scale. Goldfish lose these quite easily. Grow back quickly, and if water conditions are excellent, no need for medications. Cheers, Neale.> Re: Lionhead goldfish - Is this a torn scale?        2/3/16 Whew! Thanks, Bob & Neale. There's a relief. �� When I first saw it I didn't know *what* was erupting from this fish. �� Bob, you are so right about the "lost from physical action" thing. <Ah yes; does happen w/ traumas, goldfish; but almost always the scale/s is/are lost, come loose, rather then a "hang nail" like here> This fish is a bit of a 'nervous Nellie'. Easily startled and it's 'off to the races!'. I have no trouble believing that he'd charge out of the gate in a cloud of scales. So, in your opinion, is it okay to continue with my plan to introduce him to "Eggsie's" tank now or wait until the scale drops of its own accord? Pat <I'd wait a good two weeks, maybe three in quarantine/isolation... to check for the more obvious large parasites (Lernaea, Argulus...) to show or not. BobF>

Fin rot and ich on a Ryukin        1/13/16 Greetings, thanks for your help in the past in getting rid of the fish lice that came in on these two goldfish. I will never buy fish at this particular PetSmart again. I went back to that store recently for dog food and almost every goldfish in that shipment had passed away. What a disgrace how some suppliers stress out the fish. Anyway, the fantail is doing great and looks very healthy. They are in a 55-gallon. Water parameters are ammonia & nitrites = 0, nitrates = 30. I do a weekly water change of about 50%. They have an Eheim canister filter that can do up to a 75- gallon aquarium, containing primarily biological filtration media. I try to feed them a varied diet, low on the protein. The aquarium is at 75 degrees? So that's the general picture. <Okay> Now, the problem is that the Ryukin seems to have a few ich organisms on his gill cover and his tail fin appears to have mild fin rot., I say mild as I have seen no red spots or black edges, but his tail is shorter than it was, as if a bacterial infection may be eating at it. <Mmm> Is it possible to treat ich and fin rot concurrently? <Yes> Should I use salt for the ich and also tetracyclines or triple sulfa for the possible fin rot? <You could> Will the salt interfere at all with the antibiotics? <It will not> Is it safe for fancy goldfish to be at 80 degrees F for the duration of the ich treatment? <Yes; even (better) into the mid-80's F.... do add aeration if you can; to augment that from the Eheim> Can they tolerate it well? Also, should I do a salt bath for the Ryukin to "jump start" his treatment, as it were? <You could> Also, there is a baby Black Moor in the tank with them. He's only a little bit over an inch long (not including the tail fin). I got him at the same time as the others but from a different store where their fish seem to be a lot healthier. So far he's shown no sign of disease. I'm hoping he's healthy enough to get through all this. He seems quite lively and healthy. Should he be able to tolerate this treatment OK? <Yes> Thanks so much in advance for your answer! Sorry to ask about this when there's already a lot of info on your web site, but I had some specific questions. I greatly appreciate your help. Riobhka De Pêché <Welcome. Bob Fenner> Re: Fin rot and ich on a Ryukin Greetings. Just to let you know that I added salt to their aquarium yesterday (2 grams per litre) and also dosed them with erythromycin. We're at 82 degrees F. They just received their 2nd dose of erythromycin today. Do you think it would be a good idea to give a third dose of the antibiotics tomorrow to be sure even though two doses are the recommended course of treatment? <I would spread the Erythromycin (most antibiotics, antimicrobials) over every three days (at 250 mg per ten gallons) for three times administration. Changing some (25%) water out if deemed necessary> The Ryukin is livelier and his colours look better today. Also, he's more enthusiastic about eating and that has to be a good thing. <Ahh!> I'm being cautiously optimistic that he's on the road to recovery. Thanks so much for your advice and all the great resources on your web site. <Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner> Re: Fin rot and ich on a Ryukin       1/14/16 Thanks, Bob. I will dose the antibiotics as you suggested. Ludwig is looking even better this morning. The pix don't really show how much better his colour is this morning. We were so worried about him. You can see in the pix the short tail and a small hole in his dorsal fin. <Is there... a Pleco in w/ this fish? What are the other tankmates?> I know they'll take awhile to grow back, but the important thing is that he seems to be on the road to recovery. Thanks so very much again for your help. You guys are an invaluable resource. <Anima bona fac R.... be of good life. BobF>

Re: Fin rot and ich on a Ryukin       1/14/16 Hello again. One more question, if I may. Should seven days of the salt solution in their aquarium at 82 degrees F be enough to eradicate the ich organisms? <I'd raise and keep at 85 F.> If not, how long would you recommend? Thanks again. <Should be. BobF> Re: Fin rot and ich on a Ryukin       1/14/16 Greetings, Sorry to bother you again, but the Ryukin has taken a turn for the worse after having seemed so much better. I was gone for a couple of hours to the vet's office to get Heartgard for my dogs. When I returned, the Ryukin was swimming upside down and even when I gently touched him, he was unable to right himself. <?!> I have him now resting in a net in his tank. Seeing him from underneath, there is a faint reddish-purple streak in between his ventral fins and the ventral fins themselves look to be turning this colour as well. I'm in the process of raising the temp to 85 F as you suggested. The other fish in the tank still seem perfectly healthy. My first thought of course is swim-bladder disease, but isn't this often only a symptom of some other underlying problem? <Yes> Could the red colour on his underside indicate an internal problem...possibly an infection, especially in light of the fact that these poor fish came from PetSmart apparently with a plethora of problems? <Yes and yes> Isn't the current treatment the one that's usually used for swim-bladder problems...salt and antibiotics? <Depends....> Maybe I should try tripe-sulfa? <I would not> I don't believe that it's a diet problem, since these fish eat a varied diet of shelled & thawed peas, Spirulina, organic lettuce, Omega One green seaweed, duckweed (which was quarantined before giving it to them) and only occasionally some freeze-dried mysis shrimp or Tubifex. <Patience. B> Any thoughts and suggestions you have for me I will be happy to hear. Thanks in advance for your help. R Re: Fin rot and ich on a Ryukin       1/14/16 Never mind. I just checked on him and he's stopped breathing. He must've had a serious problem to go down so fast. Thanks for your help anyway. <Yeeikes! BobF>

goldfish; damaged         12/9/15
I have 3 large goldfish in a 55 gallon tank complete with 2- 35 gallon filters and an air enhancer. 2 of the fish are just fine and healthy looking and active but the third one has been hanging on the bottom and seems to be gasping for air.
<Mmm; maybe it swallowed.... gravel? A bug that got in the system?>
I Have seen this fish swim full tilt at the glass and bang his face off the glass.
<Yikes; bad>
His mouth did swell up, but was still able to eat. (actually done this a couple times) His mouth has healed. And have seen him eat, but the last couple days he’s been just at the bottom. :(
<Well; as far as guessing at measures I'd take.... Would only moderately dose the system with Epsom Salt. Do see
WWM re. Bob Fenner>

Fwd: Comet With Gill Issues; env.        12/22/15
Hi Bob and Crew!
<Alice>
Thank you so much your help, I finally pestered mum into buying a water testing kit (only for PH levels though, sorry I don't have more information :/) and found that the water was *way* too alkaline, which finally got mum's attention and now I am allowed to clean the tank/change the water without her (which means every couple of days as I am on school holidays!)
and our fish has improved and looks a lot happier.
<Ah good>
(In your face, mum) He is even back to chasing bits of food instead of moping with no energy. I check the PH levels every morning so far, and have kept them at a stable neutral level.
I have also been using some green anti-fungal and anti-stress/slime coat liquids which I hope is helping; some of the white fuzz around his gills has gone, so I guess it is?
<Again; likely environmental. Other symptoms resultant from this>
Thank you for your input guys,
and Merry Christmas!
From Alice
<And you, Bob Fenner>

Sick Goldfish       11/11/15
Hi Bob, One of my larger goldfish has been struggling with his swim bladder over the course of a few months now.
<Ahh; a common complaint w/ fancies.... that have been fed too much flake and other dried foods>
He had originally lost buoyancy and sat at the bottom of the tank upright.
A week ago I found him on his side and he has continued to be on his side since then. Upon a tactile inspection I can feel a hard mass in his abdomen about the size of a small marble.
<Ah, perhaps a tumor of some sort; or could be a callosity... like a callous on your hand... a thickening; from contact with the bottom>
He is approximately 10 inches in length. I perform water changes every week cleaning out the mechanical filters as well every time (not the bio filters). I constructed a jacket with a flotation device to keep him neutral buoyant
<Neat!>
in the tank but he fights until finally managing to slip out of it. I opted to build a long U channel from acrylic placed at the bottom of the tank that keeps him upright and hopefully more comfortable while he convalesces.
I have been hand feeding him in the interim 2 times per day but he is eating very little. I haven't seen him have a bowel movement so this is obviously a great concern given the mass I felt. I had gravel at the bottom of my tank which I have completely removed for fear of it being the culprit of him possibly being intestine impacted. Any insight and direction would be greatly appreciated as I fear I am running out of time and options.
Thanks in advance for your kind help!
Best Regards,
Richard
<What do you feed this fish? Have you tried Epsom Salt? Bob Fenner>