22 replies to this topic

[Frazy85]

Hi there, ive been pretty worried recently, tried aquatic shops etc, and i just thought id see what you guys thought as well.

Ive got an 8 year old fish named rodney, up until a year ago it was in mine and my dads care, however my dad moved away, and lodgers moved in who decided they would take care of it. However, around 4 months ago, i noticed theyd taken the water filter out. I thought this was wierd but i trusted them that they knew what they were doing, and i am now beating myself up for not saying anything.

Recently, rodney has gotten really poor. His stomach is so so bloated, he really looks like he is going to explode, however his scales are not pertruding, they are flat. He does swim still and he does eat, but he goes through a lot of periods where he just sits in the corner staring at nothing, even though it could be his reflection that he is staring at.

Using advice, i started to give him peas, and am in the process of giving him myxazin, which after 3 days seems to have done nothing.

Has anyone got any advice as to what i should do? I feel awful just sitting here letting him get on with it when he could be in pain.

[KittyKat]

So your goldfish(?) now has no filter? This is bad news. You need to make sure it goes back in and then keep testing the water to make sure there is no ammonia and no nitrite in it.

What have they been feeding him and how often?

[Frazy85]

No it dosent, im angry that they took it out. Im unable to find where theyve put the filter, theyre away, i cant contact them, i really dont know what to do. Will a filter actually help anything now hes already sick?

[KittyKat]

Without a filter, your fish will be slowly poisoned by ammonia (and probably also nitrite). Please post a full description of your set-up. Aquarium dimensions, full stock like, full equipment list, water readings (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, hardness and temperature).

Is your fish, by any chance, constipated? To me, this seems the most likely problem, especially if he is a fancy goldfish. The easiest thing to do to correct this is to not feed him for a day or two and then feed him only boiled and de-shelled peas until you start seeing some improvement (usually, in 3-5 days).

[Frazy85]

Unfortunately, its been 3 days already and ive been doing what you said. Around 3 days ago i took the water to a aquarium and they tested, however there didnt seem to be any problems. The person said themselves that it could be that he is constipated, but hes not showing any signs of improvement at all. Im in two minds whether to go out and just buy a new filter today.

I couldnt quite believe he was constipated though, his belly his huge, really huge.

[KittyKat]

Still, please post the set-up information and the readings, we might come to very different conclusions.

Is there anything remotely worm-like hanging out of his bum?

[Frazy85]

Yes there is, its stringy, white and long. The tank is a 30 litre tank. I dont know the readings specifically as they did them at the shop. Hes being fed normal goldfish food twice a day, but ive stopped feeding him it recently, and giving him peas.

[KittyKat]

It is clear poo: that is another sign of constipation.

The only things you can do is improve his living conditions (for example goldfish require very large aquariums and excellent water quality). Without improving the housing, the only thing you can do is keep feeding him peas and not feeding him (alternating day-to-day). Doing very frequent water changes will also help (do treat new water with dechlorinator).

In all honesty, I am quite surprised that he has survived for this long in such a small tank.

[Frazy85]

He was fine up until a few months ago, seemed happy as anything. Do you think i need to urgently get a new filter then?

[KittyKat]

Yes, I think you need to get a new filter quite urgently. You should also ask the shop, very nicely, if they will let you have some mature media for the filter (which I doubt they will give you) or look for someone close to you who is willing to donate some (this is a link).

The problems from small tanks and poor water quality are not always immediately visible and usually have an effect on the fish mainly in the long term (for example, shortened life span, stunted growth, bad immune system). For example, an average 8 year old fancy goldfish should be about 8" in length.

If at all possible, please do seriously consider getting a bigger tank for him.

Edited by Kitty Kat, 08 November 2010 - 04:24 PM.

[Frazy85]

Id love to, i really would, but at the moment im unemployed, even getting a new filter is stretching things for me. It was never really my fish, my dad took it and did everything for it, now the new people do, but obviously theyre neglecting it and im trying to pick up the pieces to make everything ok again.

[Frazy85]

You know what, thinking about it, the only logical solution would be to rehouse him, could that be a sensible way of doing things?

[KittyKat]

Well, firstly you can try places like Freecycle, Craigslist and eBay to see if you can find something.. I have had free/almost-free tanks, filters and a LOT of other equipment from those over the years.

If you do want to give the fish away, you should advertise for example in the trade section on this forum and other similar places.

How is he doing today?

Edited by Kitty Kat, 09 November 2010 - 07:30 AM.

[Frazy85]

He really looks the same as he has done all week, everytime i go downstairs he seems to be in the corner or next to the side of the tank staring outside, not sure if thats normal or not. He still does swim but he spends a lot of time at the side of the tank.

[Frazy85]

Ive heard of a lot of fish dying cause of stress, cause of changes to their environment. Well rodney was not happy when the filter was put in, he was looking very destressed for a few minutes, am i gonna find him dead in the morning because im trying to do the right thing?

[KittyKat]

If you do, it won't be because of the filter.

Do you have any Epsom salt? Mix two level tea spoons into some aquarium water and then add to the fish tank. I would recommend doing a 50% w/c just before adding the salt. If you do a water change, make sure to use a dechlorinator.

Please go and have your water tested at the fish shop, then write down all the results, I have a bad feeling that you might have a lot of ammonia and nitrite in your tank.

Edited by Kitty Kat, 09 November 2010 - 11:17 AM.

[Frazy85]

I did a test on friday, and they said it looked fine. The filter is in now. It was pushing him around the tank quite a lot and he was looking very stressed. I moved it to the back of the tank as per the shops advice, and its better, but everytime he gets into that side of the tank, he has to fight to get away as the current tries to push him.

I fed him and he was fine, very hungry, no loss of appetite. All i can say is he looks stressed and hes swimming A LOT more. Im worried about when he gets into that corner of the tank he has to fight to get away from the current.

[KittyKat]

I know you did a test on Friday, but an "it looks fine" from a fish shop can easily mean "your fish is being quickly poisoned to death". If they don't tell you exactly what the readings are, they're probably trying to hide something.

Which filter is it? If it adjustable, you should be able to turn it right down to reduce the flow.

[Frazy85]

Why would they be trying to hide it though?

The filter had a cap that you can put on the front that directs the flow to the top of the water. Ive put that on, rodney seems to be happier but hes still not liking the corner too much, he gets stuck and then fights to swim away. Apart from that, some relatives who saw him say he looks fine to them, swimming fine, the only reason you could tell he was ill was cause of the stomach.

Hes swimming a lot, like i say he does look fine normally but when he gets near that filter he wants to move and gets stuck trying to do it. You cant change the air flow power but its literally being directed upwards, its not hitting the fish at all, he can probably just feel the air flow.

[KittyKat]

Generally trying to hide their lack of knowledge.