Some kind of Goldfish Ilness?

[LocNess]

My Goldfish just began showing this today.

He’s the only Goldfish experiencing this in the tank, and he does not appear to be eating as usual. I’ve yet to see any strange behaviors and see nothing wrong.

Here you can see 2 pictures, one that shows what he looked like a week ago, and one which is now.

 

[fluttermoth]

How big is your tank, how long has it been set up and have you tested the water at all? What fish do you have?

Sorry for all the questions, but we can very rarely properly diagnose an issue just from a picture; nearly all fish diseases have an environmental element to them, so we need to look at the environment first.

 

[LocNess]

How big is your tank, how long has it been set up and have you tested the water at all? What fish do you have?

Sorry for all the questions, but we can very rarely properly diagnose an issue just from a picture; nearly all fish diseases have an environmental element to them, so we need to look at the environment first.

No no, my apologies I haven’t explained it properly.

I have a 36 gallon tank, it’s been setup for 2 months and 1 Male tiger head in the tank.

I have tested the water and the results are perfectly fine.

Now to explain the condition, she’s been having red spots show up all over her body, there’s also a few under both of her fins and she’s staying at the bottom of the tank more often.

 

[fluttermoth]

Could you post the actual numbers from your tests please? And the pH and hardness of the water as well, if you know them.

Did you cycle the tank before you added the fish and, if so, how did you do this? How often and how big are your water changes? What sort of filtration do you have, and how do maintain the filter, exactly?

Could the male fish be harassing her?

 

[LocNess]

Could you post the actual numbers from your tests please? And the pH and hardness of the water as well, if you know them.

Did you cycle the tank before you added the fish and, if so, how did you do this? How often and how big are your water changes? What sort of filtration do you have, and how do maintain the filter, exactly?

Could the male fish be harassing her?

I did not cycle the tank before adding fish, my water changes happen every week and I change a good 25% of it. I’m unaware of what type of filter it is, but I do know that it was from Top Fin and is capable of pumping up to 300 Gallons per hour.

Test results:
Nitrate 40 - 50
Nitrite 0 - 0.25
Ammonia 0.50 Almost leaning over to 1.0
PH 7.0

 

[fluttermoth]

Well, the ammonia is an immediate concern; that could be the cause of the problem.

If you didn't cycle the tank before you added fish, then they could have suffered serious issues from the levels of ammonia and nitrite they experienced; that can have long term effects that aren't noticeable at the time.

You need to keep both ammonia and nitrite as near to zero as possible; anything over 0.25ppm can have serious consequences. Your nitrate is also on the high side, which is probably because your water changes aren't large enough; 50% weekly is the minimum you should be doing with goldies, but more is always better..

If you have a constant reading for ammonia, and it's not just a one off, that might mean your filter's struggling to cope; goldfish are very bulky, messy fish, and most internal filters can't cope with the waste they produce. How do you clean the filter, and do you change the media in it?

I'd start off by recommending a 50% water change every day for a few days and see if the fish improves at all. Fresh water, as long as it's temperature matched and dechlorinated, is the absolute best first aid for fish.

 

[LocNess]

Well, the ammonia is an immediate concern; that could be the cause of the problem.

If you didn't cycle the tank before you added fish, then they could have suffered serious issues from the levels of ammonia and nitrite they experienced; that can have long term effects that aren't noticeable at the time.

You need to keep both ammonia and nitrite as near to zero as possible; anything over 0.25ppm can have serious consequences. Your nitrate is also on the high side, which is probably because your water changes aren't large enough; 50% weekly is the minimum you should be doing with goldies, but more is always better..

If you have a constant reading for ammonia, and it's not just a one off, that might mean your filter's struggling to cope; goldfish are very bulky, messy fish, and most internal filters can't cope with the waste they produce. How do you clean the filter, and do you change the media in it?

I'd start off by recommending a 50% water change every day for a few days and see if the fish improves at all. Fresh water, as long as it's temperature matched and dechlorinated, is the absolute best first aid for fish.

Water changes everyday?

That’s a lot of work, I may not have the time but I’ll definitely try!

The filter I have is Biological, I don’t usually clean it too much but when I do, I just give it a quick once over with water from the tank.

I really appreciate the help you gave me. I’ll do what you said and hope something changes...

 

[fluttermoth]

If she doesn't start improving, do post back, but many fishy issues do clear up with nothing more than good, clean water.