Black Moor In Trouble Help!

[Villy Valley]

Hi

Please help me save my daughters black moor. It has started listing to one side and doesnt look very happy. I lost a fish about 4 weeks ago that started with this symptom. Should I go and buy some live daphnia or put the swimbladder drops in the water - should I take the black moor out of the tank? Please tell me what I can do. I have just done a 20% water change and have checked the nitrite level is fine.

Villy

 

[black angel]

Check your nitrate as well. Are you feeding flakes? If so start soaking them first or swap to sinking granules.
Stop feeding your fish for three days and then give some boiled shelled frozen peas and mush them up so the fish doesnt choke and give those for a couple of days. Two peas per fish is enough. See if that rights the problem and i wouldnt bother with stuff for the water.

 

[Villy Valley]

He doesn't look like he will last three days! Can't I do something now?

Villy

 

[black angel]

ok then, what size tank, filtration, how you clean the tank out and what do you do about cleaning the filter and do you know what kind it is?
Fish listing is usually a bouancy problem but can be caused by environmental factors such as toxic water so knowing ph,ammonia,nitrites,nitrates is a good start as trying to help a fish can only begin if the water is in the best possible condition.
Are you using dechlorinator? Does the fish look bloated in any wat, scales standing and have you noticed what the poo looks like as well as this can help diagnose internal problems.
How long have you had the fish for and is the tank cycled at all? any new additions to the tank such as new fish or live plants.

 

[Animation]

Sounds exactly like swim bladder to me mate i used to keep coldwater fish,
When you next get a chance rush to the local fish shop and buy swimbladder cure- Follow the dossage on the back and do it for as long as it tells you- DO NOT get your hopes up as swimbladder can be uncurable after a certain time.
Hope i helped
Good Luck mate and all the best
James


PS. If the fish does die get another one before your daughter sees

 

[Villy Valley]

It is not a very large tank - I have progressed from a basic goldfish bowl to a small tank that holds about 25 litres of water. It has three fish in it. Villy - the black moor who we have had for 3 months, Boris a fancy fan tail goldfish who is also 3 months and Flash a normal goldfish who we have had from 8 months and came out of the goldfish bowl. (yes I know Flash shouldn't be in with them but I didn't know that at the time of buying the other two fish - he will be going into a friends pond when the temperature rises) All of the fish are about the same size 3 inches. I have a Fluval filter that I rinse every Wednesday while doing a 20% water change. I rinse the sponge filter in the water that I take from the tank and do not use tap water. I always add dechlorinating drops. I have also added some Tonic Salts. The water change today was as usual I checked the Nitrite level for which I have a basic kit. A test tube to fill 10ml of water from tank add tablet and shake and wait to see what shade of pink appears which I put against a chart. The chart indicated the water is fine as the colour was barely pink in fact it was almost clear. I do not have kits to check for nitrates or anything else. Today I replaced the plants that had been in the water for 1 month. I replaced like for like. I feed them a mixture of dried flakes and dried daphnia. I have now taken Villy out and put him in the fishbowl with a few live daphnia, tonic salts and a drip of swimbladder treatment. I will wait and see what happens. Should I be doing anything else?

Villy

ps I have looked in the fish shop today and the Black Moors that they have are similar but they are not Villy and my daughter would know that I had switched them. She is now fussing over the goldfish bowl and waiting to see what happens. Occassionally he tries to swim but mainly just floats - looking dead but still breathing. We are expecting the inevitable but hoping he will pull through.

 

[Animation]

Nope everything fine However get the water tested for the nitrate, Daphnia is good or you could try a few dried peas as this often helps.
Try to feed him mainly on veg and stay off the flakes with him untill he is cured.
Good Luck
James

 

[black angel]

If its a bacterial infection then this can infect the swimbladder and stop him swimming properly as well. Does he ever swim normally at all or just floats all the time on his side?
You have the basics done with cleaning the filter etc, but the tank is too small and bacterial problems will soon mount.
Raising the temperature of the water will help the immune system to kick in but it doesnt sound good for your fish.
For future reference fancy goldfish need a minimum of 10 gallons each to dilute the ammonia as they lose 30% in pee a day.

 

[Villy Valley]

I left Villy in the goldfish bowl overnight. I saw it eat some live daphnia - so it isn't off its food! I came down this morning expecting to see it floating on the top - but - surprise, surprise it was swimming round the bowl on an even keel. I fed it some more daphnia and it seems fine. I have put him back in the tank with Boris the other fancy fantail and have taken out Flash - the goldfish. During the time that the Villy was out of the tank, Flash was chasing Boris and bashing him so I have taken him out to try and calm him down a bit. Boris and Villy are now in the tank on their own and seem fine. I will keep a close eye on Villy. I have decided to feed the fish live daphnia and blood worms every other day rather than return to dried food. Do you think this will help with the bouyancy problem and is feeding them every other day enough?

Thanks for your support with Villy

Villy Valley

 

[black angel]

feeding the live food is ok but only a couple of times a week as they will get constipated otherwise. You could try making your own gelled food if you want to keep them away from the flake.
Its a simple recipe and fish love it
You will need 1 tin of tuna in springwater
half a cup of peas *frozen*
half a cup of other veg, such as spinach or carrots and maybe apple or banana or a bit of cooked rice
Two packets of gelatin
Take the tuna *drained* and add the veg and then whisk together in a blender and in a pan melt the gelatin then microwave until clear. Mix everything together and then you can use ice cube trays to put it into and then keep out enough for a few days and then freeze the rest.
You will get to know what foods they like and you can alter it as you please. Goldfish need protein in the diet so its best to have at least half the recipe with something meaty.