Help Needed

[fish_virgins]

Hi All

I was wondering if someone can help me with our goldfish.

For the past few days he has been off colour and sat at the bottom of the tank, i thought the other day that he looked as though he had a lump inside him on the side. I have come home today and he isn't well he is like bent to one isde an just lying at the bottom of the tank and it looks as though he is struggling.

Not sure how big the tank is as other half normal deals with al that and he isn't here, but we have two white clouds and a moorhead is it (the black ones)
I don't want hime in any pain but in the books i have it doesn't say anything about what is happening to him, as far as i can tell there is no sign of any spots or white spots on him.

Can anyone help? Oh forgot to mention we did a partial water change yesterday and added salt.

Thx
Kel

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Need some more info on your situation first before we can really help you;

a. Can you measure the length, width and height of the tank? I can calculate the gallons/litres of the tank if you post its measurements here .
b. How often do you do water changes on the tank and how much do you take out on average and do you use dechlorinator on the water?
c. How long has the tank been set up for?
d. How long have you have the fish in it for and how large/long are they?
e. Can you describe the appearance and size of the lump on the fish- is it red/sore looking like an ulcer, or solid and fleshy looking like a tumor, or simply a raised lump under the skin, or a growth with cottom wool like stuff on it etc?
f. Is the tank filtered and heated, and if so, what sort of filtration do you have and how warm is the tank?
g. How much salt have you added to the tank and what type of salt?
h. You say the fish is "bent", does his spine look permanently bent of place or does the goldfish look like it is intentionally laying on the bottom of the tank in a bent position?

 

[fish_virgins]

Hi

Mr Fish_Virgins here replying...

a. 28 litres
b. Water changes as and when can be bothered... once a month? Usually change approx 9 litres and we use tapsafe (or something like that)
c. 12 months
d. 12 months - 2 small WCMs, 1 black googly eye approx 2.5" body plus tail, and the sickly fantail is approx same size
e. I cant actually see a lump myself... he just looks very sickly and floppy
f. no heat, but filtered with a pump that sticks on the side
g. not much... as recommended on side of packet to ease stress. It's Doc Wellfish's Aquarium Salt
h. not bent... more lying on floor curled up.

Thanks

Need some more info on your situation first before we can really help you;

a. Can you measure the length, width and height of the tank? I can calculate the gallons/litres of the tank if you post its measurements here .
b. How often do you do water changes on the tank and how much do you take out on average and do you use dechlorinator on the water?
c. How long has the tank been set up for?
d. How long have you have the fish in it for and how large/long are they?
e. Can you describe the appearance and size of the lump on the fish- is it red/sore looking like an ulcer, or solid and fleshy looking like a tumor, or simply a raised lump under the skin, or a growth with cottom wool like stuff on it etc?
f. Is the tank filtered and heated, and if so, what sort of filtration do you have and how warm is the tank?
g. How much salt have you added to the tank and what type of salt?
h. You say the fish is "bent", does his spine look permanently bent of place or does the goldfish look like it is intentionally laying on the bottom of the tank in a bent position?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hi

Mr Fish_Virgins here replying...

a. 28 litres
b. Water changes as and when can be bothered... once a month? Usually change approx 9 litres and we use tapsafe (or something like that)
c. 12 months
d. 12 months - 2 small WCMs, 1 black googly eye approx 2.5" body plus tail, and the sickly fantail is approx same size
e. I cant actually see a lump myself... he just looks very sickly and floppy
f. no heat, but filtered with a pump that sticks on the side
g. not much... as recommended on side of packet to ease stress. It's Doc Wellfish's Aquarium Salt
h. not bent... more lying on floor curled up.

Thanks

A 9litre water change is really not adequate for a goldfish tank, ideally you should be doing a 30-60% water change once a week with dechlorinator.
Not doing regular water changes will mean that the mineral content in the tank goes up (from evaporation) which can change the ph of the tank over time (which can stress the fish out), nitrates will rise up into high levels (which can also stress the fish out) and diseases and parasites are more likely to thrive in tanks which are not cleaned often enough. So it is very important to do regular once weekly water changes to help ensure the future good health and welbeing of your fish- your goldfish will also grow faster and larger if you do more regular water changes as well, since at only 2.5inches long after 12months of being in the tank their growth does seem to have been stunted a bit as they should ideally be at about 3-5inches long at least by now if you bought the goldies at say an inch long. The goldfish will also need a larger tank in the future at some point too as black moore goldfish and fantails can grow up to 10inches long .

I take it you are only cleaning the substrate in the tank when you do your once monthly water changes? Goldfish produce a lot of waste as far as fish go, they can produce 33% of their body weight in urine and poo everyday- a large percentage of this poop will be settling down into the substrate of the tank (i take it you have gravel as a substrate?) where it will rot and cause water quality problems and harbor diseases like columnaris.
Your fishes symptoms at the moment appear to be pointing towards water quality problems in the tank so it is important to review your tank cleaning maintanence regime and change it for the better. Its important to locate and describe the appearance of the lump on the fish if there is one since this could point to a bacterial infection or other health problems the fish may be suffering from. Once we've identified for sure the posible cause of the fishes health problems and what health problem/s the fish has exactly, then we can work on the best course of treatment to cure the fish and make sure the fish does not fall ill again .
How often do you clean the filter in the tank and how do you go about it?