I Think My Comet Is Poorly?

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

liam74

New Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2005
Messages
43
Reaction score
0
Location
leyland, lancashire
i have 2 comets...about 4 inch long, had them about 6 mths. i did have 2 weather loaches in with them too, but took them out as the comets seemed unhappy.

i have noticed that one of the comets, some of his tail seems to have come away (a small piece) and his veins in his tail and fins have got red, i can tell he is unhappy at the moment and put some meds in incase it is a bacterial infection.

do you know what this could be?

thanks

liam
 
Need to know what size tank, how many fish and how big. What readings do you have for ammonia, nitrite,nitrate and ph.
What filtration are you using and how often and how much are you doing water changes.

It could be septicemia in which case ammonia and nitrite may be the cause.

Do a 40% water change with dechlorinator and make sure you wash any sponge material from the filter in old tank water.
Can you get a pic of the fish?
 
i have done 50% water change yesterday...havent tested for ammonia but tested others...as follow....using tetra 5 in 1 test strips.

nO3 - 0
nO2 - 1
gh - 8
kh - 6
ph - 7.2.
i have a 2ft tank (10 gallon) with 2 goldfish (about 3 inch in size).

it doesnt look like that pic at all...the colour of the fish has faded and the tail has red lines on it (like veins)and slightly frayed, with a bit of the tip of the tail missing, was thinking it was possibly a loach that had took the chunk out of his tail and that is why i have taken the loach out of the tank...i just know he not well, i can tell he is off colour.

the meds i have used are...king british - bacterial control, and put some aquarium salt in the tank, and have raised water temp slightly.

i do use safe tap dechlorinator for the water each time.

filteration....i have a fluval no 2, and a fluval no 1. the water is also aerated.

thanks for advice
 
Well first off that tank is way too small, for two comets there should be atleast 30 gallons of water. And the loaches take up room too. Research!! Do research before buying fish. Your comet is probably unhealthy because they are huge waste producers and with a tank that small and without frequent water changes the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates will build up very fast. To make them sick. I would suggest either getting a way bigger tank or taking these fish back. I have a 55 gallon with one comet, and two shubunkins and I change their water weekly, I do a 15 to 20% change.
 
Yup, im afraid you are overcrowded and though you havent tested for ammonia the nitrite is too high.
All that will help the fish are constant water changes of 30% each day and salting the tank in two doses of a teaspoon per gallon 12 hours apart. When doing the water changes remember to ad back the salt you take out.
In the long run im afraid you will need the bigger tank suggested or the fish will constantly be fighting infections
 
i do weekly water changes, i have had these fish for a number of months with no problems what so ever. in fact they did actually seem happier when both were in a 5 gallon tank (as strange as that seems).

when i first got the fish they were sold to me by lfs, in a 3 gallon tank...i was doing complete water change, no filter, no aeration..nothing! and they were quite happy.

i think the tank i have now is fine, its how can i treat my fish is what i wanted to know? am i doing the right treatment?
 
Its not bacterial, its a condition caused by poor water. Its septicemia aka blood poisoning. All you can do is daily 50% water changes to see if it will help, but you will be chasing your tail.

As the fish grow so the rate at which they excrete grows so putting more and more pressure on the filter. It gets to a point where it cant cope any more and releases toxins back into the water.
Comets should be around 6 inches long at that age.
If you want to keep your fish like that then you keep going.
 
i think the tank i have now is fine, its how can i treat my fish is what i wanted to know? am i doing the right treatment?

What we are telling you, and you are ignoring, is that the best treatment for those fish is the PROPER tank size. Septicemia, or blood poisoning, is almost always caused by poor husbandry. And regardless of what you may think, your goldfish are getting improper husbandry. These animals are the descendants of carp. The absolute minimum size they will get is 10 inches, and some will grow to sizes of close to two feet. They can live well over 20 years, and need a VERY large tank to survive, as they produce exponential amounts of waste. Your average fish does "ok" at 1 gallon water per inch of adult length. Goldfish need more like 2-3 gallons per inch, and the bare minimum (and I mean BARE. I would never keep a large fish in a tank this small), is 20 gallons per goldfish. If they are not provided with this, the ammonia levels keep building, they are unable to grow properly, thier organs compress, and they will slowly deteriorate and die.

For now, do as AngelLady says and do a 50% water change every day. This should stave off the septicemia long enough for you to get a proper sized tank. There are medications out there for it, but it will be a huge waste of money if you do not improve tank conditions first.
 
To add to that, the reason your fish appeared happier in the 5 gallon is because they were in that one long enough for it to have cycled. I suspect this one has a reading for ammonia (test that). Your ammonia and nitrIte should both be 0. Anything more than that is extremely toxic and the cause of your fish' problems.

Though the tank size is not directly to blame for this AT THE MOMENT, your fish are already showing signs of ill health due to it. Indirectly, for example, they are stressed and water quality has deteriorated due to the inadequate size of the tank (a larger tank would be easier to keep stable). As a result of this, your fish now have septicemia. Also, you say you've had these fish for 6 months - yet they are only 3"? Goldfish grow extremely fast if kept in a large enough tank and can reach their full size within a year.

Besides doing water changes, stop the bacteria treatment - it's for internal bacteria and that's not the problem - and also gradualy reduce the water temp. back to what it was. That treatment has the side effect of also killing off some of the good bacteria that make up your biological filtration - this won't help the tank cycle any faster so water quality won't improve any sooner. The higher temp. reduces the oxygen content of the water - it also speeds up the rate at which bacteria multiply and enzymes work (which is both good - as the good bacteria multiply faster and convert ammonia to nitrIte to nitrAte faster - and bad - because food rots faster, ammonia is produced quicker and any bacterial infections take better hold). In this particular case, I think the cons out-weigh the pros for increasing temp. Besides, increasing temp. only has a significant effect on the treatment of ich.

Just to emphasize something someone said earlier (sorry, can't rember who right now) - when you do your water change, make sure you are using a water conditioner to de-chlorinate your tap water before you put the water in your tank. Also make sure that, if you rinse out your filter sponge/media, you do so in OLD TANK WATER - NOT in tap water which contains chlorine and thus kills off all the good bacteria that grow in your filter and are essential if you want your water to remain clean and safe for the fish.

Read the links in my signature about cycling if you don't know what that is. I also suggest you take some of the advice being given to you seriously because, regardless of what your lFS may have told you, I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say that all we want is for your fish to survive and be healthy and happy.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Members online

Back
Top