Sick Goldfish - Please Help

[windhopper]

One of the goldies (the moor) has devolped pale scales and stringy growths. Ive been told to treat her with interpet anti fungus and finrot but the lfs didnt tell me what the diesease is. What is it, and is there anything else i can do? Would a saltbath help and if so how do i do one?

edit: the stringy things seem to have gone but more of the scales are going white/clear, and its as though someone has dipped her in paint stripper as i can see some of the orange soming off - what is going on??. Also i've noticed a red splodge on the gill cover on one side, she also has one in the middle of her tail (which has been there since lord knows when) she was previously treated with Protozin but this didnt do much, so the LFS gave me the interpet stuff. Please is there anything else i can do??
(the other fish is completely normal)

 

[windhopper]

*bump* anyone got any ideas please?

 

[black angel]

can you fill in the blanks please

Size of aquarium/pond -
Types of fish -
Number of fish and sizes -
Filtration used and how do you clean it and how often -
How much in the way of water changes and how often --
Do you dechlorinate -
Symptoms of sick fish ie, spots, behaviour, etc -
How long has the fish been sick and which medications are your currently using or recently used -
Test results for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph both from the tap and tank -
Anything else you need us to know -


a pic would help too if you could...

 

[windhopper]

Size of aquarium/pond - 30 gallon tank

Types of fish - Goldfish - 1 common male - 1 moor female

Number of fish and sizes - 2, the common male is about 8 inches, the (orange) moor female is about 5/6 inches

Filtration used and how do you clean it and how often - filter washed in tank water once every 2 weeks or whenever slows.

How much in the way of water changes and how often -- about 10% every two weeks (this was in the smaller tank) in the bigger tank i hope for it to go alittle longer

Do you dechlorinate - Yes any new water (from tap) is treated with a water treatment for freshwater fish and stands for 24hrs

Symptoms of sick fish ie, spots, behaviour, etc - scales seem to have lost pigment, they still appear to be there but stipped of their colour, there was long stringy stuff coming of them but that has gone and it seems to be healling, also a very bulging eye, and one sunken eye. Seems to be a peppering of black along the back but not certain. Back in the summer she looked like she had blisters on her "nostrils" and upper lip - treated with protozin and it went away. No change in behaviour and eating like a goldfish still.

How long has the fish been sick and which medications are your currently using or recently used - For the bulging and sunken eye i was told to try the protozin again but nothing happend, and so i have put in Interpet Anti-fungal Anti-finrot as advised by the LFS because they think it is bacterial. As far as i know she has been sick for about 4 days (with the paleing of scales) which is when i added the new treatment (when i saw this)

Test results for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph both from the tap and tank - I have not checked the tap water but the results for the others are normal and as they should be.

Anything else you need us to know - Because of the handicap the fish are fed the sinking pellets desigined for fancy goldfish and both fish get a fair share. The fish is three years old and seems to be suffering one thing after another, im getting to the point where i think it would be easier for me and it to put it out of its misery if it just going to get sick all the time.

the pictures are too big and i cant size them down enough for it i could email them?

 

[pippoodle]

what sort of filter is it ?
what is you feeding regime ?

Water changes - you dont need to let the water stand if you are using a proper dechlorinator , which is sometimes different to water treatment
a dechlorinator removes the chlorine and chloramine from tap water , you can then fill the tank immidiately with the fresh dechlorinated water and you dont need to wait 24 hours
you also need to be doing larger and more frequent water changes - 10% every 2 weeks is not enough for large messy fish

you should aim for 30-40% every week 50% if possible and you should also be doing a gravel vac as partof the tank maintenance

can you post the actual results of the ammonia , nitrates , nitrites and ph from the tank - and also what type of test kit do you use please

have you removed any carbon from your filter cos you would need to do this while treating the tank -

there is no need to euthanise a fish that can live for 20 years just because it keeps getting ill there's a reason why it is getting ill , post the other info and we'll try and figure out how we can help you out

in the mean time reduce feeding to every other day

 

[windhopper]

what sort of filter is it ?
what is you feeding regime ?

Water changes - you dont need to let the water stand if you are using a proper dechlorinator , which is sometimes different to water treatment
a dechlorinator removes the chlorine and chloramine from tap water , you can then fill the tank immidiately with the fresh dechlorinated water and you dont need to wait 24 hours
you also need to be doing larger and more frequent water changes - 10% every 2 weeks is not enough for large messy fish

you should aim for 30-40% every week 50% if possible and you should also be doing a gravel vac as partof the tank maintenance

can you post the actual results of the ammonia , nitrates , nitrites and ph from the tank - and also what type of test kit do you use please

have you removed any carbon from your filter cos you would need to do this while treating the tank -

there is no need to euthanise a fish that can live for 20 years just because it keeps getting ill there's a reason why it is getting ill , post the other info and we'll try and figure out how we can help you out

in the mean time reduce feeding to every other day

Sorry i know im abit wishywashy with all of this. The water treater is a dechlorinater/dechloromider by kingsafe i think.

The filter is a bioflowsuper 400 i think - it came with the juwel 800.

Yes i removed all carbon from the filter as it said in the medicine instructions.

I feed twice a day sinking pellets (because of the moor) and they eat all of it.

When i do a water change i do gravel vac, thats the reason i do it, i take the mess from the bottom.

And the test kit i use is a liquid one by API.

The ammonia reading came out alittle bit higher than my liking today: somewhere between 0.5 and 1
the nitrite came out as: 1.0 S)
the nitrate has come out as: 10 S)
and ph is about 7.2

i think these readings are a bit high. Im loathed to do a water change and interupt the medication tho whats best?

 

[pippoodle]

Was the tank cycled ?
I would do a 50% water change immediately doing a gravel clean at the same time cos it's a waste of time trying to heal a fish in bad water (the results are pretty bad on the nitrites and ammonias)

so do the change , replace carbon for 12 hours , then do another water test tomorrow morning if it shows clear then remove the carbon again and add the treatment , Basically restarting treatment

AND remember feed only every other day

you definately need to do the larger water changes weekly to keep ammonia and nitrites at 0 anything above this can cause illnesses

remember these fishies could be with you for another 15 years

good luck Sarah x (please dont think i'm picking or anything i have MS and dont explain things right sometimes)

 

[windhopper]

Was the tank cycled ?
I would do a 50% water change immediately doing a gravel clean at the same time cos it's a waste of time trying to heal a fish in bad water (the results are pretty bad on the nitrites and ammonias)

so do the change , replace carbon for 12 hours , then do another water test tomorrow morning if it shows clear then remove the carbon again and add the treatment , Basically restarting treatment

AND remember feed only every other day

you definately need to do the larger water changes weekly to keep ammonia and nitrites at 0 anything above this can cause illnesses

remember these fishies could be with you for another 15 years

good luck Sarah x (please dont think i'm picking or anything i have MS and dont explain things right sometimes)

I dont class anybody who replies to my posts as picking, if i ask for help and advice then i expect to be told im either doing things wrong or be given alternatives, thankyou for the help and i will post the results of the tests tomorrow morning and see if you think i should start the treatment again

Thankyou so much,
Jorel

 

[pippoodle]

Was the tank cycled ?
I would do a 50% water change immediately doing a gravel clean at the same time cos it's a waste of time trying to heal a fish in bad water (the results are pretty bad on the nitrites and ammonias)

so do the change , replace carbon for 12 hours , then do another water test tomorrow morning if it shows clear then remove the carbon again and add the treatment , Basically restarting treatment

AND remember feed only every other day

you definately need to do the larger water changes weekly to keep ammonia and nitrites at 0 anything above this can cause illnesses

remember these fishies could be with you for another 15 years

good luck Sarah x (please dont think i'm picking or anything i have MS and dont explain things right sometimes)

I dont class anybody who replies to my posts as picking, if i ask for help and advice then i expect to be told im either doing things wrong or be given alternatives, thankyou for the help and i will post the results of the tests tomorrow morning and see if you think i should start the treatment again

Thankyou so much,
Jorel

good luck heres hoping the tests are looking a better

Sarah x

 

[windhopper]

The test looks ALOT better imo today. The ammonia is down to somewhere close to 0 but much less than 0.25. And the Nitrites are down to 0.25. Should i do another large change again or leave it?

 

[pippoodle]

The test looks ALOT better imo today. The ammonia is down to somewhere close to 0 but much less than 0.25. And the Nitrites are down to 0.25. Should i do another large change again or leave it?

sorry didnt reply hun

i would test the water again today - Saturday
and if you still showing ammonia and nitrites do a 50% change again

then test again sunday - does the fish look any better now the stats are improving
as soon as water is perfect you can treat him but by then he might not even need it cos they usually pick up quite well when the water is perfect

cheers Sarah xx

 

[windhopper]

The test looks ALOT better imo today. The ammonia is down to somewhere close to 0 but much less than 0.25. And the Nitrites are down to 0.25. Should i do another large change again or leave it?

sorry didnt reply hun

i would test the water again today - Saturday
and if you still showing ammonia and nitrites do a 50% change again

then test again sunday - does the fish look any better now the stats are improving
as soon as water is perfect you can treat him but by then he might not even need it cos they usually pick up quite well when the water is perfect

cheers Sarah xx

Had to leave the tank for the morning on friday and was preparing for another large water change, but i checked the stats and they had gone down to 0 for ammo and nitrite so didnt bother with a change. The stats are 0 for the ammo and nitrite again so i put the treatment in.

She does look alittle better but i think its something more than the water quality to be honest. The marks arent going away yet but the course takes 7 days so i will keep checking the stats (atm i'm doing it twice daily just to be sure) and hopefully will see a vast improvement by the end of the week, if not i'll try again with the same med or another depending on what does/doesn't happen.

Thanks for all the help
Jorel

 

[black angel]

black spots are a sign of ammonia burns healing and the scales will be too... you said in your first reply that all was normal with your water though evidently this wasnt the case which would have hindered help.

Ideal stats are ammonia 0, nitrite o and nitrate under 25

ph 7 or higher

the water was killing your fish, so once you have sorted out the chemistry then do twice weekly water changes of 50% and test an hour after each to make sure you dont have to do any more.

as for feeding, only feed once a day and give them a day off each week...also feed them squashed shelled peas to give them fibre.

 

[pippoodle]

The test looks ALOT better imo today. The ammonia is down to somewhere close to 0 but much less than 0.25. And the Nitrites are down to 0.25. Should i do another large change again or leave it?

sorry didnt reply hun

i would test the water again today - Saturday
and if you still showing ammonia and nitrites do a 50% change again

then test again sunday - does the fish look any better now the stats are improving
as soon as water is perfect you can treat him but by then he might not even need it cos they usually pick up quite well when the water is perfect

cheers Sarah xx

Had to leave the tank for the morning on friday and was preparing for another large water change, but i checked the stats and they had gone down to 0 for ammo and nitrite so didnt bother with a change. The stats are 0 for the ammo and nitrite again so i put the treatment in.

She does look alittle better but i think its something more than the water quality to be honest. The marks arent going away yet but the course takes 7 days so i will keep checking the stats (atm i'm doing it twice daily just to be sure) and hopefully will see a vast improvement by the end of the week, if not i'll try again with the same med or another depending on what does/doesn't happen.

Thanks for all the help
Jorel

hi Jorel

keep testing the water every other day hun to make sure you dont get any more spikes
hopefully all will go ok now
even small amounts of ammonia and nitrite damage fish so you need to aim for perfect water all the time
i know its a pain in the bum but get the water right and the rest is reasonably easy

if you do find it hard to keep on top of in the future maybe find a pond home for your fishies , get a heater and switch to tropical , goldies are wonderful fish but are messy critters to keep in home aquaria

good luck and keep updating hun

Sarah xx

 

[windhopper]

The test looks ALOT better imo today. The ammonia is down to somewhere close to 0 but much less than 0.25. And the Nitrites are down to 0.25. Should i do another large change again or leave it?

sorry didnt reply hun

i would test the water again today - Saturday
and if you still showing ammonia and nitrites do a 50% change again

then test again sunday - does the fish look any better now the stats are improving
as soon as water is perfect you can treat him but by then he might not even need it cos they usually pick up quite well when the water is perfect

cheers Sarah xx

Had to leave the tank for the morning on friday and was preparing for another large water change, but i checked the stats and they had gone down to 0 for ammo and nitrite so didnt bother with a change. The stats are 0 for the ammo and nitrite again so i put the treatment in.

She does look alittle better but i think its something more than the water quality to be honest. The marks arent going away yet but the course takes 7 days so i will keep checking the stats (atm i'm doing it twice daily just to be sure) and hopefully will see a vast improvement by the end of the week, if not i'll try again with the same med or another depending on what does/doesn't happen.

Thanks for all the help
Jorel

hi Jorel

keep testing the water every other day hun to make sure you dont get any more spikes
hopefully all will go ok now
even small amounts of ammonia and nitrite damage fish so you need to aim for perfect water all the time
i know its a pain in the bum but get the water right and the rest is reasonably easy

if you do find it hard to keep on top of in the future maybe find a pond home for your fishies , get a heater and switch to tropical , goldies are wonderful fish but are messy critters to keep in home aquaria

good luck and keep updating hun

Sarah xx

Funny you should say about switching to tropical because that is exactly what i'm doing, i want to sort this out first but i have a new home for them lined up with a lady from my riding stables who will put them in a big pond when they grow to a good size (just dont particularly want to give her an ill fish) But they will be going soon-ish so then im starting a planted tropical tank (as i have the feeling that the tropis will be alittle less messy lol)

And again thankyou so much for all the help Sarah,
Jorel