+ What size tank are they in? It is a 60L, 2 foot by 18 inches in size I think.
+ Is it filtered and if so, what sort of filtration (make and model of the filter would help) It is a fluval U2.
+ Have you tested your water? What were the results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, with pH and hardness also being helpful? Ammonia 0.25, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 15, pH is 7.2 but do not have a measure of water hardness.
+ How often do you change the water and how much do you change each time? I change it weekly at 20%.
+ Have you put any treatments in for them? No I havent, I thought i had some methyline blue left but was incorrect.
+ Do you use a water conditioner and if so, which one? I do not.
+ What temperature is the tank at? Unsure.
+ How old are they and how big are they? The Gold one is 3 years, the black was bought a year later however he is the same size and they both measure at what looks to be between 3 and 4 inches.
+ What other fish do you have in the tank and how many? None.
+ Do you have reason to think any poisons (like deodorant or air freshener) have been sprayed near the tank? No, I keep a bearded dragon and a snake in the same room and so all deodrants are sprayed outdoors, whilst my mother is allergic to most air freshners.
+ Any new additions to the tank, including new decor or plants? Neither
Three things strike me:
+ You have them in a 60 litre tank
+ You don't use water conditioner
+ You have an elevated ammonia reading
Small Tank
Our usual recommendation for orandas and other fancy goldfish is 20 gallons initially (90 litres) and then an additional 10 gallons (45 litres) for each subsequent fish. So for two orandas we would suggest 30 gallons (135 litres). Having seen large orandas in 90-120 litre tanks, I would go as far as to say that a large oranda (7+ inches) would need about 30 gallons, with 10-15 gallons for any additional fish.
Although this may not seem immediately pertinent to your fish, the environment fish are kept in has a
huge impact on their happiness, stress levels and health. The reason we recommend such large tanks for fancy goldfish is that they grow very large (usually between 6 and 8 inches as adults, sometimes bigger) and they produce an awful lot of organic waste for their size. They are also prone to getting stunted if their enironment is not large enough. I would not think that something as drastic as stunting would be applicable in your case, assuming they have not lived much of their life in a smaller tank than they are in now. However, it is vry possible that they do not feel their environment is sufficient and that is has started to stress them. This stress, although seeming more psychological than physical, will actually put a huge toll on their immune system. Just like us, when fish get stressed they get the fishy equivalent of coughs and colds. The problem with fish is that they can be feeling unwell for quite some time but you'd never know. They're very good at behaving as though they are fit and healthy until they get so sick that they just can't hide it anymore.
With your fish at 3-4 inches each and with a U2 filter, I would normally say they'll be OK for a little while longer. However, you have an elevated ammonia reading and I would expect your fish to be a little bigger than they are by this age.
Elevated Ammonia
I'm going to assume you know the basics of the nitrogen cycle. However, I'll put it out there anyway in case it's still a little new to you.
In short:
Fish produce waste. They produce ammonia when they breathe and their poo, wee and un-eaten food breaks down to produce ammonia as well. Ammonia is highly toxic and while it can be mitigated by pH and temperature, it's generally safe to say that
any ammonia (especially a detectable level) is bad. In response to the presence of ammonia, special bacteria grow on high oxygen surfaces in the tank (namely the filter media). These convert the ammonia into nitrites (which are also highly toxic). In response to the nitrites, more bacteria grow that convert them into nitrates.
A healthy tank has a full compliment of bacteria and thus never sees ammonia or nitrites in the water. An ailing tank will see elevated ammonia or nitrites as often the bacteria are not strong enough (for whatever reason) to do the job.
Ammonia is the danger chemical for you at the moment. A level of 0.25, even unmitigated, will not to a huge level of immediate damage. However, long-term exposure (i.e. more than a couple of days) will start to take it's toll on the fish. Ammonia causes burns to the fins and gills, as well as other delicate areas, and eventually causes the fish to fail to get sufficient oxygen from the water due to the damage. It also contribtes to the attack on the immune system. Much like the stress, constant (even low) levels of ammonia will get the fish to the point where it just can't fight anymore, and you'll start to see it getting sick. There are a lot of opportunistic micor-organisms in a fishtank that won't bother healthy fish but that will absolutely plague an ailing fish.
In your case, there could be a few reasons for elevated ammonia:
+ Your filter is not powerful or large enough. A U2 is a good filter and I run one in a tank of a very similar size to yours. However, goldies produce a lot more waste than one would expect for their size and they need much more powerful filters as a result. Aside from the fact that the goldies need a new tank as a matter of some urgency, I would recommend a small external even on a tank as small as yours. As you have a mature and quite good (albeit too small) filter, I'd suggest simply getting a second small filter to double the filtration on the tank. These filters can both be moved to the larger tank if you upgrade so you wouldn't be wasting any money. Of course, you could always get an external and simply move the media accross. If you're doing that, I'd recommend one suitable for a 30 gallon tank. You may need to upgrade in the future but in a small tank, we wouldn't want your filter to be too powerful.
+ Small tank. Very simply, the combination of under-filtration and a small tank means the nasties build up quicker and higher than in a large, properly filtered tank.
+ Lack of water conditioner.
In the short-term, you need to be doing some more water changes. Large, frequent water changes are essential with goldfish anyway but as you have ammonia problems at the moment, I would recommend you do 50% a day until the ammonia naturally returns to 0.
Water Conditioner
This is a matter of some contention. Some members on here will be almost rabid in their defense of not using water conditioner and I'll admit that they seem to have had sucess with it. However, those who have true )rather than merely percieved) sucess with no water conditioner generally have very mature tanks that can handle the problems of not using water conditioner.
This is the approach we have for people who are new to the hobby or having problems:
Water conditioners come in many shapes and sizes. They vary from cheap chlorine removers that require half a bottle each time to highly concentrated solutions that do 5 different things (such as remove chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals, and nutralize ammonia and nitrite, maybe with some aloe vera and synthetic slime coat in there as well).
They are used because tap water contains a few things we don't want in our tank - chlorine or chloramine and heavy metals being the main culprits. Chlorine and chloramine are rather efficient bacteria killers and so you can see the damage they can potentially do to the delicate bacteria-based eco-system in the tank. They are also thought to irritate the fish, a little like a beech solution iritates our skin, and can cause the fish to become stressed and sick if present in sufficient quantities. Chlorine will "gas off" after a few hours so if often not much of a bother, even for those who don't use water conditioner. However, chloramine is "heavier" and will not gas off. It has to be chemically removed. Heavy metals are another bother - they come from the pipes and can poison the fish.
I very strongly recommend you invest in a
good quality water conditioner such as API's Stress Coat + or Seachem's Prime. It may not solve the problem but it will at least limit the risk posed to the fish and filter bacteria.
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