Very Sick Goldfish

[jaqui0812]

Hy, I know this is a tropical fish forum but I don't know where else to go to get some advice. I have read various things on this forum and everyone seems very helpful.

My daughter has two gold fish in a 21 litre tank. Last week they had Ich (is that the right word) and I have managed to get rid of that but for the past few days one fish (Glitter) has been very lethargic. She started by just staying at the top of the water, then having a little swim. She was eating ok but now she is not swimming, she looks lifeless and was laying on top of the pump. She also looks a little bloated?

My daughter, who is only 5 years old, is distraught and has asked me to look on my computer and find out what's wrong with Glitter.

If anyone can help I would be very grateful.

Thanks in anticipation of your help.
Jaq x

 

[Athena]

Can I ask how you treated the goldfish for Ich? Being that they are coldwater, it normally takes much longer than a week to get rid of it. You may not see the white salty grains on them but Ich could well still be in the tank. Also, if you used any medications, this could have had an effect on your goldfish.

It's a very small tank for goldfish, to be honest. How often are you doing water changes?

Athena

 

[chesterscot]

have to agree with ahthena
how often do you do water changes and do yuo use dechlorinator when you add fresh water?
regards hope glitter gets better scot

 

[Davo86]

Hy, I know this is a tropical fish forum but I don't know where else to go to get some advice. I have read various things on this forum and everyone seems very helpful.

My daughter has two gold fish in a 21 litre tank. Last week they had Ich (is that the right word) and I have managed to get rid of that but for the past few days one fish (Glitter) has been very lethargic. She started by just staying at the top of the water, then having a little swim. She was eating ok but now she is not swimming, she looks lifeless and was laying on top of the pump. She also looks a little bloated?

My daughter, who is only 5 years old, is distraught and has asked me to look on my computer and find out what's wrong with Glitter.

If anyone can help I would be very grateful.

Thanks in anticipation of your help.
Jaq x

Hi Jaq
are they fancy goldfish i.e. Orandas/Moors/Ryukins etc..? if so are you feeding just a standard flake food?

FG have very weak swim bladders and for this reason they should not really be fed too many dry floating foods.
when fancy goldfish eat flake food they also take in air which causes them to bloat, and if they are fed too much dried foods then this will also give them constipation.

if the fish is looking unwell then i would stop feeding for a few days, apart from the feeding of deshelled peas. (fish can go longer than you would expect without food)
if you take a frozen pea and pop it in some boiling water until it goes soft, then peel away the outer shell and dice the inside up and feed it to the goldfish.
Peas are a great way of treating digestion problems in goldfish.

Lastly I don't suppose you know any of the water stats? (ph, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)

 

[jaqui0812]

Gosh, you lot are very helpful.

Firstly, I used some drops for the water to treat the Ich and it seemed to work.

I bought the tank from an aquatic centre who told me it was large enough to keep two fish in, is this not right?

We have only had everything for four weeks, the first week we had the tank with no fish and I changed 1/3 of the water every few days and used some water conditioner to treat new water.

In the second week we added Glitter, and then after another week we bought Sparkle.

Glitter has always seemed a bit slower and has a black spot on her side. She is totally docile now and not swimming at all, she looks really sick and my daughter is very upset.

I have been told to change 1/3 of the water once a week and to only feed them once a day with food the aquatic centre recommended. I have some drops for the water to make it safe for the fish but I could be doing this all wrong................

To be honest, I hadn't envisaged this to be so stressful, I've had one sleepless night this week worrying about Glitter and just wonder if I am to spend the next few years conctantly worried that I will come down one day and find them no longer alive.

Anyway, thanks ever so much for all your help, its nice to know there are people out there who will help.
J x

 

[Truck]

you need a way bigger tank

 

[jaqui0812]

Thanks ever so much for all your help but Glitter passed away a few minutes ago.

J x

 

[WILDER]

Bless him R.I.P.