HI all i have a common goldfish i know its not a monsterfish or anything , but ive had him for like 2 years now, and i am very atteched to him, he looks like he is dying im not sure whjats going on though he seemed fine the other day he was darting around the tank really fast though i just though he got into swimming fast, but right now he is still alive but he is going belly up he cannot remain stable and it looks like he is bleeding from his eye its red, i bought some guppies feeders for my poly to eat and i think he might have eaten some you think that may have casued this , i know there are not carnivours but i didnt think anything of it at the time, he looks really bad right now any help would be greatly appreciated
Please help!!!
- Thread starter wvera05
- Start date
I know you are worried and upset right now, but there's a lot of things we'll need to know in order to help you. I'm going to cut-and-paste a list of the questions that Lupin requests get answered on the "Help" threads. Please answer all of them to the best of your ability, with the water parameters one being one of the most important. Also, a photo would be very helpful.
1. What is the size of your tank?
2. What are your water parameters? State the brand of test kit used.
3. Is your aquarium set up freshwater or brackish water?
4. How long the aquarium has been set up?
5. What fish do you have? How many are in your tank? How big are they? How long have you had them?
6. Were the fish placed under quarantine period (minus the first batch from the point wherein the tank is ready to accommodate the inhabitants)?
7. What temperature is the tank water currently?
8. Are there live plants in the aquarium?
9. What filter are you using? State brand, maintenance routine and power capacity.
10. Any other equipment used (aside from heater and filter which are two very important components of the tank)?
11. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? What is your lighting schedule (assuming you do not rely on sunlight for our viewing pleasure)?
12. When did you perform your last water change and how much water was changed? How often do you change your water? Do you vacuum the substrate?
13. What foods do you provide your fish? What is the feeding schedule?
14. What unusual signs have you observed in your fish?
15. Have you treated your fish ahead of diagnosis? If so, what treatments did you use? State your reasons for planning ahead of proper diagnosis.
I think with the proper information we can figure out what's wrong with your little goldie and get him better!
1. What is the size of your tank?
2. What are your water parameters? State the brand of test kit used.
3. Is your aquarium set up freshwater or brackish water?
4. How long the aquarium has been set up?
5. What fish do you have? How many are in your tank? How big are they? How long have you had them?
6. Were the fish placed under quarantine period (minus the first batch from the point wherein the tank is ready to accommodate the inhabitants)?
7. What temperature is the tank water currently?
8. Are there live plants in the aquarium?
9. What filter are you using? State brand, maintenance routine and power capacity.
10. Any other equipment used (aside from heater and filter which are two very important components of the tank)?
11. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? What is your lighting schedule (assuming you do not rely on sunlight for our viewing pleasure)?
12. When did you perform your last water change and how much water was changed? How often do you change your water? Do you vacuum the substrate?
13. What foods do you provide your fish? What is the feeding schedule?
14. What unusual signs have you observed in your fish?
15. Have you treated your fish ahead of diagnosis? If so, what treatments did you use? State your reasons for planning ahead of proper diagnosis.
I think with the proper information we can figure out what's wrong with your little goldie and get him better!
1. What is the size of your tank?20 gal
2. What are your water parameters? State the brand of test kit used.(it is a 5-in-1 test strip quick dip by jungle)
nitrate 20
nitrite .5-1.0
total hardness 300
total alkalinity 300
ph 7.8
3. Is your aquarium set up freshwater or brackish water? freshwater
4. How long the aquarium has been set up?over a year and a half
5. What fish do you have? How many are in your tank? How big are they? How long have you had them?the goldfish ive had for the year and a half, and im growing out a poly and a stroped rapheal cat in there with him he is the biggest of both
6. Were the fish placed under quarantine period (minus the first batch from the point wherein the tank is ready to accommodate the inhabitants)?yes
7. What temperature is the tank water currently?78
8. Are there live plants in the aquarium?no
9. What filter are you using? State brand, maintenance routine and power capacity.not sure came with the kit maybe a whisper
10. Any other equipment used (aside from heater and filter which are two very important components of the tank)?air bubbles
11. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? What is your lighting schedule (assuming you do not rely on sunlight for our viewing pleasure)?
yes it is by a window
12. When did you perform your last water change and how much water was changed? How often do you change your water? Do you vacuum the substrate?last week about 50 % i do water changes once a week
13. What foods do you provide your fish? What is the feeding schedule?
i give them a cichlid pellet, some flake foods and bloodworms
14. What unusual signs have you observed in your fish?he is alive but is going belly up and his eye is bleeding not like dripping but its filling with blood at the bottom
, also proir to this i noticed him darting around the tank hitting the glass but i didnt think anything of it
15. Have you treated your fish ahead of diagnosis? If so, what treatments did you use? State your reasons for planning ahead of proper diagnosis.No i have not
I think with the proper information we can figure out what's wrong with your little goldie and get him better!
Also i was away from home for 4 months proir to this and left my family in charge of my tanks , upon my return it was a swamp area ive been doing water changes trying to get everything back to normal so could that be a factor as well going from swamp water to crystal clear ???
2. What are your water parameters? State the brand of test kit used.(it is a 5-in-1 test strip quick dip by jungle)
nitrate 20
nitrite .5-1.0
total hardness 300
total alkalinity 300
ph 7.8
3. Is your aquarium set up freshwater or brackish water? freshwater
4. How long the aquarium has been set up?over a year and a half
5. What fish do you have? How many are in your tank? How big are they? How long have you had them?the goldfish ive had for the year and a half, and im growing out a poly and a stroped rapheal cat in there with him he is the biggest of both
6. Were the fish placed under quarantine period (minus the first batch from the point wherein the tank is ready to accommodate the inhabitants)?yes
7. What temperature is the tank water currently?78
8. Are there live plants in the aquarium?no
9. What filter are you using? State brand, maintenance routine and power capacity.not sure came with the kit maybe a whisper
10. Any other equipment used (aside from heater and filter which are two very important components of the tank)?air bubbles
11. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? What is your lighting schedule (assuming you do not rely on sunlight for our viewing pleasure)?
yes it is by a window
12. When did you perform your last water change and how much water was changed? How often do you change your water? Do you vacuum the substrate?last week about 50 % i do water changes once a week
13. What foods do you provide your fish? What is the feeding schedule?
i give them a cichlid pellet, some flake foods and bloodworms
14. What unusual signs have you observed in your fish?he is alive but is going belly up and his eye is bleeding not like dripping but its filling with blood at the bottom
, also proir to this i noticed him darting around the tank hitting the glass but i didnt think anything of it
15. Have you treated your fish ahead of diagnosis? If so, what treatments did you use? State your reasons for planning ahead of proper diagnosis.No i have not
I think with the proper information we can figure out what's wrong with your little goldie and get him better!
Also i was away from home for 4 months proir to this and left my family in charge of my tanks , upon my return it was a swamp area ive been doing water changes trying to get everything back to normal so could that be a factor as well going from swamp water to crystal clear ???
Well, you don't give the number on Ammonia, but I'm worried about it because you have Nitrite present. Nitrite should be zero in a cycled tank, just like Ammonia. It seems like something has happened to your biological filter. Overfeeding, cleaning with tap water, and over-stocking are the most common causes.
Also, are you using strips to test? They're really unreliable, and if you have the chance, at least have your LFS use their liquid tests to test tomorrow. Make them tell you the numbers, though, don't just let them say "It's fine" or "Ammonia is a little high."
Any time the fish looks "bloody," I immediately think hemorrhagic septicemia. However, I hear about this mostly on fins, not on eyes. Columnaris is another possible cause. We really need a photo here in order to determine what's going on, specifically, but try reading through these two disease profiles to see if either sounds like what's going on with your fish:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2138973&postcount=3
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2261715&postcount=21
Though I'm not yet totally sure what's going on, there's a good chance it was brought on by the poor water quality present in the tank. I'd either buy decent test kits (API liquid ones are good) and get more precise numbers, as well as a reading on Ammonia, or at least have an LFS employee test the water.
Then, you've got to figure out what's interrupted your biological cycle. It could be that the addition of the last fish you added was too much for the filter to handle. Or, it could be over feeding. As I mentioned earlier, none of the media should ever touch chlorinated water. There are a lot of causes here, but you should be able to rule them out pretty easily.
Again, a photo would really help, but you're going to start seeing signs of illness in the other fish, as well, if you don't fix water quality.
Also, are you using strips to test? They're really unreliable, and if you have the chance, at least have your LFS use their liquid tests to test tomorrow. Make them tell you the numbers, though, don't just let them say "It's fine" or "Ammonia is a little high."
Any time the fish looks "bloody," I immediately think hemorrhagic septicemia. However, I hear about this mostly on fins, not on eyes. Columnaris is another possible cause. We really need a photo here in order to determine what's going on, specifically, but try reading through these two disease profiles to see if either sounds like what's going on with your fish:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2138973&postcount=3
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2261715&postcount=21
Though I'm not yet totally sure what's going on, there's a good chance it was brought on by the poor water quality present in the tank. I'd either buy decent test kits (API liquid ones are good) and get more precise numbers, as well as a reading on Ammonia, or at least have an LFS employee test the water.
Then, you've got to figure out what's interrupted your biological cycle. It could be that the addition of the last fish you added was too much for the filter to handle. Or, it could be over feeding. As I mentioned earlier, none of the media should ever touch chlorinated water. There are a lot of causes here, but you should be able to rule them out pretty easily.
Again, a photo would really help, but you're going to start seeing signs of illness in the other fish, as well, if you don't fix water quality.
Some huge flags...
Goldfish are a cold water fish and do very poorly when housed in water over 65 degrees.
Goldfish are omnivorous, but lean heavy on the vegetarian side, you are feeding it a carnivore diet.
Nitrites are high enough to cause death in 48 hours. If they really are that high start doing water changes immediately.
Goldfish require MUCH larger tanks that what you are using. The duel tailed variety are properly housed (as juveniles) in 30 gallons of water for the first fish and 10 gallons for each additional fish. Common gold fish are VEY powerful swimmers and need even more volume than that to accommodate their swimming needs. As a rule, they simply don't belong in tanks and should be housed in outdoor ponds. For a young fish: 55 gallons for the first one and 30 gallons for each additional would allow them enough swimming space. With only a 20 gallon tank for 2 years you have a badly stunted fish. A 2 year old common gold fish should be at least 6" long. Chances are it was about 6 months old when you got it so it should be longer than that. If its not, its stunted.
The "swamp clean up" you are describing.... what were the nitrates and GH before the clean up. Suddenly reducing the GH can cause massive osmoregulatory issues.
How long were the feeder guppies quarantined for?
The fish needs a MUCH bigger tank, MUCH colder water, proper goldfish food and a tank that is nitrite free. Until those things are dealt with, treating what ever illness it may have won't matter it will die anyhow.
Goldfish are a cold water fish and do very poorly when housed in water over 65 degrees.
Goldfish are omnivorous, but lean heavy on the vegetarian side, you are feeding it a carnivore diet.
Nitrites are high enough to cause death in 48 hours. If they really are that high start doing water changes immediately.
Goldfish require MUCH larger tanks that what you are using. The duel tailed variety are properly housed (as juveniles) in 30 gallons of water for the first fish and 10 gallons for each additional fish. Common gold fish are VEY powerful swimmers and need even more volume than that to accommodate their swimming needs. As a rule, they simply don't belong in tanks and should be housed in outdoor ponds. For a young fish: 55 gallons for the first one and 30 gallons for each additional would allow them enough swimming space. With only a 20 gallon tank for 2 years you have a badly stunted fish. A 2 year old common gold fish should be at least 6" long. Chances are it was about 6 months old when you got it so it should be longer than that. If its not, its stunted.
The "swamp clean up" you are describing.... what were the nitrates and GH before the clean up. Suddenly reducing the GH can cause massive osmoregulatory issues.
How long were the feeder guppies quarantined for?
The fish needs a MUCH bigger tank, MUCH colder water, proper goldfish food and a tank that is nitrite free. Until those things are dealt with, treating what ever illness it may have won't matter it will die anyhow.
Not all goldfish require temperature less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Pond types such as hibunas (common goldfish) however tend to do exceptionally well in cooler water than fancy types such as orandas. Ideal temperature bracket for pond types is 68-76 degrees Fahrenheit on a long-term basis whereas fancy types do much better at 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit which makes the fancy types technically not "coldwater" types contrary to popular beliefs. Since your temperature is a tad warmer for hibunas, I'd lower it a bit at 70-74 degrees so as not to compromise its health.
For pond goldfish, 75g should be the absolute minimum as anything smaller is too narrow as well for them to swim around. A 75g can fit at least 2-3 of the pond types. When you attempt to upgrade a tank for your pond goldfish, aim for a 20g per fish. Fancy goldfish indeed are a much better choice for smaller tanks although the tank should be no smaller than a 30g which can fit only 2 fancies. A lot of fancy goldfish tend to grow bulky and large at 8-12 inches. Pond types reach 18 inches max although 10-12 inches is the average. Either way, they still need plenty of space in order to avoid stunting and able to swim properly around.
If you were using feeders without quarantining, I suggest you stop feeding all your fish feeders completely. Without quarantining the feeders, you risk infecting your fish with diseases that may not be detected initially until they start creeping on your own prized fish especially when they begin to exhibit stress which weakens their immune system instantly.
What you can do right now is get your goldfish a spare tub or tank and add some live plants for refuge. Keep the temperature at 72-74 degrees and operate with a sponge filter. Maintain clean water from there. Clean water is your best defense at this point. For food, I'd add vegetable matter on its diet. I make gel foods for my own goldfish and even buy Mazuri gel powder which when added with veggies can serve as a complete nutritional diet.
For pond goldfish, 75g should be the absolute minimum as anything smaller is too narrow as well for them to swim around. A 75g can fit at least 2-3 of the pond types. When you attempt to upgrade a tank for your pond goldfish, aim for a 20g per fish. Fancy goldfish indeed are a much better choice for smaller tanks although the tank should be no smaller than a 30g which can fit only 2 fancies. A lot of fancy goldfish tend to grow bulky and large at 8-12 inches. Pond types reach 18 inches max although 10-12 inches is the average. Either way, they still need plenty of space in order to avoid stunting and able to swim properly around.
If you were using feeders without quarantining, I suggest you stop feeding all your fish feeders completely. Without quarantining the feeders, you risk infecting your fish with diseases that may not be detected initially until they start creeping on your own prized fish especially when they begin to exhibit stress which weakens their immune system instantly.
What you can do right now is get your goldfish a spare tub or tank and add some live plants for refuge. Keep the temperature at 72-74 degrees and operate with a sponge filter. Maintain clean water from there. Clean water is your best defense at this point. For food, I'd add vegetable matter on its diet. I make gel foods for my own goldfish and even buy Mazuri gel powder which when added with veggies can serve as a complete nutritional diet.