Goldfish Issues, pond, comm. svc. acct. 4/19/11
Bob,
I have a client with a pond, who has some goldfish that need your help!
The fish are between 3-5 years old. Two are bloated (thought to be from improper nutrition/environment/husbandry) and one I am unsure what to think could be the problem. Possibly an infection of the liver? Or gases built up around the intestines from improper diet?
<Likely the latter, along w/ aspects of the environment>
I have attached pictures to this email, these are the only three out of 8 fish to be affected in a 350 gallon pond.
Any suggestions on what to do would be greatly appreciated.
So far, here is what has rolled out since I took over the pond. After the consultation, I immediately came up with an action plan, and cross-referenced it through your site ( as I do when I am uncertain in the least! ). I tested the pond's water and the only issue was mild ammonia,
<Trouble>
which alleviated after the water change/debris removal. This was 2 weeks ago. The water is still testing zero ammonia, zero nitrites, 15ppm nitrates, and the pH is stable around 7.3-7.5. I added magnesium sulfate at the rate of 1 g/L directly following the water change, and after a week of no feeding I bumped the level to around 2.0-2.3 g/L based on my calculations (hard to say due to a storm we had during the first week, the pond had overflowed some, so I dosed enough to bring the level from 1 to 2.5 g/L) I also started feeding a few peas every few days at the second visit. Still no results in the affected fish.
<These will take months>
I am also having issues obtaining pond plants that the fish will find palatable, as the owner agreed to have plants in the pond for proper nutrition. The reason I am having issues is the plants that are suggested on WWM are either illegal in South Carolina (Egeria sp., Pistia sp.) or are not being carried yet by my local nurseries, as it is still early in the pond season here. Do you have any other suggestions for palatable pond plants (palatable to the goldfish, of course!)?
<What do you have available?>
And do you have any suggestions for a quality commercial goldfish diet?
<Mmm, yes... low protein... no more than 20%... ten would be better>
My client loves to feed his fish, and has been asking me when he can resume feeding, and what (although he does understand he cannot feed the fish until they are in better condition.)
<Emphasize this every time you're there. He needs to MINIMALLY feed these fish/es>
He is a busy man, so I don't see him preparing peas and the like for his fish. He just wants a bag/container that he can pick up when relaxing in his backyard and feed a handful to his aquatic buddies.
Should I tell him to stick to a spring/fall diet, and only to feed sparingly (as long as I can find suitable plants for the fish to eat on a daily basis?)
<Yes>
A couple of questions:
What is the highest/most effective concentration of Epsom Salt for bloat/dropsy? Would the affected fish benefit more from a 1-hour high-concentration bath?
<Possibly. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/SaltUseFWArtNeale.htm
and the linked FAQs file above labeled MgSO4>
Please let me know what direction I should take, I want to help my client's goldfish live happy lives! I thank you in advance for all of your help!
P.S.: Sorry about the glare in the pictures, it was the best quality I could get out of my travel camera.
*Mitchell Downs*
*Ebb and Flow Aquatics*
<Really only improved and diminished nutrition, sustained high water quality and time will improve these fish's health. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Re: Goldfish Issues 4/19/11
Thank you for the info Bob,
What would you suggest I offer the customer? Weekly/Bi-weekly water changes with debris removal and cleaning of filters?
<Weekly>
Feeding schedule/guidelines along with this?
<As posted on WWM... none, once, twice per day depending on temp.>
Or should I feed once per week if we choose to go with a weekly maintenance schedule? The customer wants some sort of time frame, is there no real reliable way to estimate this?
<... please refer him to WWM is you don't care to look this up:
http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/Pond%20Sub%20Web.htm>
I am not as much concerned with short-term revenue, as with long term contracts.
<You are wise here>
The customer has indicated that a routine maintenance contract is viable as long as I can fix this problem. Should I tell him the only way to fix the problem is through a maintenance contract?
<My stock statement here: I would NOT do any work nowadays w/ out a signed, written contract>
I pride myself in honest, excellent customer service at a price that is better than my competition as well as a superior quality of service.
<Good>
I normally maintain aquariums, and my background is heavily in reefs and tropicals (where most issues I have either dealt with personally, or researched and assisted customers in resolving). I have been drawn more and more to ponds for various reasons ( both personal attraction as well as business reasons $$$) I want to keep this customer! I don't want to scare him off, resulting in another company immediately dosing the pond with loads of Antibacterials before looking into the problem thoroughly (potentially causing more issues than before). The only reason I could think of to use Antibacterials would be on the food (Kanamycin possibly?), after 2-3 months of consistent, optimal water quality and nutrition. Do you agree?
<Mmm, at times/places, injectibles are of use... Definitely NOT poured into the water>
I have been in the hobby for almost 16 years, 7 of which have been in the service/retail industries. Any insight from someone with much more experience than myself is always appreciated.
<Oh, do also peruse our Business SubWeb when you have time:
http://wetwebmedia.com/AqBizSubWebIndex/Biz%20Index/Biz%20index.htm
Also, did the pictures indicate nutritional issues?
<Possibly, along w/ env.>
The two that are bloated seem to be, but the one with the lump under the skin I am curious about.
Thanks as always,
Mitchell Downs
<Certainly welcome. BobF>