What happened to my Goldfish? 11/2/08
Hi, You guys seem like the most knowledgeable people on the Web.
<So they say...>
I hope you can offer some advise. I have a 2 yr. common goldfish (clouse) in a 20 gal tank all by himself.
<Social fish... they like/need at least a friend of their own species.>
He/ she is about 5 in long and has started to lose 8 scales and is skidish now.
<Could be multiple things. Goldfish sometimes lose their scales for no particular reason. But usually if they lose scales in batches, then that does tend to mean something's up. Review in particular water quality and water chemistry. Skittishness in fish is often associated with changes in water quality and water chemistry as well, particular rapid pH changes and ammonia/nitrite spikes.>
He is swimming more vertically (head up) and is teetering in the water. He is to bumping/ running into the sides of his tank too. Its like he is not seeing correctly. His eyes are clear, no fin problems. His water has 0 ammonia, 40 nitrate.
<Hmm... something isn't right here. Check the pH is stable and check the filter is working properly. Do your ammonia tests two or three times across the day to see if there are changes between feeding times.>
I put a Cory catfish in with the goldfish 2 months ago and the goldfish tried eating thecorycat but the Corry got stuck--for hours!
<Goldfish aren't really predatory, and generally mix well with Corydoras too large to swallow whole. I think you made a bad choice here in terms of putting into the tank a catfish that was too small.>
We tried pulling the catfish out of his mouth, but the catfishes tail came off. But right after the tug of war match- clouse spit the catfish out. The both seemed fine minus a missing barbell and fin from the catfish. They are separated now, and the catfish is perfectly healthy.
<Close call...>
what is wrong with clouse the goldfish?
<Likely environmental more than anything else, so review conditions in the tank.>
Why is his balance off and his scales falling off?
<Best guess, something environmental.>
Could the trauma and stinger have damaged the goldfish?
<Corydoras may have venomous dorsal spines, but the toxin will wear off within days, so if the Goldfish is fine now, I doubt the two things are related.>
Could there be a stinger in the goldfish? <No.> any suggestions would be great, this fish is my baby. I love him very much.
<Do read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/goldfish101art.htm >
Thanks Jen
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: What happened to my Goldfish?  11/5/08
Hi Neale
<Hello!>
I have been doing water changes (12 gal total) and ph is 7.6 or 7.8 ammonia 0, Nitrite is 0, but the nitrates are 40 or 60.
<That all sounds fine, but something is clearly wrong...>
I put some erythromycin in the 20 gal tank and he is violent.
<"Violent"? What do you mean? He thrashes about? If used correctly, this medication shouldn't have any stressful effects on your fish.>
So I did 4 gal water change and put his carbon back in and added some cycle. He looks like he is doing acrobatics in the tank. And then he get really violent, he hit the hood!! He's gonna kill himself.
<I find it hard to believe the Maracyn did this if used as directed. Quite possibly something else. Carbon will of course remove medication from water. Do 50% water changes when finishing one course of medication and before starting another. Do no water changes during courses of treatment (i.e., if you add 3 doses of medication across a week to complete one course, don't do a water change until the day after the last dose). Do understand that the product Cycle does virtually nothing, and is pretty well a waste of money on tanks that have been established more than a few weeks. Sure, the shop will sell you the stuff, but that doesn't mean much.
Think for a moment about the science and all will be clear.>
Its really scary to watch when he does this. His gills are red and kinda sticking out, and his head is pointing down most of the time and his eyes look a bit buggy.
<Sounds much more like a systemic bacterial infection caused by water quality issues, perhaps poisoning (e.g., cigarette smoke, cooking fumes, bug spray, paint fumes). Unfortunately only an antibiotic or antibacterial will have any helpful effect if this is the case, and if the fish is poisoned, then time is the great cure, if the fish is going to recover at all. But red gills typically imply poisoning or poor water quality or unstable pH; swollen eyes usually mean systemic bacterial infections, invariably so if both eyes are swollen.>
He is on the bottom of the tank mostly breathing heavily. Then he starts swimming slowly cruising around the tank like normal. Just a little wobbly and slow. He is still interested in his food (peas) but has trouble
pinpointing it.
<Stop feeding until he is healthy. He can go weeks without food, and if water quality is poor, not putting food in the system will help significantly.>
I don't know what to do. Start medicine again,
<Yes.>
salt dip?? fluks??
<No and no.>
All together since the 3rd I have changed 12 gal of water. I am at a loss, and am probably changing to may things. Help
Jen ? ?
<Cheers, Neale.> 

Pink Goldfish Stool 10/27/08
HELP, my fishes poop is turning pink!!!!!
Please help me, I am so worried about my fish, she’s the newest addition to pond, and I love her o so very much. She is a comet, and I'm very worried.
I don't know what could turn her poop pink, and gooey, but it's scaring me.
Please, if you could help me it would be so greatly appreciated.
Please help, from Katie
<What you describe does not sound abnormal, depending on what you are feeding. The stool can often take on the coloring in food. See http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/GoldfishPoop.html  for more information. Scott V.>

sad state of affairs. Goldfish env. hlth., reading   10/22/08
We are newbies that "inherited" a tank from my husband's school, a 55-gallon with two fish - a Pearlscale Oranda and a moor, both about 5 inches with tails, with Eclipse bio-wheel filter, fizzy air bubbler.
<Mmm, I'd add filtration here>
The tank had been set up for 10 months and running fine with happy fish when we got it. The Oranda had always had a funny swim move - he has always been very golf-ball-like and we figured it was due to his awkward shape. We moved it (with most of the water) into our home. No problems with 25% water changes, manual scrub and gravel vacuum every week. Stable for a couple of months.
<So far, so good>
Then poor water quality (our fault) resulted in trouble with Oranda after that. After our summer away, the tank was dirty. He got 2 little specks (not ick) on his hood that appeared and started "flashing" - his funny swim move only faster and not as cute. The specks grew into cones with a thread tapered end, and then would disappear after some maintenance -- extra water change, etc.
<Yes... environmental in origin>
This happened a few times over a couple of months, with the spots disappearing... and then we woke up to him with a very long trailing one, fish sitting on the bottom of the tank looking sad. He got better from that one too, but never fully, then he got more of them on his hood and started to flash all the time. That was less than a week ago and things have gotten worse pretty quickly. The moor showed faint fuzzies on his mouth, they both stopped moving and stayed on the bottom. Oranda is worse off than the moor, has bloody streaks showing on his white parts (near tail), and has v. laboured breathing. We added an extra air bubbler to help out, no use. Then moor showed the same white things but tiny and along his back, sides.
<Need more filtration...>
We stopped feeding, took out the carbon and added antibiotics
<... don't need this>
(500mg every 24 hrs the first 2 doses, every 12 hrs for 2nd 2 doses). No change. Which brings us to today. The Oranda is looking sad, sad. Has trouble righting himself, fins are getting ragged, gills are reddish and pretty clamped with hard breathing. Gasps shallowly. Has trailers on his hood, is looking slimy and has a loose fin near his tail. Moor is pretty still with tiny dots that come and go - more than once today! Fed a teeny bit and moor responded.
<Mmm, and what exactly are you feeding?>
I know all the good bacteria in there is gone now too, from the antibiotics.
<Mmm, not necessarily... depends on type, protocol used...>
I was feeling desperate though and treated with a first dose of sulpha drugs...
<...? Please stop>
maybe the wrong thing to do?
<Yes>
I watched them for a long time when I noticed the possible nail in the coffin. The Oranda has a large piece of gravel stuck in its mouth - never been a problem before, but in his weakened state he just can't spit it out. I put him in a big bowl so i could hold him and try to get it out. I've never held a goldfish before and didn't know what the hell i was doing.
<You're learning>
Anyhow, the gravel is still in there and its probably the end for him. What is this disease?
<"Poor water quality">
I know from reading your site that it is from poor/unstable conditions...
<Bingo!>
was the disease still there even though we didn't always see symptoms of it? Can these fish recover or should we give up?
<Not a disease as in a pathogenic derivation... Can indeed recover... with improved conditions>
Thanks for your time, I am loving your site and am spurred to become a more conscientious aquarist. Starting with a water test kit...
<Yay! Do add another power filter... either a hang-on or canister variety here... And some activated carbon... "Step up" your water changing regimen... and above all, read: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm
scroll down to the tray on Goldfish... Systems... Bob Fenner>

help (Goldfish; diet, health)  10/23/08
Hello,
<Hello,>
Dear Neale, I hope you will be fine.
<Thanks for asking!>
Neale I tried hard to find live plants which you mentioned “Anacharis”
<Also called Elodea and Egeria; another genus, Lagarosiphon is very similar.>
but I could not find them. Neale Cabomba is available so I want your help that should I introduce Cabomba in my aquarium? Will my goldfish eat it or not?
<Yes and yes.>
Now I have 2 red caps, one black moor and 1 Ryukin in 22 gallon they all are of 2 to 3 inch. After every week I change more than half of the water. But Neale I am very much upset that
my 2 red caps goldfish have red streaks in their tail and I think this is fin rot; I am treating them from very long period. Some time I have noticed that their fin rot seems to be cured but some time their fins become full of red lines. Today I have notice the same that my one of red cap have very strong red line starting from the end of its tails. I don’t know what is that but I am very much worried about that please help me.
<Does sound like Finrot. But some Goldfish have red streaks in their fins. So would need to be careful. Finrot is an inflammation; the fin tissue goes pink around the blood blockage, and eventually the fin membrane dissolves. Simple red colouration does not look like this.>
Thank you,
Ali
<If Finrot, not much to do beyond [a] treat with a Finrot medication; and [b] check water quality is good. Your fish are still small, but they will grow BIG, and water quality will become an issue, even if it is not one now. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: help (Goldfish; diet, health)  -10/25/08
Hello,
<Hello!>
Dear Neale, I hope you will be fine there. Neale I have introduce the cabmoba in my aquarium. Neale I want your help that should I feed them flakes food or blood warms. If yes then please guide me that what should be the routine to feed them with flakes food now?
<If they have plants to eat, your Goldfish only need flake every 2 or 3 days.>
Secondly what ideal temperature of live plant like cabmoba should be maintained?
<Doesn't matter much; 15-30 degrees C is fine. The plants will be eaten by the Goldfish before anything else happens!>
Neale I am trying to keep my aquarium water quality in a very good condition as my one red cap is showing the sign of fin rot. Neale I have studied in a book that “Alternatively
the use of Methylene Blue too can be used for fin rot.
<Yes, Methylene Blue can be used. However, it is known to harm filter bacteria when over-dosed. So be careful! Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/methblueart.htm>
1 Drop per 2 gallons of aquarium water is the choice. While treating with Methylene Blue, a 50% water change every other day for a week is recommended, the main reason being, as mentioned before, clean water is essential and helps with the healing. When using Methylene Blue be sure not spill any as it stains”, so should do this process for a week. And what does that mean “be sure not spill any as it stains”?
<Methylene Blue stains wood, fabric, etc. It is difficult (probably impossible) to remove. So be careful not to spill any!>
Thank you
Ali
<You're welcome, Neale.>

Re: help (Goldfish; diet, health)  10/25/08
Hello,
Dear Neal,
Thank you so much that you replied very soon. I will buy that live plant (Cabomba) and now a days i am trying to increase the water quality. So that I could get rid or fin rot. Thank You
Ali
<Hello again! Glad you're able to buy some plants for your Goldfish, and do try to keep water quality good. Good luck, Neale.>

Goldfish (aquarium size; health; no surprises)   10/14/08
Hello there
<Ave,>
I have this black moor for 16 months. Lately it is getting sluggish and spent half of the day ' sleeping '.
<Some fancy Goldfish have trouble swimming due to their deformed anatomy; they are, in particular, sensitive to poor diet, and constipation can cause all sorts of swimming problems. Do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm
Goldfish need a greens-based diet, and standard Goldfish food -- ironically -- isn't good for them when used all the time.>
Sometimes it hides in the plants and would be like almost dead for several hours during the day , other days it would swim fixed vertically in the aquarium for hours. It always try to do that near the thermometer as if it was looking for a protected place to stay closed to .
<Do please review water quality and water chemistry. Goldfish need hard, alkaline water to do well. Aim for pH 7.5, hardness 10+ degrees dH. They need clean water as well: zero ammonia and zero nitrite. It is VERY DIFFICULT to keep Goldfish healthy in tanks smaller than ~125 litres/30 gallons. If the tank is smaller than that, then the FIRST thing we will recommend is buying a bigger tank. Note to other readers: review the needs of any fish PRIOR to purchase if you want to avoid having to buy another tank months or years down the road! Goldfish also need a filter. Because they are messy, you need a filter that offers 6 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. In other words, if the tank is 150 litres in size, you would use a filter rated at 6 x 150 = 900 litres per hour.>
It ' bottom' scales got all white some month ago ( is it an ulcer ? ) although it still perform his poo duty on a daily bases and it seems that this week some white spot appears on the body scale.
<I assume "poo duty" is some sort of euphemism for defecation? Again, this is a common problem caused by feeding Goldfish the wrong diet.>
It still eat reasonably well ( I feed him with frozen pee, courgettes or frozen worm once a day ) and I have lately tried to make a 20% water change with salt and Melafix to treat any bacterial infection. I am also treating for the white spot with an anti white spot liquid...
<Both Salt and Melafix are useless for bacterial infections. Whitespot medication is specifically for treating the Whitespot parasite (Ichthyophthirius multifilis) and isn't a general cure-all. I'm fairly sure this fish is suffering from poor water quality and/or diet, in which case improving conditions is the solution, possibly in conjunction with using an antibiotic/antibacterial to deal with any Finrot or Fungus that may appear.>
Funnily enough it is also playing with the filter bubble on the surface ( also it could be gasping for breath ) .
<The latter; clearly the fish is distressed.>
The aquarium is a 4 gallons one the fish is alone
<Four gallons! Are you kidding me? Absolutely NO WAY this fish can be kept in this aquarium. Go... now!... to your nearest aquarium shop and buy a tank not less than 30 gallons in size. If you aren't able to do that, have the Goldfish re-homed by returning it to the pet store. Apart from maybe a single Betta, no fish, REPEAT, no fish can be kept in 4 gallon tanks. Just think for a second: that's the size of a bucket. Would you imagine any fish spending its life in a bucket and staying healthy? Obviously not. Just because the "bucket" is made from glass and in a square shape instead of being round and made from plastic doesn't magically change the rules. Four gallon tanks have NO BUSINESS being used to keep pet fish.>
Can you help
<Have done so. It's now up to you: change the tank to a much bigger one; find it a proper home; or leave the fish to suffer a miserable death. Those are the ONLY three options on the table.>
Regards
Deis
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Goldfish (aquarium size; health; no surprises) 10/16/08
Hi Neal
<Hello Denis,>
I will follow your advise and move for the bigger tank.
<Great news! Your fishkeeping hobby will be much easier. And you will have a happier Goldfish! Buy him a friend or two, and they'll make your life much nicer. I love Goldfish, and well looked after, few fish are as genuinely happy to be around people. They can make excellent pets.>
Just a few more question though, Clearly the diet is not an issue as the base is a mixed of green based stuff.
<Good.>
Some more question about the white scale near the defecation area is this normal ?
<Difficult to say without a photo; would assume it was Finrot or Fungus simply because of the other issues, and would treat accordingly. But Goldfish are notorious for random colour changes thanks to their rather mixed up genetics. Did you know they all start off green-brown when they're young? They only become gold (or whatever) as they mature. Sometimes they change back, or lose their colour in places, ending up looking like calico cats.>
The other issue is that the fish is quite active from 6 pm till 2 am, then it spend time ' sleeping or being sluggish ' I mean there surely is an issue with the water that I will check as well, but if this was the only issue clearly the fish would be underactive at all time of the day ... what do you suggest ?
<Likely reacts negatively (becomes sluggish) as ammonia/nitrite levels go up, perhaps after being fed. As the water becomes better (ammonia/nitrite go down) the fish feels happier and becomes more active. Would be thinking along those sort of lines, anyway.>
regards
Denis
<Good luck! Neale.>

Re: Goldfish (aquarium size; health; no surprises) 11/10/08
Thanks Neale
Very useful indeed, I am going to feed the fish less for some times. There might be some constipations symptoms in the air, although to be fair it has its normal small poo this morning.  I usually feed the moor once a day with 2 pees or it eyes size equivalent in food. It's got a plant in the aquarium, do you feel this is all right to leave it foodless for 2 days as I am leaving for work tomorrow back on
Thursday.  What do you reckon? shall it smoothen the symptom?
Regards
Denis
<If there are plants in the aquarium, your fish will eat those if he gets hungry. That will be good for him! Goldfish can go without food for two weeks without problems. In ponds, Goldfish do not eat during winter at all!  So when you go on holiday or business trips, just leave your Goldfish without food, or maybe just a bunch of aquarium plants to eat. Cheers, Neale.>

question for you, Could you help me to save my goldfishes?  10/14/08
Dear Sir,
<Hello,>
Could you help me to save my goldfishes?
<Will do my best.>
I lost 5 pieces during last 4 weeks, before I lost them I noticed that their tails (down body) were getting harder and harder, and not soft any more and couldn't wave very well; sometimes they made their bodies upside down. The major problem is the tail becoming hard (firm). I only have 4 pieces goldfishes right now, one of them gets same sickness and very sick.
<Most Goldfish deaths come down to diet and poor environmental conditions. Or put another way, too many people [a] feed them the wrong thing; and [b] keep them in small (or unfiltered) tanks. Goldfish are, fundamentally, pond fish that eat algae and soft aquatic plants. If you decide to keep them indoors, you have to remember that, and look after them accordingly. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/goldfish101art.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm
These two articles cover virtually all the common mistakes.>
Please tell me how do I save my fishes? (I tried different of drops already but not work).
<Medications are a waste, and possibly a danger, unless you understand the problem. Would your doctor give you a handful of drugs without asking you what was wrong? Of course not.>
Thanks so much!!! Looking forward to your help!!!
Jing
<Cheers, Neale.>

Swim bladder, GF, env.   10/11/08
Hi Crew,
<Mike>
Thanks for your time and great advice. I have a full grown Oranda goldfish that is displaying symptoms of swim bladder or digestive problems. At rest, he lies on his right side at the bottom of the tank (which is pretty much all day). He obviously has lost the ability to properly balance (I've had him more than 3 years and this is the first time he's had this symptom/behavior). The symptoms appeared about 10 days ago. He still eats eagerly, swims in short bursts, and is alert and responsive when I approach the tank. He is not showing any physical damage or deterioration (yet). I have not seen him "poop" (for lack of a better word) in several days. A week ago, his poop was white with a few air bubbles, which led me to conclude he was suffering from swim bladder problems.
<Mmm, no... not likely related>
I skipped feeding for 3 days, but have been feeding small servings of Spirulina for the last few days (fearing that without any food he would become weak and succumb to the stress that must accompany lying on his side all day). I've also been treating the water with Epsom salt for the last 10 days, and have made water changes every 2-3 days to try to eliminate water quality as a possible cause or complication. Ammonia and nitrites are zero, nitrates are below 20 ppm.
His tank mate (an Oranda about half his size) is healthy and showing no signs of problems.
<Good, and a good sign>
They live in a 20 gallon tank
<Ooohhh>
with a Fluval 104 and a Top Fin 30 filter. The water stays at room temperature (no heater).
<Mmm, well...>
I've read and followed the suggestions I've found in past posts (no food, Epsom salt, vegetable food only, excellent water quality).
<Yes>
He is not showing signs of improvement and I don't have any more ideas on treatment options. I've considered massaging his stomach area but figure I'd do more damage than good or, at minimum, increase his stress.
I'm concerned that continuing to feed him is making the problem worse (if its a digestion problem), but don't want him to become weak due to lack of nutrition. Also, the only time he really swims with any vigor is if I feed him and the movement seemed like something that should be encouraged (maybe helping dislodge whatever is causing the problem).
<Yes>
I don't want him to suffer (not sure he is suffering, but it can't be comfortable for him now) but I don't want to put him down if there is anything I can do to make him better. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Mike
<What these fish really need is a larger world... a bigger tank... at least twice this volume. There is summat of a negative feedback loop at work here... Metabolites mal-affecting the health of the fish... that they're producing... you're diluting, but not enough... Look for a bigger tank. Bob Fenner>

Sickly Goldfish   10/3/08
Hello, I have a goldfish problem and I have not been able to find a solution on your web site... I have had my 55 gal. for about 5 months, it was originally for piranhas but we could not get our levels right so we bought 5 feeder fish from Meijer to get the tank cycled. When we bought the fish we lost one within a couple days, the rest were doing fine, levels were OK.
<Do please tell me what "levels were OK" means. Understand that Goldfish need very specific things: zero ammonia and nitrite, pH around 7.5 to 8.0, and hardness in the "moderately hard to hard" scale of whatever test kit you're using. Water shouldn't be too warm either, room temperature (around 15-20 C) is ideal.>
Then about a month ago we had a fish disappear...(literally no scales, no body; emptied tank, searched around it, looked in filters {no other animals besides fish in the house and no one home at the time}) We thought maybe the two bigger goldfish ate it??
<Goldfish can't catch and eat anything bigger than, say, a baby Guppy. They don't have teeth in their jaws for a start. But they will consume dead animals, though that isn't something you want to encourage because of the risk of diseases being transferred from dead fish to healthy ones.>
Anyway back to the history of the remaining three gold fish two have got to be about 3 inches long but one has not got much bigger then when we got him, he is about 1 inch long, after the other fish disappeared the small fish seemed to hide in the plants most of the day, we thought he was intimidated by the bigger fish so we got two feeder fish of a different smaller variety hoping it would bring the small one out more, it did for a day or two then the feeder fish that was the same size disappeared and we noticed that the small one was back in the plants a lot.
<Odd; Goldfish are gregarious, but sometimes bullying does occur, particularly between males.>
Well I was looking at him yesterday and I noticed his mouth is covered with a white film and there is barley a pinhole for an opening, I could not find a description matching this on your web site.
<Likely mucous production, perhaps in response to some type of opportunistic infection. Would recommend treating for Finrot/Fungus/Mouth Fungus immediately using a proprietary medication containing Formalin and Malachite Green. Many brands available; consult your retailer.>
I tried to talk my husband into helping me catch it and use something to make his mouth open but he says I will kill it if I try. Have you ever heard of this fungus or whatever it is? It is just on his mouth like it is growing a white film cover. When I added the new feeder fish I also added 2 baby Plecos and I already had a snail, all the other fish including the feeder that is left are doing great..
<Do treat promptly. Be aware that Plecs and Goldfish don't make ideal tankmates because of differences in temperature requirements. Plecs need to be maintained at around 24 C upwards, and that's very close to the maximum temperature for Goldfish. Conversely, Plecs can't be kept in unheated tanks. They might linger through summer, but they'll die in winter.>
My water levels are:
nitrate 20 ppm; nitrite 0 ppm;hardness150 GH; alkalinity 180 KH; PH 7.2.
<pH is a bit low, but otherwise fine.>
Could you tell me how to treat the small fish ?( I am not sure what kind they are I could not find them)Should I try to open his mouth and remove the film or is there a medication I should try first?
<A proprietary formalin/malachite green combo; here in England I favour eSHa 2000.>
Also I wanted to let you know due to your site I have a healthy fish tank and have learned most of what I needed to know to get my tank correctly balanced with plants, fish and algae eaters. Although I can not get the fish to eat plant material, I have tried peas, spinach, blanched lettuce, and rice, they won't touch it. They have almost destroyed one of the 2 plants we have but we are going to try to find duckweed to grow just can not afford it yet.
<Goldfish (and Plecs) are herbivores, so adding live plants is a waste of time if used as decoration. But cheap plants like Elodea are ideal and inexpensive foodstuffs for Goldfish. Here in England a bunch of Elodea costs about £1, and will feed Goldfish -- with no other foods else added to the tank -- for at least a week, if not two. Tinned peas are another good choice. For some reason the canning process makes the peas very tasty to a wide variety of fish. Do try other soft vegetables and grains from the kitchen. Like children, Goldfish prefer the "wrong" foods, so to some degree you have to be cruel to be kind: put the vegetables in the tank, and if you add no other food for a week, fine... eventually the Goldfish will cotton on.>
I am sorry if I jump around a little on subjects I am just trying to give all the info you may need to help me... I have 2 external bio filters and an under gravel filter with 2 charcoal towers and do water changes @ 25-50% every couple weeks and clean the gravel approx once a month. I do not have an ammonia tester. I really hope I have provided enough information so you can help me, I really appreciate your website and the assistance you offer. Thank You... Desperate Goldfish Owner Cassidy
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: Sickly Goldfish   10/4/08
Hello,
Thank You so much for the information... By levels OK they were at 0 for all except PH that was at 7.8...
<So, you mean ammonia and nitrite are zero? That's good.>
I will be heading out to find medication soon for the little guy. My water temp is 74 degrees F the gold fish don't seem to mind I tried to lower the temp when I read that they do better in lower temps (was at 78 when first started) but my heater is touchy;
<Are you sure you bought the right size heater for your tank? If the heater is oversized or undersized, you will indeed have problems keeping the right temperature. Moreover, when heaters seem unreliable, they're best replaced: a jammed heater can boil your fish, while a heater that fails to switch on is no good at all. If the heater is under a year old, just get the thing replaced by your retailer. Otherwise, I'd heartily recommend removing it and replacing it.>
what I would like to know if you have time is if my plecos will survive, they are doing a wonderful job of cleaning the brown algae my tank has developed.
<I don't recommend mixing Goldfish with Plecs. Plecs require slightly warmer conditions to do well in the long term, though this varies between different Plec species somewhat. But the bigger problem is that Plecs are even larger and messier than Goldfish, so unless this tank is huge (by which I mean measured in the hundreds, not tens, of US gallons) keeping two Plecs and a school of Goldfish once mature is going to be hard work. Adult Common Plecs are up to 45 cm/18" long, and make a huge amount of mess. Goldfish range from 20 cm/8" for the fancy varieties through to as much as 60 cm, though typically 30-40 cm, in the case of standards like Comets and Commons. In other words, you need at least a 100 gallons for a group of two cats and multiple Goldfish, plus a filter suitable for big, messy fish. While things might work now, over time you're gradually going to see the water get cloudy, the nitrate levels stay high, and maybe the fish becoming more prone to disease thanks to pH instability and reduced water quality. I'm not saying what you're doing won't work, but rather you'll have your work cut out for you as these fish grow and become steadily more demanding.>
None of the fish/plecos seem to be bothered, no gasping for air or swimming funny or staying at top or bottom, will I lose the plecos when winter hits?
<Yes, if the water temperature gets below, say, 22 C for any length of time. Feral Plecs have become established in the southern part of the US state of Florida for example, but they can't extend their range even into the north of the state because the winters are too cold. So unless you're in a place as consistently warm as Southern Florida, then Plecs need a heated aquarium.>
I am in a really cold state.....Thank You again for your help you guys are wonderful,I will let you know how the small fry is doing if you'd like...
Cassidy
<Well, I hope this helps, and good luck with your fish! Neale.>

Help with a goldfish, hlth., env.  – 10/02/08 Hi, My name is Rebecca and I have a goldfish (Mr. Pez) he has been with me for more than 7 years, Mr. Pez is alone in his tank cause he ate all the friends we bought for him (goldfish also and big enough) while he was little so we stop trying. <He ate his tankmates? That's EXTREMELY unlikely. He may well nibble at their bodies when they were dead, but Goldfish are NOT fish-eaters and don't even have teeth in their jaws with which they could catch other fish! So apart from things like newborn fish, they are completely harmless, and indeed naturally herbivorous. Fancy Goldfish are best kept in groups with similar varieties (Orandas with other Orandas, moors with other moors, and so on) to avoid problems at feeding time, because some varieties are more "handicapped" by their deformities than others.> Mr. Pez is very playful and eats all he can so we go with the two min. rule, he eats good quality goldfish pellets and has been a very healthy fish, never sick before. <Pellets not enough... tend to cause constipation (long, thread-like faeces will be visible). If you're unlucky, chronic constipation causes other, more serious problems like loss of swimming ability. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm > A little more than a year ago he developed a skin lesion that looked like a missing scale so the skin looked pinkish but quite normal I kept watching close and looked the same for over a year but it has been changing for the past 4 months now the lesion grew and the color looks like if it has blood inside. <Likely an ulcer of some type to me, but the image isn't sharp enough to be sure. Cysts tend to be the same colour as the body, while ulcers look sore and bloody. But without a sharper picture, I honestly can't be sure. You can't do anything about cysts except wait for the fish's immune system to fix the problem; Ulcers need treating with a suitable antibiotic such as Erythromycin (sold at pet stores as Maracyn in the US, otherwise from vets) or an over-the-counter antibacterial (such as eSHa 2000) from your pet store.> I can't be sure if it is micotic, bacterial or a tumor so I kinda need help to figure this out. Mr. Pez lives in a 'recommended' 40 lt. tank something around 11 gallon, <Far too small... whether a cyst or a tumour, water quality surely to blame somewhere along the line. Goldfish can't be recommended for tanks below 100 litres (26 US Gal.), and even 150 litres (40 US Gal.) isn't excessive.> water temp around 27C°/80 F°, and he is around 13cm/5.11 in long without the tail. <Water is FAR too warm for Goldfish. Make sure the tank is out of direct sunlight, and preferably kept in a relatively cool part of the house. The recommended maximum temperature for Goldfish is 25 C, and Fancy Goldfish do much better between 15-20 C.> He has lived in this tank size since we purchased him and he was around 1/4 of his actual size. No live plants, just one plastic, not sure about the filter but keeps his water very clean, looks like an aqua clear power filter and uses activated carbon bag, foam filter and another bag that I think it's for ammonia (light colored gravel). <Carbon is redundant in this aquarium and a waste of space. Likewise unless you're replacing the ammonia-remover with new ammonia-remover EVERY WEEK, it isn't doing anything but wasting space. Much better to use a filter stocked with good mechanical and biological media only. For Goldfish, doesn't matter what the filter, so long as it offers not less than 4 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour, and realistically for good water quality 6 times the volume of the tank. In other words, for a 100 litre tank, use a filter rated at least 400 litres per hour, and ideally 600 litres per hour. These ratings will be on the pump or filter packaging.> The filter is external and works like a waterfall and it is almost half the size of the longest part of the tank. also has a big submergible water pump for air. I have seen Mr. Pez going to the surface to breath but not that often, this is the only strange thing I have noticed apart from his skin problem, he is happy, plays, swims, eats and loves to follow me around. I can't taste the water because where I live you just can't find water testers so we do what we can to keep him healthy, we don't change the water unless we need to, due to a malfunction of the filter that happens from time to time so we replace the filter and that's it. we don't change the whole tank, just enough to keep it nice for Mr. Pez and we use a siphon to remove the bottom and we just keep the filter clean. <The following is essential, no matter where you live: replace 25-50% of the water WEEKLY. Doing that will minimise problems with pH drops as well as nitrate concentration.> We also use antichlorine and Methylene blue with conditioner to treat the water used to refill his tank and aquarium salt. <Hmm... dechlorinator certainly essential with each water change... the other things largely pointless, possibly harmful if used routinely...> I would gladly call the vet to check him out but there are no fish specialist here. I even take my dogs against my will and just for shots. very bad animal care here so that is why I am trying to find out what to do. I hope you can help Mr. Pez, I'll attach some pics so you can check them out. Sr. Pez1 shows the problem the best I could Sr. Pez2 shows how big it is, you can see the lump in the left side. Sr. Pez3 another angle, taken from the side, the lump is in the right of this pic. Sr. Pez4 shows it a little bigger. Sr. Pez5 this pic was taken from the top of the tank. <OK.> everything else looks normal in Mr. Pez, his head looks normal in size and color, eyes are clear, scales bright and shinny with a beautiful orange goldish color and they look healthy as usual and close to the body, fins relaxed and used to maintain position and swim, tail in a nice position relaxed when he is not moving and wiggled while swimming, etc, no discoloration or broken parts, no spots of any kind, no slime or cotton like stuff or something attached other than the lump. his mouth looks normal, etc. not too shy or still nor too excited, he floats perfectly as you can see and he was showing off while taking pics that is why you can see him in almost any angle. <Indeed.> The tank water hasn't been changed for the pics, this is the usual water any given day, the green parts are because of indirect sunlight and you can see the submergible pump at the back so I'm kind of worried about the breathing behaviour. <Aquarium too small... water quality likely poor... problems here entirely environmental, and need fixing.> Where I live can be very hot so just once I had to cool down the temperature with ice because it was raising a lot, has been ok these days though. <OK.> Sorry about any spelling mistake, obviously English is not my native language. <Your English is fine!> Thanks a lot for your time and help. <Happy to help> Rebecca. <Do read these: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/goldfish101art.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: help with a goldfish 2   10/3/08 Dear Neale: <Rebeca,> thank you very much for your quick response, I was truly worried about my pet so before I read your response I moved sky, oceans and ground to find someone who could test the water and after reading all I could at WetWebMedia. I did contact a biologist and helped testing ph and nitrates and of course as you suspected OMG!! you can imagine the readings. water was way too acidic and nitrates are at their max. reading range, so regardless the outcome I decided to take severe action so knowing how strong Mr. Pez is, I changed 50% of his water and replaced it with the usual tap water I use with the dechlorinator and the metilen blue (bio-guy told me to even apply a drop of metilen blue directly over Mr. Pez lesion, he was racing around his tank so I did it just once and no more) after this I tested his water again and ph was neutral but nitrates were still too high (over a pink chart of colorimetric being the light pink the less nitrate level, my tank is fuchsia, so... the worst) not sure if it is the same color in every nitrate test, that is why I'm making the color comment. <Methylene Blue is an anti-parasitic and anti-bacterial medication, but do be aware that it can kill the filter bacteria quite quickly, and is toxic to fish over the long term. It used to be widely used, but has been far superseded by safer medications based on Formalin, Malachite Green, and antibiotics like Erythromycin. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/methblueart.htm I'd honestly recommend sea salt as a "tonic" over Methylene Blue; Goldfish have a high tolerance for brackish water, and salt is harmless to filter bacteria.> Unfortunately I live in a part of Mexico where you would be afraid of going to the doctor imagine taking your pets to the vet (one of my dogs actually died due to bad vet care) so you buy your goldfish and they tell you must not change the water unless is too polluted and that's it, that they almost live in acid and that 28°C are the perfect temperature for your goldfish. Of course not even mention the hydrogen cycle or something close to it and if you ask for testers everyone looks at you like if you were an ufo paranoid people. <Not changing the water is how fish were kept here in England even into the 1980s! It was assumed that "old water" was better somehow. We now know this isn't true, largely from experimental work done on fish farms. The more water changes, the better. In a small aquarium, you should be changing 25-50% per week. Nothing else you do will be such a cheap, easy way to keep good health! Big water changes remove acidity and keep the nitrate level low. If you have soft, acid water, then I'd argue doing 10-20% water changes every 2-3 days would be even better. The problem is that the pH drops in all aquaria because of the biological processes that occur. But in soft water, there's nothing to buffer against the pH drop, and so the pH changes are rapid. In hard water (which is more common in Mexico, as I understand it) pH changes are buffered and should be slower.> Luckily (I hope) for Mr. Pez, I do enjoy playing with him and noticed him acting odd, and after the water change and the bad result (like no change at all) I did some more research and decided not to wait, so today I got a brand new house tank for my poor baby 150lt all for his enjoyment with another Aquaclear external waterfall filter (this one is for 60 gallons or so it says) and a very powerful air pump which has a filtering system as well. well, after the first 50% water replace there was no change in the water nevertheless he did stop going up to the surface for air but he was a little nervous and It was my strong believe that this would be a very bad thing that just going to be worst over the time, like being inside a bubble and breathing the same air over and over and over and just once in a while a little window opens just for seconds. I also added bacteria to his tank in an effort to maintain at least some balance while I set up the new environment for him. Tomorrow I will change just 25% of his water just to keep it as "breathable" as I can for the moment. I will add bacteria to the new tank right away to start the cycle but I'm not very sure how long should I wait till changing tanks, people at the pet store says that I just need to wait 24 hours but I have my reserves on this advice. Today I will check out the setting new environment links to be as prepared as I can for this mayor tank change but if Mr. Pez looks like he is not holding on... I will be transferring him pretty soon. <Yes, do understand that the bigger the tank, the easier keeping a fish becomes! It's really as simple as that.> About the water replace and the no change I was so alarmed so I find some information that you may want to look at, it is about Why water change does not control nor eliminate nitrates and the link....http://www.fishyou.com/fish-nitrates-water.php this of course could be wrong and I don't have many realistic chemistry info in this subject to believe or deny this info but I do think that my fish is making more waste that the environment can handle and this article made me doubt about just the water replace solution (in my case and aquarium size). <The article you link is correct: doing a 25% water change will not reduce nitrate concentration by 100%. But that isn't the intention. If you assume that the toxic level of nitrate is 100 mg/l, and that the nitrate concentration in your aquarium goes up by 20 mg/l per week, then after 5 weeks clean water will become dangerously toxic (20 + 20 + 20 + 20 + 20 = 100 mg/l). But do a 25% water change and you drop the nitrate concentration to 75 mg/l, making it safe again. If you keep doing water changes, over time you make sure that the nitrate concentration never becomes too high. But water changes are about MUCH MORE than nitrate. As mentioned, they're also about pH regulation. All aquaria have a net pH decline over time. Nitrate dissociates into nitric acidic, phosphate into phosphoric acid, organic materials into tannins and other organic acids. By replacing 25% of the water, you are removing these acids, reversing the pH change. In addition, as the pH drops, carbonate hardness (measured in degrees KH) is used up. By doing water changes you replenish the carbonate hardness in the aquarium water. Since carbonate hardness buffers against pH changes, you need at least some carbonate hardness in most aquaria to ensure a stable pH.> The carbon and ammonia remover are inside the filter and we change it as recommended by the manufacturer but as you said, it wasn't enough for my fish. <Ammonia remover (zeolite) is redundant in aquaria with biological filters; carbon is not useful if you are doing regular water changes. Both are most useful as ways of getting money out of your pocket in return for very cheap to produce chemicals!> About his diet... he is what everyone knows as the common goldfish a little rounded in shape and we bought along with him another but with veil tail and a Pleco or plecus, he did ate the Pleco or plecus not sure about the name at the pet store was recommended to keep the aquarium clean, he was ok one day and the next day there was just half of his body and he was still sucking at the glass but at the bottom of the aquarium, and some time after that, the veil tail fish appeared half eaten too, his tail was gone, one fin and one whole side of his body was chewed, I mean... I thought it couldn't be a piranha hiding in my small tank... so he was left alone for a while, then I bought some smaller fish (Neons in Mexico) like 5 of them, very small and he also ate them so mine is not that vegetarian after all. I have never had any digestive problems with him, the opposite actually, his poop is big and thick and he poops every day, is this big poop constipation? it does look like a knitting thread they are big. <Yes, likely constipation.> Researching here I did start giving him some peas and spinach and my fish hates me at this point!!! <And little children don't like eating vegetables... doesn't mean they shouldn't eat vegetables!> I had to give him some pellets because he wouldn't feed and he follows me around and smacks the glass with his tail and wiggles side to side like crazy looking at me every time I get near him. guess veggies makes him miserable. Today I tried grinding some peas with spinach, carrot and some rice I put some vitamin with garlic for fish on it and I'm freezing the mix to see if he eats some instead of pellets. I damped the pellets before feeding him with the veggies puree and he refuses to eat even his pellets unless they are given as he is used to, he picks them and he starts chewing chewing and chewing then he makes a disgusting gesture like if he was about to vomit them and he spits them out (the veggie damped pellets) I was hoping he would pick up the carrots but nope, same thing and remember this is a feeding machine fish. I'll keep trying but I don't want him to starve above all the environmental problems. all the food was cooked nothing raw. <Unlikely to starve... all sorts of safe foods to try... cheap aquarium plants (Elodea) are the best.> Now... to end my endless mail (sorry Neale) about his lesion today I caught him trying to "take down" the air pump, I can hardly have things like thermometers hanging around because he likes to "kill" them but I saw him under the pump and kicking it with his body not scratching or at least it doesn't looks like he is scratching. <He has very odd behaviour for a Goldfish...> his behaviour with things in his tank is this... with gravel he carries it to one side until he can see the bottom of his tank and i have less than half a cm. of gravel. with plants he kicks them to the sides or bites them. With the filter tube he goes there and smacks it with his head he has managed to unlock the tube once or twice and he likes to rest by the heater and he swims a lot by it. so maybe the lesion is just a scratch that has been getting worst since we change to this air pump that it's bigger. If this is the problem I should see a change with the new pump. It doesn't look like an ulcer but half of it looks soar and like if it had some coagulated blood inside the other half looks pink and not really bad. could it be fish pox? <Possible; Fish Pox on Goldfish usually looks like molten candle wax. Very distinctive. Can't be cured as such, but will go away in time, assuming the environment is healthy.> Thanks for the temperature tip, I'll get it down slowly. <Cool.> Thank you for all your help, I hope my fish will be just fine when he arrives at his new tank. I´ll try to take a better resolution pic so you can check it out but with the nitrate level I make his skin problem aside until I can fix his environment and make him stronger, otherwise I'm afraid I'll kill him if I try to medicate him. <Do read, understand before adding stuff to the water. Remember, doctors go to medical school *before* they start writing prescriptions for drugs!> best regards Rebeca and Mr. Pez <Cheers, Neale.>