Disease In Goldfish, Research - 11/06/2005 Can Maracyn two be added to a tank recently treated with Formalite 1? One fish had black and white spots; the Formalite seems to be working on him, but the fantail has dropped her fins again, and they are ragged. Maracyn two works well for her. <Umm.... too many factors at play to give you proper advice without you actually learning about the factors that may be affecting the fish.... Please start by reading here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm , http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwdis3setsfactors.htm , http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm and all the FAQs links in blue at the top of that last.> It will take me days to do a proper water change in a 30 gallon tank.... <Uhh, what? A proper water change should be accomplished in under an hour.... Prepare water, remove water, add water.... That's all. Water changes are of extreme importance in emergency situations; you really must find a way to make it not take days to do one. A matter of some days can mean life or death.> <<Could she be waiting on an RO system to filter sufficient water?  MH>> and I'd hate to see her deteriorate.  <Fin rot is often exclusively environmental. Test your water: ammonia and nitrite must be ZERO, nitrate less than 20ppm.... if these are not so, do water changes (perhaps large ones, daily, if necessary) until they are correct.> Really great web site...thanks in advance for any advice! Mary... <Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Goldfish Disease, Reading - 11/06/2005 I have a gold fish, who is almost 3 years old. I change the water every week and it has grown to be almost 4 inches. I notice every week for the past few weeks' blood under her neck and the two front wings (not sure) are bloody too. What could be the reason?  <Likely environmental disease.> Please advice. <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm . Test your water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate; ammonia and nitrite should be maintained at ZERO, nitrate less than 20ppm, with water changes.> Thanks -Kaniz <Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Sick Goldfish, Not Enough Info - 11/03/2005 Hello, my name is Rose, and I just need some advice concerning my goldfish. I have had my fish for almost 8 years and he is very large. But anyway my question is, why is my goldfish not eating? <Not enough information here to discern the cause/problem....> He hasn't eaten in 5 days, and he just stays in one spot. About 10 months ago he got very sick and I treated him with the Ick clear and also with parasite clear. And he was doing good for a while and I know what to look out for about him being sick. He doesn't act like he did when I treated him for Ick, like I said he just stays in one spot and he very seldom moves. Please tell me what could be wrong with my fish. <As I said, there's not enough information here. Be testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate - ammonia and nitrite *must* be ZERO, nitrate less than 20ppm.... if your readings are anything but these, do water changes with dechlorinated tap water to correct them.> Thank you very much. <Also, please read the following articles: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm . Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Goldfish Bowls, Environmental Disease - 11/02/2005 Hello. <Hi.> I have two Pearlscales (at least I believe that is what they are) in a BiOrb. I have had one for about 3 years and the other for about 2 years. Originally they lived in a glass bowl without a filter and seemingly without problem <Astounding.... Goldfish, though resilient, really require more than that....> but we purchased a BiOrb about 6 months ago as we thought a larger filtered system would suit them better.  <Better that it be larger still. Please read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm .> We feed them no more then once a day, approx. 8 sinking pellets and always have a plant in the tank which they seem to nibble on regularly. We have not noticed any significant issues until the last few days when the slightly larger Pearlscale has taken to sitting on the bottom and appears to be having difficulty breathing... gills and pucker constantly working... kind of imagine it must be like hyperventilation in humans... poor little guy.  <Likely environmental, from this newly set-up system cycling.> If I place my hand into the tank or mimic feeding time he swims up to the top seemingly without problem although perhaps a bit more feverish then usual. He seems to jump up almost poking out of the water before re-submerging. Upon re-submerging, I notice a lot of bubbles coming from his gills and maybe his mouth?  <The bubbles are not an issue.... goldfish can gulp/expel air readily.> As the other fish is showing no signs of problem and we have not done anything out of the ordinary in recent times, I am assuming that this is not environmental but am unsure of what may be affecting him and how to ease his suffering.  <Is likely environmental. Read also here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm .> I have read through a lot of the instructions on your very helpful website and while there is plenty of information regarding fish sitting on the bottom, I haven't seen one where it is a single affected fish sitting on the bottom + laboured breathing + this excess bubble thing.  <The one affected fish is perhaps just more sensitive than the other. You really must test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, and keep ammonia and nitrite at ZERO, nitrate less than 20ppm, with water changes. This is urgent.> My fish and I would be grateful for any assistance. -V Smith <Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Ten Gallons + Two Goldfish = Bad Water (This is Not Fuzzy Math) - 10/31/2005 Hi, I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 goldfish: an 7" comet and a 3" fantail.  <Actually, these two fish are way more "mess" than ten gallons of water can support. Something on the order of 30 gallons would be a minimum for these guys, preferably a 40.> I set up the tank 4 months ago and have had problems balancing the nitrate load.  <I can imagine. Goldfish are super poopers - major producers of nitrate. They need larger tanks to compensate.> I have a Penguin mini-100 filter and discovered this week that the BioWheel was not turning.  <Likely the cartridge needs to be cleaned or replaced, or the bearings of the wheel need to be cleaned.> Initial readings 1.0 ammonia <Toxic. Should be zero.> 160 ppm nitrate <Very dangerous - should be less than 20ppm.> .025 nitrite <Should be zero - this is also toxic.> Ph 7.3 <Just fine for goldfish.> After a 15% water change one day, and a 50% water change the next, readings went to 0.25 ammonia <Still hazardous.> 40 ppm nitrite <Still high.> 0 nitrite Ph above 7.4, but I only had a mid-range tester. <Might want to check the pH of your source water. It is possible that dissolved organics (fish waste, etc.) in the water have lowered the pH in the tank; you'll need to be cautious as you raise it back to that of your tap.> I added sea salt to the system to about 1%.. <Actually, this may have aided in raising the pH.> Fish rebounded a bit, but after 2 days, were sitting on the bottom again.  <The conditions they're living in are toxic. They need a bigger tank; unless you do daily or twice-daily water changes, I don't think you can keep up with their waste output in this tiny space.> I added an airstone yesterday. Today, six days after the initial water change (I saw the fish had red fins on the day of the 50% change), <Also a sign of toxic conditions in the water.> nitrate went up again to 80, so I did another 15% water change.  Readings are 0 ammonia 25 ppm nitrate <Still high, but better.> 0 nitrite But pH reading is now 8.  <Check the pH of your tap water. That's probably where it's headed, closer with every water change.> I tried to add pH down, but after few hours it hit 8 again.  <I advise against using these sorts of products in your situation. Your source water is too heavily buffered, and these huge swings in pH are deadly. Letting the pH settle at 8.0 is better than allowing it to fluctuate.> I know I need to raise my alkalinity ( buffering capacity), but how do I do that?  <Mm, actually, the fact that the pH bounced right back up suggests that your water is already very heavily buffered. You can get test kits for carbonate hardness and total hardness, to see how buffered your water is.> I have Seachem Neutral regulator here and their Discus buffer product. I keep reading about adding club soda (seltzer water), but this is very confusing and unclear.  <Mm, right now, the important issue is to make this environment inhabitable. The only good solution here is a larger tank to support the lives of these fish. Otherwise, you'll be doing daily water changes to keep them healthy - and that's not good for you or them.> Our pets belong to our 5 year old and he has cried several times this week already. I am unsure what else to do and would appreciate your help. <Start by reading here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm .> Thanks, -Eileen K. <Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Goldfish Environmental Disease - 10/31/2005 Question: We have three red Lionheads. Up until yesterday, they were all fine but when observed yesterday, one of them had red color radiating from the base of the fins outward on most fins. One of the lion heads is now getting a bit, just a bit, aggressive towards this one with the red fins. We do not know what has caused this "red fin" showing up. How should this be treated? <This is actually more than likely environmental disease - caused by poor water quality. Test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate; ammonia and nitrite must be ZERO, nitrate less than 20ppm. If this is not so, correct the problem with water changes.> Thanks for your help. <You might also take a look here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm . Wishing you well, -Sabrina>

Goldfish Mystery 10/30/05 Hello, <Hi there> I most sincerely hope that you can be of help. I'm sure my fish hope so as well. I recently started a 10 gallon freshwater aquarium in my dorm room within three weeks. I have also performed a 1/4 tank water change and a handful of smaller changes. Since then I have had four feeder or common goldfish pass on. The unusual thing is that not all have floated or sank. And many have been losing scales and have yellow bottoms. I do have two Plecos at the bottom, <These are unsuitable for such a small system... and for coldwater/goldfish tankmates... Please see WWM re> but I've yet to see aggressive behavior.  <Not likely> If you could explain the yellow belly and scale loss, I would be EXTREMELY appreciative. I have no idea as to the cause of these deaths, though I thought I was treating them for Ick successfully. Any help you could offer would be gratefully accepted. Thank you. -Dan <Very, very likely the root problem lies with the initial state of these "feeder"/comet goldfish and not your system, maintenance. To put it plainly, they are raised, shipped, and kept in deplorable conditions almost always... and are subsequently of diminished vitality, resistance. If you're set on this variety, you might seek out stock from a source that separates some, "hardens" them for aquarium/pet use... BTW, a ten gallon is too small to ultimately house even just one specimen. Please peruse (again) our goldfish articles, FAQs files... and consider other possible livestock assortments. Bob Fenner> 

Few questions about fish lice and quarantine 10/30/05 Hi there, <Howdy> I am looking for some advice and would appreciate any that you could give me.  I have a 25 gallon tank that was home to one fantail and one Lionhead goldfish. I have had it for 2.5 years (the fish are about the same age) and change 30% of the water every two weeks. According to my testing kit all the water parameters were fine and even when we moved home, they remained stable.  I keep a base level of aquarium salt in the tank ~2g per gallon. A couple of weeks ago I was stupid - I purchased my very first "new fish" (an Oranda) and some plants. I did not quarantine properly (never again!) - I have excuses but I'll spare you apart from not knowing/reading enough. <Okay> The tank got Ich and despite attempts to treat it with salt (7.6g per gallon) and medication - <Which?> it got just got worse (temp is low and I was scared to raise it for them). After a week and my fantail becoming riddled with every new outbreak (and his tail basically being shredded by it) I set up two new aquariums (one to hold the very sick fish and one for the other two). Salt, treatment and daily water changes and one week later they are all alive and the fantail seems to be improving (they have remained active and eat fine). However I have noticed that the new Oranda also has lice (or at least a louse) of the type Argulus.  <"When it rains..."> I have read that the reproduction cycle of these things can be 30-100 days and I firstly am unsure how to treat it and secondly terrified that it has contaminated my big tank (which has now been empty of fish for two weeks). Since this email now seems a bit wooly - I have a few specific questions: <... Mmm, there are mentions of how to treat (organophosphates... Masoten/Dylox/Neguvon, Dimilin... such crustacean parasites...> 1.Re the 25 gallon aquarium: I threw out 50% of the water from the old tank, boiled the gravel, tossed the toys and plants, raised the temp to 86 deg and am treating the tank for Whitespot (with medication). I planned to re-establish their filter, new wood etc for a month after this before putting them back. Is this enough or should I throw out all the water, disinfect and start again? Is there anyway to know if the lice survive in this tank? <Mmm, only by seeing them as adults on their (fish) hosts...> 2. I would like to put new plants back in the tank but I am not sure how to quarantine plants (I put new a plant in with the Oranda and saw Ich on the plant)  <Are, can be quarantined as per fishes...> 3. I tried to remove the louse with tweezers but this only resulted in the fish (and me) becoming stressed. <Practice... best to remove adults in this way> I put him in a bath of 10mg/L of Potassium permanganate and the louse remained attached to him - it has since 'disappeared' but I am waiting for it to resurface again. Any ideas how to treat this? <Mmm, use the search tool on parts (e.g. the homepage) of WWM> There is no gravel or ornaments in this 'hospital tank' but I am not sure if the Argulus could still reproduce.  <Reproduce while attached...> I have had the fish for 3 weeks and he just has the one louse at the moment and I haven't seen any signs on the Lionhead who shares a tank with him. Thank you for your time, Karen <Unfortunately the Argulus may have "dropped" young, in the system... I would treat with the organophosphate... Maybe start reading here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/contrpdparasit.htm Bob Fenner> 

Fantail goldfish with Ich 10/30/05 Hello WWM Crew, Unfortunately, I'm having a very hard time finding the answers I need in the FAQ's, although I realize this is a common problem. My 3.5 inch fantail has Ich, and has been QT'd in a 10 g. There is a substantial amount of sand/gravel in there (I hope this doesn't absorb too much meds or salt),  <Not the salt... but good point> so the actual volume of water is probably 7 or 8 g. <Another valid observation> I did a water change, vacuumed top layer of gravel (which I will continue to do), and today I will be adding a heater and raising the temp to around 82-86. Several FAQ's recommend using "aquarium salt" to treat Ich. Is this freshwater salt, marine salt, or is there no difference? <Is better that it's actually marine/aquarium, but sodium chloride can/will do> I added about 1/2 tsp. of marine salt last night, when I QT'd him. Is that ok?  <Sure> So, when I go to a LFS, should I get freshwater salt, more marine salt, or a medication, like Mercurochrome? <... please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm > One last question: should I treat the main tank?  <If it is infested, yes... do keep "wet gear" separated from contact twixt systems> Thanks in advance for your help. Jen <I do wish we had a very simple, "how to" search area... like this one here: http://wetwebmedia.com/faqstips.htm that had examples on how to use WWM, including viewing the cached Google view of searches (for highlighted terms) some common rules of Boolean technology... Bob Fenner> <<We could also use some pages of "recommended reading" for each subject/type.  MH>>

Choking Your Goldfish 10/26/05 Hi!  <Hi, Nicola! Catherine here.> I am very worried about my Gold Fantail.  I have coloured fish tank gravel in the bottom of my fish tank, and this has always been fine!  However, one of my Gold Fantails seems to have sucked up one of the stones, and appears to be choking. The stone keeps reaching the entrance to it's mouth, but it can not seem to spit it out as it ends up sucking the stone back in again. I have removed the fish from the main fish tank, as the other fish were distressing it further. I have now put it into a fish bowl, but it now keeps balancing on its mouth on the bottom of the tank (upside down!)  I first noticed this last night, and I can't seem to do anything to help it! Last night it seemed very distressed, and this morning it seems exhausted. Please Help... I'm very worried that if I don't do anything soon it will die! Thank you <Please read: http://wetwebfotos.com/talk/thread.jsp?forum=31&thread=30338&start=0&msRange=15. It's a big long and a message board. There are a few side issues going on. However, by page 2 you'll find a procedure to use clove oil to calm the fish so you can use tweezers to pull the piece of gravel out. Good luck. Let us know what you did and if it worked! Catherine> 
Choking Your Goldfish - Revisited, Vetted 10/28/05 Hi Catherine!  <Hi again, Nicola!> Thank you for your response.  I actually ended up taking it to the vet's as I was a bit worried and nervous regarding taking it out of the water for a long period of time, and using the clove oil.  The vet was brilliant and didn't even charge me! He used a special scissor / tweezers type tool, which is normally used to operate on eyes, and managed to get it out. He said he had no idea how it had managed to get it so lodged in it's mouth, and how it even managed to swallow the stone in the first place, as it was very big. The vet said that I'd have had a job trying to get it out myself without the special tools! Sam is fine now, swimming around as though nothing had happened, was looking a bit tired last night but that was to be expected! The other 3 were pleased to get their friend back! Anyway, thank you again for your help, at least I now know what to do if it is stupid enough to do it again! (Which I hope it's not!) Thanks, Nicola <I'm so glad Sam is well on the way to recovery. Maybe he thought the gravel was a pea! Hopefully, he won't decide to snack on any more gravel. If he does, you might consider changing the gravel to a larger or smaller substrate. Glad to hear it worked out! Catherine> 

Goldfish Of Doom - 10/26/2005 Hi Again, <Ahoy thar.> I saw an episode of South Park where a goldfish was killing people. I also read that goldfish are omnivorous. Thus, I am concerned that my goldfish might try to do me in if given the chance.  <Does there happen to be a portal to Hell in the fish store where you purchased this fish?> I was thinking about building a shock vest for the goldfish. I figure I could wear a remote control on a necklace to activate the vest, much like the old people use when they fall and break their hip. How many volts will stun the goldfish unconscious as opposed to killing it? If it comes to this, I want to make it suffer. <The likelihood of your goldfish making an attempt on your life is directly relative to the quality of life you provide the animal. If your goldfish kills you, you probably deserved it. They are law-abiding, just, and honest animals that only resort to violence in cases of extremely poor water quality or poor nutrition.> Steve <May your goldfish do what is right. Wishing you well, -Sabrina>  <<Oh, thank you for the laugh so hearty ye have provided me, ye wench!  Marina>>
Goldfish Of Doom Revisited (II) - 10/27/2005 Hi, <Oh boy.> I was thinking about converting my bath tub to a Koi/goldfish pond. Do you think the fish will like it if I turn on the Jacuzzi? <I think it likely that these fish would open a portal to hell with the flow from the Jacuzzi and suck you down it. Might want to have those goldfish shock jackets ready first.> Steve <-Sabrina>
More Goldfish Of Doom, A Fish-y Treadmill? - III, IV - 11/06/2005 Hi, When I first put the Koi in with my goldfish, the goldfish went spastic. He swam into the side of the bowl and turned pink (he is normally white). Then he swam in fast circles for two days and herded the (smaller) Koi into a little Flintstones house I kept in the tank. I assume this is some kind of territorial behavior. How long would I have to separate them again to produce the same effect when reintroduced?  Steve <<Why are you not kidding? MH>> Hi, I was concerned that my goldfish was not getting enough exercise. I wrote in and asked about putting it in a piece of PVC with a pump head directed axially down the pipe. (Like a treadmill.) One of the crew members said it was not something he would do. I took that to mean it wasn't a good idea. While I was vacuuming the gravel, I notice the goldfish was curious about the vacuum. I started chasing him around the tank with it. After about 15 minutes, the goldfish stopped running away, even if I poked him with it. He did not turn pink, so I assume he was tired and not upset. He was also eating again in about five minutes. Do you think three exercise periods per week is sufficient? Steve <Steve.... Though your humor has been appreciated, I must admit to you that we're short on people and short on time.... All of us are volunteers, and the time we put into playing along with spoof questions actually does detract from the time we can put into answering folks with genuine problems. Please consider

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