Sick Goldfish

i didnt see that post about the carbon platty,
orca do you have black sponges in you filters if so these are the carbon filtre platty is talking about.these need to be changed(or binned for good)regurlarly

I will get an tetratec ex600 soon.It would do a better job.I have a ex1200 still new in a box but it would be too strong for this tank.If i can find a larger tank that would fit the awkward space i have i might start again and give them more space.I hope i dont loose another fish but if i do would it be ok to freeze and give to darren at the next meeting.

Yes if you can get the fish that died this evening to me along with one of the other fish in the tank (i wont kill or harm it) i will have a look at them. Also about 2L of tank water.
I am not promising anything but i will have a look.
Let me know either way what you want to do.

@ Paddy. Yes lots of pictures taken. Just having trouble converting files and up loading at the moment.

i dont see why not.where abouts are you from. i sent you a pm with my email address to send me a pic so i can get a better idea,the external is definitly a good idea, if your water isnt clear you can drop up to me and i will give you some gquality activated carbon to polish the water for you if you like.but i would keep an eye on your temp as i dont even use a heater these days in my largest marine tank. the heater dosnt get put on till the lights go out and then get turned off at about 2 oclock and i still use a fan during the period with no heater,
cheers paddy

That would be to long. The sooner you find out what the problem is the less chance there is of loosing more fish.
If you want i could get down to you between 6;30 and 7;30 tomorrow evening. I could take a look at your tank and fish and take the frozen one with me.

platty your too quick 4 me i keep missing your posts, cant wait to see the pics.maybe someone can set up a new systm regarding posting pics, there are other sites that allow for this and give you the option of them downsizing the pics 4 you which is a great help for a gobshite like myself:laugh:

Paddy IMO the water is cloudy due to a possible bacteria bloom. Carbon wont work effectively for this.

Off to the hay. Eion send me a pm letting me know what you want to do or send me a text tomorrow. If you haven't got my number get it from Andrew.

Darren i just sent you a pm.

Paddy i am in crumlin in dublin where are you based.

Ok Eoin i will give you a bell after work.

I can't really offer any advice about the sick fish but I can give some advice about stocking.

Having that many goldies in a tank that size is a pretty bad idea in the long run. 80 litres is fine for them at the moment if they're still small but your tank is only just big enough for two adult fancy goldfish.
I have an 120 litre tank for my three fancies, they used to live in a 54 litre tank and never grew. Since moving them into the new tank they are much more active and are growing again.

A lot of people will tell you that a goldfish will grow to suit its environment and this is true to an extent. It will stunt their skeletal growth so they do stay smaller but their organs are not stunted and will eventually be damaged through constriction of internal tissues by the skeleton, leading to a prolonged and painful death.

I would advise that you either upgrade to a larger tank (at least 10 US gallons per fancy goldfish) or get rid of all but two of your goldfish. Also if you have long bodied goldfish (comets, commons etc) then they really don't belong in a tank that size, maybe you can find someone with a pond that would take them?

I am trying to get a larger tank but the space i have is the problem.What i have for space is 70cm long by 33ish wide i could go i could go 50,60 or 70 high.Any thoughts on a good size tank.

You have five fancy goldfish and two long bodied goldfish in the tank, right? For just the fancies you're going to eventually need 150+ litre tank. The long bodied fish really shouldn't be kept in a tank at all, a pond is a much more appropriate environment for them.

Here is a picture of a full grown fancy just to show how big they can get:


And a long bodied goldie:

I am looking into a larger tank for the fancy goldfish and might give the two long body fish away to a good home.Any thoughts on a tank that might fit my space.

platty252 wrote:

Paddy IMO the water is cloudy due to a possible bacteria bloom. Carbon wont work effectively for this.

Off to the hay. Eion send me a pm letting me know what you want to do or send me a text tomorrow. If you haven't got my number get it from Andrew.

sorry lads i thought i replied last night, anyways i agree with platty it probably is a bacterial bloom but i have loads of carbon and dont mind wasting a bag. see what plattys diagnosis is. if the fish is diseased you can treat them and i could bring my uv over and run it for a day or two this will kill any disease present in the tank also.the other option is, since your having ongoing probs you should probably think about starting from scratch. add the 1200 external stick a bag of carbon in it, and you will have crystal clear water in no time. all you would need is a bottle of organic aqua or just add some bactiria. platty will give you some of his media in his filter to speed up the process. i can also bring you some ro. this combo could be done in an hour and your tank would be perfect as long as your fish arent diseased(i dont like the sounds of the 2 fish you addopted)have you closly inspected your fish fins ect.
im from tallaght by the way
paddy

looking at the pics you are overstocked mate adding an external will help but not really a solution.a bigger tank is probably the way to go.

I thought i was ok with the two extra fish as it worked well for many months.I will be looking for a tank to fit the space i have and a tetratec ex600 or ex 700.So any thoughts on a tank that might work would be a great help.

Sorry for the delay getting back. I had a slight disaster myself which i had to take care of first.
The live fish you brought up seemed fine apart from been stressed and having no buoyancy.
I had a look at your water under a microscope and apart from the algae bloom probably brought on by the
Ammonia there was a lot of what look like (to me) Vibrio bacteria.
The zoalite i gave you will help rid the tank of Ammonia for the moment but you will need to up your filtration
and/or reduce the amount of fish in the tank.
Water changes will also help get rid of the algae.
The fish did not show any signs that the Vibrio bacteria was a problem.
But i can not be sure if it was Vibrio just using a micro scope. You would need an antibiotic sensitivity test
or a vibrio sensitivity test to be sure.
Keep an eye out for sores or ulcers. If any more fish die check for swollen eyes (pop eye) just before they die.

There was also something else in the water i couldn't identify. Anyone know what this is?


I examined the gills on the fish and they seemed fine. No hitchhikers, no swelling or signs of hemaraging (spelling). But a lot of parasites leave the host fish as soon as it dies.
There were no tears or scars. Hard to tell if the colour was off since the fish had been frozen.
But they seemed fine on the live fish.
When i opened the fish it had already started to decompose. I found it impossible to examine any of it.
It was just a stinking mess.
The swim bladder was inflated ready to pop. I imagine this was just from a gas build up from the fish decomposing.
I can still smell the dam thing.

What do you feed the fish, how much and how often?
How long do the fish show signs of illness before dieing?
Any other symptoms apart from buoyancy problems?

I think you need to keep the temperature stable, keep the water level as low as you can for the moment. This will help with buoyancy. Also keep the water as clean as possible. 10-20% water changes dayly or every second day for the moment. It's important to keep the temp. the same when changing water especially when there is swim bladder problems. A sudden drop in temp. is all it needs to trigger this problem.
I wouldn't use any meds at the moment. Some tonic salts may help.

I think you will have to make a tank to fit your space.
You wont be able to pass on the 2 adopted fish untill you are rid of all problems in your tank or you will be just sharing your problems with someone else.

platty252 wrote:

There was also something else in the water i couldn't identify. Anyone know what this is?

looks like an octopus:unsure:

no swelling or signs of hemaraging (spelling).
.

do you mean haemmoroids?

on a more serious note, i would be inclined to agree with your advice. steady temp a little tonic salt and keep water quality good. also reduce feeding while fish are sick.
organic health treatment would also help to stabilise the fish. it has worked well for me in severe cases.

derek wrote:looks like an octopus:unsure:
no swelling or signs of hemaraging (spelling).
.[/quote]

do you mean haemmoroids?

No i mean Hemorrhaging. i just couldnt possibly spell it first time around and spell checker is given me the silent treatment.
The organic health treatment is a good idea.

Eion do you know your water hardness?. Since i live close enough to you i assume your water is ridiculously soft like mine from the tap. Would hardening your water a bit help to prevent the swim badder problem? Anyone any ideas on this?

Thanks for the help darren.My tank still has a bacterial bloom and that poor fish i brought up to you passed on when i was away.The ammonia has gone down and i am looking into a larger tank and a new tetratec ex700.All the other fish are doing fine since i lowered the water level but the still need more space and a good filter.So if anyone could help me with a tank that might fit the space i have please let me know.The more water and surface area the better.