'Fishers' is sick - need help :-(

This is a copy of the reply I posted in the Coldwater Forum.

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Fungus and fin/tail rot are usually indications that water quality is not in order.

Septicemia occurs with ammonia/nitrite spikes and the situation is not corrected.

What are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings?

How big is your tank and what is your water change routine: how much and how often?

Best treatment for either is lots of fresh water changes. Meds are usually not necessary if the water is changed often and in large amounts.

Both of these occur quite often in goldfish who are housed in environments too small for them. If they are not given better living arrangements, they will eventually die from it.

Roan

based on your continued problem(s) i'm guessing your water quality is at issue. that combined with a tank which is too small for the fish, creates a stressful environment which fish succumb to all to readily.

Haemorrhagic septicaemia is caused by one or more of the bacterial class of Aeromonas, Pseudomonas or Vibrio. these bacterial species are common in many apparently "healthy" aquaria as latent infection waiting to happen. happen it does when fish are in poor and/or stressed condition for some reason, which can include overcrowding, moving, rough handling, inadequate/innapropriate diet, temperature fluctuation, wrong pH or pH fluctuation, build up of dissolved organic compounds --- the list is practically endless. the red streaking you observe on the fins is the result of haemorrhaging of internal organs and accumulation of released blood in more external tissues of the body such as fins. other symptoms which may occur as the disease progresses include ulcers.

there's little point in medicating these fish unless you are willing to eliminate the cause first. if you do otherwise it just won't work.

treatment: Furizolidone at 20mg/liltre as a continuous bath for 7 days. complete water change -- 48 hour rest period. repeat treatment. Nifurpirinol at 0.2mg/litre as per above. Oxytetracycline at 75mg per kilogram of fish (yes, you have to weigh your fish) with food.