Dead Goldfish :( help please!!

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Agent_Scully

Agent_Scully

AC Oscar Club Member #1
Jul 9, 2008
243
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Georgia
When I woke up this morning I found that my favorite little Oranda was dead. He was living in a 20 gallon with another small oranda. I had just done a water change yesterday and the other Oranda is still alive so I don't think it was ammonia or nitrite poisoning. I don't have a picture for you but I can describe some unusual findings when I examined him. He did not eaten yesterday so I was worried about him. He would eat and then spit out the food. He was hanging aroung the top frequently despite highly oxigenated water. The examination revealed bleeding in one eye, no sign of external parasites, and normal gills. He was not physically that different except for sunken bleeding eyes and clamped fins. The last thing was that he was the aggressive one so I don't think it was an attack on part of my other oranda.

PLEASE help me diagnose his condition. It would be greatly appreciated!


~Agent Scully
 
Flaringshutter

Flaringshutter

Befriend a feeder!
Oct 17, 2006
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Southern California
Classic symptoms of parasites or a bacterial infection gone way too far. Sunken eyes can mean an Aeromonas/Pseudomonas bacterial infection so bad the bacteria has entered the bloodstream. The symptoms could also point to flukes.

The fish is dead, so you can't do anything with that one, but the other oranda in the tank must be diagnosed immediately.
Since the other fish isn't showing symptoms, locate a microscope, ASAP. You'll need at least 100x magnification. You'll need to do a slide scrape to ID the parasites for sure. Once you have a microscope I can explain how to do a scrape and scope.

However, since there weren't any symptoms, I'm guessing flukes. Flukes settle in the liver, skin, or gills, depending on the type, and can use up most of the protein that a fish takes in. However, they can stay in the fish's system for years without causing symptoms of an infection. But once they overwhelm the fish, death happens fast. Emaciation causes the sunken, bleeding eyes. Spitting out food is a classic flukes symptom as well. The final stages will be gasping, clamped fins, and bloody eyes and gills.

I would treat with a good anti-fluke medication, and fast. You can be nearly certain the other oranda has flukes as well.

Have you introduced any snails to the tank, recently? (If so, they will need to be removed for the treatment) Snails are an intermediate host for flukes.
 
Agent_Scully

Agent_Scully

AC Oscar Club Member #1
Jul 9, 2008
243
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0
Georgia
No, no snails are in the tank. I did use a microscope and found dried up wormy things at 100 x magni. Are flukes contagious?
 
Flaringshutter

Flaringshutter

Befriend a feeder!
Oct 17, 2006
1,870
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Southern California
Agent_Scully said:
No, no snails are in the tank. I did use a microscope and found dried up wormy things at 100 x magni. Are flukes contagious?
Click to expand...
Those would be the flukes. And yes, they are highly contagious indeed. One of your fish likely came in with them. That's why I recommend treating the tank with an anti-fluke med.

Be sure to do a scrape and scope of the remaining goldfish as well. If your slide coverslip is square, cut the corners so they are rounded and slip it along his belly and under the gill cover of your goldfish. Be extremely gentle when doing this. Immediately put the slip on a slide and look at it through your microscope.
 
Agent_Scully

Agent_Scully

AC Oscar Club Member #1
Jul 9, 2008
243
0
0
Georgia
Thanks so much!
 
Kashta

Kashta

Always Niko's fault.....
Jun 24, 2008
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Susan
Thanks for posting this information, flaringshutter. I never knew to get a microscope in case I might need one someday. That's real good to know.
 
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