Got an email, trying to help her with her sick moor

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crimsonmoon

Gotta love those cories...
Aug 31, 2008
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I got the following email from somebody on craigslist about her sick fish:
"logan, do you know much about goldfish?
my black moore has become listless and just floating around. hes breathing. but his fins are shredded.
so i put him in another tank. however.. he keeps getting stuck to the filter.. like hes dying.
is there something i can do?

hes only about 3-4 years old since i bought him as a baby at pet warehouse."


I sent her the following email:
"Do you know your tank parameters? Ph, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate?
What is the temp of the tank he is in now?
What tank mates were in with him?
Have you changed his food lately?
Is he floating around in weird positions like head stands or sideways and stuff? if so, it could be a swim bladder issue.
How long has he been like this?
i might be able to help more once i have answers to the questions.
if it is swim bladder, you will need to start feeding him a sinking food if you aren't already, and there are other things you can do as well, like making a sling with either a weight to keep him right side up and down in the water so he isn't bobbing helplessly at the top of the tank, or like a miniature balloon to keep up so he isn't bottom sitting---depending on which problem he is having
It also sounds like he has either some fin rot going on, or he is being kept in a tank with a fin nipper that decided to take out some aggresion on him.
im sorry he isn't doing well, i hope i can help with him :("


Do you guys have any help i could give her? any more questions i should ask her? im not the best at helping with sick fish so if you guys would help me out that would be great...

 

kelly82

AC Members
Jun 1, 2007
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sounds like fin rot for his fins, and possibly swim bladder for the listlessly floating, but im not an expert and there are many more knowledgable people on here. if the moor is eating, she could try feeding it peas as these help with floating issues, my goldies get peas twice a week. just cook them and shell them, mine love to eat them. to me though, if its sticking to the filter, its just a matter of time for the poor guy, i would euthanise if its getting this bad that she needs to take him off the filter, but thats just my opinion, and there could be someone on here with any number of remedies. good luck.
 

Fish-Addict

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Dec 7, 2008
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Listless floating at the top could also be hypoxia (starvation of oxygen). I had that in a fish once and I increased the oxygen and he was normal again.
 

crimsonmoon

Gotta love those cories...
Aug 31, 2008
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she responded:
"well i think it might be a fin nipper. i took him out and put him in the 10gallon with my 2 zebra fish and kory cat. not much in that one. however im not sure about the parameters. i havent tested it. i just wanted him to get out of my 75 gallon because i think he was being picked on. the 75 gallon tank other fish are doing fine. i keep that at about 75 degrees and the 10 gallon about 70-75 depending.
he isnt floating weird. just listless.. up and down.. like the current is taking him. and it just started about 2 days ago i noticed him laying on the ground. no food has changed.. just flakes and sinking pellets as usually. i need more variety i know.
and nothing has changed. i did have a fish a year ago die of swim bladder. he floated upside down for 3 months. felt so bad for him.
but hes not floating upside down. just looks like hes going to die soon."

i warned her about spreading whatever her moor had if it was contagious, and asked if she has a way to check her water parameters. waiting to see if she has a test kit now
 

kelly82

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Jun 1, 2007
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so she still hasnt told you any water parameters, or what other fish are in with him. hope the moor makes it,fingers crossed.
 

Kashta

Always Niko's fault.....
Jun 24, 2008
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She doesn't know the water parameters, herself. It's going to be real hard to help her and her poor fish. She said she suspects fin nipping from other fish. But she didn't describe them as torn or having bits ripped off. She described it as looking "shredded." If that's true, then my guess would be it's a water quality issue... a pretty sustained spike in ammonia, nitrites, nitrates. Could also be chlorine from her tap water.

That "shredded" appearance comes from the fin actually beginning to dissolve or melt away. This might not be the original cause of the fish's illness though, as that also happens as a secondary condition once the fish is already ill, caused by the sickness and/or extreme stress.

The listless behavior suggests the poor fish is already so weak now that recovery will be less likely.

Sure hope the moor bounces back. They do that a lot, so there's always hope.
 

kelly82

AC Members
Jun 1, 2007
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Lincolnshire, UK
:iagree:with everything kashta has said,good luck.
 

Kashta

Always Niko's fault.....
Jun 24, 2008
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Logan, see if you can help educate your friend better about doing real water tests, poor water quality issues, and overfeeding... without making her mad. She mentioned in her email that another fish died from swim bladder problems a year ago. It's the same thing. But it seems she's not realizing that this is because she's not maintaining the tank well enough. Even overfeeding isn't deadly if the fishkeeper cleans up the uneaten food and changes the water more often.

She obviously cares about her fish and she is asking for help. So maybe she will listen to you. It's probably too late to save the black moor now, but she'll keep having these problems with other fish in the future if she decides "fin nipping" tankmates are to blame for this.
 

crimsonmoon

Gotta love those cories...
Aug 31, 2008
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Memphis
Thank you for your help kashta :)
i encouraged her to join ac or the gab, and she joined the gab, so i am hoping she will be learning a lot about water params and stuff.
other than that i haven't gotten a response back from her, so i guess i will wait and see
thanks guys :)
 
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