Sick goldfish -- PLEASE HELP!!

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jb0017

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Jan 18, 2006
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I have a goldfish who has been healthy up until now, after the addition of a "friend" to her tank, another goldfish. The goldfish that was added started to develop black spots on her tail and head, which the aqarium store diagnoses as flukes. They recommended "Quick Cure" which we used to treat her, but she died.

Following this, we began to treat the second fish, to prevent her from becoming infected. She had slightly swollen gills, with sort of a whitish coat, and it looked as if the skin under her chin was either torn up a little, or maybe infected, but it looked sort of swollen or chunky and whitish and was bulding out. She was also breathing a little heavy. She lives in a 2 gallon bowl, with no filter or heater, just air bubbles.

We gave her 1 drop of Quick Cure per two gallons, and then did a full water change the next day, and re-treated two other times, followed by a full water change the next day. During the treatment, her eyes looked like they were bulding out a little, and had a dark black outline, and she swam with her fins pinned back. However, she began to look good after about 10 days. However, later, she began slowing down and hovering around the bottom of the bowl, swimming really slowing and not eating. The aquarium store recommended added good bacteria, so we added one capful to the 2 gallons and in about 30 seconds she immediately perked up, spread out her fins and began swimming and eating. However, the next day, she again looked slow and sluggish and was hanging around the bottom of the bowl and not eating.

What should I do now? I noticed two small black dots between her eyes, and her gills are still sort of whitish and she's breathing a little heavy and swimming slowly. Also, her side fins are a bit red, but I'm not sure if its from being in formalin or its something else.
 

Dangerdoll

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bottom of the bowl? Goldfish shouldn't be in bowls.... how big is it? (wondering if they even make 2+ gallon bowls). Goldfish are big producers of waste and can really foul up a tank in a very short amount of time. How big is it, how long has it been set up, have you tested for Nitrates, nitrites, pH, ammonia?
 

jb0017

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Jan 18, 2006
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The goldfish is pretty small, maybe 1 and 1/4 inch long, including her tail fin. I actually have her in a large oversized vase, and I measured it out to be 2 gallons. I typically clean her bowl once a week as a full water change and she has done fine for the first year, until the introduction of the new fish. I don't have a kit to test the water, but will pick one up tonight.
 
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Roan Art

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jb0017 said:
The goldfish is pretty small, maybe 1 abd 1/4 inch long, including her tail fin. I actually have her in a large oversized vase, and I measured it out to be 2 gallons. I typically clean her bowl once a week as a full water change and she has done fine for the first year, until the introduction of the new fish. I don't have any testing kits to test the water, but will pick one up tonight.
Your fish has been in that bowl for a over a year and she is only an 1¼" in size? Do you know why? She's stunted. Big time. Your fish should be at LEAST 4-6" by now, but she cannot grow because she is in a bowl that is too small for her to live in.

Then you put another goldfish, in the same bowl, and make her living quarters even smaller. They are both going to die if you don't get them out of there and into at least a 20 gallon aquarium.

I don't work for an LFS. I don't work for Petco or Petsmart. I don't make money off people who buy fish and stuff. I have no reason to lie to you to take your money at all, so please believe me when I tell you that no goldfish belongs in a bowl. They need at least a 20 gallon tank with double filteration and then add another 15 gallons for every other goldfish you put in the tank with them. So to house both of those goldfish, PROPERLY, you will need at least a 40-55 gallon tank.

Those fish can grow 8-10" in a year, easy. Yours is only 1¼". Wow.

Nothing you can do for those fish is going to save them if you insist on keeping them in 2 gallons. So while you are out getting a test kit, think about housing the fish properly or they will die.

Roan
 

jb0017

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Jan 18, 2006
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Thanks for the advice. I will pick up a tank tonight also. Any ideas as to what medications to use until she gets better. She is a comet fish.
 

Roan Art

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jb0017 said:
Thanks for the advice. I will pick up a tank tonight also. Any ideas as to what medications to use until she gets better. She is a comet fish.
She's a comet. Terrific. Comets don't do well in bowls OR tanks. They are pond fish and can grow WAY over 12+ inches. Man she really is stunted. She really belongs in a pond, but . . .sigh, she's probably not going to live a *lot* longer anyhow, so please just get her a new tank.

As for medication -- get a new tank, Bio Spira if they have it to cycle the new tank with (if you don't know what cycling is, please read this: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26051), and a liquid test kit (not strips).

I dunno about meds, to be honest. IMHO she needs more space and fresh water to recover.

I'm going to leave the meds to someone else to suggest.

I'm getting outta this thread. Sorry, but it's too disturbing and upsetting.

Roan
 

Dangerdoll

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you know what, I was going to leave the meds to someone else too, actually I was going to leave this whole thread alone but I just want to say that instead of worrying about what med you need, I think you need to get that fish up to par as far as space and fresh water. It's water has been seriously polluted and he has been severely stunted. I'm not sure if there is a chance for the little fella. Getting the new tank will certainly help, at this point you may want to look up the "fishy cycle" thread on the is board and follow those rules. Be aware though that this fish is seriously stunted and that is never a good thing.
 
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