Sick fantail goldfish, red sore around tail.

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hamster123

AC Members
Aug 18, 2006
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Hello,

I am a newbie aquarium owner when it comes to fish problems. I will try to provide as much information as possible for my problem, I hope someone can help me.

I have 2 fantail goldfish, and 1 small plecosthomus in a 10 gallon tank. Filtration is good, and as far as I know the quality of the water is good (weekly changes of about 1-2 gals of water, I age the water for a day instead of using any sort of conditioning agent). One of my fantail fish had lost its color about 6 months ago when it was in a very small tank. After I had put my two fantails in a larger tank, they seemed to be doing well.

Currently, one goldfish is doing well, looks very healthy, active, color is vivid. The other fish that originally lost its color always has its dorsal fin down, and at the point where his tail is connected to his body, it looks like a sore has opened up. It is small and red, not streaky or anything, and doesn't seem to fit any of the problems on this page:

http://2cah.com/pandora/Disease.html

The sick fish is less active, and seems to be losing movement with his tail. I have not seen the plycosthomos attempt to suck on the fish, and he pretty much sticks to the vegetables I put in the tank for him. Again the other goldfish appears to be very healthy, so I'm not sure what is wrong.

I tried searching the forums, but for some reason the search page comes up just blank.

Thanks for any advice.
 

boulderman1

AC Members
Aug 8, 2006
237
1
0
Chicago, IL
i'm not sure exaclty what it is but if i were you, i would start out by isolation the sick fish in a separate, cycled tank, and treat it with a combination of melafix and pimafix, you could also just treat the entire other tank if you can't set up a quarantine tank, and in the future, i would treat your new water, aged or not, with prime to be sure the water is conditioned and promote slime coat production to increase disease resistence

good luck
 

Daudzegier

Tropical Aquascaper
Dec 31, 2006
271
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0
37
Knoxville, TN
I would be careful about putting that pleco in the tank with the gold fish. they requre difrnt heat ranges. The difrence in heat ranges prob has alot to do with that sore on your fantail.
 

hamster123

AC Members
Aug 18, 2006
15
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I was going to run out and buy some of those suggested meds. One thing that I don't have is a heater. I monitor the water temperature, and it is usually sitting around 68-70 degrees.

Instead of the pleco, is there a different fish you would suggest for keeping the tank clean?
 

boulderman1

AC Members
Aug 8, 2006
237
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Chicago, IL
actually, plecos do fine in colder water with goldfish, i would have to disagree with the above post
 

hamster123

AC Members
Aug 18, 2006
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Even though I believe the water temperature has been farily stable, is it a good idea for me to buy a heater to make sure the water temp doesn't fall below a certain degree? That could also make it difficult for my fish to recover right--if the water temp fluctuates 3-5 degrees in a day?
 

wataugachicken

The Dancing Banana
Jul 14, 2005
5,451
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Charlotte, NC
if you want to keep your fish healthy, you should start looking for a bigger tank right away. fantail goldfish get at least a foot long, and should be housed either in a pond, or a 75g tank. a 55g is enough water, but it will not give them room to turn around when mature. depending on what kind of pleco you have, and since you didn't specify a certain kind, you probably have a common pleco. they will grow in excess of 18 inches. fish do not "grow to the size of their tank". they just become increasingly more unhealthy, lose their immune systems, turn ugly colors, get sick and then die.

plecos are tropcal fish (74-78), goldfish require temperate temps(66-70) so they should NOT be kept together. keeping them at one or the other range means that the other fish will not be in the best of health. nonetheless, even if you did decide to keep the pleco, none of those fish individually should be in a 10g tank, let alone all three of them.

the best way to keep your tank clean is to do it yourself. water changes and gravel vacs keep the water fresh and get rid of poop. water changes, 8 hrs of light, and careful feeding all reduce algae growth. depending on a fish to clean up for you isn't a good solution. plecos need to be fed algae wafers, shrimp pellets, and fresh veggies to be properly cared for. they also produce so much poop that using them as 'janitors' doesn't make a lot of sense, and when they get older they stop eating algae anyway, unless of course you constantly starve them.

do you have test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? if so, what are your readings? if not, you should buy some. a master test kit is only $15 or so from petsmart if you print out the online price and bring it into the store. using test kits (not strips) to measre these things is the only surefire way to see if your water is "good" or if it is making the fish sick. also, 10-20% really isn't enough. try for more like 40-50% changes twice a week. that will at least keep the fish somewhat healthy until they have a new bigger home.

i can't put a name to the problem your goldfish is having, but i can guarantee that unless something changes as far as stocking and/or tank size, the problems are going to continue and get worse.
 

phaedraeos

AC Members
Nov 30, 2006
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42
Boston, MA
Fancy goldfish will do fine at temps up to 76 degrees farenheit. However, that pleco needs a minimum of 74 degrees.

Are you using well water or 'city water'? Your water source could have something to do with your fish sickness . . .

I don't know of any good algae eaters that will be happy in a 68 degree tank besides snails. Maybe a rare pleco variety?
 

Jessu

AC Members
Dec 27, 2006
761
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I think 2 goldfish should be in atleast 30g. I dont know what is wrong with your fish but I suggest getting a broad spectrum antibiotic. Like one of the following.

Maracyn

Broad spectrum antibiotic treatment against gram positive bacterial and fungal diseases of fish.Maracyn FreshwaterAntibiotic (Erythromycin) tablets are recommended for the treatment of body fungus (Columnaris), fin and tail rot, popeye, gill disease and secondary infections. Erythromycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic which has been shown to be effective against a number of pathogenic bacteria associated with ornamental fish disease.When used at the recommended dosage Maracyn maintains a therapeutic level of the drug within the aquarium. Maracyn does not color the water and will not interfere with the biological filter.Maracyn is primarily effective against gram-positive pathogenic microorganisms. Symptoms of clamped fins, swollen eyes, heavy or rapid breathing, patchy coloration, change in swimming behavior or corner hiding can be signs of possible bacterial infection. All suspected bacterial infections should be treated immediately. Available in tablet or powder form. Tablets/powder should be dropped into the tank (not the filter). The tablets/powder dissolve and circulate through the water. Use of a hospital tank is recommended. Use one tablet/powder packet per 10 gallons of water and repeat every 24 hours for 5 days. After treatment Maracyn can be removed by water changes or fresh activated carbon.Active Ingredients: Each tablet/powder packet contains 200 mg Erythromycin activityMaracyn SaltwaterAntibiotic (Erythromycin) tablets are recommended for the treatment of body fungus, fin and tail rot, popeye, gill disease and secondary infections. Erythromycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic which has been shown to be effective against a number of pathogenic bacteria associated with ornamental fish disease.When used at the recommended dosage Maracyn maintains a therapeutic level of the drug within the aquarium. Maracyn does not color the water and will not interfere with the biological filter.


Maracyn-Two

Antibiotic for controlling gram negative internal and external bacterial infections.Maracyn-Two FreshwaterAntibiotic (Minocycline) recommended for the treatment of Popeye, gill disease, fin and tail rot, dropsy, septicemia, secondary and internal infections.Due to its unique properties, Maracyn-Two is absorbed by the fish through the skin. During the prescribed treatment, the concentration of Maracyn-Two in the fish fluids rises to a therapeutic level and is available to fight systemic infections susceptible to its action. Minocycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic which has been shown to be effective against a number of pathogenic bacteria associated with ornamental fish disease. Maracyn-Two may cloud the water but will not interfere with the biological filter. New activated carbon or charcoal and a 25% water change removes any cloudiness resulting from treatment. Available in tablet and powder form. Tablets/powder should be dropped into the tank (not the filter). The tablets/powder dissolve and circulate through the water. Use of a hospital tank is recommended. After treatment Maracyn-Two can be removed by water changes and fresh activated carbon.Maracyn-Two is primarily effective against gram-negative pathogenic bacterial diseases of fish. Symptoms of clamped fins, general listlessness, not eating or other unusual behavior can be caused by internal infections and treatment with Maracyn-Two would be indicated. Maracyn-Two is recommended for the treatment of Popeye, gill disease, fin rot and tail rot, dropsy (swollen body, protruding scales), Septicemia (bleeding or red streaks on body), secondary and internal infections. All suspected bacterial infections should be treated immediately. Active Ingredients: Each tablet/powder packet contains 10 mg minocycline activity.Maracyn-Two SaltwaterAntibiotic (Minocycline) recommended for the treatment of Popeye, gill disease, fin and tail rot, dropsy, septicemia, secondary and internal infections.
 

hamster123

AC Members
Aug 18, 2006
15
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Um, wow lots of responses.

I'll try to answer the best I can.

I bought melafix, pimafix, and prime. I have been doing 10% water changes daily as well. I've had the two goldfish for about 3 years now, the first two and a half years they spent in a 3 gallon octagon tank. I figured it was time to get more serious, so I upgraded to a 10 gallon tank, and will not be adding any other fish to this tank. I can't imagine the goldfish getting up to a foot long, as they've probably only grown an inch since I first got them (now probably 2 inches long?).

I did move in the past 6 months, and am using city water. I usually just bring in water samples to petsmart, and they just say everything is ok. So it is clear that my tank is overstocked then. I do have the option of splitting the fish up, one fish back into the small tank, but I just don't have the space for a larger tank.

Sounds like the consensus is mixed regarding water temperature.

I am just trying to make the best of the current situation for my fish. I always make sure there is vegetation for the pleco to eat, and do not overfeed the goldfish. Maybe I will give away one of the fish or something.

After seeing some of the responses, I was thinking about not posting because I was afraid of the replies, but this is the newbie forum, maybe someone else might find the information I provide useful.
 
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