Severly neglected telescope goldie, proper care to live?

ITHURTZ

ITHURTZ

BIG BOSS
Apr 19, 2007
765
0
16
41
Lake County IL (north of cook)
Iv never delt with a fish comming from poor water before.

Short story I do foreclosures for a living, ie go into abandoned houses people leave/ or get evicted from. So this little guy (pics after I come back from the gym) was in a 20gal, brown murky water than smelled like a sewer with about 6" of water evaporated. They took him to the shop and he sat there over the weekend. I took him home today, but put him in the fish bowl they also had there.

So as of right now he is in a fish bowl and I did a 2 cup water change to try and get him adjusted to clean water. I took the filter cartridge from the trickling filter and threw it in the bowl then added a air stone. So thats where he is as of right now.

I got a spare 15gallon that I wanna throw him in, but how long should I wait? I dont wanna shock the poor guy who was for who knows how long living in crappy water.

My plan is to fill the 15gal 3-3.5" deep and acclimate him to that. Then as each days goes by I add 1" of water, so in a week the tank woud be full.
And what products should I treat him with before adding him to the community 330gal? For the tank he was in he looks almost PERFECT. Eyes clear, fins perfect etc.

Any opinions and help is grateful
 
Eep.... that's sad for the poor little guy! I wis I had some good advice, but all I can really do is offer my support. Good for you for rescuing him!

I am betting that ChefJamesScott might be the right person for this, he rescues fish from horrendous conditions fairly often...

Good luck!
 
I have a soft spot for goldfish, I couldnt let him rot

heres some pics in his temp bowl til tonight. If you think that waters dirty, you should have seen his tank. His bowl looks PRISTINE compared to his tank.






From the pics, somehow he looks to be in GREAT condition. Really how a fish maintains at least their outside appearance health is beyond me in that kind of water quality.

If I can keep him alive, his name will be Lucky.
 
Its not pretty, buts what I had in the closet. So it works for now

I have a bubble disk on low in their with is murky tanks filter floss. There should be enough BB on those to keep him stable for now.........



gave him a few rocks and a decoration to maybe help him feel at ease







Ill update his condition everyday for a week. And keep a ear out for anyone's recommendation on getting and keeping this guy healthy until I can put him in the big tank.
 
aww... thank you so much for saving the little guy. i hope he makes it. he is looking better and better. :)
 
Hi :)

You have done an excellent job in rescuing him so far!

Were you worried about how the fish would react to the difference in water pressure or the difference in parameters? If it was the difference in water pressure you were concerned about, I think you have been doing the right thing.

I would keep him in the 15G for about 4 weeks (roughly a month) before putting him in your main tank. I wouldn't treat him with any medication unless he shows symptoms of an illness or disease. If he doesn't show any symptoms within the 4 week period, then he is safe to go in to your main tank.

May I ask how big he is? He's a beautiful specimen :)
 
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Well if he survived the initial shock of getting a little bit cleaner water I think that you are probably in the clear. I'd follow your plan up until the tank reaches the 1/2 point. Then fill it to the top. What might help is to test the nitrate levels to see how high they are. It might not be as bad as you think. If the fish hasn't been getting much food the water quality is generally not that horrible.

Even after you get him into clean water I'd still keep him in QT for a month or two. At this point his immune system is probably compromised. Introducing him to new bacteria from your existing tank could cause septicemia. I'd feed him really well for the entire time as well.
 
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