You are exactly right that it is impossible to tell the extent of the damage without knowing how long he was out of water. If he seems to be gradually improving, that's a great sign. Goldfish can be very surprising in terms of their ability to heal themselves. (If you don't believe it, check the archives for a panicked post I placed on one of my bubbleyes that had severe eye injury-- it's gross, but the fish lived for another year and healed completely, unfortunately dying from a parasite infection from an import batch I didn't catch in quarantine because I trusted the seller-- lesson learned, sadly.) Remain optimistic and keep a good eye on him. It's fine that he wants to hang out and rest for a while-- he's been through a trauma. If it continues for a while, then you may need to re-examine your treatment options.
Goldfish sudden death, help!
- Thread starter elinore
- Start date
He's eating and acting relatively normal tonight! I'm not uncrossing my fingers yet, but wow am I happy. I was so afraid he had whatever killed my poor oranda. I still think that the oranda's probems were mostly from bad breeding (he was from a horrible chain store) though I'm still being watchful. I just love goldfish. They really are amazing when it comes to ability to heal. I have a koi who got his entire tail chopped off but somehow pulled through. He keeps up with the others by just wiggling his stump really hard. Fish are such amazing creatures!
good to hear that he seems to be on the mend!
one thing that jumped out at me in this thread is your mention of zero nitrates. in a cycled tank there should be some nitrates showing on a test.
maybe your test kit is expired, or the test wasn't done exactly to the instructions? if your test isn't expired, then do another round of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate testing.
(to check for API test expiration dates, look on the individual regent bottles and find the black string of numbers beside 'LOT NO'. the last 4 digits are the date of manufacture (month, then year). i believe most of the API tests expire 3 years after the date on the bottle, with the ph test (i think!) being longer lived, but i'd consider buying a new kit before 3 years has passed)
one thing that jumped out at me in this thread is your mention of zero nitrates. in a cycled tank there should be some nitrates showing on a test.
maybe your test kit is expired, or the test wasn't done exactly to the instructions? if your test isn't expired, then do another round of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate testing.
(to check for API test expiration dates, look on the individual regent bottles and find the black string of numbers beside 'LOT NO'. the last 4 digits are the date of manufacture (month, then year). i believe most of the API tests expire 3 years after the date on the bottle, with the ph test (i think!) being longer lived, but i'd consider buying a new kit before 3 years has passed)
Thanks for the tip! I'll re-check it first thing tomorrow. I think it's registering "some" nitrates but that particular color distinction (the yellow vs. gold vs. very light orange type one) has always been a little hard for me to tell which is which since it's not plain yellow (0ppm) but it's not quite the tangerine color for 5ppm. Generally, my tested water turns more of a "deep goldenrod" sort of color, so I've always just figured it was showing a small but healthy amount (greater than 0ppm, but less than 5ppm). I know "some" is ok, but how much is "some"? It's been awhile since I researched the exact levels and I guess I don't remember the numbers anymore. I've never had any problems with this tank and it's been set up for quite some time so I'm not terribly worried about it, but I can always know more 
In this case, it really seems to be that the goldie just somehow beached itself a little and suffered some air damage. After a day of worrying for me, he seems to be doing much, much better. This time last night, I was wondering where I would dig the hole in the garden, but now he looks almost good as new, with just a bit of a balance issue. Hopefully there is no or just minimal damage that won't last long-term.
In this case, it really seems to be that the goldie just somehow beached itself a little and suffered some air damage. After a day of worrying for me, he seems to be doing much, much better. This time last night, I was wondering where I would dig the hole in the garden, but now he looks almost good as new, with just a bit of a balance issue. Hopefully there is no or just minimal damage that won't last long-term.
