Help!!! Bubble Eye Goldfish Convulsions!!!

[Vyper]

Guys I'm with you all in supporting the more frequent water changes notion but i can't really see that helping the fish, what about adding some salt to you tank to try and remove/destroy any infections the fish may have, in the correct ration salt can be of great benefit though it seems to be a controversal debate on here whether its actualyl required. But certainly if your fish are ill then try this, go for a ratio of 1 table spoon per 5 gals of aquarium water, be sure to dilute it into some water first and add the salty water to your tank, dont what ever you do just throw salt straight into your aquarium otherwise you'll just end up with a big salt cloud in your water.

Remember salt doesn't evaporate so dont add more if water levels drop due to evaporation and you need to top up, but do remember to add more if your replacing water for your water changes, but be careful to add the same amount of salt as you took out, you dont want to keep overdosing the salt levels which could be equally damaging to your fish as any illness.

 

[Roan Art]

Guys I'm with you all in supporting the more frequent water changes notion but i can't really see that helping the fish, what about adding some salt to you tank to try and remove/destroy any infections the fish may have, in the correct ration salt can be of great benefit though it seems to be a controversal debate on here whether its actualyl required. But certainly if your fish are ill then try this, go for a ratio of 1 table spoon per 5 gals of aquarium water, be sure to dilute it into some water first and add the salty water to your tank, dont what ever you do just throw salt straight into your aquarium otherwise you'll just end up with a big salt cloud in your water. . . .

IMO that is the absolute *WORST* thing you can do in a tank that has OTS.

A tank that has OTS has a very large accumulation of DOCs (Dissolved Organic Compounds) and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) -- all of these play havoc with the inhabitants' ability to osmoregulate. Adding salt on top of that will only accelerate the condition -- increase the TDS of the water dramatically -- and could cause the instant deaths of many of the fish.

The best way to deal with this is as already been advised: gradually bring the tank back to the same water chemistry as the source by small, frequent water changes.

Yes, this WILL help the fish in question. We don't know if the fish is having convulsions because of the lodged rock. He could be having convulsions because the rock stressed his body and he is reacting to the extremely poor quality of the water.

Most EXCELLENT articles written by RTR on OTS:

What it is:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/small/ots.html

How to Fix It:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/water/otswater.html

The Basics of Water Changes:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/water/waterchange.html

Roan

 

[smoses]

Oh My God......I have new water test results.....I just picked up a new complete Master Test kit. It is WAY different than mine. NitrIte 0, Ammonia 0, NitrAte 160..almost off the chart. (I feel so bad) the ph however has me confused....ph shows 6.0 but the high range ph shows 7.4. Which is accurate? Which do I go by? I am changing 5 gallons of water NOW!!! What water do you suggest I use...tap or bottled?

 

[DaisyTattoo]

Thanks, I will start with 5 gallon water changes 3 times today. And I will pick up another test kit. (one that has a nitrate test as well as the others). Any suggestions on a good test kit???

Aquarium Pharmeceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit is awesome, It has ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph tests. It goes for 27.99 at petsmart but they usually match prices and their online price is 13.99 so print that out and take it in with you.
Sorry, I saw after I posted that you had already bought a new kit, however, I can answer the question about tap or bottled, I always use tap water for my tank. Dont change out too much at once or you can really shock the fish as they are used to the Old Tank Syndrome, which is what you now have. You can do 10% water changes per day, maybe someone else will be able to help more on that though...anyway good luck with the goldfish and I hope that the water changes help.

 

[smoses]

One 5 gallon water change done........I will do another in an hour. I also added 1 teaspoon baking soda. New water test results....ph 7.0 and still 160 NitrAte and Ammonia .25

 

[LunchBox]

well your high ph test is showing a result as low as it can go (7.4) because the ph is so much lower (6.0).

go by the regular range ph test.

your nitrate levels are incredibly high and that may be the cause of your problem. you need to start doing small daily water changes (5-10 gallons) to get the nitrates down to or below 20ppm (you have a long way to go from 160!)hopefully once you get it down low you will see an improvement in your fish

you don't want to change the water params too fast so small dailies are probably the way to go over a few small ones a day

good luck!

 

[Roan Art]

Don't add stuff to the water at all.

Please, just follow the links I provided and the instructions in the articles. Spread the water change quantities and times between each as it outlines in the articles.

Too much too soon could shock your fish and kill them.

Roan

 

[IceH2O]

Don't add stuff to the water at all.

Please, just follow the links I provided and the instructions in the articles. Spread the water change quantities and times between each as it outlines in the articles.

Too much too soon could shock your fish and kill them.

Roan

Except dechlorinator if you're using tap water and aren't on an individual well.

Also your pH is probably that low because you haven't changed water in 2 months. The KH gets used up causing a pH crash. The water changes will help raise your pH.
Take a cup of tapwater and let it sit out for 24 hours. Then test it, thats your actual pH and should match your tank water after you get on a good water change schedule.

Also since its so hard to distinguish the colors on APs Nitrate test you're probably way over 160. When I ran into the same problem it took me nearly 9 days to get my tank to safe levels and it was only a 20 gallon tank at that time.

Here is my thread from that situation, hope it helps..

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62809

 

[Bitsy]

Also don't forget to get that temp down, 78* is just too warm for goldfish

 

[Vyper]

The reason I suggested salt was because I'd read earlier in the thread that the fish may have ICH or parasites or something, eitherway a course of salt would have probably helped, however since the nitrates are 160 then I afgree partial water changes will help bring this down. Not sure though why your addingg baking soda is this to try and change the PH ?. Your PH will most likely improve and get closer to 7 as you do more water changes dont try and alter the PH at the moment just keep doing the water changes and see how that goes first. Because if your adding chemicals to alter PH you'll just take them out with your water changes.