She is a very pretty comet, Jessie. Aside from the present health concern (which is certainly correctable), she's in great shape, overall.. solid looking body development, good scales.. the finnage is beautiful. Nice markings.. a sweet face. Just from that short video clip, we can see how active she is.. all sassy and swishy.. full of personality. She would make an excellent showpiece as a display goldfish in your shop if you could make the accomodations to keep her. This would be a wonderful example fish to show your customers who buy small goldies and plan to keep them in those dreadful small bowls and tanks so they can see first-hand exactly what to expect from a full grown goldfish when given proper care. Either way, this is a fish that definitely needs a good home. Do what you can to find a decent placement for her. If nothing works out locally, let me know and I might be able to help.
I'm happy to see how much you care about the fish in your shop. I can't tell you how refreshing that is.. and to know you'll pass along this same spark of compassion and genuine admiration for fish to the customers you serve.
Everyone who posted their comments have given you excellent advice. I'll admit I'm also worried about her health right now as this is. But a few small, immediate changes will go a long way to improve the conditions these fish are in.
I asked you about their food for a few reasons. The possibility of constipation seemed obvious because of her condition, plus the fact that most of the swelling went down so quickly. Upgrade the quality of food right away, as Flaringshutter described. You want a staple goldfish pellet food with a high percentage of vegetable content and minimal percentages of both proteins and carbs. Offer them some dark leafy greens, boiled or steamed veggies like green beans, peas (peeled), squash, carrots, or zuchinni.
I believe the diet she's been on for so long has not just been low in quality.. but that she's also been fed too much and has actually become overweight. Her body looks much too bulky for this type of fish.. beyond what the localized abdominal swelling accounts for. She's roundish and bloated overall which is not typical for this breed. Her body looks more like a fantail in bulk and shape than it should. Comets are supposed to have a very long, sleek, streamlined body type. And they don't normally suffer from the same digestive problems as fancies because their internal organs are not compressed inside like fancies are genetically bred to be.
Over the next 24 hours, slowly lower the water temperature -- 78 degrees is way too warm for goldfish. This temperature range speeds up their metabolism something fierce which, in turn, creates a whole range of physical problems... higher stress load, hyperactivity, a weakened immune system, increased food demands, greater waste production, internal organ damage, and yes.. digestion problems. If you can manage that, the ideal temperature range would be between 70 and 73 degrees. Never any higher than 75 degrees for sustained periods.
We can't be certain of this yet, but there might not be much else that's wrong. By using reliable test results from a liquid drop kit, you'll make sure the water quality will stay good. A proper diet requiring less food than she was fed before you got her and appropriate temperature for this species will improve her overall health, regulate her metabolism, and strengthen her immune system. We know her internal problem wasn't caused by a tumor because that would not have reduced in size on it's own. Flaringshutter has already explained what to do about parasites. As you continue to observe the fish, we'll find out better if there is any bacterial infection, too.
I was sorry to hear about you losing your pleco that way. Each fish type is so different, it does take a lot of research for us to learn what their basic care needs are.
Hope to see another video soon, if you're still planning to record one. Best of luck!
I'm happy to see how much you care about the fish in your shop. I can't tell you how refreshing that is.. and to know you'll pass along this same spark of compassion and genuine admiration for fish to the customers you serve.
Everyone who posted their comments have given you excellent advice. I'll admit I'm also worried about her health right now as this is. But a few small, immediate changes will go a long way to improve the conditions these fish are in.
I asked you about their food for a few reasons. The possibility of constipation seemed obvious because of her condition, plus the fact that most of the swelling went down so quickly. Upgrade the quality of food right away, as Flaringshutter described. You want a staple goldfish pellet food with a high percentage of vegetable content and minimal percentages of both proteins and carbs. Offer them some dark leafy greens, boiled or steamed veggies like green beans, peas (peeled), squash, carrots, or zuchinni.
I believe the diet she's been on for so long has not just been low in quality.. but that she's also been fed too much and has actually become overweight. Her body looks much too bulky for this type of fish.. beyond what the localized abdominal swelling accounts for. She's roundish and bloated overall which is not typical for this breed. Her body looks more like a fantail in bulk and shape than it should. Comets are supposed to have a very long, sleek, streamlined body type. And they don't normally suffer from the same digestive problems as fancies because their internal organs are not compressed inside like fancies are genetically bred to be.
Over the next 24 hours, slowly lower the water temperature -- 78 degrees is way too warm for goldfish. This temperature range speeds up their metabolism something fierce which, in turn, creates a whole range of physical problems... higher stress load, hyperactivity, a weakened immune system, increased food demands, greater waste production, internal organ damage, and yes.. digestion problems. If you can manage that, the ideal temperature range would be between 70 and 73 degrees. Never any higher than 75 degrees for sustained periods.
We can't be certain of this yet, but there might not be much else that's wrong. By using reliable test results from a liquid drop kit, you'll make sure the water quality will stay good. A proper diet requiring less food than she was fed before you got her and appropriate temperature for this species will improve her overall health, regulate her metabolism, and strengthen her immune system. We know her internal problem wasn't caused by a tumor because that would not have reduced in size on it's own. Flaringshutter has already explained what to do about parasites. As you continue to observe the fish, we'll find out better if there is any bacterial infection, too.
I was sorry to hear about you losing your pleco that way. Each fish type is so different, it does take a lot of research for us to learn what their basic care needs are.
Hope to see another video soon, if you're still planning to record one. Best of luck!
