HELP! My Goldfish has blister-like things on its side
- Thread starter lilchris_28
- Start date
Jenny,
See if you can find a way for the hex's filter to fit on the 20 gallon. Tape it, whatever, just make sure it's pumping and the bio wheel is turning properly. Also make sure that the water on the 20g has been treated. You don't want chlorine or chloramines killing the bacteria on the small filter.
If you can get that working on there, then you will have both filters running.
Take some of the tank water and dissolve THOROUGHLY 1 tsp salt per gallon -- table salt is fine -- and add that to the tank SLOWLY. Dose the tank with Prime as well, according to your bottle. Do not overdose.
Test the water and write down all the test results. Keep a log. You will probably get a reading for ammonia, but if you have used Prime, that is normal.
Put the all the fish from the hex in.
The tank should cycle in a day or so.
The Prime will detoxify the ammonia and the salt will help detoxify any nitrites.
The filter from the hex contains all the bacteria you need to get your tank going. It just needs time to multiply and colonize the new filter. Leave the little filter on for at least a week or so, then you can move it back to the hex and any other fish that you need to move out of the 20g.
Roan
See if you can find a way for the hex's filter to fit on the 20 gallon. Tape it, whatever, just make sure it's pumping and the bio wheel is turning properly. Also make sure that the water on the 20g has been treated. You don't want chlorine or chloramines killing the bacteria on the small filter.
If you can get that working on there, then you will have both filters running.
Take some of the tank water and dissolve THOROUGHLY 1 tsp salt per gallon -- table salt is fine -- and add that to the tank SLOWLY. Dose the tank with Prime as well, according to your bottle. Do not overdose.
Test the water and write down all the test results. Keep a log. You will probably get a reading for ammonia, but if you have used Prime, that is normal.
Put the all the fish from the hex in.
The tank should cycle in a day or so.
The Prime will detoxify the ammonia and the salt will help detoxify any nitrites.
The filter from the hex contains all the bacteria you need to get your tank going. It just needs time to multiply and colonize the new filter. Leave the little filter on for at least a week or so, then you can move it back to the hex and any other fish that you need to move out of the 20g.
Roan
The problem here is that it not a well colonized wheel and she has no other bio in the filter system. She has only been over using the charcoal inserts. If the wheel was highly colonized or she had other media, yes, I think it would work for the bigger tank too, but from what I saw, there is no good bacteria goo build up on that wheel.
Jeeny, the wheel looks clean, have you been washing it and if so, how?
Jeeny, the wheel looks clean, have you been washing it and if so, how?
Is the hex cycled? If it is, then she has an adequate colony for this purpose. It's not going to colonize more than enough to support the fish that are in the hex regardless of how much floss and noodles you stick in it. Seriously.Persimmon said:
From the pictures she posted it's fine. With a bio wheel you really don't need all that stuff you have in yours, persimmon, really. And the bio wheel does not have to look "gooey" at all. I rinse mine out in the tank water. Not the old tank water, the tank water. Gooey wheels do not turn well.
Jenny, do NOT wash that filter pad in tap water. Transfer everything over the to 20g. Rinse out the filter pad in the tank water in the hex. Get the mulm off it, but don't wash it too much. There's good bacteria in there. Don't wash the bio wheel either. If it gets really gooey, rinse it out in the good tank water. That way bacteria that come off stay in the tank.
Put the whole thing in the 20g and let it run. Don't change out that filter cartridge until it totally falls apart, then just substitute a sponge or if you want, a new cartridge. Carbon really doesn't do a heck of a lot, however, so it's pointless. I still use cartridges, however, only because it's easier for me.
Roan
It's not over-oxygenated. It's nitrogen from the tap water. When you dump water in a tank the fish can absorb the nitrogen bubbles and get a condition similar to the "bends" that divers get.lilchris_28 said:
Don't just dump water in the tank. Add it slowly and if you can, let it sit for a while so the bubbles will float up and release the gas on their own. Better yet still is to add an aerator to the bucket and let it run. It'll force the gass out.
Roan
I did not read every item listed here but looking at those images, the red veins in the tail stand out to me. Can you please give me a test of your water. Usually dialated vessels in the fish's tail signal ammonia poisoning and the blisters could just be damage done by the ammonia if this is the case.
Wow, good catch. I missed those.rrkss said:
Unfortunately Jenny doesn't have a test kit yet. Hoping she'll have one today, rrkss.
Roan
Ok, bought my test kit... One of the nice ones with the test tubes and the drops and all that jazz. I talked to a lady who works at my vet and keeps goldfish and has for many years. She instructed me to buy aquarium salt, stress-zyme, and some ammonia rock looking things to put in my filter. She said the antibacterial meds that I'm giving Fluffy is killing off the good bacteria too. I also bought some hikari food. I've been feeding wardley goldfish crumbles. Thus far, Fluffy isn't eating the hikari. I've move him to the 20 Gallon. He keeps rubbing into the filter strainer in the hex tank and beating himself up more. I tested the 20 Gallon. Nitrite and Nitrate are 0, Ammonia is .5, and PH is 7.8 and it says for Goldfish 7.5 is ideal. I'm gonna go test the other tank for ammonia just to see what it is. Fluffy is swimming laps around the 20 Gallon...He's so cute.
Ok...it's either 0 or .25 in the hex. I can't tell if it's yellow or yellowish green.
The biowheel does have gunk on it. When I clean it, the only thing I do is stick it in the tank and scrub the sides so it turns well.
The biowheel does have gunk on it. When I clean it, the only thing I do is stick it in the tank and scrub the sides so it turns well.
if you have difficulty telling the difference, you have a positive test for ammonia. Any negative test is bright yellow and easy to spot. Test your Nitrites and post that also. You might want to add 1 tsp of salt per gallon to slow down Nitrite uptake at this moment. It will also aid in healing these blisters.
