My poor goldfish is suffering...:(

[SunnyD]

I've had this gold fish for quite some time...6 months or so. Today he was lying listless on the bottom. I tried a salt solution to perk him up but to no avail. I've changed the water too.

He's been like this for over 10 hours and he's curved and floating around the tank. I know he is still alive, his gills are moving, but he appears to be paralyzed and just gets pushed around by the current. I hate to see him suffer so long like this. And I just don't know what to do.

Any help or suggestions anyone??

Thank you ~D :-/

 

[Blinky]

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear your fish isn't doing well
The more information you can provide, the more likely it is you'll get an accurate answer - tank size, water test results, water change schedule etc. would help.
From the way you describe him, it sounds like your fish isn't going to make it. If you feel he's suffering, it's probably best to put him down. There's a sticky at the top of this forum on humane euthanization, I recommend clove oil - I had to put a very special fish to sleep a little while ago and found it worked quickly and without undue stress to the fish; he just went peacefully to sleep.

 

[Seaman]

Usually clamped fins or curled body isnt a good sign. What size tank do you have him in, goldfish are BAD about making a lot of amonia, and most people dont realize they need a much larger tank than they provide. If you're sure he isnt going to survive, the eaisest thing to do is go buy some clove oil (usualy near teeth care in most supermarkets) and use 5-10 drops in a gallon bucket and he will get knocked out, then you can freeze him. makes it more painless.

Trust me its not easy.

 

[Harlock]

Sorry to hear about the fish. 6 months isn;t all that long at all for a goldie. He sounds like a goner. I suggest reading this article from the Article Forum right here at Aquaria Central for more information on euthanization.

 

[SunnyD]

My Poor Baby

Thank you all for your replies and suggestions.

I'm very sad at the thought of my Matsy dieing. He's a real trooper and has been hanging on all day...literally since 5:00 am when I found him stuck to the filter. I found him like that a couple weeks ago and quickly changed his water and retreated the tank with the requisite tap water conditioner. He seemed to have bounced back from that situation quite well.

He was in a 10 gallon tank all alone for the past 6 months and doing fine. I thought it was finally time for him to get some buddies. So I added two redheads I think they are called (white goldfish with red on the head). The guy in the store said it would be fine.

Then algae began to run rampant in the tank so back to the petshop I went to get something to address that issue. I came home with 2 catfish that the guy told me would get rid of algae. Only to learn today when I went back and spoke to the manager that the catfish just eat the crap off the bottom and I need an algae eater to get rid of the algae.

So as of this moment, residing in the 10 gallon tank are...2 catfish, 2 redheads, an algae eater and my favorite baby, Matsy.

I can't get over the fact that the little guy is really trying to survive. He attempts to swim but his body is curved...and I can't bear to watch anymore. I don't know if I have the gumption to put him down myself. I can actually reach in the tank and touch him and he doesn't swim away.

How is it that's he's hung on for this long?

With sadness, ~D

 

[Matak]

Awww Sunny, It's a hard way to learn a lesson, my heart goes to you.

Here's the bare bones of it; you're overstocked. For that level of fish load, you probably need a 30 gallon to start and probably an upgrade in a few months as the fish (and the waste they produce) increase.

My guess is that you added the newcomers recently? I don't know if it will have any effect this late in the game but you might want to try to find a late-nite pet store and buy some de-chlorinator and do a 50% water change.

Next buy a bigger tank (or 3 more 10 gallon tanks) and distribute the fish in de-chlorinated water.

Read up on the sticky posts in the 'Freshwater Newbie' forum, and get an understanding on 'cycling your tank'

Best of luck

 

[Raskolnikov]

It sounds like your best bet is to put it down.

As an aside, throwing more fish at an algae problem is almost never the answer, but rather exacerbates the problem. 10g is also too small a tank for goldfish which may or may not have come into play with your misfortune.



.

 

[Blinky]

It sounds like you got some lousy advice, I'm so sorry. 10g is small for even one goldfish (common goldfish can reach over a foot in length, some fancies can grow to around 10" and weigh nearly a pound). Adding two redcap orandas and catfish (I'm guessing you were probably sold common plecos, which reach up to 20" in length and, like goldfish, are messy for their size) likely threw off the balance in your tank. Skyrocketing nutrient levels likely sparked the algae outbreak, and adding the catfish will only have compouded the issue.
Situations like these make me so angry with store employees - it's not your fault, I can't count the number of times I've seen/heard fish/pet store employees suggesting inappropriate things to people who are relying on their advice.
If Matsy is as sick as he sounds, the humane thing to do is put him down. It's not easy, but IMO it's the best thing to do.

 

[Nuriel]

oh dear~! wghat type of catfish do you have? sounds quite overstocked, thanks to the 'experts" st your local store, they set ou up for a 10 gallon disaster. One goldie by its self will quickly outgrow a 10 gallon, i suggest you search for goldfish on these forums and find out the proper size tank for these large growing friends. good luck, hope some more people respond as i am short winded at the moment.

 

[SunnyD]

I've read everyone's posts.

Errrr, so very annoying! And all this because I didn't want Matsy to be lonely. He would have been fine had I just left well enough alone.

Yes, you are right, the algae didn't begin until the 2 redcaps were introduced. Then the additional catfish I guess really began to disturb things.

Although I did do a PH and Ammonia test on a daily basis and they always came up okay. I even brought a sample of the results to the petshop...oh well, that's the same petshop that sold me the additional fish and said it would be okay.

Well, I did a 50% water change today and dechlorinated too. He's not better, but I can certainly attest to the fact that the other fish seem absolutely fine.

Some of you may remember, this little Matsy is the last survivor of about 50 goldfish that were to be a college prank. They were rescued by my niece but all died except Matsy. I'm heartbroken. I don't feel the way about the new fish that I do about Matsy. And I'm soo mad at myself right now!

~D