Goldfish having very strange gastric problems

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MaggstAa

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Feb 24, 2014
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84
Location
Haarlem, Netherlands
I have quite a small common goldfish, we have had him for a couple months now and he lives in our aquarium with a couple others. They have been doing very well, except the past few days the little one has had some very strange symptoms with his eating and bowel habits.
We have had problems with other goldfish with constipation in the past, so we feed them every other day. They have been doing well with this with regular and healthy poos and eating well, but a couple days ago during dinner time, he ate all of his food and then about 5 minutes later just threw it all back up. Like the entire meal, not just a small piece, it was quite a lot. He tried to eat some more, but every time he took a bite, no matter the size of the flake, he would spit it right back out. I've noticed now since then every time I feed them, he takes a bite of food and spits it right back out, over and over and over again. And now even weirder, the past few days since this, his poops have been just long stringy clear/white strands. Tonight the one he has is like four inches long, at least twice the length of his body, and still white and stringy. Attached are two photos, you can partially see the string hanging from his behind...
I'm getting concerned, his fins aren't clamped and otherwise he is swimming and acting normally, but it seems he isn't able to keep anything down, but is still having massive but abnormal bowel movements. His tank mates are all eating and pooing normally and healthily. Any idea what could be the matter with him??
Thanks for the help!ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1412971414.515323.jpgImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1412971430.877137.jpg


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**update** I've been doing some research and was wondering if it could possibly be an internal parasite?? Judging from the photos above, what do you think? And if so, how do I treat him? It would be very strange if it was worms seeing as no major changes had occurred in the tank before it began...


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Please help!! We went to the pet shop yesterday and they said we were feeding them too much not often enough and it was jut excess protein he is pooping out, but I think he was wrong. All the other fish are doing fine and this came along suddenly after months of being fine under the same conditions. He's now not eating anything at all and becoming very skinny and low on energy. Any advice please??


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My first thought was that you are starving him. Fish like that, especially at that size/age, should be eating many times per day. Being fed every other day would make him super hungry, gorge on food, and then maybe that caused him to overeat and caused the regurgitation?

But the lack of eating is a serious concern and very abnormal for any goldfish. It does sound like internal parasites (although they usually still eat).

What has the water change schedule been? How much and how often?
What is the nitrate concentration?
What size tank is it?
What else is in the tank?
What filter do you have?
What exact food(s) have you been feeding?

Treatment: Daily water changes, at least as large as usual. Add salt, one tablespoon per five gallons. Replace any salt you take out with water changes. Feed small amounts multiple times per day (at least twice daily, ideally 3-4 times daily). Don't overfeed, if the food isn't being eaten don't do much at all, just enough for others(?) to eat and for this one to have a chance to eat if it will. Start feeding food soaked in freshly pressed garlic juice. Garlic has been shown to kill parasites and helps get fish eating more. Switch to New Life Spectrum Thera+A Medium (2mm). It has enough garlic to kill parasites and IME is by far the best food on the market anyways.
 
We usually change 1/3 of the tank's water about once a week. I generally check the water parameters every few days, and usually it stays perfect. I checked today though and the nitrate levels were a little high, I did another 1/3 water change and tested again, and they are slightly lower but still a little higher than they should be (but not drastically so). I've put in some more aquarium salts at the concentration of 0.1% as it says on the instructions. We just got them a brand new heavy duty filter with active carbon a few days ago (brand is Dennerle, we previously had a much cheaper one with replaceable filters, also with the active carbon). We have live aquarium plants, and tank mates include another common goldfish, a bottom feeder, and a snail. No major changes to the tank occurred prior to his new behavior. The pet store told us to start feeding them two smaller meals a day, so we've done that, but still the other fish are eating normally and now the little one is not eating at all; he won't even try now, whereas the past few days he at least attempted to keep stuff down. He now hasn't had any food in his belly for about 5 days now, but is still constantly excreting that long white string! I don't understand how it keeps coming and coming if he isn't digesting any food (which is why I suspect it is worms or something). We feed them Discus brand flakes (I think it is a European brand since we live in Holland). He is getting very thin from not eating, but I'll try the garlic juice soaking and see if his appetite returns...


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**update to last post** he is in the middle of another white stringy poo after not eating, but I notice this one is a very thin white strand encased in a kind of white "fuzz"...


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Water changes every 1-3 days, keep up the salt, and keep feeding.

What is the nitrate concentration of the tank? Tap?

What is the temperature?
 
So I've been doing about a 30% water change daily now, and continuously testing the water; everything stays perfect (pH, nitrite, chlorine, hardness, etc.), except the nitrate level keeps showing up! It is a little less, but still it is normally zero except for this week. Also for the past 3-4 days I've switched to the small meals twice a day per the suggestion of the pet store guy; he is still refusing to eat, while the others are eating normally. The white poop is still coming in waves, even though he hasn't eaten in a week now! But also the past two days he has been hanging out at the surface. Not gulping or sipping for air, just swimming around slightly beneath the surface with his head up, and still not eating. I've tried the garlic juice, some light antibiotics, and the daily water changes, and nothing has worked. Should I start looking into some antiparasitic medication?? Idk what else to do at this point! I'm afraid I'm running out of time since he is starving and still pooping this white stuff constantly...the other fish are all still doing fine with no changes...


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It does not sound like internal parasites. The white stringy waste is nothing more than mucous and bacteria that are being sloughed off from the intestinal track from a lack of adequate food.

Regurgitation of food is actually a classic sign of choking in a goldfish. The inability to swallow is most commonly caused by an object blocking the esophagus but it can also be an object blocking an area of the intestinal tract. Goldfish are forever 'grazing' and mouthing items in search of food. Gravel is a notorious for causing problems.

Visible objects can be removed with blunt tweezers or forceps. Intestinal blockages can not be remedied without surgical intervention. It would be worthwhile to inspect your fish's mouth and gills to see if there may be something lodged that can be removed.


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Jlk, I'm pretty sure you were correct about the intestinal blockage. That reply made the most sense. I checked his mouth and gills this morning before leaving the house and they looked clear, but unfortunately when I got home this evening I went to feed them their dinner and he had passed. He was on the gravel on his side and very curved with a slightly swollen belly and it looked dark underneath his scales. I don't think there is anything else we could have done.


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