Please help, panic has set in...

[FishN00b83]

OK so I was at a carnival on Sunday and I had a few drinks. I saw the ping pong ball game and decided to play, apparently I won two Goldfish. I go home and put them in this small little tank they gave me and goto sleep. I wake up the next day and say "holy crap that really happened". So I decided to take responsibility and take care of the fish. I absolutely love animals, I have a cat that I take excellent care of, and I refuse to let these fish die.

So I went to Petco and explained my situation and the lady said that a 5 gallon tank for them to start off with is ok (They are Common Goldfish and are an inch long). I understand that they will need to be in a bigger tank once they start to grow, I know. I had a red ear slider for about 12 years and I still have the tank, so I plan on putting the two goldfish in eventually.

I bought a 5 gallon starter kit tank that came with everything I needed apparently. I go home, fill the tank, put the water drops in, and run the filter for a few hours before I thought to put the fish in. Once I thought everything was running ok, I dropped the Commons in the water and let them get settled. Everything seems ok for a little bit. They were swimming around fine, I fed them, and I went to bed thinking everything was ok.

I woke up this morning and checked on them and saw that they had little white spots all over them, so I started to look up what this could be, and I've come to the conclusion that it is White Spot Desease or Ich. Now I feel bad this is happening, so I go back to Petco and talk to the lady again. She gives me Kordon Ich Attack and this is what she told me:

Take the Carbon Filter out and leave it out for the entire treatment.

Put in a half a teaspoon of Ich attack the first day

Next day change 15 - 20% of the water and add another half teaspoon.

Repeat until you dont see any white spots anymore, then continue for another week to make sure its all done.

The bottle says NOT to change any water until its cleared up, so I'm a little confused here. I would like to know how this happened to my fish so this doesnt happen again. Also, I would like to know more about cycling the tank and what affects this is going to have on it. Should I be worrying about the cycle at this point, or should I just be worried about the fish? I would really like to get this under control ASAP, I want to keep these fish.

I'm so interested in having a fish tank, that I want to be able to get my 30 gallon tank up and running with more fish eventually. Any help/advise would be greatly appreciated, I really want this to work out. Thanks in advance!

 

[Homedog98]

OK so I was at a carnival on Sunday and I had a few drinks. I saw the ping pong ball game and decided to play, apparently I won two Goldfish. I go home and put them in this small little tank they gave me and goto sleep. I wake up the next day and say "holy crap that really happened". So I decided to take responsibility and take care of the fish. I absolutely love animals, I have a cat that I take excellent care of, and I refuse to let these fish die.

So I went to Petco and explained my situation and the lady said that a 5 gallon tank for them to start off with is ok (They are Common Goldfish and are an inch long). I understand that they will need to be in a bigger tank once they start to grow, I know. I had a red ear slider for about 12 years and I still have the tank, so I plan on putting the two goldfish in eventually.

I bought a 5 gallon starter kit tank that came with everything I needed apparently. I go home, fill the tank, put the water drops in, and run the filter for a few hours before I thought to put the fish in. Once I thought everything was running ok, I dropped the Commons in the water and let them get settled. Everything seems ok for a little bit. They were swimming around fine, I fed them, and I went to bed thinking everything was ok.

I woke up this morning and checked on them and saw that they had little white spots all over them, so I started to look up what this could be, and I've come to the conclusion that it is White Spot Desease or Ich. Now I feel bad this is happening, so I go back to Petco and talk to the lady again. She gives me Kordon Ich Attack and this is what she told me:

Take the Carbon Filter out and leave it out for the entire treatment.

Put in a half a teaspoon of Ich attack the first day

Next day change 15 - 20% of the water and add another half teaspoon.

Repeat until you dont see any white spots anymore, then continue for another week to make sure its all done.

The bottle says NOT to change any water until its cleared up, so I'm a little confused here. I would like to know how this happened to my fish so this doesnt happen again. Also, I would like to know more about cycling the tank and what affects this is going to have on it. Should I be worrying about the cycle at this point, or should I just be worried about the fish? I would really like to get this under control ASAP, I want to keep these fish.

I'm so interested in having a fish tank, that I want to be able to get my 30 gallon tank up and running with more fish eventually. Any help/advise would be greatly appreciated, I really want this to work out. Thanks in advance!

Listen to the bottle, and STOP listening to the lady at petco. I've used ich attack, it's good stuff, but the heat and salt method works better. That method ensures that you can start on your water changes, buy a filter rated for 50 gallons lol preferably aquaclear. Also buy a heater that can get the tank to 86 degrees, and some aquarium salt. Follow the directions on the back of the salt for doseage, and heat the tank to 86 degrees. Tank wise, First off, how big is this old turtle tank? You really need more like a pond for these guys I'm afraid. They can grow up to a foot long!!! As for the cycling stuff, check out the link in my signature. I'll also post a link to a fish in cycle article in a minute. As for general tank maintenance... Do a 50% water change ASAP. You're gonna need to be doing at least two 50% water changes a day in order to keep these guys alive, as they have a giant bioload. If you're interested in the cycling stuff, Pm Eco23 on this site. He's amazingly knowledgeable on this kinda thing. Jsoong is also good at goldfish from what I've heard, so she could probably help you out too! Welcome to AA!

 

[Shark_Bait]

Hey there, i just finished an ich outbreak in my tank and unfortunaley, losses can happen. it's good that you found this sooner than later. Goldfish are Hardy fish so hopefully they are tough and can hang in there for the treatment. Follow the directions on the bottle and do not take advice from the petco people. The lfs people don't always know what they are talking about. If you have a question, post it here and we will take care of you. Homedog is right with the temp. It helps speed up the process of ich, which has a life cycle. Ich is only vulnerable at 1 certain stage of its life cycle. Good luck and keep us updated!!

 

[FishN00b83]

Listen to the bottle, and STOP listening to the lady at petco. I've used ich attack, it's good stuff, but the heat and salt method works better. That method ensures that you can start on your water changes, buy a filter rated for 50 gallons lol preferably aquaclear. Also buy a heater that can get the tank to 86 degrees, and some aquarium salt. Follow the directions on the back of the salt for doseage, and heat the tank to 86 degrees. Tank wise, First off, how big is this old turtle tank? You really need more like a pond for these guys I'm afraid. They can grow up to a foot long!!! As for the cycling stuff, check out the link in my signature. I'll also post a link to a fish in cycle article in a minute. As for general tank maintenance... Do a 50% water change ASAP. You're gonna need to be doing at least two 50% water changes a day in order to keep these guys alive, as they have a giant bioload. If you're interested in the cycling stuff, Pm Eco23 on this site. He's amazingly knowledgeable on this kinda thing. Jsoong is also good at goldfish from what I've heard, so she could probably help you out too! Welcome to AA!

1. I'm not sure on the exact size of the tank, it's 20 or 30 gallons. I will find out when I go back to my parents house this weekend and pick it up.

2. I already started the treatment for the tank. The bottle says not to make any water changes until the treatment is finished. You mentioned a 50% water change, is that just for the salt and heat method?

3. I will msg him now about the cycling. I'm just worried with the Ich Attack and not having the carbon filter in the tank, the whole tank is gonna go nuts. I hope this doesn't happen.

I really want to get this 5 gallon tank cycled and Ich free, and then start the other tank. I am definitely interested in keeping a 20 or 30 gallon tank, I just want to make sure I can do it first.

 

[FishN00b83]

Hey there, i just finished an ich outbreak in my tank and unfortunaley, losses can happen. it's good that you found this sooner than later. Goldfish are Hardy fish so hopefully they are tough and can hang in there for the treatment. Follow the directions on the bottle and do not take advice from the petco people. The lfs people don't always know what they are talking about. If you have a question, post it here and we will take care of you. Homedog is right with the temp. It helps speed up the process of ich, which has a life cycle. Ich is only vulnerable at 1 certain stage of its life cycle. Good luck and keep us updated!!

I dont think a heater is going to happen with this 5 gallon tank, I will put one in the bigger one once I get this whole mess under control. I have realized very quickly that petco isnt the best source of information, and won't listen to them again. I will post my questions and progress here. Hopefully this gets under control quick.

 

[Affordable Aquatic]

You MUST do water changes. You dont have an established filter so waste (ammonia) will build up and further stress the fish, and possibly kill them outright. Just retreat with the medication for the amount of water that you are replacing.

Keep in mind that you have around 30 days of treatment ahead of you.

 

[FishN00b83]

You MUST do water changes. You dont have an established filter so waste (ammonia) will build up and further stress the fish, and possibly kill them outright. Just retreat with the medication for the amount of water that you are replacing.

Keep in mind that you have around 30 days of treatment ahead of you.

OK I will do a 15% water change everyday before the treatment. The amount of time doesn't bother me, it doesn't take long at all to change some water and put a few drops in. I'm determined to get these fish healthy.

 

[FishN00b83]

OK so I thought I was doing good. The white spots were gone for a day, but now they are back, with a VENGEANCE. It got to be 5x worse then what it originally was. I've been following the instructions on the bottle, and doing pwcs but like I said, it's bad now. What can I do??