Black Moor with Raised Scales - please advise

[kingarthur]

Test Results:
pH between 6.5-7
Hardness 30-40 (soft)
Alkalinity 140-160
0 Nitrates
I used a 5 in 1 test strip from Mardel

I've had a black moor goldfish named Arthur for about a month and a half. He's by himself in a 5 gallon tank, which I had set up for about a week before I got him. I use tap water with a water conditioner, and I do about 20% water changes every 2 weeks or so. I did the most recent change two days ago. I have an aqua-tech 5-15 gallon filter, and I add aquarium salt at the recommended dosage of 1 tablespoon to 5 gallons. I feed him once a day: 2 small goldfish pellets from omega one.

About a week after I got him (so almost a month ago) I realized he had some small cuts from the plastic plant I had in the tank, and they had gotten infected with fungus. I took out the plant, did a partial water change, and treated him with Jungle fungus eliminator. His fungus cleared up, and his cuts have healed. About four days ago I noticed that his poop was a little lumpy, and two of them had bubbles caught in them. I thought it might be a digestive issue, so I fed him half a pea. I haven't noticed any odd poops since then.

Two days ago I noticed that his scales look slightly raised. It's possible that it could be the way his scales are naturally, but I'm pretty sure they look more raised than before. And he doesn't look super swollen, but he might look a bit rounder. They're not nearly as raised as the full "pine cone" effect I've seen in pictures of fish with dropsy, but I'm worried that it could possibly be an early stage. He hasn't had any discoloration and appears to be acting normally: swimming around, looking for food in the gravel, etc. He does sometime gulp for air at the top, but he only does it occasionally and doesn't seem to be doing it any more than normal.

I'm not sure if I'm being paranoid or if something is wrong, so please let me know if you have any ideas. I did my best to take some pictures and short video, although it's not super easy to see his scales. Hopefully they'll help a little.

http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/kingarthurfish/008_zps67e50bfc.jpg

http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg512/kingarthurfish/007_zps4d983539.jpg

Sorry for the weird lighting in the video. It was a bit dark, so I tried to use a flashlight to make things easier to see.
Arthur with raised scales - YouTube

 

[jlk]

Hi! Welcome to AA!!! Ok, you have some issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible. Your fish is becoming ill from his water conditions. He may recover on his own with LOTS and LOTS of healthy water. Change 50% of his water right now with temperature matched, properly conditioned water. Wait an hour and repeat.

First, a 5g is too small for any goldfish- he needs atleast 20g with 200gph filtration. As he grows, this may need to be upgraded further.

Second, you MUST invest in a proper liquid test kit. The API fw master test kit is highly recommended. You have zero nitrates which indicates your tank is not cycled and theres high levels of toxic ammonia and/or nitrite. Salt is not necessary in a fw tank but its probably been the only saving grace to keep your fish from succumbing to nitrite poisoning so continue to use it until your cycled. Only add back what you remove with water changes- ie, 50%wc, add back 1/2 original dose predissolved.

From the video & pics, its difficult to tell if he has started to dropsy. He does have a 'rough' appearance and you mention him being 'rounder' which indicates it may be starting. Dropsy is not disease itself but a symptom of disease. It is the result of systemic organ failure (namely the kidneys) and fluid is accumulating in the body because it can no longer be processed. Dropsy has numerous causes from poor water quality to internal bacterial infections, parasites, viruses, etc. Poor water quality appears to be the main culprit here. Start addressing water quality and he may be able to heal on his own with healthy water. Please ask if you have any questions!

 

[kingarthur]

Hi, thank you for your advice. I know the 5 gallon isn't ideal and am going to try to upgrade to a bigger tank as soon as I can. In the meanwhile, I'll start doing a water change immediately and continue to do it more often. Does the API test kit test more things than the strips do? I can definitely get one of those to get better results.

 

[jlk]

The API master test kit has liquid tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate , standard ph & high range ph. These tests are the essentials for a fw water. If your ph becomes an issue (we dont know this yet because I wouldnt trust the results from the strip), there are additional tests you can purchase for KH & GH. Over the long haul, the API kit wins out in accuracy as well cost- it has over 800 tests at a few pennies a test vs strips at 25cents a strip. Right now, you really need to know your ammonia & nitrite levels because these are toxic to your fish. Ill post the fish-in cycle link as well- its where you are right now although this tank may not ever properly cycle with a goldfish in it because its of small size vs the bioload of a goldfish. Please ask if you have any questions!

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice