mapexmac007
Aquarium Advice Activist
My aquarium:
29gal fresh @ ~73°F; Fluval 206 mech+charcoal+nitrate-scrubbing media; Whisper 40 air; Current Freshwater LED. 1 Anubius plant (getting more). Three goldfish: (2) 4" veil tail, (1) 4" fancy tail; 1 small snail (getting more to control brown algae). Environment is approx. 7 months, although the fish grew from a 10 gallon tank, as 1" goldfish.
I change about 5 gallons once/week. Hardly any detritus to vacuum off of the rocks. I pre-condition replacement water using Aqueon Conditioner (as directed), I add ~1 tablespoon of API Aquarium Salt, I add Topfin Bacteria Supplement (as directed), and occasionally I add 5-10cc of Kordon AmQuel Plus to help detoxify the ammonia levels. Of the replacement water, about 2 gallons are from my R/O tap.
Problem fish symptoms:
The 4" fancy tail goldfish (not counting tail) developed a bowel blockage about five months ago, and has been inverted and floating at the top of the tank for about four months. A few times/day, she'd scurry down to the bottom, only to gradually float back to the surface. I hand feed her, to insure she got her share of food. In the past, this inverted/floating condition lasted maybe two-three days. Feeding her shelled, mushed green peas fixed it - she always responded well to the pea diet.
This time however, peas were not a quick fix. Now, before I get a beat-down for not euthanizing her, (she's my daughters favorite fish) I noticed three/four weeks ago a long milky white fecal trail coming from her. I told my LFS about this, and they confirmed what we thought - she had a parasite.
Treatment thus far:
The store sold me a treatment - PraziPro by Healthaid. I followed the directions, running the filter without activated charcoal for three weeks of treatment. I am so happy to report that she is no longer stuck floating at the top of the tank.
As the third week of treatment elapsed, she began gaining more and more control of her buoyancy! Yea!
Now, however, the past two days she remains inverted - and doesn't move much unless it's feeding time. Ostensibly, she's now seemingly confined to the bottom of the tank - and still inverted. She perks-up a lot at feeding time. For the first time in five months, she fed herself, off of the rocks.
A friend is a DVM (cats, dogs, etc), and suggested she may have neurological damage, or may be so used to an inverted life, she's fine and adapted to an inverted life. I must note, all of her fins are fine, no damage, no other symptoms of illness. We really want to avoid euthanizing this fish.
Their diet varies:
Homemade frozen cubes of blanched, mushed green peas; frozen brine shrimp cubes, frozen blood worms cubes, frozen spirulina cubes.
Suggestions please. Thank you in advance!
(sorry for the long thread, trying to be thorough)
29gal fresh @ ~73°F; Fluval 206 mech+charcoal+nitrate-scrubbing media; Whisper 40 air; Current Freshwater LED. 1 Anubius plant (getting more). Three goldfish: (2) 4" veil tail, (1) 4" fancy tail; 1 small snail (getting more to control brown algae). Environment is approx. 7 months, although the fish grew from a 10 gallon tank, as 1" goldfish.
I change about 5 gallons once/week. Hardly any detritus to vacuum off of the rocks. I pre-condition replacement water using Aqueon Conditioner (as directed), I add ~1 tablespoon of API Aquarium Salt, I add Topfin Bacteria Supplement (as directed), and occasionally I add 5-10cc of Kordon AmQuel Plus to help detoxify the ammonia levels. Of the replacement water, about 2 gallons are from my R/O tap.
Problem fish symptoms:
The 4" fancy tail goldfish (not counting tail) developed a bowel blockage about five months ago, and has been inverted and floating at the top of the tank for about four months. A few times/day, she'd scurry down to the bottom, only to gradually float back to the surface. I hand feed her, to insure she got her share of food. In the past, this inverted/floating condition lasted maybe two-three days. Feeding her shelled, mushed green peas fixed it - she always responded well to the pea diet.
This time however, peas were not a quick fix. Now, before I get a beat-down for not euthanizing her, (she's my daughters favorite fish) I noticed three/four weeks ago a long milky white fecal trail coming from her. I told my LFS about this, and they confirmed what we thought - she had a parasite.
Treatment thus far:
The store sold me a treatment - PraziPro by Healthaid. I followed the directions, running the filter without activated charcoal for three weeks of treatment. I am so happy to report that she is no longer stuck floating at the top of the tank.
As the third week of treatment elapsed, she began gaining more and more control of her buoyancy! Yea!
Now, however, the past two days she remains inverted - and doesn't move much unless it's feeding time. Ostensibly, she's now seemingly confined to the bottom of the tank - and still inverted. She perks-up a lot at feeding time. For the first time in five months, she fed herself, off of the rocks.A friend is a DVM (cats, dogs, etc), and suggested she may have neurological damage, or may be so used to an inverted life, she's fine and adapted to an inverted life. I must note, all of her fins are fine, no damage, no other symptoms of illness. We really want to avoid euthanizing this fish.
Their diet varies:
Homemade frozen cubes of blanched, mushed green peas; frozen brine shrimp cubes, frozen blood worms cubes, frozen spirulina cubes.
Suggestions please. Thank you in advance!
(sorry for the long thread, trying to be thorough)
