Sick Ryukin Goldfish!

[MaffooJ]

Hello! Since this morning my year old Ryukin goldfish has been sitting at the bottom and has red around two of its fins. It's in there with three other fish (Baby Lionhead, a Blackmoor, and a Comet goldfish). The tank is 20 gallons and I did a 50% water change 2 days ago with a gravel vaccume and washed all the decorations off. The water parameters are: GH-110 KH-80 pH-7.0 NO2-0 NO3-50. The NO3 seems high so am going to get a new filter pad tomorrow. It has not lost its appetite though Could anyone give me an answer, I have a picture here too.

 

[jlk]

What is your ammonia level? What is your normal wc schedule? What do you feed them? How long has this tank been running with fish?

I would honestly consider investing in a decent liquid test kit as strips are inaccurate at best and I suspect your toxin levels are much higher than what the strips are claiming especially with this many high bioload fish in such a small tank. For now, I would start changing 50-75% of the water daily. Your ryukins symptoms are indicative of serious water quality issues. Some more information will help!

 

[MaffooJ]

It is no longer sitting at the bottom and seems a lot more active. I have had the tank for around 9 months so its been cycled. I usually change water 50% every 1-1 and a half weeks. I feed them sinking pellets (which i guess could not be eaten and be a water polluter sometimes) and peas as a treat. The ammonia I am unsure of. I will try to change the water daily for a while.

 

[jlk]

Please read the Goldfish 101 article posted below and ask any questions! These guys all should have easily outgrown this small tank in just 3-4 months and I suspect there may be additional issues behind your ryukin's symptoms. The minimum wc schedule on such a heavily stocked tank should be 50-75% every other day to daily until they can homed in a more suitable sized tank.

http://www.myaquariumclub.com/goldfish-101-11174823.html

 

[MaffooJ]

Alright, will do soon. Do you think a 50-60 gallon would be more suitable for them?

 

[Fishfur]

Just fyi, 50 ppm is the highest level of nitrate that is considered at all safe, yours is at least 80, high enough to cause real distress, if not damage, to the fish.

Filters do not remove nitrate, they produce it ! The only way to control nitrate is with regular water changes and with goldfish they need to be done more often than you are doing. They are very dirty fish, meaning they make a lot more ammonia than tropical species do, so their water quality can go bad much sooner than it would for same size tropical fishes.

They usually grow very fast, but too small a tank can stunt their growth permanently. It is too bad, they are very popular and attractive, but really not great fish for indoor tanks. Though the fancy ones with short round bodies do not get quite so large, so are slightly better suited, but honestly they are best off in a pond. I don't keep them any more. Do read the sticky, please.

 

[jlk]

Alright, will do soon. Do you think a 50-60 gallon would be more suitable for them?

For the three fancies, a 55-60g would be a nice improvement for these guys! If you are unsure of how big these fish can grow (particularly the ryukin and moor), check out the 'sticky' at the top of the Coldwater section (Visual Perspective thread). The comet honestly should be rehomed to a happy pond as they can cause issues with fancies and have the potential to grow huge. Please ask if you have questions!

 

[MaffooJ]

Alright, will do!

 

[MaffooJ]

Are Blackmoor, Ryukin, Lionhead, and Comet alright with blood worms? I'm trying to mix up their diet a bit. Also, what other food are suitable for these fish? Spinach?

 

[jlk]

Fresh or frozen (defrosted) bloodworms are fine. Skip anything freeze dried. Same goes for brine shrimp. You can also try bits of human grade fish/seafood. For fruits and veggies, pretty much anything is game as long as its not spicy or heavy in starches (ie, corn, potatoes). Fruits and veggies should be soft enough to tear easily or smooshed into tiny bits (veggies usually need to be cooked a bit first).

 

[MaffooJ]

Alright, thank you so much!