unhealthy goldfish

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fishfan12

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Feb 4, 2009
Messages
80
my goldfish has some sort of disease, i don't know what. it is turning white around the gills and the fins are getting blacker. also, it just lies on the bottom all day, it only goes up for food and air. it is a gold telescope. is this just because it is mating season soon or is it a disease?
 
First we need your water parameter and what size tank? How often is your water change schedule and how much each time? Do you have a picture?
 
the tank is 5 gallons. there is a 1 inch goldfish living with it. i change the water once a week about 10-20 percent. the parameters are: nitrate-20ppm, nitrite-2ppm, hardness-75ppm(soft), alkalinity-0ppm,chlorine-0ppm, ph-6.8.
 
I think this was covered in your other thread...

you a) NEED to get the nitrite down, and b) NEED to start testing for ammonia. It appears you're using test strips-- it is advisable to get a more reliable test kit with liquid reagent tests. The API Master Freshwater kit is widely available and accurate.

I would suggest a few 50% daily water changes to start and then re-evaluate. Pristine water is the best treatment for many issues.

If you have measurable ammonia or nitrite, you aren't doing enough water changes and your tank is not cycled properly. If the tank is cycled properly and you get behind on water changes, you should only really see a rise in nitrates.
 
90% should be OK. Make sure you are using dechlorinator.

I would assume he's sluggish due to the high nitrite as it's pretty toxic stuff for fish (moreso than ammonia, which is also toxic).

If he's sluggish after several days to a week of very clean water (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, under 20ppm nitrate), then you can start considering an alternate condition than nitrite poisoning.
 
Definitely check ammonia ... black around the fins may be a sign of ammonia burn.

You are going to have to commit to doing pwc's every day or 2 for the life of the goldfish if you are going to keep him in the 5. Goldfish simply make too much waste for a small setup to keep up, and you need to do lots of water changes to compensate. <This is esp. true in water like yours, with little or no alkalinity - so no buffer against pH crashes.> For now, stick with the daily 50% changes until the tank is cycled. Good clean water is what the fish needs most.
 
After reading your other thread I have this to add:

1. Fancy goldfish gets to be 4-6", your 1" goldfish is stunted (& unhealthy) if you had them for 3 years. <Or perhaps the tank is running for 3 years & the fish are new??

2. I am not sure what "professional" person told you that a 5 gal is OK for 2 goldfish .... Most goldfish fancier will not put any gold into anything less than a 40 gal breeder, and most hobbyists have problem keeping golds alive in anything less than 20. <Average lifespan of fancy gold is 5-7 years ... the record is some 35 years.>

3. The fact that you are seeing nitrites (and have sick fish) in a mature tank indicates that the tank is grossly overloaded. You really should have a bigger tank, but at the very least, you need to do a lot more water changes to dilute out the toxic wastes.
 
i have a double filter(it is twice as powerful) and i have only had the goldfish for about half a year. i had a betta in there before but it died when it was four.
 
Is you amonia still high after the water change?
If so you need to do another one and keep doing them until your amonia and nitrite are at safe levels, below .5ppm.(wait 24 hours between water changes to allow things to stabilize)
I don't know if it was asked but are you using a heater with those goldfish?
If you are shut it off, goldfish are cold water fish and should be kept at room temp. They can survive higher temps but that will make them sluggish and they will produce more contaminates.
 
i have a heater, but i only turn it on at night when the temp turns to 62. the ammonia dropped 1 ppm, another should finish the job.
 
Your concentrating on ammonia, you should also be checking your nitrites.. They are probably on the rise right now (and are more deadly than ammonia to your fish)
 
A quote from a random care guide for keeping goldfish.
To keep a goldfish healthy, remember to provide them with plenty of clean, cool water.
Your goldifsh's temperature should never rise above 73° Fahrenheit, and ideally should remain between 65° and 68,° so you will need a thermometer. Keeping a goldfish above 72° for
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long periods of time will result in Oxygen deprivation, which can cause nerve damage, heart damage, and can seriously hamper the immune system, making them more susceptible to many diseases,
 
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