Emergency! Sick goldfish.

[Caliban07]

The point about plants taking up ammonia quicker than the denitrifying bacteria doesnt ring true to me. I'm sceptical.

Ive done fishless cycles where ive dosed ammonia to decent levels, say 2ppm. I get to a point during the process where i can dose, go off and do something for 20 minutes, come back and test the water, and the ammonia has cycled out to nitrite. Essentially, even at high ammonia levels, the filter is consuming all the ammonia going through it and expelling water clear of ammonia. I just dont see plants being able to compete for ammonia as quickly as an established filter. Filters pull water through them really quickly, but maybe its a result of my over filtration and in a more normally filtered tank you wouldnt see such rapid consumption of ammonia.

Interesting, I suppose on the flip side of that, the purpose of a fishless cycle is to build up a biological filter and cycle out ammonia. What happens when your loading is reduced to that of a regular fish stock? How long does it take for any one system to generate 2ppm ammonia?

As you say, what happens if you don’t have a filter that pulls water through through media or has a very low flow rate?

What happens in a planted tank that has plants growing in the majority of open space.

It’s good to be skeptical but there are so many variables.

 

[Saul]

I have always been consistent with water changes.
I do not believe that they would have adapted to poor water conditions, what I can imagine is poor atleast.

The fish is alive, but there has been no change in his behavior. It has been three days.

 

[Jacky12]

I revisited some of my old goldfish FB groups. It is the consensus either a mistake was made & the water was not properly conditioned or your town has new issues with the water quality.

One woman said this: Can the water supply be checked? What happened in my town, someone did something to the water supply, accidentally overdosed chemicals, which poisoned the water for animals like fish. People lost good fish before the warning got out. I was lucky. We had to pretreat heavily before adding the water. It got cleared up.


How are your fish doing today?

 

[Saul]

I am no longer worried of what may have happened, and only concerned of what I may be able to further do to help.
I am sure that there are precautions that I may be able to take in the future, to prevent that from happening again, even though it was out of my control.

I had heard a recommendation of keeping the tank partially empty, and I may do that. I was planning to do a water change again.
The fish are currently in temporary holding, and I have seen minor improvement.. but not 100%.

 

[Jacky12]

Hopefully you will see continued improvement.

I am interested in the root cause because the situation is perplexing. I thought Colin’s suggestion of contaminated water was a stretch, but I now know people have experienced it. This is scary. I have 13 tanks & would be utterly devastated if my fish took ill due to the city water.

 

[Colin_T]

Hopefully you will see continued improvement.

I am interested in the root cause because the situation is perplexing. I thought Colin’s suggestion of contaminated water was a stretch, but I now know people have experienced it. This is scary. I have 13 tanks & would be utterly devastated if my fish took ill due to the city water.

This is why you should always dechlorinate tap water before adding it to the tank.

Fill a container with tap water, add enough dechlorinator to treat that container of water and vigorously aerate the mixture for 30 minutes.

 

[Jacky12]

I buy API tap water conditioner in gallon jugs from Amazon. It’s a lot cheaper than the smaller bottles. Also, highly concentrated. 1 ml is good for 20 gallons. I use 1 & 5 ml syringes. Do you think a little extra conditioner would be harmful? This happens unintentionally sometimes.

 

[Colin_T]

I buy API tap water conditioner in gallon jugs from Amazon. It’s a lot cheaper than the smaller bottles. Also, highly concentrated. 1 ml is good for 20 gallons. I use 1 & 5 ml syringes. Do you think a little extra conditioner would be harmful? This happens unintentionally sometimes.

As a general rule, a little bit more dechlorinator is not going to harm anything in the tank. However, if you start overdosing regularly and heavily, then some dechlorinators can affect the fish. However, you have to double or triple the amount you use and do it for a while.

Most dechlorinators have one dose for chlorine and a double dose for chloramine, so they are generally safe.

 

[Saul]

The water was dechlorinated, but to a normal and necessary amount.

I would not blame myself for what happened, but I know of future precautions.

 

[Saul]

It is perplexing, and stressful.
I have never had it happen.
It has been days now as well.

I have had to order more water conditioner. Hopefully I will see improvement, because I am tired of worrying.

 

[Jacky12]

Good to know, Colin. I’m never that far off. Sometimes air bubbles get trapped in the 1 ml syringe & I think I overcompensate a tad, but I am thinking better a little over than a little under.

Saul, sounds like things are turning around for you. I find Amazon to be the best place for test kits & conditioner & all kinds of fish equipment, including food. I buy Goldfish flakes in a large white bucket & refill a smaller container. You’ll see what I mean if you look at Amazon. I have ten growing Goldies. They are beautiful. I really like the Shubunkins because of the blue colors. I also have calico fantails with lots of blue.

 

[Saul]

Yes, I am on Amazon more than I should be.
There is no pet store in town, unfortunately.

I have noticed just now that he seems to be favoring one of his fins, but I see no injuries.

 

[Jacky12]

It’s impossible to be on Amazon too much!

Here’s another interesting theory on problems following a water change. I add it to the mix primarily for the benefit of future users who may have similar issues and stumble upon this thread. A few people said fire departments do annual water flushes by opening the hydrants & pumping in chemicals to clean out the lines. Usually they inform residents in advance. I know nothing about this or how/if it would affect municipal tap water.

 

[Caliban07]

It’s impossible to be on Amazon too much!

Here’s another interesting theory on problems following a water change. I add it to the mix primarily for the benefit of future users who may have similar issues and stumble upon this thread. A few people said fire departments do annual water flushes by opening the hydrants & pumping in chemicals to clean out the lines. Usually they inform residents in advance. I know nothing about this or how/if it would affect municipal tap water.

I know that water companies super/hyper chlorinate for one reason or another. Sometimes as maintenance or if they suspect some type of contamination.

 

[Jacky12]

Yes, someone was just saying that in FB with regards to events like flooding, sewage spills, etc.

One person said there’s more Cl in her tap water than API & other conditioners can handle. Made me wonder what the effective treatment range is.

 

[Caliban07]

Also makes you wonder how they calculate an effective dose on the back of the bottle.

 

[Saul]

Very limited movement still.
Whatever is wrong, it does not seem to be improving with water changes.

 

[Jacky12]

Caliban, API has no info at their website we’re searching for. I emailed this to their technical representative. It contains some creative fiction mixed with facts. I’ll let you know what they have to say, if anything.

Saul, I think it’s a good sign they’ve lasted this long. So often sick fish die suddenly. I’m so sorry you’re undergoing such a stressful situation & hope for a positive outcome.

 

[Saul]

I appreciate the help that you have given me.

 

[Jacky12]

You’re welcome, we tried our best, but the issue was perplexing & may never be satisfactorily explained. You made all the right moves & things still went downhill. Hopefully you’re on the way up, but fish loss is a painful part of the hobby.