Goldfish ID and what is wrong?

[TommyP]

Hey AA.
I've had these 2 fish for over a year when I first started in the hobby. I have had them in this 5 gallon fluval chi the entire time. Very strict with water changes and topping off water. I know they need a bigger tank but my head is so far into sw that I hate to say, lacked knowledge in this field. My 1 fish died just about 2 days ago. Since then, my current fish looks like its shedding of some sort. It was brown originally with a slight yellow hue to the belly. It's now fully gold. But, looks like this. I believe it's a fantailed goldfish. Any idea what's wrong?


Please don't come at my hard bc he's in a 5gallon. I know he/she should have a bigger tank.

 

[jlk]

Hi Tommy! Is the fish in the picture your fish or is it just a pic of a fish that looks similar to yours? I am afraid I did not quite understand what you were referencing in your post.

Ok, if your heavily into sw side of things, can you provide some basics on this tank? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph (gh and kh if you have these)?Water change schedule (%/#wk)?

A messy fish fish in a small tank would make water quality issues the prime suspect here so more information will definitely help! Also, what he is fed will be helpful, too, as well as anything that you think may be worth mentioning here.

 

[TommyP]

Hello, the fish in the picture is the actual fish that I have. I did a 50% water change and his head is back to normal. Just some spots on his fins. Will post when I get home and updates. He looked 10x better though.

Ammonia - 0
Trites- 0
Trates - 10
Using API
Ran out of pH not sure

 

[TommyP]

I change about 30% of water every 5 days or so.

 

[TommyP]

He is fed regular goldfish flakes. I can get the name brand and report back

Thanks for the advice.

 

[TommyP]

His head seemed like it was peeling / deteriorating.

 

[TommyP]

He's perfectly fine now. Is this normal for them to "shed"?

 

[jlk]

He's perfectly fine now. Is this normal for them to "shed"?

Thanks for the info, Tommy! 'Shedding' is certainly not normal. Most common causes for loss of slime coat that makes a fish appear as if it were 'shedding' would be a parasitic issue or a ph issue. You have had him awhile and this appeared only recently and improved after doing a decent wc so my suspicion is this was a ph-related issue (acidic water) rather than an actual health problem.

His condition should continue to steadily improve with a hefty wc schedule (50+% 2-3+x times a week). The obvious and easiest solution here is one you already know the answer to- he really needs a bigger tank when you are able to manage this. The dollar a gallon sales and craigslist both offer inexpensive options for an upgrade to a 20 (or more) gallon tank. Let us know if we can be of further help!

 

[TommyP]

Perfect thank you!

 

[TommyP]

I've been doing that the last couple of days and he's all better! Will look into a bigger tank ASAP.

 

[jlk]

Glad to hear this!