New to caring for Fish

[Volunteerfirefighter48]

Hello,

I have found this website by researching for ich. I had bought two goldfish in August and they were doing well until I notice my one small goldfish had a cotton like spot on it's side. My boyfriend tried to tell me that she was just changing colors and I was like I don't think so. So I went to PetSmart and bought Lifeguard, all in one treatment. Then as I was researching I came up with the fish could have ich. As I started the treatment, the second day the big fish died. But the little goldfish was still was hanging in there. So I continue treating it for 5 days like the directions read. While I was treating my fish, I notice my fish was eating on and off but yet surprisingly grew. So today it was the sixth day and I clean out the WHOLE tank. I soaked everything lemon juice and HOT HOT water and triple rinse off everything for just in case. My fish still have a couple of spots left so I am going to continue the treatment.

So Should I add an heater into the tank????? I want to but I don't know if I need to with a goldfish....

My tank is 1.5 gallons and I use filtered spring water for my fish. Tap water just have to much chemicals in it.

How would I know that the ich is totally gone????

Thank you...

 

[melosu58]

Moving this to the FW unhealthy fish forum. More people will see it there. This is the welcome wagon.

 

[glassbird]

OK, first, a 1.5 gallon tank is WAY too small for even one goldfish. Second, ick looks more like small salt grains, not so much like cotton, so I am wondering if ick was actually the problem.

You will be getting all sorts of help here very shortly, but I think you need to start by looking into the issues of cycling and maintaining water quality. Sterilizing the tank probably destroyed the vast majority of the beneficial bacteria that serves to convert fish (and food) waste into less harmfull substances. Now that the good bacteria is gone, ammonia will be building up...and in a tank that small your fish is going to be in big trouble fast.

I have not yet figured out how to post links here, but just search for "cycling with fish"...that will open a whole new world of info for you.

Regarding a heater...use the money for a larger tank. Opinions about heaters for a "cold water" fish like goldfish vary, and I will leave that for others to discuss. (I do not have a heater in any of my tanks, and all I have are goldfish.) But everyone agrees that clean water is extremely important, and goldfish cannot get that in a 1.5 gallon tank. More importantly, what do you have for a filter?

 

[glassbird]

Well, let's see if I can post a link...this is just one of many, but it's a good one...

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

 

[Volunteerfirefighter48]

Thank you

It's a tetra filter... I have a small room so that is why I have a small tank. The guy at pet smart told me that sooner or later I will have to get a bigger tank when the fish grows.

Actually the goldfish is looking much better and healthier. She even made a little spot in the gravel like she is ready to spawn. I added aquarium salt into the water.

I wanted to make sure the ich was gone. I feed the goldfish, omega one, twice a day. I am new at taking care of fish so if I make mistakes, I will learn from them. But the fish does seem happier and healthier. Tomorrow I'll be putting a new filter in.

Also, I didn't buy the water heater. I'll do that if I get tropical fish instead.

 

[glassbird]

If you are getting a new filter, get one with an adjustable flow rate that is big enough for a 10 gallon tank. Turn the flow down for now, while it is on a 1.5 gallon tank and then put it on a 10 gallon tank as soon as you can. No need to waste money on a filter that will need to be replaced. Did you sterilize the original filter when you cleaned the tank? Hopefully not...much of your good bacteria is in the filter. Put the filter material from the original filter into the new filter, or even better run both filters at the same time for a few weeks. That way, the good bacteria will have a chance to keep the ammonia from building up in the tank. Putting the old filter material in the new filter will help to establish good bacteria in the new filter. (If you sterilized the old filter, never mind...)

You really need to read up on the ammonia-nitrite-nitrate cycle. The life and health of your fish depends on it. Get a drop-type test kit at your local store, NOT test strips. You will need it. In fact, take a sample of your fish's water to the store with you and have them test it too. GET THE ACTUAL NUMBERS and write them down. Do not let them tell you "it's ok". Get the numbers...and tell us what they are, so we can see what is happening in the tank right now.

You are going to find that employees at some pet stores will tell you what you want to hear, in order to sell you something. The advice you get here is based on a desire to help you enjoy this hobby and help your fish live healthy and happy lives. Be very wary of anyone selling you something...the advice you received from the person at the Petco was shady at best. You certainly WILL have to get a bigger tank...IF the fish even survives in a tank that size. I am not sure any fish could survive in a 1.5 gallon tank...maybe a betta, but I do not know much about bettas. Further, a tiny tank takes a LOT of work to maintain. Small volume means problems develop fast, as you have seen. Larger tanks give more room for the fish AND problems tend to develop more slowly.

For now, do not get any more fish. Let's get this tank cycled, and get this possible ick situation under control, or what ever it is. Your fish may look better for the moment, but ammonia may be building up and you must be doing partial water changes to prevent that. A test kit will show you what is happening and is an educational tool for you and a life saver for your fish.

Also, goldfish tend to spawn in plants, not gravel. Not sure why he/she is making a "spot" in the gravel...

 

[glassbird]

OK...I am going to revise some of the suggestions I gave just a few minutes ago...

After I posted the reply above, I started to wonder what a 1.5 gallon tank might actually look like, so I did a little checking on the internet. Wow...

Did the sales person at petco sell you that, AND 2 fish, and tell you that the fish would be ok in it? If so, he is either a complete fish ignoramous or he truly did not care at all about what he was doing.

Forget what I said about running both filters at the same time...there is no room to do that and even if you could wedge a second filter on there somehow, your fish would be blown around like a hurricane. You must get a bigger tank. At least a 10 gallon for now. You will never be able to maintain a goldfish in a 1.5 gallon tank. Further, goldfish are social creatures. Once you get a 10 gallon tank cycled, you might be able to get a second fish as a friend. But not yet. Get the tank cycled first. If you set this tank up in August, it is entirely unlikely that the tank was cycled even before you cleaned it. And now that you cleaned it, you will be starting the cycle over from scratch anyway.

Along with a 10 gallon tank, get a filter that is appropriate for a 20 gallon tank. Filters always advertise that they can handle a tank larger than they can really do, so a filter that states it can do a 10 gallon tank is under-sized right off the bat. And goldfish produce a lot of waste, so you need a bigger filter anyway.

More thoughts on your fish getting ready to spawn...it's not likely. If your fish is small enough to fit into a tiny tank like that, it is too young. Further, goldfish need really good water quality, and room to move during the process...both of which are situations that your fish does not have at this point.

And again about the ick...below is a pic of one of my fish with ick. The salt-like things on his tail are the visible part of the disease...there are other parts of the life cycle that are pretty much invisible in the water and the gravel. If this is what you have, I can help you with that. Ick can be treated with aquarium salt...no need for medications. Salt is inexpensive and less toxic. A "cottony" thing on a fish is probably not ick, maybe a fungus of some sort...a classic sign of poor water quality.