Oranda Help?

[Sheea]

I have 2 baby Orandas in a 10 gallon tank,( when they get a bit older will be transporting to a 20), however 1 seems to be sickly quite often whereas the other is very healthy, the water is balanced, fed every other day, weekly water changes (20%-40%), and are babied! Now the sickly one seems to be losing a small bit of its wen, and last week i found a chunk of it in the substrate ( white large gravel)! What could be the possible reason for this? I contemplated the two fighting, but they get along extremely well and are the best of buds, and the sickly one is a tad larger. Another possible idea may be is if my driftwood is too sharp? Well, its very rounded and soft, also the sickly one prefers to stay near the top of the tank. Ive run out of ideas! Anything will help!

 

[blert]

How long have they been in the ten gallon tank?

 

[Sheea]

A couple of weeks! They were just teeny tiny before, so i had them in a 5 gallon

 

[blert]

I did a quick search on google and found a few similar situations but unfortunately no info on what causes it or how to cure it. Some things to look out for...
Is the other fish nipping at his head?
Bacterial infections in the wen folds are common and must be watched for.

What filter do you have on this tank?
Unfortunately, a ten gallon tank is way to small for these fish and you need to upgrade to at least a thirty ASAP if you want to keep these fish as they grow fast.

I would put my money on water quality issues. Do 50% water changes daily until you can upgrade the tank and filtration.

Hopefully a Goldie guru will chime in with some more specific help for you.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Now I'm not 100% certain about this but I'm pretty sure that parts of the wen can be shed as the fish grows and the wen develops. A white sort of look is normal at times also. As said above, bacterial infections can occur in the folds of the wen so that needs to be considered also.

 

[Sheea]

Ive considered that, bought medicine awhile ago! So probably not an infection :/

 

[jlk]

Hi! Can you post pics of the fish in question? Particularly, the wen/missing areas? It does sound like a bacterial infection which can be very serious as well as difficult to treat in the wen tissue. Does he have other symptoms as well (lack appetite, sluggishness, bottom sitting or floating, any red streaking or veining in fins/tail,etc)??

 

[Sheea]

He likes to just float at the top, not on his side as in swim bladder, but just floats?

 

[Sheea]

Pics are on prof. Page

 

[jlk]

Thanks! I'll look at them tomorrow when I'm back on the computer. Floatiness is a swim bladder issue though an improvement in diet may help with this. You mentioned you only feed them every other day. This is a starvation diet for fancies. What type/brand of food do you feed? Other foods?

As already mentioned, 10g is way too small for these guys- they need atleast 30-40g with heavy filtration to prevent stunting and related health issues/water quality issues. The sooner you can do this, the less likely you will have problems. Please ask if you have any questions!

 

[Sheea]

I have talked with a professional breeder of fancies, my feeding habit is approved, i soak the flakes before feeding, the tank is just the right size, and stunting is a complete myth. Thank you however!

 

[Sharkbait54]

I have talked with a professional breeder of fancies, my feeding habit is approved, i soak the flakes before feeding, the tank is just the right size, and stunting is a complete myth. Thank you however!

You can stunt them that is no doubt. The 10g should be fine they are tiny

 

[Sheea]

If you read above it says i am changing into a 20 gallon. Stunting is a myth, regrettably i believed once also, the fish does continue to grow larger, however it becomes unhealthy and cramped.

 

[Sheea]

http://fishprofiles.com/forums/General_Freshwater/Stunting_Myth_vs_reality/18397/

 

[jlk]

You are having issues with your fish and You asked for help and we are trying to offer you advice. A professional fancy breeder would never endorse such a poor and inappropriate diet nor would they ever suggest a 10g tank is adequate for two fancies.

 

[Sheea]

I am asking for help. However, you are not reading the information clearly. Thanks though, and the tank is fine, my feeding habits are fine, and like i established in the far beginning, all water conditions are fine.

 

[jlk]

My cell does what it wants! We are trying to offer you help. If you would like to post questions and fish situation on serious goldfish forums for further advice, please try The Goldfish Keepers forum or The Goldfish and Aquarium Board. They will be a bit more blunt in their responses. They also have excellent articles on diet, nutrition and tank management. Good luck!

 

[Coursair]

http://fishprofiles.com/forums/General_Freshwater/Stunting_Myth_vs_reality/18397/

This is just a person's opinion, no science to back it up. An opinion I don't agree with.

 

[jlk]

Heres some info for you to read:

goldfish stunting:
Tropical Fish Centre - Why do Goldfish become
Common Misconceptions About Goldfish

technical studies on stunting:
http://iiasa.acat/~dieckman/reprints/YlikarjulaEtall1999.pdf
http://snr.unl.edu/necoopunit/downloads/Publications/Kevin%20Pope%20publ/Chizinski%20et%20al.%202010%20JFB76.pdf

goldfish feeding:
Feeding Guide - Site for Goldfish Keepers

treating falling apart wen:
Ranchu wen falling off - Site for Goldfish Keepers

 

[Sheea]

I appreciate your concern on stunting, but thats a myth i dont believe. Thank you however for the websites!