Hel
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
One of my goldfish got itself stuck in a small decoration I didn't even realize it could fit into, let alone get stuck in. I don't think he was there longer than a few minutes, because I walk past the tank often and always count the fish when I do. I've removed the decoration. He's lost quite a few scales on both sides, and has a small bloody cut at one spot where a scale came off. He does not seem stressed however, he's still swimming around like always, all fins out.
My main concern is making sure the cut heals without infection. I do have a small isolation tank I could move him to, but it's only a 1 gallon and he's a 4 inch fish with a 2.5 inch fancy tail (so 6.5 inches total). So the isolation tank would really restrict his movement. I absolutely can't afford to buy a 10 gallon isolation tank, because I just bought a 75 gallon tank and stand off craigslist. I won't have more than about $10 to spare for at least a month, and I already checked, no one on craigslist has a 10 gallon or even a 5 for even $20.
I have to go out for about 3 hours, so won't reply til after 5pm eastern. (And that's terrified me even more, the thought that if it'd happened even 15 minutes later, he'd have been stuck for hours and probably died.) I've been watching the rest of the fish since it happened, they don't seem to be treating the injured one any differently, so I'm not really worried about them harassing it or making its injury worse. They all get along pretty well generally.
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability.-Goldfish. Got itself stuck in too small decoration, lost scales&has small cut.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values. Ammonia is 0, nitrites are 0, nitrates are around 30ppm, temp is currently 74, ph is 6.8ish (I use tetra easystrips cos they're easy&cheap.)
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up? 20 gallons tho it's generally only filled to about 18, 10ish months. I got a 75 gallon tank to move them to, because they've gotten so big (they were all under an inch when I got them at petsmart!), but it's not set up yet cos I got it off craigslist and it's got leaky seams. I've gotta either repair or completely reseal it.
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known. Tetra Whisper power filter 30 gal (HOT), 145gph
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes? 6 goldfish, mostly 4-5 inch bodies tho the largest is about 5 inches and the smallest has about a 3.5 inch body.
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time? Yesterday. Every 36 hours-ish. About 50%
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them? 10 months.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.? No
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently? Flakes&granules, same brands for months, new containers started about 6 weeks ago.
My main concern is making sure the cut heals without infection. I do have a small isolation tank I could move him to, but it's only a 1 gallon and he's a 4 inch fish with a 2.5 inch fancy tail (so 6.5 inches total). So the isolation tank would really restrict his movement. I absolutely can't afford to buy a 10 gallon isolation tank, because I just bought a 75 gallon tank and stand off craigslist. I won't have more than about $10 to spare for at least a month, and I already checked, no one on craigslist has a 10 gallon or even a 5 for even $20.
I have to go out for about 3 hours, so won't reply til after 5pm eastern. (And that's terrified me even more, the thought that if it'd happened even 15 minutes later, he'd have been stuck for hours and probably died.) I've been watching the rest of the fish since it happened, they don't seem to be treating the injured one any differently, so I'm not really worried about them harassing it or making its injury worse. They all get along pretty well generally.
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability.-Goldfish. Got itself stuck in too small decoration, lost scales&has small cut.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values. Ammonia is 0, nitrites are 0, nitrates are around 30ppm, temp is currently 74, ph is 6.8ish (I use tetra easystrips cos they're easy&cheap.)
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up? 20 gallons tho it's generally only filled to about 18, 10ish months. I got a 75 gallon tank to move them to, because they've gotten so big (they were all under an inch when I got them at petsmart!), but it's not set up yet cos I got it off craigslist and it's got leaky seams. I've gotta either repair or completely reseal it.
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known. Tetra Whisper power filter 30 gal (HOT), 145gph
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes? 6 goldfish, mostly 4-5 inch bodies tho the largest is about 5 inches and the smallest has about a 3.5 inch body.
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time? Yesterday. Every 36 hours-ish. About 50%
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them? 10 months.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.? No
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently? Flakes&granules, same brands for months, new containers started about 6 weeks ago.
