Goldie got stuck, missing scales and torn tail

[lexometer77]

Hello,

I’ve had an established tank of two bottom feeders and a few snails for a while now and wanted to add some life to the tank. It’s a 40 gallon tank and I got two comet goldfish and a fancy.

I acclimated them and added them to the tank. A few days later I noticed my fancy got stuck in one of my decor. I pulled her out and saw no injuries and thought nothing of it until I saw her stuck again. This time she is missing scales and her tail was red with tiny tears. This morning her tail is completely tattered.

Is this a stress/injury response? Should I be concerned? She’s been eating regularly, but isn’t moving as much as she used to.

I’ve attempted to attach three photos, her now and her before.

[lexometer77]

It doesn’t look like the photos attached… sorry I’m on my phone for this

[Aiken Drum]

You should definitely be concerned with the injuries to your fish. Its likely to be caused by the fish getting stuck and struggling to get free. I would remove any decorations that are likely to trap a fish, especially now it has happened twice. Its also possible the other fish got at the trapped fish and made things worse. Have you witnessed any bullying?

Adding 3 goldfish at once into a 40 gallon tank is a lot of new bioload and it could take a while for your cycle to catch up. Do you know your water parameters? Poor water quality could be making things worse.

Can you quarantine the fish in question? Lots of clean water and a stress free environment will give your fish the best chance of recovery.

Longer term a 40 gallon tank isnt going to be big enough to keep all those fish in there when the goldfish get to adult size, especially the comets. Do you know what the bottom feeders are also?

[lexometer77]

Originally Posted by Aiken Drum

You should definitely be concerned with the injuries to your fish. Its likely to be caused by the fish getting stuck and struggling to get free. I would remove any decorations that are likely to trap a fish, especially now it has happened twice. Its also possible the other fish got at the trapped fish and made things worse. Have you witnessed any bullying?

Adding 3 goldfish at once into a 40 gallon tank is a lot of new bioload and it could take a while for your cycle to catch up. Do you know your water parameters? Poor water quality could be making things worse.

Can you quarantine the fish in question? Lots of clean water and a stress free environment will give your fish the best chance of recovery.

Longer term a 40 gallon tank isnt going to be big enough to keep all those fish in there when the goldfish get to adult size, especially the comets. Do you know what the bottom feeders are also?

The bottom feeders are two bristlenose pleco. The water has been foggy since I put the goldies in, I’ve been cleaning every other day (5-10 gallons). I’m going to set up a quick quarantine tank for the fancy before I go to work.

I removed all the decor that she could get stuck on, but left the smaller ones for the pleco’s to have as dark hiding spots. I have not seen any aggression towards each other. Everyone is pretty active and eating well.

I do not know the exact water parameters. The water is conditioned city water and none of my other fish have had issues with the water.

[lexometer77]

She has been moved to an empty 10 gallon tank for the time I am at work. Gave her a bit of goldfish pellets and she ate them right away. Is this a good sign? Is it a sign at all?

[ColdKoi]

It’s definitely not a bad sign that it’s eating. In its injured state it may have been getting malnourished as the healthy fish easily compete for food.

Another good reason to quarantine an injured fish!

You will probably want to do daily water changes on the 10gal while the fish heals (I assume it hasn’t been cycled?). there’s not really a whole lot you can do but provide it a safe place to hang out and clean water while it recovers.