Help My Goldfish!

[allday]

I've just got a new goldfish, and slowly introduced it into a new tank with 7 others.

Last night, the smallest fish started floating.

I have put him in a separate tank, and put some melafix in it.

He is floating, but still breathing, although not much. You can just see him breathing if you look close enough, but he also seems to try so hard to move his fins.

I can't think of anything I can do to save him, and fear it is only a matter of time now.

Can anyone offer any advice?

 

[ferret]

How large is the tank? How large are the individual fish? Just as a quick warning, you'd need at least 100 gallon for 8 adult goldfish, so I can only assume initially that there's bad water parameters.

What are the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the tank? How often do you perform water changes?

 

[allday]

Hi. The goldfish are only young, and all bar 2 are very small.

I haven't got a kit to test the water yet.

All the other fish are fine, and seem very happy. I have a water filter and air pump in the tank, and change the water every 2 weeks, or sooner if needed.

 

[ferret]

Goldfish usually need it sooner. I strongly urge you to pick up a test kit. Under $20 at most LFS for a basic kit.

Goldfish produce amazing amounts of waste. The other fish may be fine for the moment due to long time acclimation, but the new fish even with a few hours of acclimation to the water may not have been able to handle the water parameters.

 

[Tigerlily]

Hi Allday:

Goldfish produce a lot of waste, and even if you can't see it, the water could have tons of ammonia and nitrites in it. These irritate the gills of the fish and can make it hard for them to breathe. With goldies, water changes may be necessary twice a week, even if the water looks clean. That's why test kits are so important. Ammonia and nitrites can be very toxic to fish, and if you've added more fish recently that may have increased the ammonia and nitrites to where some of the fish couldn't handle it. This is especially true where the tank is overcrowded. Even when they're small, goldfish need a lot of water.

I would do some water changes. I don't think this is anything that medications can help with - unless there is something you're not telling us, like spots or shredding of the fins. I suspect water quality issues. I could be wrong, but if we knew the size of your tank and how long it's been set up - and any other symptoms, maybe someone could offer some more advice.

 

[allday]

I will try to get a test kit later today.

I'm just trying to do everything I can to save the fish. At the moment he is in a separate tank on his own, he is still breathing (just) but not moving.

Is there anything I can do for him or not?

 

[Tigerlily]

I don't know allday. If it was ammonia poisoning or some other type of water quality shock, I don't know whether it is reversable or whether there is permanent damage. Hopefully, the fresh clean water he's in now will help. Just keep things around him still and quiet to minimize stress. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for him!

 

[allday]

Thanks

I just wish there was something I could do to make him better

 

[jsoong]

If the fish is just floating, this could be swim bladder problem, or possibly gas in bowel or even simply constipation.

It is possible that there is a water problem, but I don't think floating is one of the symptoms, or at least you should be seeing something like rapid breathing, etc.

The problem is with the new fish, right? It is possible that it was sick to begin with. How long had he been in the tank?

I had a bout of this a few weeks ago. The problem was just constipation, which is the simplest to treat. Feed some peas (cooked, skin removed, chopped) and problem fixed in a couple days.

More difficult to treat are swim bladder/ or gas problems. Gas in gut can be simply feeding floating food - your new guy might not be used to that & gulp too much air, or the food might expand too much in the gu, causing problems. More serious cause is bacterial infection, in which case you'll need antibiotics in food.

I think checking water parameter is the first thing to do. In the absence of test kits, at least do frequent water changes - in a small container, at least daily. Next, you might want to decrease the water depth to just a few inches - fish less stressed in shallow water when they can' t sink. Increasing the temperature to high 70's is also recommended - this speeds up digestion in case of gut problems, also, fancies arre susceptible to swimbladder problems when they get chilled.

Finally, you might want to check out koivet.com for more info on goldfish problems.

Good luck!

 

[allday]

He is lying on his side towards the bottom of the tank, and has been for a few hours.

I thought he was dead, but you can still see he is breathing, and his fins move occassionally. Its almost like he is trying real hard to move, but can't.

 

[stoneydee]

Like the others, I'd check the levels in the water first. I do 40% water chagnes for my goldfish twice a week, just to stay ahead of the ammonia. (I change water in any tank immediately if the ammonia gets to 3 ppm.) After about 4-5 ppm, the ammonia begins to burn their gills, and damage is irreversible. If this was a new fish, and the ammonia was too high, he just might not have been able to handle it, while your "old" fish may have, to some degree, acclimated.

 

[jsoong]

The condition of your fish appears grim, allday. I don't know what else to add without water parameters. There may be a couple of simple things to try.

Is the water really cold? (take the temperature if you can), If less than 50F, this may cause lethargy.

Low O2 may give the same symptoms - do you have enough aeration? Of cause NH3 or NO2 posioning may damage the gills & give symptoms of low O2. NO2 posioning may respond to salt.

I check koivet again & the most consistent diagnosis for your goldies's symptoms are bacterial infection, posioning, or bad water (ie pH, NO2 or NH3). Checking & correcting water parameters remains the first thing to do.