Please help! I have a very sick Gold fish

[Roz]

To be honest, I think it is our extreme heat down here in the last week (Australia) that has bee the culprit for making the water suddenly more toxic.

How is the little guy this morning?

I think there are two threads related and so will follow both.

Am keeping fingers crossed for you.

 

[Roz]

How is he?

 

[Greta1981]

Roz, can you please link me to the other thread so I can get a few more details on the situation? Thanks. I've definitely heard of several cases in Australia lately where goldies died due to heat. A super-clean water bottle filled with frozen, conditioned tap water, floated in the tank, can be used in case of emergency. It's not a perfect solution by any means because it doesn't chill evenly, but if there's an immediate temperature crisis, it's a good temporary trick.

 

[Roz]

Hiya Greta from sunny Melbourne,

The other thread is in this same section for unhealthy fish and it's title starts off "please help!..." By the same OP.

I have a feeling it is the heat that has contributed, but someone else brought up the point off possible nitrite poisoning, which would suggest the tank isn't cycled. The tank has been running for 5 years. Perhaps it is the old tank syndrome, which I have heard about? I'm just guessing here without professional knowledge.

 

[Greta1981]

I'm a bit confused, toggling back and forth between the two threads. Your suggestion is sound, Roz. Those streaks look like some kind of water toxicity, which could be brought on by a combination of factors, which is why I'm trying to figure out tank volume. A comet needs 100 gallons of water per fish. At a foot long, he's not stunted, but having been kept with so many other goldfish in a tank that was too small (just guessing, no concrete clarification of that yet) and potentially uncycled could have led to these problems.
Bowmandanni, I would do as others have suggested and change 50% of the tank water immediately. Wait no more than 2 hours and then change the other 50%. Do you have Prime water conditioner? Do you know your water temperature?

 

[Roz]

I think the OP said she had a 400L tank (approx 106 gallons).

I find getting Prime is not easy down here - I have to settle for API's water conditioner with stress coat. It seems ok but not very concentrated.

 

[Greta1981]

106 gallons with four common goldfish. Thanks for the info, Roz. I would definitely say that's a case of ammonia and nitrite poisoning. Amazing the fish isn't stunted. He's a fighter ... if he gets some very clean water, with whatever water conditioner is available, hopefully he'll mend. *fingers crossed*

 

[Bowmandanni]

He's alive.
Upside down in the corner gasping rapidly.
I'm going to do a 50% water change now and just hope he starts to get better.

 

[Bowmandanni]

Looks like his body is starting to bend in a stiff manner. Maybe because he has been laying down for 4 days now?

 

[Delapool]

Can you take some tank water into the lfs and have them check the water and get the results? Ones over here in Perth will often do it for free.

 

[Bowmandanni]

Hi Greta. He was in the tank with 3 small other goldfish but they all passed away last week.
They didn't show any signs of sickness, just found them dead one after the other.
I think it was the heat as it was the hottest day we have had ever.
This fish is now by himself and has slowly gotten worse ever since Thursday.
The redness started after an hour after the first water change which I done on Thursday.
He hasn't eaten, nor swim since. He is stuck at the bottom on his back.
I tried 50ml melafix and primafix yesterday which looks like it has cured his shredding fins. They are all standing up strong now.
Once of his eyes has blood in it. A little.
The red around his gills and head have gone

 

[Bowmandanni]

Yeah I could do that. Hopefully they are open being Australia Day.
=-(

 

[Bowmandanni]

I tried 50ml melafix and primafix yesterday which looks like it has cured his shredding fins. They are all standing up strong now.
The red around his gills and head have gone

 

[Bowmandanni]

He is still struggling though

 

[Delapool]

Yeah I could do that. Hopefully they are open being Australia Day.
=-(

I know mine is open all 3 days so worth a shot.

 

[Greta1981]

Though I'm very sorry for the losses of your other fish, your remaining comet now stands a much better chance at recovery with 100 gallons of water all to himself, which is exactly what his species needs.
Please forgive me if I repeat questions which have been asked before--do you know your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels? How many water changes have you done today and what water conditioner are you using, please? Do you know the temperature of his tank now?

 

[Bowmandanni]

I do not have a water tester to see the water nitrate annomina etc.
The tank is currently at 26 degrees.
I just done a 50% water change and put in vita pet water ager.
I also done new 50ml dose of melafix and primafix
(I done this yesterday and it cured his sore fins and red mouth overnight)

 

[Greta1981]

Okay. That tank is almost 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is WAY too hot for a goldfish. Those temperatures are literally killing him. Do you have a clean plastic bag and some ice-cubes that you can float inside the bag in the tank? You would have to be very careful as those ice-cubes aren't water-conditioned--generally I'd suggest a frozen water bottle, but this needs to be done immediately--so if you can find a way to clip the bag to the outside of the tank and just float it partially inside, that would help.
I personally have not had good luck with melafix or pimafix, but if they're helping your fish, by all means, continue. Right now, however, the key is to lower that water temperature and the toxins in it. You don't want to shock the fish further, so it can't be a giant bag of ice, just a few cubes to gradually begin to cool that hot water. Goldfish prefer water 15 to 20 degrees cooler than what you have right now, to give you an idea of the stress he's under.

 

[Greta1981]

Further recommendations after re-reading your thread:
When you can go to a pet store, get an API water test kit. This is critical.
If Prime water conditioner is available, definitely buy that. If not, buy a water conditioner made by API. Both of these are well-reviewed in fishkeeping.
I would buy several bottles of spring water and freeze them, to keep on hand to float in the tank in such emergency.

 

[Hubert90]

Body bending means a few things, it is either bacterial infection (internal), high nitrate and/or oxygen deprivation. If he's eating, try feeding it food soaked in garlic juice.