Poorly Black Moor

[BlackMoore]

Hi, our black moor goldfish is unwell. We thought he had swimbladder recently due to him floating upside-down from time to time, so we fed him some peas. His waste turned greenish and he began to get a little better.
However, now he just stays at the bottom of the tank. Even before he got ill he would do this; wedging himself into corners, or sitting in the dark under the big rock. He comes out when you wave your hand in front of him and when he swims, he can swim fast and quite normally, although still with a little lack of control sometimes. I think he feeds ok too, it's just that he stays at the bottom an awful lot. Is that normal?
His body looks normal except from slight frays in his fins underneath. The water was changed and treated with oxygen tablets and a pH stabiliser. Was that ok? Also, are in-built aquarium lights ok for him?
I'm very worried about him, and feel very guilty that I do not know enough about fish keeping to help him better. I really want to help him, and any suggestions at all would be fantastic and much appreciated

Thank you so much, sorry for the long post. Hope you're all well

 

[GNarnian]

Have you changed the water in the tank recently? How large is the tank, and how much did you change?

What are all the water parameters?

 

[jlk]

Hi! Welcome to AA!!! Can you please provide us with some more information so we can better help you? Tank size? Stocking? Exact numbers for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & ph? Water change schedule (%/#wk)? Diet ( brand/type food, other foods)? Thanks!

 

[BlackMoore]

Hi, thank you both for replying so quickly! The tank is 28L, and I think around 80% of the water was changed. We don't have a test kit unfortunately, so I'm not sure what the chemical levels are. I'm not sure what the water change schedule is either sorry, I'm not allowed to do it
In the tank there is the one black moor and one black-backed goldfish. Their diet consists partially of peas at the moment, but they are usually fed 'Aquarian - advanced nutrition goldfish flake food' or 'I <3 Fish - goldfish pellets'.
Sorry if I'm doing things wrong, thank you

 

[jlk]

Thanks! Ok, what I am suspecting is going on here are major water quality issues. Unfortunately, 28l is only @7 gallons. With two goldfish in a very small amount of water, toxin levels will rise quickly unless water changes are performed quite frequently. Buoyancy issues such as floating or bottom sitting are most likely the direct result of water quality issues. A tank upgrade is something that should be considered. Do you have a decent water conditioner?

Do you have a lfs (local fish store) near you? I would bring samples of both your tap water and your tank water to them and ask them to test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph. Most will do this for free. Ask for the exact results and write them down. If its financially feasible, I would invest in your own liquid test kit such as the API fw master test kit. They are typically available online for a much better price than in the lfs. Hope this helps a bit- please ask if you have any questions!

 

[BlackMoore]

That makes a lot of sense, thank you so much. I'll look out for other tanks. I'm not sure what water conditioners are sorry, but our current tank has been fitted with an Internal 101F AquaOne Filter and a bubblestone around 15cm long, if that helps any. We haven't been able to test the water samples yet, I'm going to try this weekend.
Webb the black moore seems a little better I think, touch wood it's not just my wishful thinking. He is still sitting on the bottom and his fins are still a tiny bit frayed, but he looks healthier in general and eats ok. When he swims he is mostly fine apart from some upturns now and again.
Unfortunately though, Razor the black-back isn't doing very well now. He has developed some sort of sore on his side, and I think it's oozing something. He usually bombs about the tank but he's a bit subdued just now. Here he is, the first one shows the wound.




I really don't know what this is and how I can help him. I feel really guilty Thanks again, sorry for the long post

 

[jlk]

A water conditioner/dechlorinator is a product such as Seachem's Prime that dechlorinates the tap water, detoxes ammonia/nitrite, detoxes heavy metals and helps with slime coat. Basic water conditioners just dechlorinate the tap water making it safe for fish. Water conditioners are a must for water changes if you have public water. If you have well water, they are not an absolute but will help.

I would suggest starting by increasing your water changes in order to provide a healthier environment. Your white goldfish is a common goldfish, by the way. When you are able to visit a lfs, you may want to consider meds for this guy but I am not sure what is available to you to make suggestions.