Sick goldfish

[Phishy123]

G'day all
I really need some help with my aquarium. I have only one goldfish but his health is deteriorating. It started when I noticed he was lethargic a few days ago. He now also has red streaks through his tail. He isnt on the botom or the top, just floating in the middle not swimming anywhere. I had the water tested where I bought the fish yesterday and the guy said the ammonia was at .25, maybe .5, but not to worry about that. I normally do partial water changes once a week but because he was sick I did a 10% partial water change yesterday and one the day before that and he advised against another water change. He also said that my ph was very blue so to use ph down then if fish not better use ammo-lock. I had already used my ph test kit at home before his test and my ph test was indicating 7 so I added a tiny bit of ph up. Is it safe to now use ph down the day after using ph up? And also should I do another water change or is it just going to upset my fish even more?

 

[jlk]

Welcome to AA!!! We need some more info in order to be able to help. Tank size? Type of goldfish? How long has the tank been running with fish? Do you have other fish in addition to the goldfish? What is your normal water change schedule (%/#wk)?

You mention your store testing your water. Most use strips which are very inaccurate. Please invest in a good liquid test kit such as the API fw master test kit. Its vital that you know all of your parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & ph). The symptoms your fish is displaying indicates the tank is very unhealthy and I suspect there are actually very high levels of ammonia and/or nitrite in an uncycled and/or inappropriate tank.

Until you have a good test kit, change 50% of his water with temperature matched, properly conditioned water right now. In a few hours, repeat the process. A good water conditioner such as Prime or Amquel Plus will be a big help as well. Do NOT add anymore ph chemicals- you are likely creating more problems and unless your ph is in an extreme range, its of no concern right now. Continue to do wcs atleast 1-2x daily until you are able to accurately test your water. Please post your results as well as we can further advise. Please ask any questions you may have!!

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice