sick panda goldfish

[Pesca]

I have had a 40g tank running since Mar 20th. I did a fishless cycle using pure ammonia. I waited until the bacteria could convert the ammonia from 3ppm to 0ppm in one day. I then waited another week just to make sure everything was good for a fish. My ammonia was still dropping to 0ppm in one day so I decided to buy a black moor. I had that fish since the 19th and have been checking the water constantly. Everything was just fine until the 29th when my ammonia was 0.25 and my nitrites were at 0.25! I dumped in a bottle of TSS in the tank in hopes of pushing it along.

I did another water test on June 1st to see how the TSS was working. My ammonia and nitrites are sitting somewhere between 0 and 0.25. My nitrates were at 40ppm. I put water inside of a bucket with a little prime and waited 24 hours before adding it to the tank so I could dilute the nitrates a little bit.

To make things worse the two panda goldfish that my parents ordered a month ago came in the mail. I opened the box and the company actually put three fish inside instead of two! Although the gesture was nice, I think now I am overstocked, or on the verge of being.

The company that shipped the fish did not put any packing peanuts inside of the box, so the fish were rolling around the entire time. When I opened the box one of the fish had rolled on top of another and the water from the bag was on one side with the fish on the other. There was barely enough water to keep the fish alive.

Once I got the fish in the tank they did perk up quite a bit. That is when I noticed that pescado had a ripped dorsal fin and a ripped tail fin. pescado has had his fins clamped since I got him. The other fish have all perked up and are doing great.

Day 6 of TSS (June 5th) I am getting really worried about the levels.

pH 8.2
Ammonia 0.50
Nitrite 2.0
Nitrate 80!

Decided to ditch the TSS and did two 50% water changes waiting an hour between. Dosed with Prime each time.

I thought Pesca was dead but then Oso nudged him and he started to float around the tank again. He isn't using any of his fins to swim he just moves his body back and forth. It is really sad because he usually swims behind Oso and follows him around the tank. Now he just kind of wiggles after Oso.

Is there anything I can do for pescado? I don't want to lose him

So a few tank stats to help with answers...

Tank: 40g long

Stock: 3 panda butterflies 1 black moor.

Filters: x1 Tetra whisper ex70, x1 eheim classic 250 external canister filter 2213. I also just ordered another canister filter to help with the over stocking. This one is a Aquatop CH400 with UV 9w

Test kit: Api liquid

pH: 8.0 (it is usually 8.2 not sure why it dropped)

Ammonia: 0.25

Nitrites: 1.0

Nitrates: 40

Food: home made gel food...

1 cup blanched kale
1 cup blanched collard greens
1 cup blanched turnip greens
1 cup blanched broccoli
1 can sardines (in water)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 500mg vitamin C
2 500mg calcium carbonate
1 tablet acidophiles
1 multivitamin tablet (no iron added)
7 tbsp unflavored gelatin
​

I am so frustrated over this. I did the whole fishless cycle so that the fish wouldn't have to experience this!

The first image is of pescado the second is of oso and pescado. (oso has the large white patch)

 

[jlk]

Hi! Welcome to AA!! Thank you for providing such great info! I am truly sorry your poor little guy and the others were shipped so poorly. I hope you contacted the place you purchased them from regarding this matter.

Ok, you added 3 messy goldies at one time and your bacteria were not able to handle such a huge jump in the bioload/ammonia production. So, basically your in a fish-in cycle right now until you have sufficient bacteria to handle your guys ammonia output. You will need to step up the water changes to drop your nitrites to .25ppm or lower. Don't be afraid to do more or bigger changes. I'm on my cell right now, but I will post a breeders link to water changes for goldies tomorrow when I'm back on computer. Water changes are the best thing you can do right now for everybody.

Hopefully, your little guy can recover on his own with healthy water. There may be some other issues at hand beyond just horrific shipping circumstances
but let's start with getting your water healthy first & see how he does. If you notice any symptoms beyond clamped fins (flashing, spots, strange poop, rapid breathing, heavy slime coat, anything unusual at all!), let us know ASAP!! Your doing a good job so far & you have them on a great diet!!

Adding a low dose of salt may help some as well as help with nitrite toxicity. Aim for 1 tablespoon per 5 gal, premixed in container of tank water & added gradually over 24-48hr period. Only add back the salt you remove with water changes- ie, 50% wc, add back 1/2 original dose with new water. Don't hesitate to ask questions!!

 

[Pesca]

Thank you for answering! I will increase the water changes, and add some aquarium salt.

 

[jlk]

Keep us posted! Heres the breeders link to do doing water changes with goldies. Please ask if you have any questions!

http://goldfishkeepers.com/GoldfishTankWaterChange.php

 

[Pesca]

Just a quick update. I have been doing 50% water changes every day. Pesca seems to be doing a lot better! He is much more active and doesn't have his fins clamped all the time. I do occasionally see him clamp his dorsal fin, but I think that is because of where it is cut. It must make it difficult to hold it up.

 

[jlk]

That's great news! Keep up the good work!

 

[Pesca]

So far all of my other goldfish have gotten much bigger. Pesca hasn't grown a bit. Do you think that he isn't getting enough food? Usually I put a piece of gelfood on a suction cup and let them go at it until its gone. Today I did something different. I put pesca in a bowl with a small piece of gelfood and let him eat the entire thing. Then I put him back in the fishtank. Do you think that this will be better for pesca?

 

[jlk]

Rather than removing him at mealtime, can you possibly isolate him in the tank for meals? A tank divider or simply a piece of plastic/cookie sheet/something similar would work. That way he wouldnt be too stressed from being removed daily to eat. Seperating him from the others for meals sounds like a good idea ensure he is getting sufficient food. If the others are growing & he is not, then he is definitely not getting enough to eat.

 

[Pesca]

Today I used a tupperware dish. I place the dish in the tank and hold a piece of gel food over it. When he swims over and starts eating the food I move the dish up and he is inside. The way the dish is made, it floats around the tank. I honestly don't think he even notices that something happened. He is so busy trying to get the food. The other fish sure do notice though! They swim around and try to get in the dish too

 

[jlk]

As long as it works!

 

[Pesca]

I think that pesca has been doing much better lately

 

[RussellC]

So far all of my other goldfish have gotten much bigger. Pesca hasn't grown a bit. Do you think that he isn't getting enough food? Usually I put a piece of gelfood on a suction cup and let them go at it until its gone. Today I did something different. I put pesca in a bowl with a small piece of gelfood and let him eat the entire thing. Then I put him back in the fishtank. Do you think that this will be better for pesca?

I have a goldfish tank containing fish of varying swimming abilities -- everyone getting enough to eat can be a concern, but it is manageable.

What I do when I feed is always feed in the same part of the tank so that everyone knows where to go. If seeing me standing there isn't enough to attract everyone's attention (and it almost always is), I feed a small portion of the feeding first to attract everyone to the area, then dispense the rest of the feeding. With everyone in the area already, the slower swimmers have a better chance at competing for food since the distances are shorter.

I've never fed gelfood, but can you put smaller amounts on more than one suction cup? This might allow Pesca to have his/her own suction cup without having to remove the fish from the tank. Might be worth a try, no?

Good luck!

 

[jlk]

I am glad pesca is doing better!!

 

[Pesca]

I am so sorry I totally forgot to update this. Just in case anyone was wondering. Pesca got out of his little trouble phase and is doing great. He has even tried to spawn with my black moor lol. His colors have changed dramatically too. I think he came out to be a very handsome little fish.

 

[jpchin]

your goldfish are BEAUTIFUL! you worked through the crisis and your fish have greatly benefited from your care and compassion. great job!

 

[Pesca]

Thank you

 

[callisto9]

Gorgeous pics of your fish! Good on ya for taking such good care of them.

 

[jlk]

I am so happy to hear Pesca is doing better!!! Yes, a panda's color is not static and the color change is expected! Pretty soon, all of the black will be completely gone. I always find their color changes fascinating but I wish they wouldnt! Oh well!! Lots of smiles for you and your guys!