To quarantine or not

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NewbieShrimp

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Oct 20, 2018
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I am treating a Black Moor Goldfish for fungus. He has a few spots on his tail and now a new one appeared on his dorsal fin. The first treatment helped, but didn’t cure it. Before I start a second treatment I added a new sponge filter. I hoped I could get it in the tank to colonize bacteria for a quarantine bucket.

My goal is to not use more medicine packets than necessary. Trying not to be wasteful since it is expensive. Not trying to stress the fish out.

Should I lower my 20 gallon aquarium to 10 gallons during treatment? Doing so I think would kill my beneficial bacteria in my HOB filter. Could they be preserved by just placing the sponge and the bio rings in the aquarium itself?

Am I safer to just move the fish to a 5 gallon bucket for the treatment? The filter sponge is only two days old, but at least there would be a filter.

Any thoughts on the right way to treat the fish?
1) treat the 20 gallon (most expensive, least stressful)
2) lower the aquarium to 10 gallons and treat (move filter media from HOB and place inside aquarium)
3) 5 gallon bucket with new sponge filter (treating 3 goldfish for 5-7 days)
 

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A few thoughts.

You could have contaminated filter media now and keeping it will not benefit you in the future.

A more vigilant water care routine and testing may assist in keeping it away.

Lowering the water is a great way to avoid spend 2x the med cost. You will need to use an extension tube for the HOB or buy a piece of tubing to extend it into the water. Probably can get it at a hardware or fish store, cut to fit silicone type tubing is available at hardware stores independent ones, and usually big box.

Some meds don't wreck the BB.

I would use a extension tube and use meds if necessary. Often getting fresh perfect parameter water with daily to every other day pwc can really help fins.

So first thing is to make sure you have perfect water for recovery, keep up with very frequent pwc. How many fish are there, could be and issue with too much bioload.

Keep feedings lighter - say more frequent and less food per time so less gets wasted.

Another key issue is pH. What is your pH? And what is the temp?
 
Hello New...

Other than a treatment for the tap water, chemicals should never be put into the tank. The best means of treating an infection or parasite, is a teaspoon of standard aquarium salt in every 5 gallons of replacement water and lots of regular, large water changes. This is inexpensive and effective.

B
 
I have three goldfish. My ph is naturally high, around 7. I plan on lowering it with some natural methods like almond leaves and Mopani wood that I bought. I have seen the fungus getting better after medication. I just ran the sponge filter and lowered the tank to 10 gallons for 72 hours. The sponge filter is brand new. I took out the hob filter media and put it in the aquarium during treatment.

I have since added aquarium salt a couple days after medication. I will keep up with water changes. Our water is well water, so there isn’t any chlorine. I do not add chemicals to my normal water changes.

I do think this happened from not being vigilant about regular water changes and letting it go too long when I got back from vacation. Will try to stay on it every two weeks even if I have to bucket brigade it. I need my husbands help with the hose vacuum attachment to connect it to the sink. Normally if I water change every three weeks my ammonia levels are still good.

Thanks for the tips. I will try to feed less food and increase my intervals between feeding. These fish are supposed to go outside when I get my pond up and running, hopefully by Xmas.
 
I'm also on well water and there is chlorine and chloramines in it. Are you sure there isn't in yours..... have you got a water report? Dechlorinator like seachem prime also detoxifies heavy metals that could definitely be in well water. It also detoxifies ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

If your pH is 7 then it's neutral not high. Goldfish, ideally, are kept at a pH of 7.2 to 7.6. Although, fish generally adapt to higher or lower pH than what is ideal for it's particular environment.
 
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