Thanks in advance to any help or suggestions. I've been trying to help my fish for over a week now and seem to be given different advice and water additives from each person I speak with at the local aquarium stores.
In brief, our 1 1/2 year old Oranda was I believe overfed by our housesitter the week before last while we were away. We returned on Friday night the 7th and I found his water discolored and cloudy. I did a 25% water change and filter cartridge change on Saturday and did what I could to vac the gravel. He seemed a bit listless but was eating. By Monday the 10th he was mostly just sitting on the bottom of the tank. He did eat a little Monday evening which is the last time he ate.
I took a water sample to the local Petco for testing on Tuesday and they told me I had high ammonia and nitrates and suggested another water change to include Amquel Plus. I had already prepared water 24 hours previously so I added the Amquel Plus and did another 25% change that evening. I read on-line that the BiOrb filtration is inadequate for fancy goldfish like Orandas, so I added a Tetra Whisper In-tank 40i to help bolster the filtration. I further read that the 8 gallon tank is too small so my hope is to nurse him back to health and move him to a new 20 gallon tank.
By Thursday afternoon his condition seemed to have worsened, so I took another water sample to a nearby Aquarium shop. They tested the water and still found very high ammonia and nitrates. They suggested adding 1/2 a packet of BioSpira to help rebuild the beneficial bacteria which I added. They suggested waiting a few days before another water change to try to let the tank settle down. I have the other half of treatment in the refrigrator but have yet to add it.
On Saturday his belly seemed a bit bloated with some scales protruding as described with Dropsy. As of right now (Monday afternoon) his scales seem less protruding and more normal, but perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part.
In an effort to try to gradually improve the water quality, I've been doing 1/2 gallon water changes every 3 to 4 hours the past several days. I have not tried to vac the gravel for fear of making things worse.
As of now he is just sitting a the bottom of the tank. Every now and then he swims just a bit and then settles back down in another location on the bottom. His eyes seem clear and I don't see any other wounds or spots. He has shown no interest in coming to the surface for food. I put several pellets in yesterday and removed them after they floated on the surface for awhile.
I'm hoping this community can help me determine if I should continue to wait and see or if the time has come to put him out of his misery. If there's little chance of him improving I don't want to prolong his suffering.
Here are my responses to the forum questions:
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
Oranda - Near complete inactivity, no appetite, some protruding scales on belly
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
Unknown - I can purchase a test kit and reply if the situation isn't too far gone already
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
BiOrb 8 Gallon Approximately 1.5 years
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
Built in BioOrb cartridge filter with airstone. Recently added Tetra Whisper In-tank 40i Filter 170/GPH
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
Just the Oranda - About 6 inches from nose to tail fins
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
Small .5 changes routinely at the moment. Last 25% change on Thursday. Up until this problem a change of 2.5 to 3 gallons every other week
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
1.5 years
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
Just the In-tank filter. No other changes for several months
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
Hikari Oranda Gold pellets soaked in water
In brief, our 1 1/2 year old Oranda was I believe overfed by our housesitter the week before last while we were away. We returned on Friday night the 7th and I found his water discolored and cloudy. I did a 25% water change and filter cartridge change on Saturday and did what I could to vac the gravel. He seemed a bit listless but was eating. By Monday the 10th he was mostly just sitting on the bottom of the tank. He did eat a little Monday evening which is the last time he ate.
I took a water sample to the local Petco for testing on Tuesday and they told me I had high ammonia and nitrates and suggested another water change to include Amquel Plus. I had already prepared water 24 hours previously so I added the Amquel Plus and did another 25% change that evening. I read on-line that the BiOrb filtration is inadequate for fancy goldfish like Orandas, so I added a Tetra Whisper In-tank 40i to help bolster the filtration. I further read that the 8 gallon tank is too small so my hope is to nurse him back to health and move him to a new 20 gallon tank.
By Thursday afternoon his condition seemed to have worsened, so I took another water sample to a nearby Aquarium shop. They tested the water and still found very high ammonia and nitrates. They suggested adding 1/2 a packet of BioSpira to help rebuild the beneficial bacteria which I added. They suggested waiting a few days before another water change to try to let the tank settle down. I have the other half of treatment in the refrigrator but have yet to add it.
On Saturday his belly seemed a bit bloated with some scales protruding as described with Dropsy. As of right now (Monday afternoon) his scales seem less protruding and more normal, but perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part.
In an effort to try to gradually improve the water quality, I've been doing 1/2 gallon water changes every 3 to 4 hours the past several days. I have not tried to vac the gravel for fear of making things worse.
As of now he is just sitting a the bottom of the tank. Every now and then he swims just a bit and then settles back down in another location on the bottom. His eyes seem clear and I don't see any other wounds or spots. He has shown no interest in coming to the surface for food. I put several pellets in yesterday and removed them after they floated on the surface for awhile.
I'm hoping this community can help me determine if I should continue to wait and see or if the time has come to put him out of his misery. If there's little chance of him improving I don't want to prolong his suffering.
Here are my responses to the forum questions:
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
Oranda - Near complete inactivity, no appetite, some protruding scales on belly
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
Unknown - I can purchase a test kit and reply if the situation isn't too far gone already
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
BiOrb 8 Gallon Approximately 1.5 years
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
Built in BioOrb cartridge filter with airstone. Recently added Tetra Whisper In-tank 40i Filter 170/GPH
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
Just the Oranda - About 6 inches from nose to tail fins
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
Small .5 changes routinely at the moment. Last 25% change on Thursday. Up until this problem a change of 2.5 to 3 gallons every other week
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
1.5 years
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
Just the In-tank filter. No other changes for several months
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
Hikari Oranda Gold pellets soaked in water