Do my fish have fungus?

[slavic]

Hi,

I noticed one of my fantails started having some small black dots on his nose. The same, but more pronounced with one of the pearlscales. I'd appreciate it if you could identify if that is indeed fungus or something else or maybe I'm just being a little paranoid (hope so).

Thanks!

 

[jlk]

Hi! Welcome to AA!!! Can you tell us some more about your setup please? Tank size? Stocking? Water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph)? Water change schedule (%/#wk)? Any unusual symptoms beyond the spots such as flashing, erratic swimming, heavy/rapid breathing, yawning, discolored/red gills, etc? Thanks!

 

[slavic]

Hi! Welcome to AA!!! Can you tell us some more about your setup please? Tank size? Stocking? Water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph)? Water change schedule (%/#wk)? Any unusual symptoms beyond the spots such as flashing, erratic swimming, heavy/rapid breathing, yawning, discolored/red gills, etc? Thanks!

Tank is 120 liters (only 100 liters full as of now). I have 7 fish total: 1 striped raphael (13cm long - biggest fish in tank), 2 demekins, 2 fantails and 2 pearlscale fatties. I added the fish in fresh tap water (I know - my bad - was pretty new to this when I bought the tank 7 days ago). Fish are looking healthy as far as I can tell - moving around a lot; the demekins even suck my fingers at times if I put my hand in there. Except for the raphael who is extremely quiet and doens't seem to be eating much. No othery symptoms that I can tell like flashing or heavy breathing. One of the fantails sometimes swims to the surface and takes a bunch of breathes of air and then swims back.

Water parameters (maesured with unreliable stripes but many times):
amonia: unknown (no test yet)
nitrates: around 20
nitrites: 0
ph: 7.5

hope this helps.

 

[jlk]

Thanks! There are a few big concerns here before we can even consider a possible disease issue. You need to invest in a good liquid test kit such as API fw master test kit asap. If you only set this tank up 7 days ago and you have fish coming to the surface for air, you likely have very high ammonia levels especially with this many fish. The black spots may be the beginnings of ammonia burns but I am not ruling a possible disease issue yet- you need to address water quality issues before even considering any type of treatment. Water quality is a major concern here especially in an uncycled tank.

Ok, here is the bad news. 100l is only 26g of water. If you fill this to the top (120l), its @30g. This is suitable for only 1-2 fancy goldfish with frequent water changes but will likely need to be upgraded as they grow. Six fancy goldfish need a minimum of a 75g tank with 750gph (gallons per hour) filtration. You will need to figure out if you want to keep a 1-2 fancies or upgrade to a much larger tank. The rahpeal honestly needs to be returned. They prefer to be in small groups, require tropical temps not suitable for goldfish and I believe need to be housed in tanks of 45+g (someone please verify if they need more than this!).

Right now until you can get a test kit and figure out your stocking situation, I would start doing 50% water changes 2x a day (one in the am, one in the pm). Make sure you temperature match and properly condition all new water. A good water conditioner such as Prime or Amquel Plus is strongly suggested to help limit toxins between water changes. Ill post some links below with more information- please do not hesitate to ask any questions!!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html

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

http://www.myaquariumclub.com/goldfish-101-11174823.html

 

[slavic]

Thanks! There are a few big concerns here before we can even consider a possible disease issue. You need to invest in a good liquid test kit such as API fw master test kit asap. If you only set this tank up 7 days ago and you have fish coming to the surface for air, you likely have very high ammonia levels especially with this many fish. The black spots may be the beginnings of ammonia burns but I am not ruling a possible disease issue yet- you need to address water quality issues before even considering any type of treatment. Water quality is a major concern here especially in an uncycled tank.

Ok, here is the bad news. 100l is only 26g of water. If you fill this to the top (120l), its @30g. This is suitable for only 1-2 fancy goldfish with frequent water changes but will likely need to be upgraded as they grow. Six fancy goldfish need a minimum of a 75g tank with 750gph (gallons per hour) filtration. You will need to figure out if you want to keep a 1-2 fancies or upgrade to a much larger tank. The rahpeal honestly needs to be returned. They prefer to be in small groups, require tropical temps not suitable for goldfish and I believe need to be housed in tanks of 45+g (someone please verify if they need more than this!).

Right now until you can get a test kit and figure out your stocking situation, I would start doing 50% water changes 2x a day (one in the am, one in the pm). Make sure you temperature match and properly condition all new water. A good water conditioner such as Prime or Amquel Plus is strongly suggested to help limit toxins between water changes. Ill post some links below with more information- please do not hesitate to ask any questions!!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html

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

http://www.myaquariumclub.com/goldfish-101-11174823.html

Thanks for the reply. It amazes me that such a big tank is only suitable for 2 goldfish which are so small

I already ordered an API master kit but it's going to take around 10 days for it to arrive. I'll do a water change now then to somehow address the possible amonia issue. Gues can't do worse with this. My water conditioner is from Tetra. It's called "AquaSafe".

You think temperature-wise if I keep it at a constant 24 degrees then that's not good enough for the raphael?

 

[slavic]

I bought a 200 liters tank today. What should I do with it: cycle it first and then add my fish or add them straightly since the water in the smaller one is not fully cycled anyway?

 

[jlk]

200l is a good improvement!! You will need to really stay on top of your water changes while the tank is cycling and then afterwards once the tank is cycled because your still pushing your stocking capacity (50-75%, 2-3x a week) with six goldies. While your tank is cycling, you should be doing water changes daily (or more often) to keep your guys healthy & happy. And, yes, move them right over to the new tank.

I am sorry, but the rapheal needs to be returned. He pushes your stocking capacity well into the heavily overstocked range and a goldfish tank is simply not appropriate housing for him. 24c is @75f- this is on the higher side for fancies but ok. The rapheal needs tropical temps (@80f) and this is simply not appropriate for goldfish on a permanent basis. Please ask if you have any questions!


Edit: Make SURE you temperature match the new tank water to the old tank water and properly condition it before moving your guys over

 

[jlk]

Did forget one thing! I want you to check your lfs or online for a product called PraziPro (made by Hikari) and order some to have on hand for future use once your tank is stable. Get a larger bottle (12-13oz) or couple of smaller bottles (4oz).

 

[slavic]

There they are. can't seem to get any nitrite reading ever. probably not close to cycling yet..

 

[jondamon]

There they are. can't seem to get any nitrite reading ever. probably not close to cycling yet..

Unfortunately cycling with fish can take as long as 8 weeks for levels to become right.

Prime water conditioner by Seachem is a staple for most of us here.

In 200L you would only use 5ml of Prime to treat all the water. It also has the benefit of being used up to 5x the needed dose to temporarily reduce toxin levels of Ammonia Nitrite and Nitrate.


Jon