Goldfish flashing and fins clamped

[sciencegirl]

I have a school aquarium that is on the verge of being overcrowded, but while I search for another aquarium, water parameters are being kept in check with frequent vacuming and small water changes (about 3 times a week). One of the large fish had a bacterial infection (columnaris?) which I treated successfully at home in a small hospital tank. He's been back with his buddies for a week or so, and now he has been flashing (rubbing against the gravel) and his dorsal fin is down. What it is likely to be? The other fish seem ok (one has one cloudy eye). I've been adding Melafix to the tank for a couple of days now to keep things healthy.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Menagerie]

The other fish seem ok (one has one cloudy eye).

There's something in this tank! Not all fish will be affected (just like humans--we don't all get the flu every year). Melafix is a nice, mellow med, but it sounds like there is a bacterial disease in the tank, or a parasite.
Look through these sites:
http://www.aquatronicsonline.com/hobbyist/hobbyist3.htm
http://www.aqualink.com/disease/sdisease.html#ich
http://fish.mongabay.com/diseases.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/AqBizSubWebIndex/fishdisho.htm

 

[sciencegirl]

I will check out those links - is there a general tank treatment that would take care of most things? I've heard good things about copper...

 

[sciencegirl]

Why won't anyone else answer? Have I become boring already?
I really do need advice here - I don't have alot of experience with fish and I don't want the goldfish to die.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Flashing is definitley a symptom of a parasite. Something is on the scales of the fish that it is trying to get off. This could be early signs of ich that hasn't popped up with the usual "white spots" yet.

The other fish seem ok (one has one cloudy eye). I've been adding Melafix to the tank for a couple of days now to keep things healthy.

Melafix is a fungal medicine. If you had columnaris (body fungus) then I would treat with the Melafix. If not though, you are wasting your time adding it to your tank. It will do nothing for parasites (or bacterial infections, IME).

My advice : Get yourself from Parsite meds. (there are a whole bunch, but you can pick up Jungle's Parasite Clear Tablets at any retail store, even WalMart) Also, get some salt and stress coat. All of this could help.

Have you taken out the activated carbon in your filter? If not, it's sucking up your medicines like a sponge.

 

[SteveM]

Melafix is a fungal medicine. If you had columnaris (body fungus) then I would treat with the Melafix. If not though, you are wasting your time adding it to your tank. It will do nothing for parasites (or bacterial infections, IME).

Reading the label on my bottle of MelaFix:

"All Natural MelaFix - Antibacterial Remedy for Fresh and Saltwater Aquarium Fish"

I'm sure the more serious antibiotics are more agressive, but I don't think the Melafix is a waste of time.

 

[NJFishman]

1 of 3 things I believe, gill flukes, anchor worm or lice. What you can do is this: Buy Aquarium Products "Life Bearer", Mardel's "CopperSafe", Jungle Labs "Parasite Clear", and lastly a formaldahyde bath (Aquarium Products "Quick Cure", said to treat ich, but can kill almost anything.) All those will work by themselves. My personal reccommendation Life Bearer or CopperSafe. Melafix will not work in killing parasites, at least to my knowledge

 

[Devilishturtles]

Melafix is a fungal medicine. If you had columnaris (body fungus) then I would treat with the Melafix. If not though, you are wasting your time adding it to your tank. It will do nothing for parasites (or bacterial infections, IME).

Reading the label on my bottle of MelaFix:

"All Natural MelaFix - Antibacterial Remedy for Fresh and Saltwater Aquarium Fish"

I'm sure the more serious antibiotics are more agressive, but I don't think the Melafix is a waste of time.

You misread what I said. If there is a parasitic problem, melafix will do nothing to help rid the parasites. So, in essence, what is the sense in adding a med that is not needed? Better to add an parasitic med to the tank that will actually work. Only thing I would use melafix for, is fungal and bacterial infections, although I have had issues treating bacterial infections with it before.