Goldfish with red streaks along pectorals...

[butler496]

I have a 10 gallon tank and have had 2 goldfish (one small and a larger one) in it for the past 2 1/2 yrs without any issues.

Two weeks ago I added two small fancies(black moor and a golden fantail) to the tank - for the past two days the golden has been chasing the large goldie and "nipping" at him - today I noticed that the goldie's pectorals are super red around the base. I took the golden fantail out of the tank to separate them until I figure out what's wrong.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
LB

 

[jlk]

Hi! Welcome to AA!! First, do you have a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & ph? What do these read? What kind of water change schedule do you follow (%/#wk)?

Ok, unfortunately, a 10g is impossibly small for four fancies and you likely have very high toxin levels right now. High toxin levels will increase aggression and greatly impact health issues. However, the primary aggression issue is simply too small of a tank with too many fish. These guys honestly need atleast a 55g tank. The solution is to either upgrade or return the fish.

I the meantime, I would suggest 50% water changes atleast 1x a day. If your ammonia and/or nitrite is .25ppm or higher, it may need to be more frequently. Please ask if you have any questions!

 

[butler496]

I tested yesterday for Ph and ammonia...

and ammonia was in the zero range (I have the API Ammonia/NH3/NH4 and API Ph Test - both liquid tests) and Ph was very dark blue (off the chart). I have adjusted the Ph to where it's at 7.6.

Aside from getting a bigger tank (20g?) should I reintroduce the golden fantail to the tank? Or keep him isolated?

Thanks for your help

 

[jlk]

How did you 'adjust' your ph? If your ph reads blue with the regular ph test, you need to test with the high range ph test. Unless its something extreme (9 or higher), do not play with it. Adding chemicals is a drastic and temporary fix and will result in sick fish. The only safe way to reduce ph is to cut your tap with RO. Goldfish do better in high ph, hard water anyway so no worries about ph!

Are you using both bottles for the ammonia test? Do you have nitrite and nitrate tests? If not, you need to invest in them. Amazon sells the indivdual tests for $6-10 each but you can buy a master test kit with all of the tests for under $20.

I would start checking Craigslist/classifieds/garage sales for a used tank for them. 20g is not going to cut it, even short term. Your honestly looking at a 55g minimum with 550+gph filtration. A 55g typically runs 25 cents to (at most) a $1 per gallon used. If this is not an option, you may want to consider returning the new fish. Heres some more info on goldfish and their care- please do not hesitate to ask questions!

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