Is this normal behavior for a black moore goldfish?

[jlk]

Not unusual for moors to be very visually limited. Each fish is a bit different. My one moor will 'see' the slightest movement of anything from the other side of the tank & go in for the kill. Another moor I have has to be fed from my hand/food dropped directly in front of her face or she would never 'see' anything to eat. Work with his visual impairment to make sure he gets sufficient food at every meal & he should be fine!

 

[Jayjangle]

So I don't know what's up with my little fish. He left his cave and swam around a bit, and looked normal until (ironically) I focused on him and he started to swim more anxiously, often flashing toward the surface and returning to the bottom. He then just swims around a bit more, and at times sort of tilts. I don't know what's going on, but my better judgment says this isn't good.

He is now swimming on the side of the tank, tilted almost to his side. He looks like he's having difficulty working with the airstone in there and seems very tire. I'm not sure if it's wiser to wait and see if he is simply waking up from whatever was going on, or attempt to do something. I'm really exhausted with this, though, and I'm at a loss of any ideas I haven't tried. I did a 50% water change about two hours ago and added a couple more drops of medicine at the same time.

The Black Moore is being his normal lazy self, and my fancy is swimming around like usual, though he is seeming to struggle abit more to pass the filter current, which is strange.

 

[jlk]

Without a test kit, its difficult to say what is going on with your water. My best guess is something is amiss with the way everyone is acting strange. Antibiotic/antibacterial meds can affect your good bacteria as well. I would honestly do another big water change because you probably have spikes of ammonia and/or nitrite.

 

[Jayjangle]

I will go to petco tomorrow and get my water tested. What should I put it in? I'll sample both tanks and not change them until i get the results.

 

[jlk]

Plastic ziploc/sandwich bags should work fine to bring samples of your water. Just take the samples before any water changes & ask specifically what your numbers are in ppm (parts per million). I know petco/smart use strips but it will atleast give you ballpark numbers- dont let them just tell you its 'ok' or its 'fine' or its 'safe'- get specific numbers & write them down & let us know how things read.

 

[WaterUnderTheBridge]

jlk: Thanks for your reassurance about the light cycle. I was worried about the little guy at night at times, to be honest.

I also have fed microwaved, shelled & sliced green peas when our moor swam a bit tilted (read about swim bladder and gas--again, on this board!) and worked like a charm.
The API Master Test Kit really opened my eyes, and I've tracked my numbers over time also. Sure shows what I missed when I just got a "your water tests fine" ruling from the lfs.

 

[Jayjangle]

Hey, an update.

Strangely my fish seemed to have recuperated a bit. The large fancy is back to his normal swimming habits and the other two are hanging in there. The baby goldie I mentioned is actually seeming to get slowly familiar with things and has been swimming around more, and the Moore isn't acting much different but his tail is starting to look better. The white tips are starting to go away.

I've been boiling water with some of the medicine in it for 30 minutes, letting it cool, cycling it with an airstone, and changing out water with that since I just ran out of de-chlorinator. It's seeming to work out. I'm thinking that, at this point, the filter cartridge might be bad? I changed it last month, but when I began leaving the filter off and just doing water changes, the other two fish started acting more lively..

 

[Jayjangle]

So (grrrrr) there was a database error and my last, well-written post did not go through. Internet

Anyway, I finally bought an Amonia test kit, more conditioner, and a new (better) filter cartridge, and I tested the water a couple of hours ago in both tanks. I will try to get a nitrate kit this weekend.

The readings:

Tank 1 (one fancy fantail goldfish): Ammonia is 0.25 (vial water turned yellow-green)
Tank 2 (one small black moor and one baby oranda): Ammonia is between 0.5 and 1 (vial water turned a more green shade of the same color)

So, now what should I do to correct the levels? I did a 50% water change (last one was 40% a day and a half ago) about thirty minutes after the testing in Tank 2, and I will do the same for the other after a nap, unless you guys suggest otherwise.

Thanks

 

[jlk]

Not sure where you are at with water changes, but I would do atleast 50% on tank 1 (drop amm down to .125) and atleast two 50%+ water changes on tank 2 to get those levels below .25ppm. The ammonia is pretty high in this tank. Good job getting an ammonia test kit! Nitrate test kit is not quite as important as a nitrite test kit in your situation- nitrates are being removed regularly with water changes & i dont they are high at all. Nitrites, however, are toxic & really need to be watched. Keep up the good work!

 

[Lotsofbabies]

it's getting better! Good job!

 

[Jayjangle]

Well, last week seems to be paying off (knock on wood). I managed to get the ammonia from tank 2 down to .25, and I probably won't do another change until tomorrow. The ammonia in tank 1 is the same, but the water is clearer and the fancy seems to be a but more comfortable. Instead of pacing along the glass, he is picking around at the gravel more and basically doing other things. He also was doing the 'feed me!' thing where he swims up and down when he first notices me sitting down, which was a relief...haven't seen him do that since before I moved back here.

Still, I'm a little more relieved that I'm seeing the baby oranda in tank 2 actually swimming around and picking at the plastic plants, instead of just sitting on the bottom. The water in that tank is a bit cloudy still, though...not sure what do do about that, since I already did two 40% changes on it today.

 

[jlk]

Glad to hear they are feeling better & you got the ammonia under control!

 

[WaterUnderTheBridge]

All good news! I know that "feed me" dance very well!

jlk, thanks for the note on nitrates vs nitrites. It's sometimes hard to know what the priority problem readings really are.

 

[Jayjangle]

Yeah, thanks for the explanation. I made the decision on the Ammonia test kit because it is the thing that most people seem to concern about regarding goldfish, and no one ever told me nitrates/nitrites were priority for a goldfish when it seems anxious. I even went to the LFS of the town I recently lived in, and the owner said that they easily measure ammonia with the most priority as far as their goldfish went.

My mom was sort of criticizing my daily water changes and testing, as she claimed she was able to keep her goldfish alive with one change a week in bowls...then again, she said they never lived past 6 months (she disbelieved my claim they can live for a few years with good care). To me, Goldfish are more pet-like than many other sorts of fish, so I want to keep them alive and have them get big

 

[jlk]

Try this- fancies (with proper care) can actually 10-20years! Pond goldies can easily live 20yrs or longer, koi 200yrs. I agree they are very pet-like! Fancies have puppy dog personalties & are quite comical creatures. Its hard not to love them! Keep up the good work!

 

[Jayjangle]

Oh, tell me about it, Jik I love my Fancy but jeez sometimes he never lets me go to sleep. I'm trying to drift off and I hear his gravel being moved all night sometimes. I have to feed him- again- just to keep him quiet. He appears too smart for the towel thing, as he digs around even more!

I really want to- when I have everything I need and a few extra bucks- buy one of those goldfish training feeding rods. I've seen some pretty cool goldfish tricks! I love my dogs and I have raised them all my life...they have cool tricks, but you can go to anyone's house and see a dog sit and fetch. How many goldfish have you seen play fetch, however?

I do aspire for fancy and exotic aquariums someday, but there will always be a place- wherever I live- for a goldfish tank