moving sick goldfish to a bigger tank?

[goldfishhelp]

My two goldfish have been in a tank, which I now know is too small (3 gal), for about a year. They are sick now (stress/bacterical infection suspected) should I move them to a bigger tank now or wait until they have recovered? Please help!
1~What type of fish is afflicted? Two goldfish, red streaks started 4 days ago, now one has bad fin rot, lost almost all of its fins but can still swim and eat. Both seem sad and lethargic. Melafix for 3 days.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? I dont know, Petco said the water was good.
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up? 3 gal, 1 yr.
4~What type of filtration are you using? I don't know
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes? 2 Goldfish about 3 in with tail.
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? Changed out about half the water 3 days ago.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them? 1 year
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.? No, they were recently moved though, tank and all.
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently? Tetrafin goldfish flakes, no changes.

 

[shellieca]

You can try moving them to a bigger tank but if it's a new tank you'll,have to go through a fish IN cycle but its better than the 3g. I don't have Goldie's but I know that one needs at least a 20g with an additional 10g for each additional goldfish. In a tank as small as you have more frequent water changes are needed to keep them healthy. They produce a lot of waste so waiting 3 days or more for a water change probably isn't a good idea.

 

[jlk]

Hi! Welcome to AA!!! You have a very serious situation here. Do you know what type of goldies they are? This will help with a tank size suggestion but they need a bigger tank (30+g) immediately. Move them asap- do not wait. You NEED to invest in a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & ph- the API fw master test kit is recommended. You can find it for about $10-15 cheaper on amazon than petco. Also make sure you have a good water conditioner such as Prime.

The symptoms you are seeing are due to poor water quality- it is impossible to keep any goldfish let alone multiple goldfish in a 3g without them suffering from serious health affects. Providing them with LOTS of healthy water may be enough to heal them but they likely will need some type of further medication such as kanamycin sulfate. Melafix is not a medication and will likely make things worse. The Goldfish Connection sells a kanamycin medicated food called Medi-Gold. I strongly suggest going to their site store & purchasing some for treatment in addition to LOTS of healthy water & tank upgrade. They are likely stunted at this point as well- this is not curable but by providing the best possible environment for them right now, you can hopefully mitigate some of the consequences. Until you can upgrade their tank (which should have been done yesterday), change their water frequently with temperature matched, properly conditioned water (as in atleast 2x a day).

I posted this link/information elsewhere, but it covers the basics for goldfish care, water changes in healthy suitable tank and dietary concerns (which you need to address as well). I realize this may be alot of information at once but we will help you to get you on track to a healthy tank. Do you know what the nitrogen cycle is? Ill post some information about fish-in cycling as well because it will be necessary with a new tank. Please ask any & all qustions you may have!

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

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

Goldfish Connection: Goldfish Care, Goldfish, Goldfish Health, Goldfish Disease, Goldfish Pictures, Goldfish Ponds, Goldfish Types

 

[goldfishhelp]

Thank you for your advice. One of them looks like it will not make it, as its condition has worsened severly (maybe melafix mistake). I will follow your recommendations to the best of my ability and plan find a better home for them if they pull through... just curious, can the water quality still be bad if the water tested ok?

 

[jlk]

Honestly, its impossible to have decent water quality with 2 goldfish in a 3g unless your changing 100% of their water multiple times a day. Petco uses strips which are inaccurate at best. They also will tell you that the water is 'safe' or 'fine' when its actually far from it. Strips say that an ammonia level of .50ppm (or something else ridiculous) is 'safe'- its not. Get yourself a liquid test kit for ammonnia, nitrite, nitrate & ph ASAP.