My goldfish has black streaks on its fins and now on its face

[Leopardprintpink]

I have one gold fish called Boombastic in a 12litre tank with a filter. Initially i had two, but the ammonia levels were very high, so i had to give Champagne to a friend

I took a sample of the water to an established pet store, where they told me the ammonia & nitrate levels were very high. Since then, i have done more water changes (twice a week) and a week later, took a sample for another test and was told the levels were perfect.

However boombastic has had a black streak on his lower fins, now he has one on his upper fins and ive noticed now he has one on his face. I had thought they were ammonia burns (due to things i read on-line) but the ammonia levels are good now... does it just take time to clear??

Another thing i read, was to vary the diet, so i don't just give pellets, sometimes he has bits of fruit n veg.

He is swimming around fine and seems to be having a good old time! i'm just worried about the black marks.

Please assist.

 

[dragonfisher33]

same here, but it's on my gold chinese algae eater. it has a black line on the back fin. i've wanted to know what it might be

 

[jlk]

Welcome to AA!! Ok, do you know what type of goldfish you have (single or double tail/fancy)? Unfortunately, 12l is barely 3g and this really is not sufficient for any fish except perhaps a single betta or some shrimp/snails. Goldfish are very messy, produce a TON of ammonia and grow very large (12++ inches depending on type). They require large tanks and/or ponds. The black areas you are seeing are ammonia burns from extremely toxic water.

I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news here but your only feasible options are to return the fish to where you purchased them, rehome them appropriately or invest in a much larger tank. A decision in respect to this honestly needs to made asap as they will not survive in their present situation. I will post a few articles below with more information on goldfish and fish-in cycling- please take the time to read them and ask any questions!

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

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

 

[dragonfisher33]

@jlk, what about my situation? my 65 gal is fully cycled and has been running for over a year. my other fish do not have black line/streak on their back except the gold chinese algae eater. He was about 2inches when i bought him and had no streak. but now he's about 4inches with 2inch long streak on the back. Do you know what the cause of this might be?

 

[jlk]

@jlk, what about my situation? my 65 gal is fully cycled and has been running for over a year. my other fish do not have black line/streak on their back except the gold chinese algae eater. He was about 2inches when i bought him and had no streak. but now he's about 4inches with 2inch long streak on the back. Do you know what the cause of this might be?

Unfortunately, I have no personal experience with CAEs and do not know if this is normal coloring as they mature or not. Posting a new thread in Unhealthy fish section for specific CAE help or asking in Fw General Discussion for more info on coloring as they mature would be more helpful for your situation.

 

[Leopardprintpink]

Thanks for your reply!


I hate the thought that my lil fish is in pain its really frustrating that the petshops even sell that size tank & with goldfish.

Sorry what size tank did you say is appropriate for one goldfish? I may have to re-size...in the mean time shall i do water changes everyday??

 

[jlk]

I would look into a 25+g tank for him. If you can manage something larger, even better! It will make your life (and his) a lot easier and more comfortable. These guys grow big and grow big very quickly.

Unfortunately, stores do sell bowls and tiny tanks for these guys as most do not survive beyond few months in such inappropriate conditions (instead of 10-20+yrs). Its always a good idea to research any fish your interested in prior to purchase so you know what to expect and how to care for them.

For right now, I would do water changes 1-2x daily until you have a decent liquid test kit and can figure out your tank situation. He needs lots of healthy water and in such a small amount of water, it will become toxic very quickly. Please ask if you have questions!

 

[Leopardprintpink]

Hey jlk

Im hoping you can shed some light...

Whilst i was cleaning boombastics tank i noticed he seems to get super stressed and swims frantically around, then looks as if hes trying to hide in the front corner.

Then when the water levels are reduced he literally just sits at the bottom on the gravel and doesnt move.

Once the new water, ornaments & filter has been added, he is swimming all over the place & is back to normal...

Is this normal during fish tank cleaning?

Is there anything i can do to reduce the stress?

Some notes on my cleaning process:

1. Open lid & take the filter & ornaments out.
2. Move the gravel around to let the dirt etc come up. (This is where he goes nutz)
3. Use a gravel vacuum to suction the water (i am still not very good at this technique...so this still takes some time and about 60-75% of the water comes out
4. Then i slowly pour in the new water from a bowl

 

[jlk]

It sounds like you may be doing a bit too much at once and making wcs way more work than they need to be. For your wcs, theres no need to take the filter or ornaments out- leave them be. Just turn the filter off until the wc is complete. I usually wait 10-15mins after a wc before turning filters back on.

Next, theres no need to move the gravel around. Just simply use the gravel vac/siphon and stick it in the gravel section by section. The siphon should remove the dirt and debris from the gravel. Do half the tank during a wc and the other half with your next wc then repeat (one half with a wc then other half with next wc).

Are you able to hook your siphon up to a faucet? This would make refills a lot easier! If not, when you refill, do not pour water into the tank. Take whatever your using to refill and place it in/at the water level and allow the water to gently mix in with the tank water. Pouring water into a tank is quite stressful for a fish as is all the extra work your doing.

Keep things simple and wcs will be a lot less stressful for both you and your fish.