moldiegoldie
Aquarium Advice Newbie
I recently rescued 2 large comet goldfish (3-4 years old) from a very small tank, that wasnt maintained very well. anyways i brought them home about 3 months ago and in all truth i knew nothing about taking care of fish cycling a tank or anything along those line. i just assumed bigger tank = better life. well in hours and hours of research i have been doing i have learned a ton, but here is the problem, or problems.
i purchased a 36 gal bow front from my LFS set it up and the next day brought the fish home. couple days later noticed gasping at the top of the tank. sooo i look it up online and discover a whole bunch of information i knew nothing about. so i go out and get a API test kit, a giant bottle of prime, and start the daily water changes as to not hurt these guys anymore then i already have.
so finally i think i have the tank cycled, then a month or so goes by and i notice red steaks on the fins and tail, so again i look it up online. the best advice i seen was to do a salt treatment... so i bare bottom the tank and salt the tank according to GoldFish Emergency 911 - Salt Treatment for Goldfish. then my cycle collapses so i start daily water changes with prime again.
so once again i think everything is fine my test kits are reading everything as normal, and i am happily enjoying my fish. then i decide hmmm i dont like the barebottom i am going to sand the bottom of the tank ( it looked so pretty in videos i have seen) so out to the fish store i go get my black moon sand. and once again my cycle seems to collapse. so again daily prime water changes. this time it seems to bounce back quicker then any other time.
so once again i am enjoying my fish and i decide i am going to go out and get a snail to go with my fish... because i have giant fish i decide to the need a giant snail. so out i go to the LFS and get a giant apple snail. in goes the apple snail.
all is well for a couple days then i notice both the fish are losing scales, and what looks to be orangey-red patches under a couple scales, and some holes in one of the fishers tail. so again off to good ol google to figure out what is going on now, soo some recommend Melafix. off to the store i go to get that, and YET AGAIN cycle collapses after 3 days of treatment.
SOOOOO here is where i am after the past 2 Days. yesterday i did a massive water change 70-75% with triple dose of prime and the proper dose of melafix. i tested the water when i woke up this morning and the nitrIte and nitrAte lvls are thru the roof
NitrIte level - 1.00ppm
NitrAte level - 80 ppm
ammonia level - 0.25 ppm
i know where i rescued them from they never had water changes on a regular basis, they got food when someone remembered to feed them in general just poorly maintained. I am currently at my wits end now. i dont know what to do anymore. i am not willing to put them to sleep or anything like that so it isnt option, nor is anyone willing to take sick fish who knows how to better take care of them. and i have grown very attached to the fisher kings. i am willing to take any advice anyone is willing to give. i just want to give them a better life then the one they had and i just seem to be making it worse.
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).*
Goldfish – red spot/steaks
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
NitrIte level - 1.00ppm
NitrAte level - 80 ppm
ammonia level - 0.25 ppm
temp - 75*
ph - 7.8
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?*
36 gal bowfront, 3-4 months
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of*gph*if known.* Aqua tech 60 fluval u3
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?*
2 comet goldfish 6-7 inches 1 apple snail 3 inches
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?*
Yesterday – 70-75%
weekly - 50%
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?*
3-4 months
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
Apple snail
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?*
Rapashy solient green
i purchased a 36 gal bow front from my LFS set it up and the next day brought the fish home. couple days later noticed gasping at the top of the tank. sooo i look it up online and discover a whole bunch of information i knew nothing about. so i go out and get a API test kit, a giant bottle of prime, and start the daily water changes as to not hurt these guys anymore then i already have.
so finally i think i have the tank cycled, then a month or so goes by and i notice red steaks on the fins and tail, so again i look it up online. the best advice i seen was to do a salt treatment... so i bare bottom the tank and salt the tank according to GoldFish Emergency 911 - Salt Treatment for Goldfish. then my cycle collapses so i start daily water changes with prime again.
so once again i think everything is fine my test kits are reading everything as normal, and i am happily enjoying my fish. then i decide hmmm i dont like the barebottom i am going to sand the bottom of the tank ( it looked so pretty in videos i have seen) so out to the fish store i go get my black moon sand. and once again my cycle seems to collapse. so again daily prime water changes. this time it seems to bounce back quicker then any other time.
so once again i am enjoying my fish and i decide i am going to go out and get a snail to go with my fish... because i have giant fish i decide to the need a giant snail. so out i go to the LFS and get a giant apple snail. in goes the apple snail.
all is well for a couple days then i notice both the fish are losing scales, and what looks to be orangey-red patches under a couple scales, and some holes in one of the fishers tail. so again off to good ol google to figure out what is going on now, soo some recommend Melafix. off to the store i go to get that, and YET AGAIN cycle collapses after 3 days of treatment.
SOOOOO here is where i am after the past 2 Days. yesterday i did a massive water change 70-75% with triple dose of prime and the proper dose of melafix. i tested the water when i woke up this morning and the nitrIte and nitrAte lvls are thru the roof
NitrIte level - 1.00ppm
NitrAte level - 80 ppm
ammonia level - 0.25 ppm
i know where i rescued them from they never had water changes on a regular basis, they got food when someone remembered to feed them in general just poorly maintained. I am currently at my wits end now. i dont know what to do anymore. i am not willing to put them to sleep or anything like that so it isnt option, nor is anyone willing to take sick fish who knows how to better take care of them. and i have grown very attached to the fisher kings. i am willing to take any advice anyone is willing to give. i just want to give them a better life then the one they had and i just seem to be making it worse.
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).*
Goldfish – red spot/steaks
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
NitrIte level - 1.00ppm
NitrAte level - 80 ppm
ammonia level - 0.25 ppm
temp - 75*
ph - 7.8
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?*
36 gal bowfront, 3-4 months
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of*gph*if known.* Aqua tech 60 fluval u3
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?*
2 comet goldfish 6-7 inches 1 apple snail 3 inches
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?*
Yesterday – 70-75%
weekly - 50%
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?*
3-4 months
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
Apple snail
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?*
Rapashy solient green
