What is wrong with my fantail

[Ruth]

over the past few days one of my fantail fish has been not himself, this morning he was hanging at the top of the water he just doesn't seem very active I did a water change last wednesday, tested the water today the readings were
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ph 7.4
Ammonia .25
Since the ammonia was slightly high I put bit more Prime into the water (2ml) as this usually brings it back to normal. I am wounding if it's a bacterial or aything else?

 

[blert]

Since you have ammonia but no nitrate I would say that your tank is not cycled. What size tank is it? Frequent water changes (maybe daily depending on tank size) will help keep the little guy health while your tank cycles.

 

[librarygirl]

Prime isn't really a cure for ammonia. It temporarily detoxifies it, but after it wears off the ammonia becomes toxic again for the fish. You need to increase your water changes. What size tank is the fish in?

These links should help:

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html

 

[Ruth]

I have 35l tank with one other fantail in the tank. I also have 2 filters running a marina slim 15 and an internal filter that goes in the water.

 

[blert]

Sorry to say, you are going to have continual trouble with your tank. 35 liters (~7.5 gallons) is WAY to small for even one Fancy Goldfish. You need to be looking at a ~114 liter (30 gallon) tank for two Fancy Goldfish. They may be small now but they grow very fast and they produce A LOT of waste. Your tank simply does not have the capability to house two Fancy Goldfish.

 

[Ruth]

Unfortunately I don't have the room for a bigger tank. IMO I don't think it's the size if the tank but trying to keep the water in good condition.
This morning all my tests are normal and fish has swimbladder again!! Should I start the swimbladder treatment or not?(not a fan of medication)
I am really don't know what to do as I have tried SB medicine before. I don't like to see my fish at bottom.
Yesterday I added some aquarium salt, hoping they would pick up.

 

[emerald76]

The size of the tank is important
What about rehoming them and doing a nice nano stock? Your goldfish(Which can live to 10 years) will be stunted and most likely die soon, at about 2-3 years instead of a long, happy life

 

[blert]

Unfortunately I don't have the room for a bigger tank. IMO I don't think it's the size if the tank but trying to keep the water in good condition.
This morning all my tests are normal and fish has swimbladder again!! Should I start the swimbladder treatment or not?(not a fan of medication)
I am really don't know what to do as I have tried SB medicine before. I don't like to see my fish at bottom.
Yesterday I added some aquarium salt, hoping they would pick up.

That's the thing though... There is no way to keep the water in good condition. Goldfish produce a relatively huge amount of waste compared to their body size. In addition, Fancy Goldfish can grow to about the size of a grapefruit. There is more to water quality than just zero ammonia and nitrite. The best thing to do, if you can't get a larger tank, would be to rehome them and look into some nice nano fish. If you want to keep them in the tank they are in then you can try daily fresh water changes of at least 50%. It's not a permanent solution as they will quickly grow too large for the tank (and possibly become stunted) but it may help for the time being. Sadly, you will be fighting an uphill battle that you will not win.