Golden Barb with red mouth????

M

MomBitBit

Small Fish
#1
Apr 24, 2013
27
0
0
#1
Ok, in my 10G, of my fish, I have two golden barbs. One is healthy looking, normal acting...a lovely fish. The other has a red mouth, and doesn't act "normal" I'm thinking it might be sick...hoping it won't pass this sickness to my other fish, I have placed him in the only empty tank I have which is an unheated 1.5 gallon for now, but I know he will die anyway without proper heat....what could it be? I attempted to get a photo, but he was moving some...

Here he is with his red mouth...
goldsick.jpg

Here is the "normal" one...
goldwell.jpg

Can anyone help??? What do I do???
 

M

MomBitBit

Small Fish
#3
Apr 24, 2013
27
0
0
#3
Mawade1984 said:
Could be that he has damaged his mouth somehow and it's just raw, could be the start of a fungus, could be quite a few things
Click to expand...
So, how do I go about trying to treat something I have no clue what is? Is there something I can do? I'm not as worried about losing this single fish as much as I am the entire tank of other fish that were exposed.
 

Mawade1984

Mawade1984

Large Fish
#4
Mar 13, 2013
106
0
0
Georgia
#4
If its just damaged it should heal. Fungus, I treat with tetra fungus guard. I really like it and it covers all different types of fungus. But I'm no expert so I have no idea what it is. (But it does resemble what my school of tetras had which turned out to be cottonmouth)
 

M

MomBitBit

Small Fish
#11
Apr 24, 2013
27
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0
#11
Wait...that might have been my LPS reading...heck, I can't remember...all I know is my water is good. LOL! I try my best to keep up with all the stuff, but with little ones and all, I can only do so much
 

M

MomBitBit

Small Fish
#12
Apr 24, 2013
27
0
0
#12
To be perfectly honest, in all the years I've kept aquariums (my father too) the only thing we have ever worried about was that the ammonia level was not spiked. With frequent water changes and all, that's all I've ever worried about. So I'm pretty certain that was my reading, but I don't remember 100% in anything except for the fact that my ammonia level was 0
I don't understand the importance of anything else, as i have never lost a fish to anything but natural causes...old age, sickness, etc. Never to ammonia poisoning. But I welcome any education to help me understand, especially since I've only ever had 10 gallon tanks...and hope to one day go much larger.
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#14
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#14
MomBitBit said:
0 on both ammonia and nitrites....nitrates are currently at 18 ppm
Click to expand...
MomBitBit said:
It's been a while since I tested...
Click to expand...
You said the nitrates are CURRENTLY at 18ppm, but then its been 'a while' since you tested? And all in the same day? Or it was a pet store's reading? Makes no sense.

MomBitBit said:
The cheap one...I don't recall the brand now...why?
Click to expand...
I've not seen a kit give such accurate readings.

MomBitBit said:
I don't understand the importance of anything else, as i have never lost a fish to anything but natural causes...old age, sickness, etc.
Click to expand...
I don't think that 'sickness' could be called 'natural causes.' Nitrite and nitrate levels are important to monitor too, to keep the water healthy.

You said that you were not as concerned about losing the single fish (which you have since said has died), but worried more about it transmitting to the other fish? What other fish do you have in the 10 gallon tank? You also mentioned that this fish has been sick 'since the beginning' too. How long have you had the fish that has since passed away?
 

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M

MomBitBit

Small Fish
#15
Apr 24, 2013
27
0
0
#15
My "current" is within the month since I have tested, because I don't have a more "current reading" to give you. Sorry, my mind is a mess right now, because i have a lot going on. Anway, as of the last time, I tested, but I'm pretty sure that the 18 was what the LPS said, when I tested 6 weeks ago, but like I said, I don't pay much attention to any number other than ammonia. I just added two golden barbs to my 10 gallon this past tuesday. I don't have a "quarantine" tank so I just put them right in with my other fish (two glo tetras, and two serpae (spelling?!?) tetras and my pleco.) My one fish, which I had since moved into a 1.5 gallon tank I had stored away died last night, after starting to treat with Melafix
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#16
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#16
The best thing to do is to get yourself a liquid test kit - many people here like the API master kit. What you want is a kit that uses drops and vials - not strips - that will give you readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. These are the important indicators for water quality.
 

T

Thyra

Superstar Fish
#18
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#18
I just wanted to add to OC's reply - by rapidly I am sure she means within less than 24 hours. Once your tank is cycled and stable and you aren't adding new fish or having any other problems, you don't have to test as often. On a tank that is new or having problems or adding fish, I would test daily and change water accordingly.
 

M

MomBitBit

Small Fish
#19
Apr 24, 2013
27
0
0
#19
So, what you're saying is, that it doesn't matter that I have had the tank running for over 3 months with fish in it, all happy and fine...by just adding one new fish, I should be testing again?
Gotcha...
Didn't realize that...
Although, I will just re-state for the record, that this particular problem is not with my water. It is definitely something sickness related. My second golden barb has just today shown the same symptoms of red mouth and is dying as well, but all the other fish in the tank seem ok. I took him out, moved him to the 1.5 gallon and vacuumed the big tank, removing a little over 50% of the water, added fresh and more meds...PRAYING the other fish don't get sick...
Will buy a test kit tomorrow while I'm in town...

Thanks all
 

Mawade1984

Mawade1984

Large Fish
#20
Mar 13, 2013
106
0
0
Georgia
#20
That's how all of mine started with cottonmouth... The one that had it died and I thought I was ok, then everyone else started showing signs of it. Go get tetra fungus guard and treat the whole tank!
 

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