Help please!

[Shaun]

Hi, I'm a newbie.. I have a white fantail goldfish, a golden fantail and 3 guppies in a tank.

The white fantail started swimming slower, but she's eating regularly. She is turning silver, and I think shes got fin rot because her tail looks like something is eating it. Okay, so I went to the local pet shop. He said I must change all of the tank water and vacuum the gravel, once that's finished I must take a half teaspoon of salt and throw that in as well.

The other fish doesn't show any signs of sickness.

Can some one email me or leave a comment on this thread?

Thanks.
sherion01@gmail.com

 

[lauraf]

Hi Shaun:
Well, pet stores aren't always the most reliable source of advice, and without pics, it's hard for us to diagnose your fish, but if it is rot or ich or something along those lines, a good water change (like 50% daily), gravel vacuum and some aquarium salt is probably a healthy start.
Can you also tell us what size tank you have, and if it is heated and filtered? How long has it been set up? What is your usual water change schedule like? Do you have test kits for reading the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels?
If you're new to the hobby and have a sick fish, chances are there are some mistakes being made that can be easily corrected - we'd be happy to offer our advice about how to keep a happy, healthy tank.
Welcome to the forum!
Cheers,
Laura

 

[Shaun]

Hi Laura,

I've attached 2 photo's, not the best quality in the world,. I don't know if you can see her tail, look like it's been bitten. I have a 32 liter tank, it's not heated but has a tube light and a charcoal filter. It's been like 4 months, this is the first time that this has happen. I change the water every Sunday, so once a week, but I don't vacuum the gravel. I don't have test kits, our vet and pet shop doesn't sell them. O ya, I feed them 3 times a day because the two Fantail fish is like killers when it comes to food, I mean their like vacuums, mean little buggers!.

O yeah, so I chanced the water on Thursday and I vacuumed the gravel. That's the first time that I have vacuumed the gravel.

Thanks for all the help, hope you get the Images.
Shaun

 

[Shaun]

O ya, she has like a red spot on her one side, looks like a sour of some kind, you can see it on the pics. I think it's an open sore.
Shaun

 

[lauraf]

Hi Shaun:
Sounds like water quality is an issue - poor water quality leads to lowered immune system and susceptibility to bacterial infections. Your tank is quite small for two goldfish plus the guppies (and the guppies should be in a heated tank) and feeding three times a day is also impacting water quality. I'd recommend getting a test kit ASAP - a fish store should sell one, or you can order online - so you know what your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are. Meanwhile, cut down your feeding to once a day maximum, continue to change water frequently and vacuum gravel. Are you using a water conditioner when you do water changes?

 

[Kiara1125]

You have an 8 gallon tank which isn't big enough to sustain 2 Fancy Goldfish. Plus, you shouldn't keep 2 Goldfish with Guppies. Not only are they way different types of fish (I mean Coldwater and Freshwater fish) but the Goldfish will get bigger and start beating up on the Guppies. My suggestion is, since you don't have a heater, sell the guppies to a pet store and keep just the Goldfish. You might want to get a 30 gallon tank (thed minimum for 2 Fancy Goldfish) as soon as possible. But before that, buy some MelaFix and start treating your fish, look at the instructions for how much your tank should receive. Keep us updated on your Goldfish. She's a beauty!! Please take a Sandwich Bag and fill it up (about half way) with your tank water. Take it to your nearest pet store and they'll cheack the Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate levels for you for free or for a fee. Write down what they said and tell us. That way, we can help you with your sick Goldfish.

 

[Shaun]

Hi Laura and Kiara,

Yes I have an aqua-clear, received it with my starter kit. I usually don't throw it in, but when I changed all of the water, I did.

The pet store here said it would not be a problem to put in the guppies and the goldfish? Weird??

Is my water changes correct? must I change the water more frequently now that the goldfish is sick?

What about my fish that's turning silver? Is that normal? and should I keep adding a teaspoon of salt??

When must I vacuum the gravel? Every time I change the water once a week?

Thank you guys for helping me out, do you know where I can buy a bigger fish tank and all of the stuff I need online? Our pet shop is not that up to date..


Thanks
Shaun

 

[pateceramics]

Hey Shaun,

Be sure to use the water conditioner every time you change water unless you have well water and don't have to worry about chlorine.

For a tank that small, I'd change water more than once a week, and vacuum the gravel every time. Goldfish are notoriously dirty fish for their size.

If you can't find a 30 gallon tank at your pet store, try looking on craigslist. There are usually a lot of people selling, or giving away, used tanks. (Often because they have gotten a bigger tank themselves.)

 

[Shaun]

Hi ..

Thank you. What about her turning silver though? Must I still add the salt? She still has the red spot?
Is she gonna survive?

Shaun

 

[Kiara1125]

It's hard to say if she's going to survive. The red sore is easy to tret with MelaFix, but Goldfish, like Black Moors, are known to change colors. You could get a Midnight Black Black Moor, but end up in a few years having a Red Black Moor. I think it has something to do with temperature. And don't trust just anybody at a fish store. The person who owns my fish store has 20 tanks at home and a pond. I trust him completely, but only because he knows what he's talking about. Plus, with the salt, what type of salt are you adding?? You should be adding aquarium salt and not table salt. Table salt will hurt fish, so you need aquarium salt like this.

 

[betta lover22]

Not that I mean to belabor the point but some pet stores tend to sell things that aren't needed- also, sometimes, you (all of us) can't always trust them when looking for advice. In fact, one of the people I know on another forum worked at a pet store for a little while. Well she was there, she was giving the correct advice, and being honest to the customers. The manager came to her and told her to stop doing this as it was effecting the amounts of money they make by selling useless items. I am not saying that all pet stores are like this because I myself have found some good ones, and know the people who work there are being honest (most are on local forums). But what I am saying, is we (every single one if us! trust me- its not just you! All of us have been in this situation at least once) can't always trust the people at the pet store. We have all learned this- most of us- the hard way. Its too bad that it has to be like this.

Anyway, as Laura and Kiara said- definitely do a gravel vac. 2-3 times a week, 1 feeding a day, and look on those sites like craigslist for a nice big tank. 30g would be perfect for the goldies. If you have anymore questions one of us would be more then happy to answer them for you.

 

[Kiara1125]

Nice job BL!! I'll definitely tell all of you went I set up my Goldfish tank and get a Red and White Ryukin (how do you pronounce that?? I think it's either roo-kin or roiy-kin) and put it in my 30 gallon. I'm gonna name it Hanoko, even if it turns out to be a boy.

 

[Shaun]

Okay, I did throw table salt in, but just a half teaspoon.

I did just purchased the Aquarium salt, how much must I put in my tank? And how often??

Thank you,

 

[pateceramics]

It should have instructions on the container. Follow them carefully. Remember that the ONLY way the salt leaves your tank is when you change water, so if it tells you to change 20% or 50% or whatever, of the water after x number of days, follow the instructions. There IS such a thing as too much salt. Goldfish don't live in the ocean, after all!

 

[Shaun]

The thing is, they bought a lot of the salt and divided it into separate see thru bags, so there's no instructions!!

I live in a small town called Graaff-Reinet.

Haha small towns....

 

[pateceramics]

Hmmm... I don't generally add salt, but I think the general rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons of water to start with.

Then, if you change water in the tank, you would want to salt the new water to keep the saltiness of the tank constant until the problem with your fish clears up. So if you changed 5 gallons of water, you'd add another 1/2 teaspoon of salt with the new water.

BUT! if you top off the tank to replace water that has evaporated, you wouldn't add any more salt. The water has evaporated, but the salt is still in there.

Once the problem clears up, go back to just changing water normally.

Anyone else out there want to confirm this one for me? As I said, I haven't needed to salt.

 

[lauraf]

For treating sick fish the usual dose is more like 1 tablespoon per 5g, IIRC. This is not intended to be the permanent salinity content of the water . . . . I think the lower dose that pate is talking about is more for ongoing salinification.

 

[pateceramics]

Nope, I just don't know what I'm talking about! I grabbed a number off the interweb. Thanks for the correction, lauraf.

 

[Shaun]

Hey thanks guys!

Will let you know how the fish are, by the way, she looks much better!

 

[lauraf]

Glad to hear you are seeing an improvement! Please keep us posted.