Red patches on Lionhead Goldfish

Question

lionhead goldfish red  
lionhead goldfish red   QUESTION: Hi Jaymie,

For the past year I have kept 1 lionhead goldfish (Chopper) in a 5 Gallon (about 22 litre) tank with an internal filter. He's been absolutely fine, until the last few weeks when he started getting some sort of slimy coat on his eye, which when looking at from the sides or from up above, looks like some sort of bubble over his eye. Also he started getting red patches on his body. It started out with just one red patch on one side, but this has now spread over his entire body. I have uploaded some pictures so you can see.

When Chopper first started getting the bubbly eye and initial red patch, we went to the pet store who advised us to put API Pimafix in the water. Although we've been using this product for the past 7 days, it doesn't seem to work at all, and the red patches seem to be spreading despite of the medication in his water.

Every time we change his water (usually I take out 50 %), we add API Stress Coat, Stress Zyme, and aquarium salt. The people in the pet store recently advised us to also use API Quick Start, so the last time we changed his water, we added that product aswell.

I do not have a water test kit of my own, but last time when I was in the pet store, they tested my water and gave me the following readings:

PH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0.25 ppm
Nitrate: 10 ppm

We were advised to change 25 % of the water after that, which we did. But the red patches keep on spreading.

I was really hoping you would be able to help me with this, and tell me what I can do to make him better.

Many thanks for your help,
Jimmy

ANSWER: James,
The first problem is the tank. There is no way to keep your goldfish happy and healthy in a 5 gallon tank. One goldfish should be in nothing smaller than a 20 gallon tank with 10 gallons for each addition fish added. For example, if you want 2 goldfish you should have them in a 30 gallon tank, 3 goldfish in 40 gallons and so on. In that small of a tank, you will stunt the skeleton of the fish but not the internal organs. They will continue to grow causing a very painful death. Please, either put him in a 20 gallon tank, or find a new home for him. Both your ammonia and nitrite levels have to be zero at all times. .25 and.25 is way too high. Your fish is suffering from ammonia and nitrite poisoning, and extreme poor water conditions. In that small of a tank, you should be do 25%-30% water changes every day. Make sure you are using a water conditioner when adding new water. STOP all the stuff you are adding to the tank including the aquarium salt. Your fish is a fresh water fish and should only have salt in its water when treating for injury and illness. The salt will not help with what is going on now. What your fish has is 100% preventable by researching your fish and its needs before you get it, putting it in the right size home, and doing weekly water changes. The five gallon tanks filter is not big enough to filter the waste your goldfish is producing. If you had him in a 20 gallon tank, the filter should be for a 30 gallon tank or bigger. Goldfish are huge waste producers and need to have clean water at all times. You can help your fish by doing the following:
1. get him a 20 gallon tank with a filter for a 30 gallon.
2. stop adding everything but the water conditioner.
3. until he is moved, do daily water changes of 30%
4. get a liquid water tester if you intend on keeping fish.

If you cannot do any of the above, my suggestion is to take him back to the store.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jaymie,

First of all, many thanks for your quick response. I really am willing to do everything it takes to save him, as I already had him for a while and it would be heart breaking to see him go.

I am going out to the petstore today to buy him a 20 gallon (76 or more litre) tank, if that it what you think's causing the problems with the eye and red patches.

As I have no experience moving a lionhead goldfish to a bigger tank though, I will need some help from you. Would you mind giving me the steps I need to follow to move Chopper to his bigger home (like for example, does the tank need to be cycled first and how do I go about this?).

As I am afraid to do anything wrong with the moving, I will keep him in his old tank until I receive your further instructions, but will be doing daily water changes in it like you mentioned in your previous email (using only Stress Coat as a conditioner).

Thanks again for your help! You really gave some valuable information, which unfortunately I did not get in the pet store when describing his symptoms to the sales person there.

James

Answer
James, Thank you for doing all that needs to be done to get your fish healthy again. Yes, the tank will need to be cycled, but you can jump start it by adding some of the water from the tank he is in now, into the new tank. I would also move the gravel as well. The filter and the gravel are what hold the beneficial bacteria in the water. By adding some of the old water and some of the old gravel, you are putting some of the establish bacteria in the new water. I do know that some people put the fish in the new tank directly, and you can do this, but you will have to test your water daily to know how much water to remove before the tank is cycled. Once the tank is in full run mode, make sure you are doing weekly water changes to help keep the water clean. I think that once all of this is one, your fish should start to look better in a week or so. You learned first hand, and the hard way, that most large pet stores know very little, if anything, about the fish they sell. As for moving him, you can either net him, which I never do, or move his old tank near the new one. Reach into the water and let him swim into your hands. Once there you can move him into the new tank. This is the only way I move mine. It is less stressful for them, and all my fish know when my hands are in the water, they need to swim to me so they can be moved.