help my goldfish please!

Question
QUESTION: Hi again, you have answered and helped me so much but I feel I have failed with this fish. You said to tell you if I think it is ill. Well I just did what you said and gave him some bloodworm, at first I thought he loved it but now he keeeeeeeeeeeps cheeeeeeeeewing and its strange he has only had one bite! Then I have heard that you can't turn the filter off, so I left it on and the bloodworm has gone everywhere and is spinning around the tank.

I am suspecting that these are symptoms of an unhealthy fish...

-top fin has now clamped itslef back down after a few months with it fully up, in the new tank

-its top  lip is strange, it has like become see-through, like its not attached fully to the head

-like I said before, its losing scales and colouring has become strange and some scales darker and lighter than others.

-its eyes over the eyes, seem like they have darkened over the top, almost like eyeliner.

-after eating the bloodworm just now it is twitching and non stop moving around.

HELP! I have done so much to help him and I feel like I have failed. There could have been a better and funner owner than me looking after him. I think there should be better guides for beginners!! I am really scared and need some advice. Do you think he has something wrong with him, shall I get a new filter as it is annoying and moves the water too fast in spirals.

Also after that main question I have one more about the water, well this book said that the water should be at room temperature before you put it into the tank and refill. Since we don't have a themometer, we leave it over night to do the next day. Is this necassary?

I need urgent help as I am VERY scared about my fish. I can't stop worrying about him, however I want to enjoy him but I can't when I feel he could die!! What do you think? Thankyou so much this will help so much!

ANSWER: Hi Elinor.

The filter you described sounds too strong, is there any way that you can direct the return valve against the glass so it doesn't hit him??

To prevent any more problems I'll give you a guide to how to sort this fish out:

First off he's going to need a 10G tank. Goldfish are seriously affected by low oxygen levels and often linger at the top of the tank gasping for air. Fitting a venturi line and keeping the surface water churning is one way to keep the oxygen levels satisfactory. Keep the tank out of the way of natural light. Natural light has a tendency to encourage greenwater and algae growth.

The filter needs to be efficient. Goldfish release huge amounts of waste into the water and if it builds up it becomes toxic. The filter you've got sounds good enough but it may need something deflecting the return valve away from your fish.

Add plants such as canadian pond weed for your fish to snack on. Goldfish are predominantly veggies but they will eat grubs if they come across them. Bloodworm can produce allergic reactions in humans and not all fish like them. Daphnia is relished but green food should be the mainstay of his diet. Your goldfish will probably need a vitamin supplement as well. Only feed him once a day and as much food as he will eat in two minutes. Detox him every couple of weeks to improve digestion. To detox, just don't feed him for a day.

When performing water changes dose the water with a dechlorinator to remove harmful substances. When the filter is cleaned add a dose of live bacteria to get the filter pads off to a good start.

Purchase a test kit and keep a close eye on the levels of toxins in the water. Ammonia and nitrite are the main ones and should be kept as close to 0 as possible. If the levels are high change 25% of the water but never more than 50%.

You should be aiming for a 25% water change every two weeks to keep the water clear of harmful toxins. (incl. Gravel vac)

If your goldfish is rubbing himself on hard objects then he probably has gill flukes. These can easily be removed with a dose of Sterazin.

In terms of water changing it should be as close to tank temperature as possible. However, providing the temperature doesn't fluctuate to much then it should be fine.

Tom




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

QUESTION: Hey, I emailed before but and so much. But hey guess what I bought one of the those tester kits and...

DISASTER

I hope this isn't as serious as it seems, I have carbonate hardness at 20'dH KH, well it says I should be at about 4!!!!! AGGHHH!! I am seriously stressing out and please advise what I do now! Please help me!! I am really nervous because it says I should filter the water, well for goodness sake I have a really strong filter here, what does it want?? The thing doesn't help so I need your help!

One thing it really mentions is peat products and soft water. WHAT?? What do I do now???

The pH level is 8, (it suggests to be at 7.5)
The general hardness is 14, (suggests 12)
For some reason the nitrate (NO3) is too low, it suggests 25, I am only on 20.
The Nitrate (NO2) seems fine.

PLEASE HELP ME, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!

Answer
Hi Elinor,

Stop getting your knickers in a twist, it isn't as bad as it sounds.

Goldfish tend to prefer living in hard water. Harder water is full of minerals such as magnesium and calcium. Eventually you'll see a white crust forming on the lights and the hood of the tank. It's the calcium in the water that causes this.

The best way to bring your pH down is to clean the filter. Keep an eye on the pH, if it goes above 8.5 then it is likely that the filter is over-loaded and is pouring acid back into the tank.

Alternatively, if you decide to go down the soft water route then you can buy Reverse Osmosis (RO) water from your local fish shop. Although it can be an expensive way of doing water changes it is definitely worth the money.

Don't worry if your nitrate/ nitrite readings come out low. That's a good thing. Nitrites need to be kept as low as possible, nitrates aren't as toxic but in high levels they do become a problem.

There's nothing drastically wrong with the readings. However, I'd monitor the pH for a few days and keep it under close control.

Tom