goldfish swimming on their sides

Question
hi there~
i have a 55 gallon tank with about 15 large goldfish.  after adopting a sucker fish a few weeks ago my fish seemed to develop ick -  white spots on their bodies and their tails are splitting and no longer smooth on the edges.  eager to heal them, i changed the water tonight -maybe too much.  i treated the water with a dechlorinator.  concerned i changed too much water, i added a tiny bit of the bio-surge i had for them when they were in my pond.
having read a few of your posts, we are trying peas. they seem to be going for it.  could this be it or did i really screw up changing too much water?  i tested the nitrates and ph and both were lower end.  help?  

Answer
Hi Tara;

If the spots look like "salt specks" it is indeed ick. If they are scraping their bodies on the bottom it is from the ick spots because they itch. Remedies are available at your local fish store. Aquarium salt helps too.

If they are just laying on the bottom there is something else wrong. Check the ammonia and nitrite levels (nitrate is different). It's also possible they are suffering from shock if the tank pH or temperature was different from the new water. Keep measuring toxin levels and make 25% water changes as needed. You are right, 50% may have been too much at a time.

The biggest problem you have is that there are way too many goldfish in the tank. Goldfish get big (8 inches) and are very messy. A 55 gallon can only safely house up to 6 of them as adults. Each fish needs about 8 to 10 gallons per fish. Make a 25% water change twice a week to hopefully help keep them alive until they get a bigger tank or maybe move them back to the pond?

I hope they feel better soon......

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins