Ph and peeling skin :(

Question
QUESTION: I have a 25 gallon freshwater tank for my fancy tail goldfish. The tank recently got away from me - free floating algae was making the water look cloudy. I'm thinking it might be because the filter was too small for the tank ...which didn't matter till Fluffy got bigger (he's about 5 inches body and if you count the tail hes more like 8 inches)...So, I got a new filter, (went from a tetra 20, to a Tetra ex 45) I've been doing 25% water changes every other day trying to get the particles vacuumed up (total of 3 so far). The readings on the water have remained ok overall. Nitrates and nitrites at 0 ppm, hardness reading at somewhere between 75/150 ppm. Chlorine 0, Alkalinity between 40 and 80. ammonia 0 ppm. Only reading that seemed off was the PH it was at 6. So I up the PH...slowly to 6.4 this week ( i read sudden changes make for problems). Haven't tried to increase it further because I've noticed that my fish is starting to have peeling skin on his face area the past couple days. He's also stressed out, hanging at the bottom of the tank and not eating too much :( So now i still have cloudy water and a sad fish. What im doing apparently isnt working, what do you think I should do?

ANSWER: Christine,

   From what you have told me I would think that your fish might be suffering from a fungal problem. You can get any broad spectrum antibiotic. If your fish is that big, you should get a larger tank. With the adding of the new filter I am amazed that your water readings are all good. The new filter is now trying to cycle the tank again. Just keep up with the water changes and follow the directions on the bottle of medicine that you choose to use. If after the treatment things don't get better, or things get worse let me know.

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

QUESTION: Thank you so much for helping me with Fluffy! He's doing much better, I've got fungus clear and melafix going in the tank - the "peeling skin aka.fungus" is all gone and he is back to his old self swimming around and gobbling up his food like a piggy again :D. I use distilled water in the tank and with the frequent water changes I'm assuming that's why the levels were ok. Who knows,I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth! My question is about your recommendation of a larger tank for Fluffy: How much larger can Fluffy get, and what size tank do you recommend for him, he's alone in the tank.

Answer
 Christine,

  Well since he is the only one in the tank maybe that will do ok. I just like to give fish the room they need. The rule of fin is bigger is better when it comes to tanks. He is just quite large and I would have him in nothing less than 30 gallons. Is he able to turn around without his tail hitting the side of the tank? About the distilled water. It is not advisable to have him in that water. It is pure water therefore it lacks necessary minerals that fish need. I would slowly go from distilled water to regular tap water. Any time you add tap water you need to also put in a conditioner that will get rid of chlorine and other chemicals. A good conditioner is Prime. The distilled water is why your Ph is off. How are you testing the water? Strips or liquid? As for your nitrates, there should always be a reading. I am a bit puzzled and forgive me for repeating myself with questions. If you have algae in the water then your nitrates are up. As little as 10ppm of nitrate will cause algae blooms. I am thinking that 1. you are using test strips to test your water, or 2. whatever testing kit you are using is either out dated or just not reading right, or 3. the water is not being tested correctly. I am thinking that maybe the distilled water is giving you false water readings. So lets try the following.

1. slowly change his water from distilled to regular tap. I would get a product called Prime. It
   is an awesome conditioner and remove chlorine, ammonia, and nitrites. Changing 25% of his
   water every other day is a bit too much. 25% every week it better. You can start changing
   the water out by removing 25% of his water and add 25% tap water with Prime every 4 days.

2. If you are using the test strips toss them in the garbage. They are not accurate. Always use
   a liquid testing kit.

I do think that once the water has been completely changed out he will be even healthier. We as fish owners want our pets to be happy and healthy. Some things though need to be a bit dirty if you will. I think your tank is also in the cycle mode due to the adding of the new filter. You should test that water daily for 2 to 3 weeks to keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrites. If you have any more questions or concerns please don't hesitate to ask.