Black Moor sick and lays on side on bottom

Question
QUESTION: My Black Moor is sick.  He has been laying on the bottom of the tank for the past few months. I have tried to be careful to keep the tank on track as he didn't seem to be sufffering.  I changed his food and fed him peas and his thready poop tunred back to thick and green (if he ate peas) or thick and reddish if he ate the sinking pettets.  I was told that he would probably stay this way even after he started pooping normally again. I was told he wasn't uncomftable.  So afew months have gone by and my other Goldfish (it's white with a large bumpy orange head) starte floating upside down at the top of the tank and then...after the pea treatment, is now laying flat on her tummy on the bottom all the time.  Occasionally she will dart to the top and then land staright back ont he bottom.  The Black Moor has gottne worse and doesn't move mmuch at all.  However, he will eat if I drop the food right on top of him as I am afraid he can't see the food otheriwse.  Anyway...is there any hope he will ever swim around again like a normal fish?  His fin on the side he lays on has become stumped as he has been laying on the gravel like this for months.  The white and orange one's hind quarters have "pointed" out a bit on each side and I was told it could be cancer.  She also sits at the bottom but will eat.  My tank is 55 gallons and the temp is approx. 70 degrees.  The pet store told me to change my charcoal (as I did not know I needed to change it every 4 weeks) which I did for the first time since setting the tank up 9 months ago.  I have done 25% water changes and was just told to treat with Melfix for 7 days.  
With all that said...is there any hope for my fish.  Silly but I LOVE these guys!!!

ANSWER: This isn't cancer, Pamela, or the fish would already be dead.

I believe it's laying on the bottom because of water quality.

I'd like you to send me the information about your filtratoin system prior to my full answer.

What kind of filter is on the tank and how are you changing it?  Just washing the pads isn't enough.  He sounds like he's having oxygen deprivation and/or is suffering from ammonia poisoning, but let's see a workup list of the entire setup from stem to stern.

Let's also get a breakdown of your care and filtration changing rituals.

Thankyou,
Renee

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

QUESTION: Hi Renee,
I have a Fluval 305 canister filter.  Just changed the charcoal (as I wasn't aware I needed to change it) I rinse the foam and that's it.  I vacuum up any poop I see on the bottom as well as uneaten food on a daily basis with a hand held battery operated vacuum.  I try to do a 25% water change once a month.  And was told I should replace the carbon now every 4 weeks.  I have one strong bubbler and 2 smaller ones that don't put out many bubbles.  The most recent water test was a follows:
pH=7.2 NH3=0 NO2=0 No3=20 PO4=.5   
That's it.  Thanks.

ANSWER: Oh my.  Okay, well this is clearly the issue.

The filter, the 305, although rated for a 50 gallon aquarium, is terribly insufficient for your size aquarium and your poor fish are literally swimming in feces.

The filter, isn't going to provide enough knock to get the waste of goldfish out of a tank.  They rate these not realizing that many people have waste-heavy fish, such as goldfish.

I think he's dying a slow death, due to ammonia/nitrate buildup.

Here's why:

#1, You vacuum the bottom.  This tells me that debris settles there.  There is not enough flow to keep the stuff suspended so the filter can sift it out.  To cure this issue:  I suggest adding a double power back filter to the unit.  Keep your 305 (certainly they are wonderful filters, but often are known for falling short of expectations, due to owners not realizing they need cleaned on a weekly basis and bad petstore advice to change them out monthly).  Adding a second filter will assure cleaner water.  The flow out of it will suspend the poo and debris.  The water will be cleaner.  Be sure to change out both filters bi-weekly from here forward.  Since you are running 2, you can probably do a bi-weekly change.  Please, when choosing a hang on back filter, choose one with 2 chambers.  A 30/60 or a biowheel Penguin Marineland with double chambers will be sufficient alongside your 305.

#2, the type of fish you have are heavily intensive waste-makers. That means they are heavy poopers.  With it not being as clean as it should, they are sitting in ammonia, and it's killing them slowly.  It's like us living in a smog-intensive atmosphere where we bathe in sewer water daily.  We'd eventually die off.  Our bodies can't live in that, and neither can theirs.

#3, Water changes - 25% once a month is insufficient with the current filtration system.  Most aquarists recommend it once a month.  I'd like to add that while this issue goes on, until solved, you should be doing this weekly.  

#5, Your test kit has to be wrong.  Please try a new one.  How long ago was that test done?  Is it more than a year old?  I suggest it's off.  Has to be.  Not one person I know who has goldfish of any type and a Fluval filter (basically a nitrate factory used to eat waste using anaerobic bacteria) has low nitrates.  Fluvals run on high nitrates...therefore, it feeds back into the water, hence, why they need changing bi-weekly.  If your readings are that, something has got to be wrong with the kit.  Please, have a local store do your readings and go from there.  Don't trust your test strips...my guess is they are old.  

If it's not a test strip issue, and these are true readings, then we have to go from there to look at internal fish issues, however, let's fully rule out tank issues first, since over 90% of the fish health issues stem from the aquarium environment.

You are certainly a very caring, loving fish owner to vacuum the water daily.  That's a lot of effort, and I know you must really love them to do that.  It shows...and I'm sad to hear you are getting poor advice from a fish store.  So often is the case.

Feeding fish a diet of peas isn't sufficient.  They can't gain weight on peas and in the wild, they have a much more varied diet.  

For now, can you get some floating Koi pellets and try those?  

I take it from the prescription of the peas, that the petstore thought that the fish was suffering from impaction.  It certainly doesn't sound like it to me, and I think we need to go forward from there to regular fish food.  Peas are not a sufficient diet.

Fins wearing down can not happen from a fish laying on the ground, also.  This is probably a result of high ammonia levels.  

Try adding some Zeolyte crystals to your Fluval baskets.  Fill one entirely full.  See if that doesn't help him show some signs of recovery.

I'm so sad this has taken so long to get under control and I hope you keep in touch.  We touched some important bases, about the filtration, and many, many aquarists are under the assumption that these filters are the best out there.  I firmly stand by 34 to 35 years of fish-keeping stating with absolute comfort, that they are not.

They are certainly very good filters, but they are not sufficiently rated, in most cases.

For people who have a live plant aquarium, with small, non-waste fish (ie: tetras, corys, zebra danio), this is a good filter.  For intensive poopers, such as goldfish of any type, we need to increase filtration and therefore increasing oxygenation as well. :)

Feel free to reply to this anytime.  If the readings above turn out to be accurate, still treat for ammonia.  It just seems to me that his entire body's reaction is that of an ammonia sick fish.

Maybe he will eventually come out of this.  It's important not to give up hope. :)

Oh, one more thing.  When changing the water, no more tap water.  Go to your local store with a 5 gallon water bottle and spend the dollar to fill it from a Reverse Osmosis filtration machine.  There are things in our drinking water you probably don't want to know about...things which no dechlorinator chemical will filter out.  The fish don't have that stuff in nature.  We should absolutely never add chemicals to a tank unless there is no other choice.

I would bet the entire demeanor of this little guy perks up with Zeolyte crystals, water change, added filtration and filtered water...and a diet more "goldfish" oriented.

:) Happy holidays...and kudos for being such a caring fish owner.

Happy fish-keeping!
Renee




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

QUESTION: Hi Renee,
The water was tested at my local fish store.  I don't have my own kit cuz I never trusted doing it myself.  I have been feeding the peas and New Life Spectrum Goldfish Formula food.  (it sinks as I was told top floating food could cause problem from air gulping.)  I am vacuuming everyday just to get out leftover food and the super long strands of poop.  Only takes a second.  I am freaking out about adding another filter.  Can't imagine adding more work!  Should I continue with the Melafix?  Or discontinue and use the Zeolyte crystals.  I also added ALgone to one of the charcoal filter baskets at the urging of the fish store.  (this was because I misunderstood a few months ago what the lady wanted me to do and we added a cup of salt to the tank.  I have since changed out all that water).  Anyway...where do you live?  Maybe you want to come over and take a look for me!  (jk)  Thanks.


Answer
Hi again,

I would come over and fix it, lol, but you know...that's what the forum's for.

Add the other filter.  When you change out the other one...just change it as well.  Try it.  You will be happy you did.

There should never be leftover food or poo.  The filter is not enough...the flow isn't enough...think of it this way:  If you add the second filter, that's 14 less days a month you don't have to stand over the tank sifting out debris. :)  Just once a month!

Never use Algone.  Never use chemicals.  Stop the Melafix...it's worthless for this issue.

Fish don't live in chemicals in the wild.  They don't live well in them in captivity either. So, no more chemicals.  Instead, only if necessary (ie: to treat fungus, worms or bacteria) and only in a hospital tank from here forward.  Never in the main aquarium.

Add the zeolyte yes.  I think that's a great start for you.

Please feel free to write anytime and to ask all you want.  I will do my best to help you with little black moore and I hope he feels better soon and that this helps.

Also, would you please rate all my answers?  I do appreciate feedback and ratings.

Happy fish-keeping.
Renee