My sons Calico Orando - Bubbles!

Question

Bubbles   QUESTION: We've had Bubbles for about 18 months. In that time he's not grown much but has seemed a happy fish, although recently he's "resting" alot, which he does vertically, hidden behind foliage or in a corner. When he does come out, he seems to swim strangely and very erratically, the best way of describing it is as if he's got an itch which he just can't scratch! He (I'm only assuming he's a he!) twists his body and wriggles about as if he running away from something.

He lives with Pop, who's another goldfish larger than him and four Minnows. They all get on and show no signs of aggression towards each other. I regularly clean the tank (as Pop is the biggest and dirtiest!) and test the water and it always gives a good, normal reading. Have you any tips as to what may be wrong? Thank you.

Sally

ANSWER: Hi Sally,
Any sign if itching or scratching against surfaces of the decorations or plants means there is a parasitic infection, such as Ich,  Is Bubbles showing any signs of Ich such as white cysts? These cysts look like grains of salt on the fish.  It also could be other types of parasitic infections which can also be resolved by the same Ich medication.  HOWEVER, I recommend using medications as a last resort because it disrupts the bio filtration/beneficial bacteria in the tank.  If you do not have any live plants, you can add 1 tbsp of aquarium salt (not kitchen salt) to 5 gallons of aquarium water (remember to dissolve the salt before adding to the tank).  Also along with adding the salt, increase the temperature of the tank to 86-90F.  The rationales for these interventions is because Ich and other parasitic organisms can not live in salty environments.  Also, it causes the osmosis of the cysts to burst, depending on the salt concentration.  The heat is because Ich stop reproducing at 86F but die at 87-90F.  This treatment is usually done for 1 - 1 1/2 weeks.  During the water changes, remember to replace any salt that is removed, such as adding 2 tbps of aquarium salt if you are doing a 10 gallon water change.  
-Matt-

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

QUESTION: Thanks Matt for your prompt reply. There is no sign of any cysts on his body. Yes, I do have live plants in the tank so I'm assuming that aquarium salt would kill them? The tank is not heated - would you suggest buying one? If I was to buy a heater, which additional fish could mix well with my current brood? I am thinking of getting a new recruit in the near future and was wondering what species would be suitable to live with the others.

Answer
Hi agian Sally, how long has he been itching his body?  Usually IF he does have Ich, the cysts wont appear until about 3-4 days.  Keep a look out to see if any cysts form.  If it doesnt, it could be another parasitic infection not caused my Ich, but can also be treated the same way as Ich.  If you do not have a lot of live plants, I would suggest you temporarily move the plants to a different tank with lights and treat the main tank with salt for 1-2 weeks.  Salt does hurt the plants yes, most plants however will grow back their leaves if damaged by salt.  Fish diseases isnt my expertise and I apologize I cannot give you any more advices without knowing 100% how to help the fish, but the aquarium salt release electrolytes and never hurts anything and actually relieves stress of the fish.  Also, it kills any parasitic infection.  If it were my fish I would be treating it with the heat and salt treatment for a couple of days, and if I dont see improvement I would find an alternative solution.  Have you asked any of the other experts yet?  I think a few of them could help.

Heaters are mostly only for tropical fish.  It seems as if you have both cold-water fish (goldfish) and tropical fish (guppys).  Tropical fish require heaters whereas goldfish thrive in cold water.  The recommended temperature for goldfish is about 65-72 and 76-80 for tropical fish.  Since you have both, you can set it at 73-75 which is not too far from the limit of both types of fish.
Hope I helped,
-Matt-