Question
comet1
Hi Nathan,
I am concerned about my comet goldfish which appears to be in poor health. It has been like this for a few weeks now and isn't showing signs of improvement. It's displaying the following symptoms:
*sitting at the bottom of the tank and rarely going to the top
*appears to be lethargic
*has sudden bursts of energy when it is fed and eats ravenously
*swims with a lean to the left side and often appears unbalanced when swimming, sometimes flipping backwards
*returns to the same corner of the tank and wedges itself between the filter and the glass. Spends most of its time sitting in this spot on the bottom and on a lean.
*there have been white spots on his tail, with one large pinkish one on the tip. Both of these have recently lessened in number and size.
*a brown spot has appeared in the last few days on the top of its body, towards its head.
*doesn't seem to be constipated
The tank is 30 litres and there are no other fish or creatures in the tank. So far we have treated the water with Permafix and Multi cure, conducted regular water changes and adjusted PH levels. We have also added Bio Boost. We've taken a water sample to the pet store and PH levels were good and ammonia was nil.
We're not quite sure what to do next. I have taken a short video on a digital camera which I can send if you think it will help.
Thank you for your help,
Peta
AnswerHi Peta,
30 Liters is definitely not enough for a Goldfish. Did you know that Comets (depending on the type) will eventually grow to a size of 12"-24"! Goldfish need a tank of about 50 gallons (which is about 6 times your tank size) if you plan on keeping them all the way towards maturity! Most Comet Goldfish are intended to be kept in a pond. However, their tiny size at the pet store fools almost everyone.
Your fish's condition is rather strange - I've never encountered this kind of problem before. Your best bet would be to relocate the fish to a larger tank, as a small tank such as yours seriously stresses the fish. Fish can die as a result of stress. Brown spots on goldfish are usually due to high ammonia levels - however, you said that there's no ammonia. Perhaps the fish is still recovering - just keep up the water quality by changing 10% of the water every day and add a water conditioner, such as Aqua Plus or Aqusafe or Stress Coat to help remove toxins and reduce stress.
If the fish's condition becomes worse, then you can treat with an anti-bacterial medication, such as Melafix, Maracyn, or Sera Baktopur.
I hope this helps - if you have any other questions, please feel free to post a follow up.
Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!
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