Beaten Goldfish

Question
URGENT!!!!!!

I have a small (approximately 1.5 inches) fantail goldfish that has been badly beaten by some other fish and suffered major damage. The goldfish was in a 46 gallon bow front aquarium with two other goldfish, a pleco, 7 daimos, and a neon tetra. After I discovered the damage on the goldfish, I moved it to a 5 gallon tank. What should I do to help it heal? Currently, it is stationary at the top of the tank and has lost scales and has had most of its fins ripped. It is very bad shape. Please help me save it from dying. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Jasmin,

I'm sorry to hear that your Goldfish was injured. Here's what you can do to help him/her.

-Perform 20% water changes DAILY in your tank
-Add a slime coat enhancer, such as Stress Coat by API. It will help the fish recover much more quickly.
-Also, if the fish is bleeding (red), then you will need to add an anti-bacterial medication as a preventative measure, as injured fish are very susceptible to disease. Any brand of anti-bacterial medication (available at your local fish store) at HALF dose is fine. Add the medicine for 5 days.

As long as the fish is not too seriously hurt, he/she should recover soon.
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However, there is a big problem within your tank. You must take action NOW, if you do not want any fish to die.

1) First of all, Goldfish cannot be kept with tropical fish. (Plecos, Danios, and Tetras in your case). Goldfish need temperature of below 70F. Tropical fish need temperatures of above 76F. If you keep Goldfish and tropical fish together, one or the other will become extremely stressed (depending on what the temperature is ideal for, Goldfish or Tropical), and eventually, one of the types will die, whether it be your 3 Goldfish, or all your tropical fish.

Unfortunately, you must give away or return either your Tropical fish or Goldfish. You might be thinking, "Well, they've lived perfectly together do far - I don't see any problems." Unfortunately, that is not the case. Stressed fish will be in poor health, and they will die prematurely. Your Goldfish can live up to 25 years, but if they are put in a temperature of greater than 72F or so, they will only live for a few months.