2 goldfish

Question
QUESTION: my son has a black moor and a red cap fish.  i know NOTHING about fish, but these guys appear sick.  the black moor has a slimy white substance around his eye and mouth, he had 2 spots on his body but today they are gone.  the red cap has a cloudy eye and red veins in his fan tail plus white-ish tips of his fan tail.  i have added melaleuca, antifungal, and anti parasitic medcine to their water. i took out the carbon filter, and added 2 tsp aquarium salt to their tank (10 gallon).  am i going to kill them with this blanket treatment??

ANSWER: Hello Angela:  What you have described is usually the result of toxic water.  how often do you clean their tank and do water changes???  The blood in the fins (red streaks) is from septicemia and they will need an antibiotic that treats septicemia.  They do not have parasites so you can stop medication for parasites. I would change 30% of the water and take a sample of the tank water to the local fish store so that they can test it for you... This is usually a free service and it will help a great deal in saving your fish. Please let me know what they say the test results are.  You should also pick up a large bottle of bacteria for your fish tank... add it after each water change... dave

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QUESTION: these problems began right after we changed the entire tank water (it was really messy in there).  i'll take the water to the pet store today. is there a good way to clean the gravel and tank without having to empty the whole tank?

Answer
Hi Angela:  You never want to change all of the water... it causes your tank to loose all of its bacteria. So I can almost assure you that the water in the tank has high chemical levels. You should invest in a gravel vacuum which cost about $12.  It is a siphon hose that cleans the gravel... if you go to a fish store other then walmart or petsmart, etc... ask the clerks to show you how to use one... they are the best thing in the world for keeping your tank clean.   You will also need a small bucket because you will siphon off 3 gallons of water while cleaning the gravel twice per week.  dave