sick goldfish - please help

Question
Chris,  I have a very nice common goldfish. We had him alone in a bowl which I cleaned very often - he was very healthy. We thought he was lonely. We bought a 10 gal tank with a filter and another goldfish from the petstore. I liked the ramshead snails in the tank. I bought 2 for in the tank. I should have read up about them first. I'm afraid I have contaminated my fish. He now is hanging out near the bottom of the tank and looks like there are a lot of bubbles on his tail which looks more folded and limp. I have always used bioextract in the tank to help remove chlorine. Can you tell me how to make him well? Should I return the snails? Could it be flukes? Please help ASAP.

Answer
Hi Heather;

If the tail looks like it has very tiny spots like grains of salt, he has a parasite called "ich", also called "ick" or "White Spot". Your fish store has a remedy for it. If the tail looks more like it is torn or has blotches or redness, he may have finrot or he is being bullied by the other fish. It happens sometimes. Here are links to info on these problems;

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/flukes.php

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/ich.php

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/tailfinrot.php

I don't think the snails are the problem. They don't actually cause illness. They do create a lot of waste though. Your tank needs frequent water changes anyway, 25% every week with gravel vacuuming, for the fish and snails to be healthy. A ten gallon is pretty small for two goldfish too. Goldfish grow very large and are very messy guys by nature. They get to be 6 inches or larger and need ten gallons minimum per goldfish. They might be okay for a little while they are small, but plan to graduate them to at least a twenty gallon in the next few months. They will love it!

If the tank was set up recently, such as less than 8 weeks ago, your fish is probably experiencing the effects of "New Tank Syndrome". It can make then very sick. Make a 25% water change and have the water tested for the presence of ammonia and nitrite. From there, read more about New Tank Syndrome on my web page so you know what to do to minimize it's effects;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help



I hope he feels better soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins