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Forum > The Goldfish Topics > Disease Diagnosis/ Treatments > Diagnosis & Discussion

Simonsnet

Jun 13 2005, 07:25 AM

One of my goldfish (just a regular goldfish) has bloated up like someone attached an air compressor to him/her.

As a result it's scales are sticking out a fair bit, is this dropsy? Is it likely to spread to my other fishes?

LaurieP

Jun 13 2005, 07:56 AM

Sorry to hear about your fish.
Unfortunetly without more information it is hard to say.
Could you answer all of the questions above. This will give us a better clue as to what may be going on.

Simonsnet

Jun 13 2005, 08:07 AM

QUOTE

Ammonia Level, Nitrite Level, Nitrate level, Ph Level, Ph Level out of the Tap - Not a clue, I don't have a kit or anything either..

Tank size(How many Gals) and How long has it been running? 2ft x 2ft x 1ft (contains 5 goldfish) been running a few years.

What kind of Filtration? - Not sure, can't find the box, tis an in-tank filter though, pretty sure it's a Fluval, about 8inches tall.

How often do you change the water and how much? 50% every few weeks

What kind of Water additives or conditioners? - None

Any Medications add to the tank? - Nope

How many fish in the tank and there size? - 5 total.. 2 small ones, a medium sized one and 2 largish (6inches nose to tail tip) ones.

Add any new fish to the tank? - Nope

What do you feed your fish? - Flakes, freeze dried daphnia.

Any unusual findings on the fish? Such as "grains of salt", bloody streaks, frayed fins, fungus? - Bloated up like a pine cone

Any unusual behavior? Like staying at the bottom, not eating, ect..? - Sat on the bottom, in one corner. Will happily swim about when fed though.

If you can what is the chloramines Level from the Tap? - Not a clue.

The fish has been sat on the bottom for a few days now, only just noticed the "pine-cone" effect though. He doesn't look very well. I would say that if he were any more swollen he'd burst, he's that bad. My hunch is that whatever is wrong with him, is fatal, I'm only concerned now with making sure he doesn't take out the rest of the tank with him. I have no spare tank/filter etc. so quarantining him would involve filling the bath or something :s.

LaurieP

Jun 13 2005, 08:16 AM

Ok, first thing you will need to do is get the water tested. I am suspecting water quality issues on top of ?????

Water quality is everything to a fish, since I also believe your tank to be overstocked would confirm my suspeisions. I can't calculate out how many gallons it is, but I am pretty sure it isn't 50 or more.

If it is Dropsy you will need to figure out "why" the fish is this way to determine if it is contagious or not.
If it is bad water quality fixing it will help.

Sorry to say we are going to need more help from you in order to help you.
Test the water and get back to us.
In the meantime do a 50% water change, make sure to temp match the water and use a water conditioner...........highly important every time you change water.

Simonsnet

Jun 13 2005, 08:36 AM

might be worth mentioning that i've got plants in the tank.

Anyway, done the waterchange.. best sweet talk my old dear into splashing some cash on a few supplies.

qtmonki01

Jun 14 2005, 09:50 PM

If you can't get the test kits right away, take a sample of your tank water in one container and tap water in another container to your local pet store. They will usually test for free. In purchasing a test kit, try finding a multi-purpose one to reduce costs. You want test kits for the following: pH, Ammonia, Alkanity, NitrAte (No3), NitrIte (No2), Hardness. Ammonia and NitrIte should be at Zero. Ideal ranges:
pH: 7.0-7.6
Alkanity: 80-120
Hardness: 50-120
NitrIte: 0-0.5
NitrAte: 0-40
Ammonia: 0

captk

Jun 15 2005, 04:52 AM

The tank size is 30gal. I'm afraid that is small for your fish load especially if 2 of them are six inchers.

It does look like dropsy. It doesn't spread to other fish like a disease but then again, fish that are stress or weak will be more likely to become dropsy. Two of the biggest stressors that a fish can face is overcrowding and poor water quality so you need to test your water to see if the numbers are okay.

Good luck!

fishyfan7

Jun 22 2005, 12:13 PM

I agree with what everyone else has said...my other concern is that you mentioned that you only clean the tank every few weeks and do not add water conditioners?

Fish are very dirty...they really need weekly water changes (20-30%).

Do you let the water age before adding to your tank or do you just dump it in there? If you are not aging the water and are not adding water conditioner, you could be adding dangerous chemicals like chlorine.

qtmonki01

Jun 22 2005, 05:57 PM

My Guess would be Dropsy too. And you are overstocked. Do you have any other tanks you could set up hon?

Fish with dropsy (pinecone disease) look like they are going to explode. They have raised scales, so it kinda looks like they are a living pinecone.

The cause of dropsy is usually poor water quality and sometimes bacterial or viral. In most cases it is due to poor water or a combination of things.

Steps to treat Dropsy:

1. Quarantine your sick fish in a separate tank
2. Check all the water conditions and fix the water to reasonable levels if needed to do so
3. Check all the other fish for symptoms
4. Treat the sick fish(s) with the medicated food for dropsy

Some other signs of dropsy could be fin rot, fungus, and velvet.

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