Hello.

Ammonia = 0
Nirate = 10ish
Nitrite = 0
PH = around 7
tap PH = same
(although I have strips and I have been told they dont work too well)

20gal tank, 6 months, I use water conditioner, change 25% weekly

I have 2 fantail goldfish about 2 inches head to tail.
One mystery snail.
Feed flake food, occational blood worms


I noticed red streaks in thier fins about 3 weeks ago so I fed them medicated food for 10 days. It went away and they seemed to be fine. Yesterday I noticed that one of the fishies was laying on the bottom and turning sideways. He quickly swam over too me though, for food. and he did eat.
Today he is worse, laying on the bottom on his side, he still swims up to me when I get close but looks very weak.. I do see a small amount of red streaks in his tail fin. I tested my tank and the nitrate levels were very high, I didnt get the exact number I just saw it go really red and I immediatly did a large water change and got it down to 10 where it is at today, I also added some amquel +.

I realized that the larger rocks I had on the bottom were making it hard to clean the bottom, the rocks were full of black slime so I took them all out.
Could this be why I had such a quick jump in Nitrates?
I test every week with my water change and it has been fine until now.
they are back on Anti-Bac food again, is there anything else I can do to save my poor fishie?

Thanks

Sarah

I think what you have done so far is excellent. You could add some salt to the tank, also. I would add 1 teaspoon per gallon to achieve a 0.1% solution. This may perk them up a bit as it acts as a tonic for goldfish. Use aquarium, kosher, pickling, coarse or sea salt and dissolve in tank water before adding.

Has it been very warm where you are? I know it has been warm here and the temp in my tanks has risen into the '80's. When the water is warm it is a good idea to add extra aeration, so if you don't have an airstone going it might be a good idea to add one.

You are right that a lot of mulm accumulating in the tank could cause the spike in nitrates.

Please keep me posted.

My temp is around 75 is that too high?
, I do have an air stone and underwater filter.

I will add the salt, he seems to be swimming a little more, hopefully the med are helping .

Thanks

I have been watching him closely for awhile and it appears as if his left side is swollen a little and his left eye is bulging out a bit. He is still resting on his side on the bottom of the tank, I keep thinking he is dead then he swims over to me.
Is there anything else I can do to help cure him?

It sounds like it could be an internal bacterial infection. I would keep the water very clean by doing stepped up water changes. Do a water change of about 25% every three days or so. I would also keep on the medicated food for at least two weeks, even three.

It is hard to know if a fish will survive an internal infection.

No 75f. is not too high.

You could try a medication called Maracyn 2. It is supposed to help with internal infections.

Please keep me posted.

Thanks again

I just bought Maracyn 2 today, is it ok to give this with medicated food?

Also will any of this harm my snails? one Mystery and a few little ponds
Salt? medications?

I will keep you posted!

thanks again

The Maracyn 2 should be fine with your snails, but they could be sensitive to the salt.

You could start with Maracyn 2 and continue on with the medicated food and see how it goes.

Thanks alot
I see how things work over night

PS I am not 76 and not a male

If you want you can change that info by going to your Controls at the top of the page, click on it, then on the Control page, click on edit profile info

How are things going today?

So I added 4 Tablespoons of rock salt and Maracyn 2 along with anti bac food.
He looks the same today, laying on the bottom then getting up to eat.
He is not eating tons but is getting a few pellets in.
Its so sad

I guess all I can do is wait and see if the meds work..

Ill let you know if anything changes

thanks again

Try and give him a few pellets several times a day, if you can. I think that an antibiotic has a better chance of working if it is fed continuously. I try to feed it every four hours during the day (if possible).

I have my fingers crossed for your little fish and please keep me posted.

Good lucl Sarah! My little guy sat in the corner when he was sick too. Good thing that he is eating though, I take that as a good sign!

No signs of improvement.
Do you know how long it takes for the meds to start working.. ?

he seems to be getting weaker. He just lays there on his side with his little eyeballs moving around.

When was your last water change ?

yesterday about half. Stats are good today!
Hes still the same and still eating a little.
His tank buddy is doing fine but has streaks in her tail...

That is great that your water is testing well. I would keep a close eye on it since medications can sometimes affect the cycle (even if they say they won't).
I would test everyday, and if ammonia or nitrite start to show in the water I would do another water change (and re-add the medication that you have removed).

Does it still look like your fish has any swelling around the eye or body?

Well he looks the same today, no worse but no better, his right eye is still popped out a little and his right side looks larger than the other.
There was a small amount of ammonia showing today, did a water change and added amquel+
If he doesnt show any signs of improvement do I need to end his suffering, as sad as that makes me I dont want the poor thing to be in pain. If so what is the best way to do this?

Has anyone had a similar situation end in good news?

thanks

I have had two fish survive a similar thing. I fed Medi-Gold (an antibiotic food) and just kept the water very, very clean and both fish pulled through. It took about three weeks for them to look normal again. If the fish is still eating, I think there is still hope.

There is a post about euthanasia on the forum. I will find the link for you.

Here is the link:
http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/...showtopic=32080

Well Today my little guy is looking a little better, he is swimming around a bit more and eating more, the swelling is slightly less as well although on the side he was laying on there is a few white spots that look like they could be sores, he was swimming around sideways for the past few days. Im keeping the water clean and the med are hopfully working! I hope!

Thanks for your support!!

That is excellent news It is a very good sign. Just keep up the meds and keep the water very, very clean. As long on the white spots on his side don't start turning red and fuzzy, I wouldn't worry about them, and now that he is moving around, they should heal.

Please keep me posted.

Well today he is not lookins as good. pretty much the same as in the beginning. Laying sideways on the bottom, not moving much. He is still eating a little but it is hard for him. His poor eyelid is getting sore! No redness yet!

I have been feeding anti-bac food for 10 days and using marycyn 2 for 7 days. Im all out of Maracyn2 as was wondering if I should try something else. His eye swelling appears to be down but his left side is still bulging. There are still slight red streaks in both the fishies fins!

I have been keeping the water clean and using amquel for the slight amount of ammonia that show up. I have also been adding 1tsp of rock salt per gallon.

I hope there is somthing else I can try.

Please help!

thanks

Sorry I didn't reply yesterday, but I had a bit of a family crisis with my elderly father.

If it were me, I would do a 50% water change, and quit the Maracyn for a few days, continue with the medicated food.

How is he today?

He keeps changing, one part of the day he is swimming around (sideways) for hours then I think he tires out and just lays pittiful on the bottom for the rest of the day. The popeye looks worse today. I did a 50% water change. Iv stopped M2. I was told to try Jungle Fugus/Bacteria cure. I dont want to over medicate. but I do want him to get better.
What about fasting?

Anyways, keeping my fingers crossed.

Sorry to hear about your family problems, I hope eveything is ok!!

If it were me, I would continue with the medicated food, do extra water changes, and not medicate for about a week. Then, if you want you can try the Jungle product. It is always a worry to over medicate and make the problem worse.

In these cases, it is difficult to know what to do

I have searched out some other opinions and here is what I have found to be recommended:

Maracyn 2 is recommended to start with. Do a full round of that followed by a 24 hour rest and then Maracyn. Feed Metromed for a full 21 days. and keep the temp raised to 80 degrees. Use epsom salt in the tank 1/8 tsp per 5 gals.

So, I would do several water changes over the next few days to get any residual salt out of the tank. I would add the epsom salt. Also, it is recommended to raise the temperature in the tank to about 80 f.

What is the brand of the medicated food you are feeding?

Well I have alread done 7 days of Maracyn 2 and nothing changed. I did a large water change and added fresh carbon to get out any meds.
I did add more salt though so I will have to start the change over to epsom. The temp is already raised. I have medigold, a friend sent me some in the mail, the other brand I was usuing before was jungle anti-bac.
I will get the Maracy tomorrow and hope that it will work. I do have Jungle anti fungus/bacteria on hand. Could this be an option. It says that it takes care of Pop-eye, swim bladder infections and the red streaks. Im just concerned about mixing meds and overmedicating.

Oh well this is very frustrating, I hate seeing him so sad and sick. I feel like a bad Mom!

Medi-Gold is a very good medicated food. What you could do, is give your fish a break from the medications in the water; do water changes for a couple of days to get rid of the salt, then add the epsom salt. During this time, feed the Medi-Gold several times a day. I try to feed several pellets every few hours if I am at home. Otherwise, at least morning, supper and a couple of times in the evening.

If you haven't noticed an improvement after a few days, you could add the Jungle medication. I haven't had much success using Maracyn, personally, JMO.

You are definitely not a bad mom. You have worked so hard for this fish, you having nothing to feel guilty about.

How is your fish doing now, Sarahfen?