Test Results for the Following:
Ammonia Level? N/A
Nitrite Level? N/A
Nitrate level? N/A
Ph Level, (If possible,KH and GH and chloramines)? N/A
Ph Level out of the Tap? N/A
Tank size (How many Gals) and How long has it been running? 10 gallons, running since 8th July 2006
What is the name and size of the filter/s? Undergravel filter
How often do you change the water and how much? Changed 50% water on 11th July 2006
How many fish in the tank and their size? 2 goldfish (1 redcap oranda, 1 ryukin). Both about 1.5 - 2 inches.
What kind of water additives or conditioners? Tetra Aquasafe
Any medications added to the tank? Protozin - have added it according to instructions, on the 4th day of medication.
Add any new fish to the tank? No
What do you feed your fish? TetraFin and peas
Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt",
bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? Last Friday (14 July) I noticed the two goldfish started to grow whitespots on their fins and tails. Immediately I went to the local pet store and they recommended me to use Protozin, which I used according to instructions.
Any unusual behavior like staying
at the bottom, not eating, ect..? Now gasping for air on the top.

Dear all,

I am very new to goldfish keeping and I bought my aquarium just over a week ago. 3 days after I set up my aquarium the wooden log in the aquarium started to turn the water very brown and murky, therefore I changed about 50% of the water and I took out the wooden log. 3 days later (which was last Friday) I noticed whitespots growing on both the goldfish. I think I caught the whitespot fairly quickly as it wasn't there the night before. I rushed out to the local fish store that very same morning and they recommended Protozin. I followed the instructions and added Protozin on day 1, 2, and 3. The final treatment will be on Day 6 (I'm now on Day 4).

On my 2nd day of treatment, the whitespots have already completely disappeared from both the goldfish, but I still continued treatment. Both of them seemed very active and alert and have been eating. I feed them twice daily. However, yesterday things changed. Redcap oranda suddenly became very inactive (or lethargic). Usually when I come in front of the aquarium he will start swimming up and down and from side to side, begging for food. But since yesterday he's just been hanging on the water surface. I am not sure whether he is gasping for air, but he does look like it. Ryukin was fine, till about 1 hour ago and he started showing the same symptoms. I must also add that it looks like redcap oranda has lost about 3 scales from his body, probably due to his scratching about? They were scratching occasionally when the whitespot started, but it seems to have reduced. I've only noticed redcap oranda scratching once just now.

Can someone please help me? I'm not sure what is wrong with my two goldies. It looks like their condition is deteriorating. When I fed them about an hour ago, they swam and ate the food I gave them, but they quickly went back to a corner gasping for air when they have finished eating.

I'm sorry I cannot give any of the water parameters above because I just bought this aquarium and the shopkeeper did not tell me anything about monitoring water parameters. I have bought myself a test kit and a new Fluval 2+ filter online but they won't be arriving till maybe 2 days later.

Can someone please advise me? Do you think I should add salt to the water? I've read other threads saying to add salt to 0.3%? Will that be alright even though I am on Protozin? Is that advisable? Please help...I don't want to see my goldfish suffering like this.

Vinz

Hi there, Vinz, and !
I am not too familiar with Protozin, since I am not in the UK, but I have read about on various other forums, and most of them were very sceptical when treating anything with Protozin. Can you let me know what the ingredients are - it should say it somewhere on the package?
Once we know what exactly is in it, we can help you further.

It also helps to have test kits for ammonia, nitrites,nitrates and pH. Especially with a brand new tank like yours. Beneficial bacteria needs to establish to "eat up" any harmful things in the tank, but with a new filter and tank, that will take a while, and during that time you will have ammonia, then nitrites, last nitrates in the tank, and especially the first 2 are very toxic to fish. Here is some helpful info to read up on while checking out that box of Protozin...
Cycling of a tank/filter

In addition to having a new tank, unfortunately, your tank is a bit overstocked. That is just a faithful mistake most pet store employees make - calculating the fish volume of a tank like they would if you would buy tropicals, not goldfish. They are much messier, and bigger fish, and create a lot more waste. Therefore, they need a bigger water volume to be happy. Some more "reading material"...
10 steps to a healthy goldfish

I personally choose to treat White Spot with aquarium salt, or rock salt, only. Not only is it much more gentle on the fish without any chemicals, it also doesn't have any nasty side effects like other meds do. Salt also doesn't effect the beneficial bacteria in the filter at all, and that is especially important since those "good bugs" need to establish themselves first in your tank, and their development shouldn't be hindered by harsh medications.

Hi Ranchugirl!

Thank you for your quick reply! Unfortunately it doesn't say anywhere on the Protozin box or the leaflet about the ingredients. Its a dark blue liquid and it says 'treatment for whitespot, fungues, neon tetra disease, velvet and costiasis'. I'm not sure if that helps.

Yes after reading this forum I realised that the aquarium that I bought is slightly too small for both my fish (the shopkeeper told me I could keep 4 - 5 in there!). But does it help because at the moment my fishes are still very small. Maybe when they grow larger I will buy a new tank. And I've also ordered my test kits online which will be arriving hopefully tomorrow or day after.

I would like to add some salt now together with the Protozin medication. Will it be ok for me to add salt now because I have not finished my Protozin medication yet? I still need to add Protozin on the 6th day (i'm on the 4th day now).

Thanks!

Vinz

No, you shouldnt add salt with protozin. Protozin is a mix of malachite green and methylene blue, and not sure if theres anything else in it.

Keep your aeration up and once youve finished the course of meds and the ich is still present then do a 40% water change with gravel vac and then do a salt dose.

Finally somebody got the ingredients of that medication, Sandy! Strange, wherever I looked this morning, nobody seemed to know. Like its this big mystery.
I figured from Vinz's discription about the blue color, that it had to be at least Methylene blue, but not what else. Thanks...

Dear all,

Thank you for your quick replies. Their condition still has not improved this morning. Ryukin can’t seem to eat anymore. When I fed him this morning, he tried to eat, chewed on his food but spat it out. He tried to eat a couple of times but each time he will spit his food out, and eventually gave up. Redcap oranda is still eating his food. Both of them are just floating on top now or lying on the gravel when I am not feeding them.

Initially I was planning on completing the Protozin course (1 more dosage tomorrow – Day 6), but since they are not responding to this medication, should I just perform the gravel vac and change 40% of the water now and start with the salt medication instead? Please advise me.

Vinz

I have just received my test kit. The results of the tests are as follows:
Test Results for the Following:
Ammonia Level? 1.2 - 2.4mg/L
Nitrite Level? 0
Nitrate level? 10
Ph Level, (If possible,KH and GH and chloramines)? pH8, KH 3 to 6d, GH >16d
Ph Level out of the Tap? not sure, because tester comes in strips to test 5 parameters and I didn't want to waste 1 strip to test tap water, unless it is absolutely necessary.

Please advise me. I'm not sure what I should do, but judging from my parameters, I think I should perform a water change very soon.

Yeah, most definetely a nice big water change is in order, Vinz. Ammonia is toxic, no matter what level above Zero. And I read around that Protozin can cause side effects in fish if not dosed correctly to the dot. A sensitive medication, careful to be handled, kind of like QuickCure. Good medication, maybe, but the user better know how to dose it, or it can do more damage than harm.

So, nice water change, vaccuuming the gravel really good (another source of ammonia buildup if not done every single time you do a water change), and then salt the tank. You do have aquarium salt, rock or solar salt? Even the salt that is being used for making ice cream is good, as long as it says nothing else but salt in the ingredients. Most cooking salts contain agents that are toxic to fish and can't be used.

Do 1 teaspoon per 1 gl of water (10 gl = 1 teaspoons), dissolve those first in a smaller container with tank water, then pour it into the fish tank. Wait 12 hours, do the same dosage again, and after yet another 12 hours one last dosage like that. That gives you a very effective 0.3% salt solution.

How is the temperature in the tank? The higher the temps are, the faster the live cycle of WhiteSpot will go, and it will be treated faster. And with WhiteSpot, even if its not visible on the fish anymore, keep the salt in for an additional 4-6 days, since the little buggers have an indestructable period in their life, as eggs, when salt and other treatment don't effect them. If you remove the salt too early, any remaining eggs hatch happily and keep on bugging the fish.

Hi Ranchugirl,

I forgot to add that I also received my new Fluval 2+ internal filter. Should I start using it after I do my water change? Currently I'm using an undergravel filter.

Also, how much water should i change? 50%? or the more the better? whole tank?

Thanks for your help!

Definetely, Vinz - use that Fluval. The easiest way to cycle the filter without too much hassle and time is to get some sort of net, like a woman's stocking or the like, put a handful or two of the gravel in it, and stick it into the new filter together with the new media. That way the filter is seeded with the beneficial bacteria right away, and doesn't go through too much of ammonia or othe troubles.

Would you consider getting rid of the UGF (undergravel filter) alltogether? It has been a very highly praised filter years ago, and it is very effective, if you either have live plants in it, or are VERY consistant with the weekly vacuuming. Any waste that gets trapped in the gravel, and underneath the plates, will turn into anerobic gas over time, and with goldfish lurking around the gravel and pick on it and disturb it a lot, that gas can escape, and fish don't do so well with that if they get too close. When there are plants in the gravel, their roots eat up anything nasty and utilize it as fertilizer, and people hardly ever had troubles with the UGF that way.
I tell you, I always thought I took really good care of my UGF when I still had it in my 160 gl tank. It was a pain, but every week I vacuumed all the gravel while doing water changes. But boy, was there a mess UNDER the plates when I finally decided to clean out the gravel and take the filter out!! Even with the most rigorous vacuuming, some dirt will always be trapped underneath there, and my water was totally cloudy for almost a day. I took the fish out first, of course, but still - a mess!

Hi Ranchugirl,

I’ve changed about 70% of the water and tried to clean the gravel as best as I could. It was really really dirty beneath the gravel! While cleaning, the water turned very cloudy but it is getting better now. I have also added 0.1% salt to the water.

I turned off the UGF and I’m using the Fluval now. How this filter work is that it sucks in the dirt through the foam pads and shoots out the water via the nozzle on top. My concern is that I think the water that it shoots out might be too strong for the 2 goldfish as now it seems that they are struggling really hard to stay in one spot. If they didn’t struggle, they would just be going round and round with the water current. Do you think that is ok for the fish? Another thing, should I use the carbon filter that is supplied?

I have also noticed that the two goldfish is now showing signs of clamped fins. What does this mean?

Also, after performing the water change, I tested the parameters again. The ammonia level reduced by a bit, but it is still showing 1.2mg/L, which I think is still not good. pH level dropped to 7.6. Nitrate = 10, Nitrite = 0. Do I need another water change?

Definetely another water change, Vinz, yes.
Unfortunately, shutting off the UGF completely is not a good thing to do. That way the gravel above the filter doesn't get any oxygen at all, or the dirt at least somewhat processed, and what you get is stagnant gravel with all kinds of nasty things "cooking" inside. I'd turn it back on, and rather go about a safer way to handle that UGF.
Every day, or every time you do a water change - whatever you prefer - take a cup full of gravel out with a coffee mug or any other container. That way the bacteria is still intact, and no nasties building up in the gravel, at least not more than neccessary. Its more gentle on the fish that way. It takes longer, but its better.

The fish having their fins clamped right now is most likely caused by the stuff that has come up when you cleaned the gravel, and the cloudiness. You should try not to disturb the gravel too much. I know, sounds strange, considering that you wonna clean it. But there is a good way of cleaning it without disturbing it too much.
You use one of those sypons to get the gravel cleaned, right? Plastic tube on a hose that carries water out of the tank? When you stick that tube into the gravel, do tiny up-and-down motions, not sideways. That way the gravel in the tube gets cleaned without spreading "the joy" all over the tank. When the water runs pretty clear in the tube after a few seconds, slowly lift the tube a bit over the gravel to release the gravel back onto the tank floor, and pick the next spot for the same procedure. Doing sideway motions when cleaning releases a lot of the trapped debris, and clouds the tank.

As for the current of the Fluval, is there any function there that lets you control the strength of the flow? I don't use Fluvals, so I am not sure. Most of my filters let me regulate somewhat how fast/strong the water comes out of the filter. If not, maybe you can create a safe spot for the goldfish to rest. Maybe few plastic plants in a corner, a bigger ornament to hide behind or something like that.
If you stil have the Protozin in the water, don't put the carbon in the filter. The carbon's job is to get medicine out of the water, and you don't want that at the moment. You can stick it in once the treatment is finished though.

One more thing - did you stick some of the gravel into the Fluval?

Edit: Just looked up the discription of the Fluval filter on the internet - looks like the nozzle can be adjusted and pointed in different directions for the water outflow. There also should be a mechanism there to control the strength of it.
http://www.aquariumguys.com/fluvalinternal1.html

Hi Ranchugirl,

I will turn the UGF back on, but I am not sure what you were trying to explain about taking a cup-full of gravel every time I do a water change. Does this mean that I should slowly remove all my gravel everytime I do a water change until the bottom of my tank is bare?

Unfortunately when I did the water change yesterday, I did stir up a lot of dirt from beneath the gravel. It was my 1st time using the gravel vac siphon-thing, and I have no idea how to use it. I followed the instructions on the box but how do you suck the water up so that it flows to the hose and down to the bucket??! In the end, I just went to the tap, filled the hose with water, and then put one end of the hose into the tank and one into the bucket and let the water flow out naturally (Bernoulli’s theory I think?).

Yes you are right, the Fluval does allow me to lower the strength of the flow, but by doing that I will decrease the filtration rate (gallons/hr). Cos I read somewhere in the forum that as a general rule of thumb the filtration rate should be 10x that of your aquarium size. At the moment I am already not abiding by this rule as I keep the strength in the middle, which means that it filters 50 gallons/hr, but my tank size is approx. 10 gallons. I did try to turn it up to 100gallons/hr, but the two goldfish were just basically being swept by the current going round and round the aquarium. I did try pointing the nozzle away but it still doesn’t help.

I think I will stick the carbon into the filter as I am not on Protozin anymore, since I am on the salt treatment now. Will that help my water quality?

Also, I was considering changing 70% of the water again as you have advised. However, the problem is I have already added to 0.2% salt now. If I were to change 70% of the water again, how many % of salt do I have now? And how do I go about adding the additional salt to bring it to 0.3%?

I didn’t stick any gravel into the filter. I’m not sure how to put it in, unless I remove 1 piece of the foam pad and put the gravel there (it comes with 2 foam pads). Does it really help with the gravel in the filter?

I’m sorry I have so many questions. Really appreciate your help.

Vinz

Don't worry about the questions, Vinz - I am a fast typer...

With an UGF there are really only two options: clean the gravel religiously and constantly, or take it out completely and add another meaning of filtration, like a 2. fluval. If you would leave it shut off, the gravel gets deprived of oxygen, and makes the waste in the gravel, and under the plate of the filter, toxic. There is beneficial bacteria among the gravel, but it needs oxygen to do its job. Without it, the beneficial bacteria dies down, and you end up with a toxic waste dump.

Yes, I was trying to explain how to safely take out the gravel and the filter, but if you, like so many, hate the idea of a barebottom tank, then you can always pick bigger river rocks instead, or a very thin layer of gravel, no UGF.

How to make the syphon thing flow - oh yes, the never ending mystery. All you have to do is submerge the whole thing with both ends completely into the tank. Then cover the thinner end with your thumb, take it out of the tank, but leave the thicker pipe end in the water. Hold the thinner end with your thumb on it over the bucket, then let the thumb go, and water should start flowing. Other than that, there is also the option of you sucking on the thinner end while its over the bucket, but the idea of potentially swallowing a load of fish water isn't appealing to everybody...
As for the carbon, you really don't need it in your tank permanently, it is only meant to take meds out of the tank and such. I'd rather use that extra space for other media, like another pad, or in your case gravel in a piece of netting or stocking. The gravel really helps colonize the new filter with beneficial bacteria without going through the threaded cycling process again. The gravel already contains the useful bacteria, all it has to do now is move over to the rest of the filter media in the new tank. In about 2-3 weeks time there will be enough bacteria on the media in the new filter, and you can remove the gravel if you wish to do so.
As for the salt and water changes, that requires some math.(favorite subject... cough...cough....)
When you do a 70% water change, you take 7 gl of water out. With it also goes a lot of salt, so you have to replace those 7 gl worth of salt. Since you added originally 1 teaspoon per gl, then another 1 teaspoon per gallon 12 hours later (which basically means 2 teapsoons per gallon alltogether), you have to replace those 2 tsp per gallon x the 7 gl you took out. Which equals 14 teaspoons of salt.
I hope that was clear enough... With that you are up to 0.2% salt again. All thats left then is adding the 3. and final dose of 10 teaspoons per gallon to get the salt solution up to 0.3%.
I don't blame you if that sounds confusing a little bit. Holler if you need additional help with the calculation...

Hi Ranchugirl,

I have performed a gravel vac and changed 70% of the water again. I followed your instructions about adding the salt back again to 0.2%. At the moment I am running on 2 filters, I’ve turned the UGF back on. And I left the Fluval on too, and I added some gravel into the Fluval. I couldn’t fit much in there, just a little bit of gravel wrapped in a cloth. Will this be ok?

After the water change, I tested the water again. The results: pH between 7.6 to 7.8, Nitrate = 10, Nitrite = 0, Ammonia = almost 0 (could be between 0 to 0.6) hard to tell. But I think the water quality is better now. In about an hour I will be adding the 3rd dosage of salt, bringing the tank to 0.3% salt.

I am also getting very concerned because this is the 2nd day that they have not eaten anything. And they are getting noticeably thinner. Redcap oranda still acts excited when I try to feed, and he does try to eat, unfortunately I think he can’t swallow the food, so he just spits it out again. Ryukin doesn’t even try to eat anymore. When I put the food in front of him he just ignores it. I do soak the food before feeding them but it doesn’t help.

Also, they are scratching and rubbing themselves quite often now. And their fins are still clamped.

Do you think they will get better?

Vinz

They might just on the salt, but the not eating is a bit worrysome. Scratching can be a whole bunch of parasites, but not eating sometimes means irritated gills. Are you brave enough to hold them, and see how the gills look? The best way to do it is hold one in one hand (if you are left handed, hold them with the right hand, and vice versa), then lift the gill plate up gently with the thumb nail of the other hand and see how it looks?
Red and meaty? Clobby, kind of like raw meat? Intact, or mushy like mashed potatoes? Pink? Pale? I suspect flukes might be in the mix as well, but it would be helpful to see how the gills look.

I would have to check with Sandy to see if she knows about a great medicine available in the UK - Parasite Clear from Jungle.

Are you sure I should hold them and open up their gills? I might accidentally break it. My fishes are quite tiny (from head to end of tail, not more than 2 inches). But if that's the best way to do it, I can try. Is there any other way of diagnosing it?

Hi Ranchugirl,

Update on my goldfish - i think redcap is getting better now. he seems to be more alert and active. and he swims around the aquarium now, instead of just staying in one spot. but he does still scratch himself against the wall or gravel occasionally. he did eat a little bit of his food when i fed him just now. i soaked the food before feeding it to him and i broke it into very very small pieces. some he swallowed, but some he spat out. but i think this is good progress.

unfortunately ruykin still doesn't seem to be too well. it's the 3rd day he hasn't eaten now. when i tried to feed him, he wasn't even bothered. he just ignored the food in front of him. all day long he will be floating on top of the aqaurium at the surface. he doesn't move much. if he doesn't eat, i'm not sure how long he will last. i haven't seen him scratching himself today. i don't see any other symptoms on him at the moment. is there anything else i should look out for?

i don't think i want to open up their gills. i'm afraid i might accidentally hurt them. do you think it will be wise to do a salt dip for ryukin? to get rid of all his parasites. or should i get a medication for fluke?

i forgot to add...ryukin also likes to go to the fluval nozzle and swim against the flow of the current. so when he's not floating around on the surface he will be at the filter. i'm not sure why he's doing this. is this a symptom of a disease?

Don't worry about breaking the gills, Vinz, if you do it gentle and the fish holds reasonable still, then thats fine. But if you are not up to it, that is good too - it takes most of us a while before we aren't afraid anymore of holding our fish, and do things to them. To date I still am not willing to give mine any kind of injection...

Sandy has been looking into your thread, since she is so much closer to you, and more familiar with UK meds. She isn't feeling well right now, but suggested to possibly just remove the salt over time with water changes, keeping the temperature up at 84 degrees Fahrenheit, having some nice airation in tank, and just doing short salt dips for the irriated gills at the moment. Its great that she can help me, I am not too familiar with UK meds.
The salt dip is pretty easy to do: 1/2 cup of aquarium salt (or the salt you are using right now in the tank) per gallon of temperature matched water in a bucket, let the salt dissolve first. Then put the fish in and watch him - as long as he swims around in it, he is fine. Once he starts just floating at the surface, and he doesn't respond much when you poke him, then its time to take him out and back into his current tank. Do only half dosages for small or already stressed fish (like your ryukin would be at the moment), and no matter if the fish is still a happy camper in the bucket after 5 minutes, take him out anyway. Nothing longer than five minutes. Very small or weak fish might not be able to handle more than 30 seconds.
Its really up to the fish itself - so watch him closely...

Oh, and the riding in the current of the filter all of a sudden is also a sign of irriated gills. He is "searching" for more oxygen, since irritated gills have a harder time processing it.

Hi Ranchugirl,

Just a quick update on my fishies. Their condition is still the same. Redcap seems alright, he is swimming around (not as active as when he was healthy, but he does get excited when i go next to his tank). Ryukin is now sitting at the bottom next to the filter. he must have gotten tired of all that riding with the filter current. i forgot to tell you yesterday that their fins are no longer clamped.

i will do the salt dip like you have advised later today. hopefully ryukin will get better after that. you think I should remove the salt that I added into the aquarium soon? Shouldn't I leave it in there for now? I read in another thread that we should leave the salt in the aquarium at least until 10 days after the last signs of ich (or any disease that you are treating). is that right? and i also don't have a thermometer or heater.

also, a few minutes ago i tested the ammonia levels again, and it has increased to 1.2mg/L now. should i be concerned about this? why does my ammonia keep on going up? is it because i do not have any beneficial bacteria in my tank yet? the tank is 2 weeks old now.

Your tank is still cycling and its best to try and keep the ammonia below 1.
As for the salt in the tank, very small and weakened fish cant take too much salt so ease down on it a little and let it drop to .2%. This will help them through the nitrite part of the cycle and doing the salt dips each day will be enough for them to cope with.
If the fish arent looking any better in 3 days give us a shout back.
Did you get a look at the gills?
Do the dips for three days.

Thanks Sandy,

When I do the salt dips, do I use the full dose, that is 1/2 cup per gallon of water, or should I half it? (that is using 1/4 cup per gallon of water).

Also because I am dipping 2 fishies, do I have to change the bucket of water for each of the fish, or can I use the same bucket of water?

I have already done the 1st dip this afternoon, half dosage for ryukin like ranchugirl recommended, but I used full dosage for Redcap. Their condition at the moment still remains the same. I will continue the dips for 3 days and post any updates here.

I didn't have a chance to look at their gills. I don't think I want to do that cos I'm afraid I might do more damage than good. What disease is it that you are suspecting?

Tomorrow morning I will change the water in the tank again while doing a gravel vac, to keep the ammonia level lower.

Thanks for your help.

Vinz

This is the treatment for ich or whitespot. Salt kills the parasite in the free swimming stage much the same as the meds but the salt is gentler. The problem arises when small fish get weakened by the ich and the salt can then do more damage than good.
I think you should slowly take the salt out if the spots have gone and raise the temp slowly up to 84f with lots of air. Ich finds it hard to reproduce at such a high temperature and eventually dies out.
As for the dips which should have the fish in a net and dipped in then out again, then do that for the three days *with fresh dechlored water using warm water from kettle to bring it to temperature* and if no improvement we can move on to more prolonged salt baths.

So keep going with the dosage for salt in a bucket and use the dip for both fish.

I've got sad news... my little Ryukin didn't make it through the night... We will miss him...

Redcap's condition is still the same as yesterdays. I've fed him a little soaked food, and he's eaten all of it. He's not as alert and active when he was healthy but he's still swimming around a little. I'm hoping he can pull through this. I will perform a water change soon to bring the salt level to 0.2% as you have recommended. And I will continue the salt dips for the next 2 more days.

Actually, when I did the salt dip yesterday I dipped both of them in for approximately 4 minutes before taking them out. Ranchugirl said that as long as they are swimming about, or when you poke them they swim then it is fine, but do not dip than for longer than 5 minutes. So that's what I did. But today I will just dip Redcap with a net and take him out again after a few seconds like you have recommended.

Also, Redcap has a long trail of ###### behind him. It is at least 5 - 6 inches long, white/transparent in colour, with some occasional orange spots (probably from the food I feed him). And he drags it along for a few hours. I think the last one was on him for at least 3 hours. Should I be concerned?

Could be the stress or he isnt feeding that well. I wouldnt be too concerned and would not feed for a couple of days and then try a squashed boiled pea.
Im sorry you lost a fish, thats a real shame. A dip in that solution is fine.

Hi Ranchugirl & Sandy,

My Redcap is getting much better now, thanks to all of your help. He’s back to his old self again, very active and lively, and eating all of his meals. He still has a mild case of constipation I think, but I will feed him with peas to ease that.

My plan now is to take out the undergravel filter not use it anymore. I will also remove all of the gravel, clean it, and replace it. But I will replace it with a thinner layer, as previously it was too thick and dirt gets trapped and it’s very hard to clean.

Also, I am thinking of leaving the water with a 0.1% salt content. Just so that no parasites comes back to attack again. Is that a good idea?

Thank you once again for all of your help!

Vinz