Dear People,

I hope you can help me figure out what is wrong with my oranda and maybe find a cure for her. Plus I hope I can express myself so that I can explain things clear for you, because my english is quit poor I believe, but I'll try.

This is what's going on:
My oranda has grown a lot this year, but since the last month or so her back seems to be rounder than normal and her fins are pointing down (she looks sad insted of happy). Everything was fine until yesterday. She became inactive, but was stil eating. This morning I went to feed the fishes and then I found out my oranda wasn't reacting to food, she was on the sand, slowly breathing and not reacting to me at all (normaly she is the first one around to get her meal). I've tested the water, wich is absolutely fine, I haven't changed her food (hikari lionhead + frozen foods + fruit + some veggies) so I really can't think of something that could corse this.

... I just had a look at her and now all of a sudden she seems fine

I'm really confused now

Is there someone who can explane this to me, ore has an idea of how this is possible?


Judith

Please could you give us as much information as you can from the box above.That way we can help you better

As Blue has mentioned we need you to answer those all important questions for us.
If you dont have any testing kits then you can take a sample of both your tank and tap water and ask the pet store to test the water for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and ph and ask them to write it all down so you can post back here.

I forgot to read the small warning on top of the page:

-I let the fishdealer have a look at the water. he said everything was perfectly fine. So I don't have exact levels.

-the tank size is 100 x 50 x 50 cm.

-i've got a Eheim Filter, I don't know the exact name, but it's quit big and powerfull

-I change the water every week. About 6 buckets that will be 60 liters (i'm sorry i don't know nothing about gallons)

- There are 8 goldfish in the tank. One is about the size of my hand (the oranda), an other one is a rather fat ranchu, but not very big, than there's 4 fishes that are 4-5 inches (a red cap, a black telescope, a pompon and a fantail) and 2 small fishes 3-4 inches (a orange telescope and a ranchu)

-in the water i use aquasafe for goldfish (tetra)

-i've no medications added to the tank

-no unusual findings on the fish

-behavior described above

*now the oranda is swimming, but not so excited she normaly does.

... and the tank is running 13 months now.

I think you can help me better now. Thanks for the reminder

So you have a 225 litre tank which is roughly a 50 gallon tank someone will correct me if I'm wrong.Even tho your fish are small just now you require 10 gallons of water per fish so in the long term provided my calculation is correct you will require a bigger tank.
I strongly suggest you obtain a test kit or have your water tested as it may well be a water quality problem and its best to rule that out before anything else is considered.
Also do you use water conditioners to treat your water each time you do a water change.

Blue,I reckon its the same size as my duo which is about 34 uk gallons.

Yes, you are overcrowded so you really need to thin the fish out either by finding new homes or by getting another bigger tank.

If they are common goldfish then at a max you can have two fish if its the 34 gallons.

If you keep them then you are going to have to do daily 50% water changes, the fish will become territorial and start fighting as one becomes dominant. They are at risk of becoming deformed and stunted and health issues will get more and more as they get bigger.
Your filter will find it harder and harder to cope with the ammonia being produced and so build up in the tank meaning you have to do more and more water changes in a week.

Now I think of it, I took a picture of my oranda yesterday. I'll try to post it

(there is nothing hanging out of her mouth, that's just a root in the back ground)


[/img]http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1769/oranda1da8.jpg[/img]

Is it my imagination or is her eye bulging out of its socket.

I use waterconditioners. These are no common goldfish.
I didn't know my thank was overcrouded. happily within now and two months I get a tank more than twice the sice from someone who didn't want it anymore. 8 goldies in a 2 meter tank, wil that be ok?

Her eye is perfectly normal. It has always been like that. she's 3 years old now (she belonged to my sister first).

Plus I had my water tested and it was fine. I'm starting to wonder if you read everything I write down 'cause this is the third time i say this Just like I sad I use water conditioners and explained wich fish are in the tank.

We know you say the water is fine but we like to see the actual results written down.
The fish looks well to me but as you are with her then mybe its a slight bacterial problem or her tank is warm. Is there a thermometer on the tank so you can see what the temperature is?
Do you have any extra air going in at all, such as an airstone on a pump? The fish are overcrowded in the tank and problems often start with bottom sitting. Do more water changes of say 30% each day and see if she responds to that. Use a gravel vac if you have one on each water change as well.
The new tank sounds good and will hopefully have enough room.

Hi Sandy,

I use a airpump that is used in ponds.
What you say about the temperature might be the problem. This week we had 40 degrees celcius here in the netherlands. I put some small bottles in the freezer, then a clean sock around it and that I put in the aquarium to keep the temperature under 30 degrees celcius in the fishtank. All fishes seemed fine, the temperature in the water then was 27 degrees celcius. The day that the oranda started feeling sick was the day the temperature outside dropt a lot, we had bad weather that day with lot's of wind and storm. The water temperature was 25 degrees celcius (which it still is now).
I will try dayly waterchanges, see if that helps.
Could it be that it is because she's so big that only my oranda feels poorly ?

Hi Judith, first off if your tank is 100cm x 50cm x 50cm then you have yourself a nice 66 gallon tank (or 250 litres) so while overstocked - it's still doable, especially as they're all fancy goldfish . The perfect size tank for 8 goldies would be 80 gallons or around 320 litres...

Have you noticed whether your oranda has pooped at all lately? Is it solid and thick or white and stringy?

I don't think her size will have much to do with her activity level - usually sluggishness will come from something else and I find in higher temps, my fish become sluggish but if you have good aeration, this will help them enormously.

So is the appetite still good?

Please post back soon