Hi,

For the past couple of days my goldfish has just been sitting at the bottom of the tank...She doesn't move around a lot, usually just sits at the bottom. She hasn't eaten in the past 2 days either. I just noticed that she has a long white string of poo coming out...Does this sound like a bacterial infection? I did a 60% water change today and about 20% yesterday, and the water is testing normal...She also has a history of drinking lots of air....She's all by herself in a 10 galon tank which has been set up for approx. 6 months....Any ideas? Should i get meds for her?

Hello Melissa! Welcome to the forum. To start out, try to answer as many of the questions in the white box above for us. As many will tell you, it is easier to diagnose with more details and tank history. I am sure a moderator will be along shortly to offer advice. Hang in there!

Nitrite Level - 0
Nitrate level - 20
Ph Level - 7.0
Tank size (How many Gals) - 10
How long has it been running? - 6 months
What is the name and size of the filter/s? - Top Fin for 10gal tanks
How often do you change the water and how much - every 3-4 weeks, 50%, just changed 20% yesterday and 60% today

How many fish in the tank and their size - Just the one....body is about 2.5 to 3 " long
What kind of water additives or conditioners - Just put in some Cycle
Any medications added to the tank - No
Add any new fish to the tank - No
What do you feed your fish - Sinking frozen food alternative
Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt", bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus - NO
Any unusual behavior - Staying at the bottom, not moving much, not eating

white stringy poo usually means parasites. Can your fish swim to the top or does it try and sink? if it's parasites, i treat mine with ap general cure. hope it gets better

She'll swim around and go to the top once every couple of hours and can get up there, but floats down to the bottom after a few seconds and just sits there.

White stringy poop can indicate several things and if parasites are present then the white poop may be a result of a secondary bacterial infection. Other causes can be stress, poor water or poor diet.

Do you use a dechlorinator? Cycle is supposedly a biological supplement but doesn't contain the necessary chemicals to remove chlorine or chloramines. Purchasing a bottle of dechlorinator would be the first thing i'd do. Secondly, I would try increasing the waterchanges to weekly - around 50%. This is the recommended schedule for goldfish because it keeps the bacteria that inhabits tank water under control, plus it's a necessary refresher for your fish and the rise in water quality will help keep the immunity strong, reducing susceptibility to bacteria

You could try fasting for a couple of days if there's none of the following:

- any redness on the body
- clamped fins
- gasping
- problems with slime coat ie. thickened

If you find any of these symptoms, then your guy may have a bacterial infection - but try the fasting and try to keep up the changes. If you see a steady deterioration, then medicating the tank could be necessary.

So please post back if you see any other symptoms and we can take it from there