HELP! I think there is something wrong with Waddle. He has black splotches on the edges of his fins and I can't tell if it's his coloring or if he has some kind of sickness. I am new to goldfish. I just bought a 56 gallon tank and I have 3 orandas.
So far my tests show:
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
hardness: 0Gh
chlorine: 0
alkalinity: 300Kh ppm
pH 8.4
pH tap water: 8.4
like I said, 56 gal tank
I have a top fin power filter 60
I just set up my tank 3 days ago, did a gravel cleaning yesterday and changed about 5% of the water.
I use Top Fin tap water dechlorinator
Also, they have eaten Omega one goldfish flakes (soked) one night
cooked shelled peas the next night
and they had hikari oranda gold pellets tonight
My 3 orandas are about 3 inches longall 3 seem active, are eating and are swimming around. Princess seems to nose around at the surface and I've noticed Bubble yawning occasionally
I haven't used any medications (nor do I have any)
OH, and I also have 3 sword plants and 2 java plants I just added yesterday.
Am I being overconcerned?
Thanks for any advice!
Rainia
Full Version: Help! Are The Fins Rotting Off?
Hello Rania and welcome to the forum!
You have a few things going on here. First and foremost is that your tank is not cycled. With 5% water changes the ammonia is going to skyrocket very quickly, and it sounds like your fish already have ammonia burns. I didn't see where you posted an ammonia reading. You need to get an ammonia tester quickly and do a large water change of at least 75%, then 40-50% daily after that. This will go on for 3-4 weeks as after you have established some beneficial bacteria, the nitrites will start to rise, and they also are lethal to your fish.
Right now I wouldn't clean the gravel just yet as it will help you gain some bbs. That will come a little later on.
Did you quarantine the plants before you placed them in the tank? You can soak them in a weak solution of water and chlorine bleach to get rid of any parasites that are almost always on live plants when you bring them home. Your fish don't need this problem, as cycling a tank with the fish inside is a tricky and time consuming chore.
If you don't understand the nitrogen cycling process, please go to the home page here and there's a link that will explain it for you. But please do a large temperature matched and ph matched water change immediately.
Keep posting back and let us know how things are going. Everyone here started out with problems, and all of us will be more than happy to help you get your fish in a happy, healthy environment!
You have a few things going on here. First and foremost is that your tank is not cycled. With 5% water changes the ammonia is going to skyrocket very quickly, and it sounds like your fish already have ammonia burns. I didn't see where you posted an ammonia reading. You need to get an ammonia tester quickly and do a large water change of at least 75%, then 40-50% daily after that. This will go on for 3-4 weeks as after you have established some beneficial bacteria, the nitrites will start to rise, and they also are lethal to your fish.
Right now I wouldn't clean the gravel just yet as it will help you gain some bbs. That will come a little later on.
Did you quarantine the plants before you placed them in the tank? You can soak them in a weak solution of water and chlorine bleach to get rid of any parasites that are almost always on live plants when you bring them home. Your fish don't need this problem, as cycling a tank with the fish inside is a tricky and time consuming chore.
If you don't understand the nitrogen cycling process, please go to the home page here and there's a link that will explain it for you. But please do a large temperature matched and ph matched water change immediately.
Keep posting back and let us know how things are going. Everyone here started out with problems, and all of us will be more than happy to help you get your fish in a happy, healthy environment!
OK Rainia - I'm going to have to be quick as I'm due to sign off very soon.
Your problem lies with only result you have not posted - ammonia. This is always very high at first and the black marks you are seeing are signs of ammonia burn. In addition ammonia can become even more lethal at a high PH of 8.4 - so you must do a very large water change (de-chlorinated and temp matched) and get yourself an ammonia tester as soon as you can. It must be kept as close to zero as possible with daily water changes - the higher the reading, the more water needs to be changed. Your PH is fine and should not be changed - just keep on top of ammonia like a fiend.
Your fish are currently battling New Tank Syndrome.
Please read the links under my signature to understand more about how water chemistry works in the tank.
Got to go I'm afraid, but there are many other people who will be able to help you through this phase.
Your problem lies with only result you have not posted - ammonia. This is always very high at first and the black marks you are seeing are signs of ammonia burn. In addition ammonia can become even more lethal at a high PH of 8.4 - so you must do a very large water change (de-chlorinated and temp matched) and get yourself an ammonia tester as soon as you can. It must be kept as close to zero as possible with daily water changes - the higher the reading, the more water needs to be changed. Your PH is fine and should not be changed - just keep on top of ammonia like a fiend.
Your fish are currently battling New Tank Syndrome.
Please read the links under my signature to understand more about how water chemistry works in the tank.
Got to go I'm afraid, but there are many other people who will be able to help you through this phase.
Ok I will get an amonia test kit asap from wally world since they are still open at 8:30 lol. Will 50% water change be good? It is such a large tank lol it will take me a while. Also, when you say a weak solution of chlorine bleach, about how much would you say? And then what do I do to clean the plants off before I stick them back in?
I also forgot to mention I have 2 small snails. Do I need to do something to them? They are just hanging out on the walls of the tank at the moment.
Thank you so much for your help!
I also forgot to mention I have 2 small snails. Do I need to do something to them? They are just hanging out on the walls of the tank at the moment.
Thank you so much for your help!
I just got back with the amonia test, and the reading is .25 amonia which the test says is safe. So... could the spots be an amonia burn from the local fs? I also got some stress coat stuff... not sure if I should use it or not but it says it will rebuild their slime coat after water changes and when setting up a new tank. Should I remove my filter first? Also, I got amonia tablets to disolve the amonia quickly just incase the amonia DOES spike so I don't have to do a huge water change. Knowing my luck it would spike the morning before I have to head to work and I won't have time so I thought that would help at least.
Thanks for the advice!
Rainia
Thanks for the advice!
Rainia
Did you get the strip testers or the drops? Sorry that we didn't specify but the strips are notoriously inaccurate. They'll do in a pinch, but you should get an API drop tester as soon as you can. The ammonia needs to be 0. There is no such thing as "safe" ammonia in a new tank.
Sorry also but the ammonia tablets are not very effective. I also used them during cycling, but they only last a very short time and were pretty much a waste of money as I had to do the water changes anyway. Hon, there really aren't any real shortcuts to cycling a tank. Its a lot of hassle and a lot of work, but once its done, its done and you can relax!
As far as the snails...during the cycling process you may have to use salt for some reason. Snails don't do well with salt, so maybe someone who knows more about this could advise you.
You'd just rinse the plants really well after you've soaked them for maybe 24 hours.
Sorry also but the ammonia tablets are not very effective. I also used them during cycling, but they only last a very short time and were pretty much a waste of money as I had to do the water changes anyway. Hon, there really aren't any real shortcuts to cycling a tank. Its a lot of hassle and a lot of work, but once its done, its done and you can relax!
As far as the snails...during the cycling process you may have to use salt for some reason. Snails don't do well with salt, so maybe someone who knows more about this could advise you.
You'd just rinse the plants really well after you've soaked them for maybe 24 hours.
Vickie - sorry, I realise I double-posted with you last time. 
Rainia - don't worry about bleaching plants now - if they are already in the tank it is too late. As the fish are new, you would do well to run a quarantine proceedure and raise salt while you are cycling. There is a pinned thread in 'water chemistry' section. You should also order some Prazi or PraziPro online to treat for flukes which most fish carry.
What type of snails do you have. Are they Apples? They will react very badly to any salt or ammonia/nitrite so you could put them somewhere else with the plants (who also dislike salt)while you deal with the cycle.
Remember - with your high PH, ANY ammonia is very dangerous. Test daily and change water accordingly.
Rainia - don't worry about bleaching plants now - if they are already in the tank it is too late. As the fish are new, you would do well to run a quarantine proceedure and raise salt while you are cycling. There is a pinned thread in 'water chemistry' section. You should also order some Prazi or PraziPro online to treat for flukes which most fish carry.
What type of snails do you have. Are they Apples? They will react very badly to any salt or ammonia/nitrite so you could put them somewhere else with the plants (who also dislike salt)while you deal with the cycle.
Remember - with your high PH, ANY ammonia is very dangerous. Test daily and change water accordingly.
ok I will get a drop test kit today. I don't have another tank, so the plants and the snails are going in some disposable ziplock containers lol. I think they are apple snails. They are very small and one is orange and the other is black. They seem to be doing good. I wouldn't mix salt with my snails I don't want to murder them 
Should I lower my pH? I have seen products that claim to bring it down to like 7 to 7.5. My tap water has a high pH, so I'm not sure that water changes alone are going to solve the problem. Are the pH tablets the same as the amonia tablets? I don't want to waste my money. These little buggers are expensive enough lol!
Thanks so much for your help!
Rainia
Should I lower my pH? I have seen products that claim to bring it down to like 7 to 7.5. My tap water has a high pH, so I'm not sure that water changes alone are going to solve the problem. Are the pH tablets the same as the amonia tablets? I don't want to waste my money. These little buggers are expensive enough lol!
Thanks so much for your help!
Rainia
Your ph is just fine for goldies and trying to lower it chemically will just lead to instability and more stress for your fish(not to mention a waste of money on the products). My ph is 8.4 and my goldies are just fine and have been for the past few years of keeping them. Ammonia is more toxic at a higher level of ph though so getting your ammonia levels down through water changes becomes even more important. Good luck with your new fishies!
I did a 10% water change this morning, the test strips read 0 amonia, same pH and everything as before. Waddle does seem to be doing better today. The black spots seem to be smaller than last night and all three of them are swimming around happily. I haven't noticed any ragged fins, messed up scales or white spots on anybody. They don't hang at the top or bottom sit and they aren't clamping their fins or anything... I think they are ok. I put in some stress coat medicine and I think it has helped a little bit.
Should I be feeding them every other day? I have been feeding once a day to minimize ammonia output.
Also, I only have 3 fish in the 56gallon tank. Would it be okay to get one more? I would really like a black oranda =) I will wait until my tank is fully cycled before I add another one though. I might also look into getting another smaller tank to quarentine too. I'd hate to get through all of this only to make them all sick. luckly, my lfs has some great fish people. I actually work at the vet inside the lfs so I see them every day and they are very knowlagable. They also have some really healthy fish there. I haven't ever seen dead fish in the tanks or any ick or ammonia burns.
I will head out and get a new ammonia test in a bit and check to see if things REALLY are ok.
Thanks for the help =)
Rainia
Should I be feeding them every other day? I have been feeding once a day to minimize ammonia output.
Also, I only have 3 fish in the 56gallon tank. Would it be okay to get one more? I would really like a black oranda =) I will wait until my tank is fully cycled before I add another one though. I might also look into getting another smaller tank to quarentine too. I'd hate to get through all of this only to make them all sick. luckly, my lfs has some great fish people. I actually work at the vet inside the lfs so I see them every day and they are very knowlagable. They also have some really healthy fish there. I haven't ever seen dead fish in the tanks or any ick or ammonia burns.
I will head out and get a new ammonia test in a bit and check to see if things REALLY are ok.
Thanks for the help =)
Rainia
Feeding them every other day during cycling is a great idea if you can withstand their little begging faces! 
You can use a Rubbermaid container for the snails. Just have a bubbler and use tank water in it, changing the water frequently. As Pixie said, the plants are already in the tank, so its too late to remove them now unless you use salt.
Please don't use any of those ph correctors. When I was cycling, I used them once. It automatically dropped my ph below 6!!
I had to immediately remove the fish and do a 100% water change or the ph drop would've killed them. 8.4 is okay for goldfish. They actually like the higher ph. It just makes the ammonia more dangerous.
You can use a Rubbermaid container for the snails. Just have a bubbler and use tank water in it, changing the water frequently. As Pixie said, the plants are already in the tank, so its too late to remove them now unless you use salt.
Please don't use any of those ph correctors. When I was cycling, I used them once. It automatically dropped my ph below 6!!
I had to immediately remove the fish and do a 100% water change or the ph drop would've killed them. 8.4 is okay for goldfish. They actually like the higher ph. It just makes the ammonia more dangerous.
How are your fish today, Rainia?
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