amonia-0ppm nitrate=oppm nitrite=oppm ph= 7.8 50gal. tank running for one year. rena xp2 and penguin biowheel. weekley water changes=50%

I came home yesterday and found my one year old oranda sitting on the bottom. she shares the tank with my other oranda that is about 2 years old and he is perfectly healthy. There are no signs of disease at all but i did notice that her poops were very strange looking, clear and stringy kind of tube like. I thought maybe she was constipated or something, Could she be bound up with eggs? Im not really sure if she is a she anyway. But tonite i got home and she is just laying on her side in the corner of the tank. I did notice more of those strange poops in the tank. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks

Have you seen any chasing behavior between the fish? Has there been a sudden change in temperature or weather? Is she swollen (or emaciated)? Tube poop indicates digestive disorders but these can be connected to many issues including some disease issues.

I am wondering why you have zero nitrates in a tank that has been set up for over one year ? Are you sure??

Trinket, thanks so much for the response. Unfortunately she ended up passing yesterday. I wish I knew what happened it all happend so fast. She was very bloated and started to pinecone. There was no sign of disease and no chasing behavior, it just looked like she was bound up. As for my nitrate reading, I use an API test kit that I use weekley. A blue color means 0ppm and its usually that color. Fortunatly my other oranda seems perfectly healthy but I am a little nervous to get him a new buddy as I do not want to risk getting him sick. Do you know if having tankmates adds to a fishes quality of life or can they be perfecly happy being alone? Thanks again

Davk, I am so sorry that your oranda has passed away! Sometimes we can't be 100% sure what happened - all we can do is watch them daily, know their normal behavior and take care of the water. Often, by knowing how they normally act, we will see when something isn't right. With dropsy, it sounds like she had some underlaying bacterial issue going on, and if it was something internal, it is harder to notice than if it would be external.

As for another fish - goldfish are perfectly happy just being by themselves. However, if you want another friend for her, don't be afraid to do so. Whatever you decide, make sure if you get another fish that you pick the one that appears healthy in the store ("appear" being the important issue here, they still can have things going on), and that you quarantine any new fish.