Another poorly fish.... help!!

[susielou]

I'm sorry, I'm sure this quesion has been asked a hundred times but I don't know what to do.

The details:

1 fancy goldfish (the poorly one)
1 goldfish (who died yesterday)
5 zebras (absolutly fine)
1 strange alge eater (also absolutly fine)

10 gallon coldwater tank with light and filter.

I have had the 2 goldfish 2 years with no problems until now.

I did a water change on Monday and think I upset the fish by disturbing the gravel too much causing allsorts to float around - I also changed the filters.

They both started hiding behind the plant looking a bit sorry for themselves, then last night I noticed the fancy fish was pecking at the goldfish who looked like his scales were red and sore. I took him out and put him in a separate bowl with his own water, but he died over night.

Now the other one (fancy one) comes out for an occasional swim, especially if I go over, but generally hides behind the plant. His top fin is down and his long fancy 'tail' is looking a bit shredded.

I don't want him to dye, but I don't know what to do, I feel really guilty!

All the others are showing no symptoms at all and are fine.

I've had the light off for a few days, should it be on or off or doesn't it matter?

Sorry to have gone on........ but can somebody tell me what to do please

Thanks

 

[black angel]

hi sorry your fish has died.
the tank is only big enough for the fancy goldfish and the danios wont be putting too much strain on the filter. the filter needs to turn over the water 10 times the tank capacity in an hour. Where are you in the world? this may help us more in helping with filters etc.
it sounds like you dont use a gravel vac with each change of water or you arent doing the gravel washing often enough. Also if the gravel is left too long then nasty toxins and gases can be released which will kill a fish quickly.
how often do you do gravel vacs when doing water changes or do you do a water change and then just stir the gravel?
have you any test kits to keep an eye on ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as well as ph?
if not then the pet store will test your water for you, usually.
now the fish. it sounds with the red spots that there is a bacterial build up in the tank and you should do 50% water changes for a few days to bring this under control.
as for the other fish, keeping the water clean is the best you can hope for with regular gravel vacs (keep the vac upright when you do this)and adding extra aeration to hopefully bring him around.
please answer as much as you can and i'm sure we can get your tank back on a healthy balance.

 

[susielou]

Hi! Thanks for the reply.....

I'm using a fluval 2 plus filter, and I think your right in saying I perhaps dont wash the gravel enough. I do about 20% (sometimes more if I've missed a week) water change every week and do try and take it from the gravel with the vac/suction thing by putting the end underneath and move it around.

On this occasion the gravel on the top looked acky (algea man doesn't do a very good job!) so caused a stir by taking the gravel out to rince and then panicked with the amount of rubbish there was, so probably took about 60% of the water out.

I have done a test today on the nitrate with a Tetratest kit, but to be honest I don't understand the reading..... it said the NO3 was 10 and NO2 was 0 - so if its milagrams per litre is that good or bad or have I read it wrong?! The GH seemed quite high at 16.

I put the light on this afternoon and he seems to have perked up a bit, or maybe cos' thats cos' I'm now sat in front of him!

Thanks again for your help, it really is appreciated!

I don't think I'll advance onto tropical until I can master maintaining coldwater!

S

 

[black angel]

Not sure if the fluval is up to the job but if its on full whack and is regularly rinsed in used tank water then it should be enough for the fish you have left. can you get a pic of the algae eater? would be interested to know which one you have.
so, for the next few days do 50% with gravel vacs but dont take the gravel out to wash it as this just releases the nasties under the gravel. There is a name for this but for the life of me i cant remember it. Anyway,when the gravel is cleaner then do 40% twice a week for the next couple of months to get the tank balanced and then you might get away with once a week of 30%.
how much are you feeding your fish each day? this might have helped with the build up of dirt.
the nitrate reading is perfect and shows the level for the whole of the tank and the nitrite is great too, so no worries about water quality.
the gh is high which i presume to mean you have hard water, or you have rocks or shells in the water thats raising it.
do you have a ph reading as well? goldies dont mind a high ph and hard water, in fact they love it. to see if the readings are out, test your tap water too and see if they measure the same at all.
i wont be back until monday night or tuesday so i hope someone else can help you.
good luck

 

[susielou]

Fishy is alive and well!! Many thanks!

I've been doing the water changes as suggested and eveything is ok - phew!

I feed the fish once a day, and just give them a pinch of flakes each time. Sometimes I give algea man a couple of his food tablets, but he's not bothered about them really - not sure if they disolve or he eats them eventually!

I've tried attaching a picture of Algea man but it won't let me..... I can't for the life of me remember what he is called, it began with a P and was quite a repetative name - he was suppose to be £15!! But when I went to buy him I got the young lad who only charged me £1.20!! He's about 3" and a greeny colour.

Since reading up on Plecs, everything figures - can be a bit of bully, likes somewhere to hide and gives up eating algea after a couple of weeks.

I was wondering if it would be fairer on him to give him to somebody with a pond where he would have more space, especially this time of year where it's warmer and he could adapt easier. I am happy to keep him, but he is a grumpy thing! My cat loves him though!!

Anyway, thanks again for the advice - this forum is fab!!

 

[susielou]

Found him!!! He is a gara pingi pingi if that means anything to you!

Just realised I should be varying his diet! I did once try the wafers ages ago but they expand in the water and one of my fish (the one who just died!) got it stuck in his mouth - I performed life saving surgery and he was fine..... well until last week!

 

[black angel]

hi there
good to see your fish is doing heaps better, keep up with the water changes and he will be fine.
as for the plec i havent heard of he one you have and i dont think he would do well in a pond in britain.
as for feeding other foods, give him some scalded lettuce and cucumber.

 

[susielou]

Just to say thanks..... all is going well! I'm going to leave it a couple of weeks and then hopefully get a bigger tank for him - after reading on here that fantails alone should have 10 gallons!

Anyway - thanks again and keep up with the good advice

 

[black angel]

thanks susielou, keep us updated with your fish and if you need to ask more questions then dont hesitate as we are all here to help. good to see he is doing heaps better

 

[susielou]

Maybe you could advice me on what size tank you think would be best for when I upgrade..... i want to get it all right!!

Just to recap I have:
1 fancy (fantail I think!) about 2" (not including tail)
5 zebras
3" algea man

I would like to add 2 more fish so would need a tank to accomodate those aswell, I think fatty is lonely!

Would I be right in saying the length of the tank is more important than the depth?

How big does the filter need to be?

Is it right that one fantail needs 10gallons?

Is it important to monitor the temperature of the tank?

And finally, what is the best way to transfer the water and the fish? Do I set it up with 50% fresh water and then add 50% water from the old tank? Transfer the fish immediately or leave it a bit?? What about the gravel? I darent move it after last time!!

I think I'm getting hooked!!

 

[black angel]

Doesnt take long to get hooked does it!!

For what you plan on getting a 40 gallon minimum would be best, so you would have 10 gallons per fish and the other 10 gallons for your other fish, of course more is better lol.

As for filtration find out what the filter turns over in an hour, usually this is done in litres so you will need to find the capacity of your tank in litres and then work out the filtration. You are looking for 10 times tank capacity at least but you will probably need to get extra filtration. A really good filter is the clear seal re-sun magic range. You will find them on ebay and are very good and not expensive.

Yes, you should go for length rather than depth so the surface area is large.

Fancy goldfish dont like the water to be too cold and around 18 to around 24c is ideal so a heater on its lowest setting would be great. A lot of people just keep them in water straight from the tap but i personally wouldnt call them true coldwater fish. Its good that you are going for the same shaped body of fish as the common types arent really suitable for mixing with them as they are a lot faster, eat the food quicker and some will chew the tails of the slower fish. What type of fancy you get is up to you as they will all get on together, but try to avoud the bubble-eyed and celestial as these need special care.

to set up the new tank i would transfer around a half of your old gravel ( i know its messy but its the quickest way to cycle your new tank) into the new one and then place it where the filter will be so the bacteria goes quicker into the filters.
decorate the tank, add the heater and place your filter where appropriate. take half the water from your established tank and add fresh water as well to top it off.
if you can as well, try and get some of your old filter sponge and add it to the new filter to get the colony to grow faster.
I think it takes a couple of weeks for the new filter to colonise properly and i tested it every few days to see if there was any cycling effect going on and though i never noticed it, it doesnt mean it wont happen. After 3 or 4 days you could add your small fish to keep the ammonia level going and keep an eye still on any fluctuations, if all seems well then add your red cap a few days later, you can just net him over but make sure the temperature is the same as your old tank first. With the goldie in, keep a really close eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels, leave him for the next couple of weeks and then add the plec if you want to. You can then add more fish if you want but please remember you will need to quarantine the new arrivals for at least a month before adding them. A good excuse to keep the old tank

Nearly all goldfish from the pet shop will be carrying a parasite so its a good idea once you have your new fish to slowly over 3 days add aquarium salt to kill off any parasites.
On the first day you have them add 1 level teaspoon of the salt per gallon to give you 1% salinity, then do the same again for the next two days until the tank is at 3%. Keep the fish in this for two weeks and remember if you do water changes to add back the salt you have taken out. For instance if you take out 5 gallons, remember to put back 15 level teaspoons with the 5 gallons. Or instead of the teaspoon per gallon, you could add 1 level tablespoon per 3 gallons.
Once the two weeks are up then to slowly reduce the salt level you just do small partial water changes but dont add the salt again.

Before adding the new fish to your tank, rearrange the main tank so your redcap doesnt have a territory again and fingers crossed they should be fine together.

Hope that helps a bit and maybe others will add what they did to get their tank set up as this is what i did for mine. Hope you understand it all and if you have more questions please ask, hopefully i havent confused you even further