Broken Fin?

[§tudz]

Hi,

I have just arrived at my Girlfriends house and was looking at her goldfish and noticed one of the smaller fan tails has a bad fin.

The Injured Fish:
It seems to be eating fine, but it is not swimming well, the fin that I believe to be broken is not being used, it just flaps in the water. Around the joint area it is a LOT of bruising and the blood/bruising runs up the fin too. The fin itself seems a little tatty and it also has a small bubble type growth on it, I netted the fish to get a closer look and the fish seemed to be able to move it a little, but when I touched the area with the growth the fish had a fit and started to flap about, (who ever said fish dont feel pain) where as if I touched it anywhere else it just lay in the net.

The tank:
The tank is a 40-50gallon setup, the other tank mates are:

- 1 large black moore
- 1 common goldfish
- 1 large fan tail
- 2 medium fan tails (one of these is the injured)
- 1 Garra sp. (not sure which species)

It is filtered with a fluval 4+, there is a large 'tree root' ornament in the tank.

So, any ideas if it could be broken or is it an infection?

If it is broken, is the best thing to do to perform euthanasia?

Many thanks

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

The blood/bruising is most likely septicemia, while the growth/bubble thing could be numerous things, like an ulcer or a cyst. Can you get any pics of the fish? For now i would advise starting to treat the fish with an anti internal bacterial med like "anti internal bacteria" by Interpet to treat the septicemia as that alone left untreated could prove lethal, Pimafix will treat any external infections.
What sort of filtration does the tank have? The common goldfish will need to be rehomed at some point as it will grow to big for the 40-50gal tank. I wouldn't euthanise the fish, it doesn't sound like it has a broken fin, it most likely has an infection instead, which can be treated. Has your girlfriend tested the tank for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and what is her tank cleaning regime like on average and how does she go about it?

 

[§tudz]

The tank is filtered with as said above a fluval 4+

The tank parameters are fine, and I know about the common, she will be getting my 120gallon tank when we get a house together, and I'll be upgrading to a 6x2x2' or bigger

Looks like I'll have to scoot home and get the interal bacteria stuff, as I have some at home, (I keep tropical fish)

The only thing she is doing that I dont agree with is using chemicals to rid the tank of the green water, and before you say about that, I have made her cover the tank for a week and a half with a towel to ruduce the light entering the tank, and she didnt turn on the lights either, also cut down on feeding as well, nothing seems to work.

We've even added zeolite (I think thats the spelling) to help, which has slightly.

I'll see if I can get a pic and post it in a bit

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hm i would advise getting another filter for the tank if its only a fluval 4, it will only barely cope with all the goldfish in the tank. Septicemia is often linked to stresses related to water quality issues, perhaps all the treatments she is using to get rid the tank of the green water could have caused the goldfish to become stressed and then ill.
The common goldfish should be fine if you get it a 6x2x2 tank though .

 

[§tudz]

Here is a pic, sorry they are so bad, she doesnt had a good digital camera and only has MS paint, lol.

I may donate one of my filters, or get her to add the other fluval she has, I think thats a 2+

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Yeah it mostly looks like an external bacterial infection, i would advise treating the fish with "anti internal bacteria" by Interpet for the septicemia, and Pimafix and lots of small regular water changes with maybe a little StressCoat dechlorinator for the rest .

 

[§tudz]

Cheers, Goldfish arent my thing, they dont interest me, and they seem for atleast some part suffer slightly different ailments to the tropicals, or maybe I just take better care of my fish which is probably true.

she never listens to me... lol...

Thanks again

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Glad to help . Goldfish are often as tough as old boots, but they're not invincable and can suffer all sorts of deseases and parasites that tropical fish can get. Just make sure she does lots of water changes while the fish are been treated (and top up any meds that are lost via the water changes), i wouldn't worry about the green water for now, just concentrate on getting the goldfish back to good health .