Clear Poo?

[sarahkollin]

Good Evening All,

I've seen lots of great advice on here, and even been given some great advice so I'm hoping someone can help me again...

I'm kind of concerned about my goldfish. He's a common goldfish that I "aquired" because him and his now deceased tank mate were used as decorations at a wedding.

He's all by himself in a ten gallon tank. I just tested the temperature and it's a chilly 60 degrees farenheit. I clean his tank weekly (easy to do because it's near the sink in the kitchen) and 20% water changes about every other day.

He's normally very active and healthy looking, but for the past couple days he hasn't been eating, and mostly just floats around. He is usually a very big eater and seems to actually get excited when someone comes over to his tank! He almost looks like he's going to turn over and float up to the surface sometimes.

The thing that is really odd is that when he goes to the bathroom, it's clear. Could this be a sign of something specific? Is it just because he isn't eating? Any reason why he wouldn't eat? Should I buy a heater to warm the water up a tad?

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[WILDER]

What are water stats as they are big waste producers in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph, what do you feed the fish, i would give him some shelled peas cooked for a few minutes, cool down, pop out of shell squeeze between fingers and add to the tank.

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

Is it a common goldfish or a fancy one? If it's a fancy goldfish (fantails, oranda, ranchu, moor etc.) then 60F is way too cold. They prefer it nearer 71 or 72. Common goldfish are fine at such a low temperature though.
If he's having difficulty swimming because it looks as though he keeps fighting against floating towards the surface then it's likely that he has a swimbladder infection. This could well affect his appetite and since he's not eating properly his stools will be irregular.
To treat a swimbladder problem I would suggest that you buy Interpet Aquarium Treatment No. 13 'Swimbladder Treatment' and also get some 'Aqualibrium' tonic salt or API's tonic salt. Read the instructions on the packet and dose the tank accordingly.
HOWEVER...Do you feed him flake food or other floating foods? If so that can sometimes be the cause of a swimbladder problem (although goldfish are prone to having such problems)... the fish will gulp at the surface to grab the food and take in lots of air, making it hard for them to control their buoyancy. This trapped air can then lead to infection. If it's just trapped air and not an infection then you won't have to treat the tank... just try feeding him differently for a couple of days to see if it clears up. A good method of feeding is to soak the flake food in an eggcup of water for a couple of minutes until it sinks and then pour it into the tank so that it sinks and the fish doesn't have to gulp at the surface . Other good sinking foods for goldfish include shelled, chopped peas and defrosted frozen bloodworm.
If the problem doesn't sort itself out in a couple of days of feeding him soaked food then I'd buy some treatment.

 

[sarahkollin]

I don't have water stats...I thought the frequent water changes would help keep the water in good condition. Like I said, I just kind of "aquired" the fish and am trying to give it as good of a home as possible.

He DOES gulp a LOT at the top of the water for his food. He always acts like he's STARVING and chows down all his food really fast. That sounds like that could be the problem....

I'll try feeding him shelled peas as suggested, but he has been very uninterested in food. Will he eat if he gets hungry enough? I'll also pick up some sinking food and bloodworms...but it's been a good three full days since I've seen him eat.

OH, btw, he's a common goldfish I guess. No fancy fins, or anything like that. A BIG version of a "feeder" fish.

Thanks so much for your help everyone!

 

[black angel]

He is taking in too much air at the top, which is why theres air in the poo. Starve him for 3 days then give peas for another 3 days. His poo should then turn green.
You shouldnt give him anything on the surface try sinking pellets and vary his diet more.

If that doesnt work then he has an infection or tumour but adding meds wont help.

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

If that doesnt work then he has an infection or tumour but adding meds wont help.

Adding a water treatment won't help if there is a tumour, but in my experience it works very well if there is an infection.

 

[black angel]

Of course its down to personal opinion but how can a med not administered by injection or food work? Freshwater fish dont swallow the water they swim in and if they do its just a tiny bit and nearly not enough to help with anything internal..

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

Osmoregulation occurs in all fish, freshwater or marine. The water in which the fish lives is of a weaker salinity than that of the fish's bodily fluids. Osmotic pressure causes the surrounding water to constantly try to dilute the stronger saline concentration of the fish's bodily fluids by passing through the semi-permeable skin layer and the gill membranes. In order to combat this constant invasion the fish urinates almost perpetually to help maintain equilibrium. Particles and substances in the water surrounding a fish can permeate both the single cell wall of the gill membrane and (to a lesser extent) the skin. That is how antibiotics and other such treatments added to the water are able to make their way into the bloodstream of the fish without them actually being administered invasively on an intravenous level. This is one of the reasons why it is so important that we maintain good water quality within the aquarium, as the toxins in the water can so easily enter the circulatory system of the fish.

 

[sarahkollin]

How can I get him to eat peas if he won't even eat his food? He's not interested in food at all and is lethargically floating around in the tank.

I'm so sad for him...should I just wait? For some reason I'm still worried about the temp...but I suppose if they survive in ponds they should be ok in my tank. I guess I'll just cross my fingers....

 

[WILDER]

You could try the cod liver oil method.
http/www.bobstropicalfish.com/constipation.html

 

[black angel]

Been speaking to other fish people who know way more than me on osmosis and they do agree that absorption does occur through the gills and skin but that the meds wont be in a strong enough dose to really do much in the way that injections or feed can do. Basically if the infection is mild then yes they may help but for the mass majority the infection is usually progressed too far for water borne meds to do much anyway.
Interesting subject though, thanks for enlightening me on that one automaticflowers.

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

No worries. Osmoregulation's a fascinating subject! You're friends are definately right about water-borne treatments not being effective enough when infections are quite severe. That's definately when you need to start administering antibiotics intravenously and/or orally. I've had good success with Interpet's swimbladder treatment because whenever I've used it or suggested to others to use it the infection was always caught early on, so the treatment was enough to sort it out. Obviously in the long run if there's an underlying problem (such as diet or water quality) then that needs to be addressed.
As a side note I have an oranda who for whatever reason has never grown as large as my other fish despite never being bullied and always eating enough etc. His head bobble is practically non-existant which makes me think he is either a crossbreed or is terribly inbred. He was bought from Pets at Home a few years ago when he was only about an inch long. Given Pets at Home's reputation it's not suprising really! At any rate, over the years he's developed swimbladder problems on two or three occasions and each time I have treated him with Interpet No. 13 and it cleared up nicely. Everyone has different results though and I only like to use chemicals as a last resort really if water changes, slightly raised temperatures, added surface agitation and tonic salt don't sort it out!

 

[sarahkollin]

Thank you all so much for your help. Just wanted to post that my little guy is feeling all better. I'm guessing he was constipated. Not sure what happened, he just started eating again. He's now much more active and "begging" for food again. He likes his peas I've been feeding him as well, though he tends to eat them and spit them out several times before he decides to "keep" them. Thanks again!

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

Good stuff!
Yeah mine tend to spit them out a few times as well and chase them as they sink