Cycling with goldfish

[lagorda]

As a birthday present, my husband got me a 10 gallon aquarium with an UGF, along with two fantail goldfish....you can see where this is heading...

I know that goldfish, especially the fancy varieties, don't handle cycling very well.

I set up the aquarium, put the fish in, a couple days later one died. I'm not surprised. Then my husband gets me another goldfish, a comet. As I'm adding him to the tank, I notice the other one has massive ich. The next thing I know, my husband brings home two dojo loaches!
I feel bad, I know these fish don't have a chance, my tank has only been cycling for barely 2 weeks.

I have been treating the ich with RidIch, and bought some Cycle to help out, and for some reason the two goldfish seem to be getting better. Both are active, searching the gravel for food, munching on the anacharis, the comet appears better, as for the fantail, the spots have gotten bigger, and has started to lose its tail..

And one loach is still living.

My question is, should I just continue treating my aquarium with the RidIch? Continue adding the bacteria, and how often? The bottle says once a week... Should I do a water change or wait until the cycle is complete? Any suggestions or tips that would help out my fish?

Thanks

 

[jungle king]

I have been kepping goldfish for more than 15 years there are coldwater fish and the loaches are tropical fish and require have a temp range of 75-80 so the 2 shouldn't be mixed. Am i right in saying that you are in america as i have never seen RidIch where I live for white spot I use a white spot treatment. I hope this is right but one of the mods should be more helpfull.

|n my smallest goldfish tank also has a UGF but i have also added a sponge box filter as well as I have read that UGF ain't that great.

 

[black angel]

You really need to get your hubby to stop buying the fish.
The fancies need 10 gallon for themselves and the comet more like 15 to 20 gallons when small. Basically for the fish you have you need a 25 gallon tank.
Dojo loaches are fine in coldwater but you shouldnt use the meds with them in it. Try to get the dojo out and into a small rubbermaid.
Sounds like the fantail has finrot because the tank is still cycling and the meds are quite harsh.
Have you been testing the water for ammonia, nitrites ?

 

[lagorda]

Oh my husband is not allowed to touch my tank anymore! I told him to get his own tank and he can do whatever he wants with it, which he is doing to do. We are going to have an aquarium battle to see who ends up with nicest tank, but in the mean time...

For the dojo loach, I think I'm going to take him to my parent's house, they have a tank that I set up that has been running for years.

As for the goldfish, the comet is actually still doing really well. The fantail is still active and foraging for food, but yeah it sure does look like fin rot now that you mention it. The fins and part of his body have turned almost black, not fuzzy like fungus, just the pigment. Is that also a symptom of fin rot?

I guess I now need to get medicine for that, I have not done any water changes since I have set up the tank, do you think doing a 10 or 20 percent water change would be beneficial? Should I do a gravel vacuum too?

I'm also getting the water tested tomorrow, I am positive the ammonia has almost spiked and the nitrites are on their way.

Thanks

PS: I know goldfish get huge and are messy. I have two 30 gallons and a 55 just sitting in storage ready for fish. These two I have can grow up a little first before I move them.

 

[black angel]

UGF is useless for goldfish and you should try and get a decent sized filter as well.
You can keep using the ridick if you want but another way is to use salt instead.

Add 1 level teaspoon per gallon every 12 hours, 3 times. This will give you a solution of .3%, then you can add a heater and turn it slowly over a few days up to 80f and that will kill the ich. You can use aquarium salt, kosher salt or solar salt.
Do regular gravel vacs each day removing 50% and remember to add back the salt you have taken out. You dont add salt if its purely for evaporation.

Or, keep using the meds

I wouldnt add the loach to any other tank in case its carrying the disease.

If the skin is going black then thats a sign of ammonia burn healing. Its called melanophore migration and is basically the healing marks. It probably happened in the pet store and the fish is now healing as it takes two weeks for it to show.

Get test kits to keep an eye on ammonia and nitrite levels.

 

[lagorda]

Thanks for your advice, the ammonia burn sounds like it makes sense, considering my husband got the fish from this shady little fish store, none of the fish looked completely healthy, and the owner said all of them were $1.50, which if you go anywhere else, they usually cost at least $5.
Oh yeah and I have stopped with the Ridich.
I'm going to do a water change today, I thought that would affect the cycle but it seems like it would be beneficial for these fish. I'm going to add the salt too. Thanks again