Emergency

[Goldlylocks]

Daughters beautiful black goldfishes tail was stuck in filter overnight. Around 24 hours. Part of fin missing. Please help. How do I help this fishy now. He can swim but was very stressed when we found him. Ripped fins, you can see the damage.

 

[Goldlylocks]

He is swimming along bottom, 30 gallon tank and was not sick or anything prior. The filter did all of this and he got trapped. Any suggestions...

 

[Innesfan]

Are you saying that the caudal fin got sucked into the intake tube of the filter? If so, you can put some netting around the tube to prevent another incident. Assuming your water parameters are good, and you are using a good water conditioner for water changes, increase the size and frequency of your water changes until you see new fin growth. He should be fine.

 

[Goldlylocks]

Are you saying that the caudal fin got sucked into the intake tube of the filter? If so, you can put some netting around the tube to prevent another incident. Assuming your water parameters are good, and you are using a good water conditioner for water changes, increase the size and frequency of your water changes until you see new fin growth. He should be fine.

Yeah, he was stuck in the filter by the fin. Thanks!

 

[Colin_T]

The water is milky cloudy and the fish is covered in excess mucous (cream film over its body and fins). This is usually caused by poor water quality.

What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH of the water?
How long has the tank been set up for?
What sort of filter is on/ in the aquarium?
How often and how do you clean the filter?

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the aquarium?

You can put a sponge on the intake of the filter to stop the fish being sucked onto it. You can buy round/ cylindrical sponges that can slide over the intake strainer, or use a piece of course flat sponge and a couple of rubber bands to hold it over the intake on the filter.

------------------

FIRST AID FOR FISH
Test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. This removes the biofilm on the glass and the biofilm will contain lots of harmful bacteria, fungus, protozoans and various other microscopic life forms.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week or until the problem is identified. The water changes and gravel cleaning will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and provide a cleaner environment for the fish to recover in. It also removes a lot of the gunk and this means any medication can work on treating the fish instead of being wasted killing the pathogens in the gunk.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Cleaning the filter means less gunk and cleaner water with fewer pathogens so any medication (if needed) will work more effectively on the fish.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration to maximise the dissolved oxygen in the water.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have to agree with what Innesfan said.

I see no other issue on the fish beside th torn fin. Fish tend to regrow and jeal up damaged fins over time.

The greatest risk, and this is not likely would be an infection. Most likely fungal but also potentially bacterial. If this occurs, you would need to treat it. But for a non-infected torn or damaged fin there is no medication that will help things go faster. As long as there are no threats to it in the tank, it should do fine as it heals up. Clean water is the key as Innesfan said.

I see no reason for you to:

Test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge.......

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week or until the problem is identified.

You need to be doing your regular weekly water changes of at least 50%. You may eed to do them a bit bigger and at a shorter interval but not 75% for 7 days in a row. I would only vac as you normally do unless that is not often enough. I usually decide a tank needs to vacuumed when I can see more than a very minimal amount of gunk on the bottom.

I believe that new fish or sick fish in a tank find big water change somewhat stressful. Stress is one of greatest precursors of illness by bacteria, parasites etc. because it weakens their natural defenses/immunities.

It is important to realize that a fair amount of the bacteria which handle ammonia and nitrite thrive in the top half inch or so of one's substrate. By an inch deep there is no longer enough oxygen for them to live in most tanks. An undergravel filter using 3 inches of proper size gravel, especially one that runs in reverse, will support bacteria all over that 3 inch depth.. But they are not popular any more and not often seen.

So unless you are careful only to vacuum the surface of the substrate, you may be sucking up some of the good bacteria.

Also, Collin makes it sound as if our tank surfaces are harboring horrible threats just waiting to happen. I do not agree. I never wipe down my glass. I do scrape algae off the glass when this is an issue. I also have fish and shrimp that help with this in some tanks.

Bear in mind that this is mostly just my opinion here and others may not agree with it. I am not perfect by any means, However, you need to decide what to do as it is your fish. But I figured you should see other advice.

One last thing. Monitor the fish closely now over the next few weeks so that you can immediately spot any changes either for the better or if things get worse. Keep us posted in this thread about changes.

 

[Fishfunn]

I would add some aquarium salt to the water to help protect against infection. I would mix 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per 5 gallons. Mix to dissolve the salt into some aquarium water before adding the mixture into the tank.

I agree with others by adding a sponge around the filter intake to prevent anymore mishaps.

 

[Colin_T]

You need to be doing your regular weekly water changes of at least 50%. You may eed to do them a bit bigger and at a shorter interval but not 75% for 7 days in a row. I would only vac as you normally do unless that is not often enough. I usually decide a tank needs to vacuumed when I can see more than a very minimal amount of gunk on the bottom.

I believe that new fish or sick fish in a tank find big water change somewhat stressful. Stress is one of greatest precursors of illness by bacteria, parasites etc. because it weakens their natural defenses/immunities.

If the water is milky cloudy like it appears in the pictures, then it's highly possible there is an ammonia or nitrite problem and the best solution is massive daily water changes to remove the poison in the water. Fish tolerate big water changes much better than ammonia or nitrite poisoning.

Image you were in a room full of smoke or dust. You were having trouble breathing. If someone opens a small window and lets in a little bit of air each day and then shuts the window after, your not going to be able to breath properly and your not going to get better. However, if you leave the room and go somewhere the air is clean, you will be able to recover much faster.

The same thing with fish except they are in water. We do big water changes to dilute any harmful substances in the water so they have a better chance of recovery. This is essential when there's a water quality issue, and also helps dilute any disease organisms that might be in the water.

------------------

It is important to realize that a fair amount of the bacteria which handle ammonia and nitrite thrive in the top half inch or so of one's substrate. By an inch deep there is no longer enough oxygen for them to live in most tanks. An undergravel filter using 3 inches of proper size gravel, especially one that runs in reverse, will support bacteria all over that 3 inch depth.. But they are not popular any more and not often seen.

So unless you are careful only to vacuum the surface of the substrate, you may be sucking up some of the good bacteria.

Also, Collin makes it sound as if our tank surfaces are harboring horrible threats just waiting to happen. I do not agree. I never wipe down my glass. I do scrape algae off the glass when this is an issue. I also have fish and shrimp that help with this in some tanks.

Beneficial filter bacteria prefer dark areas to live in and the surface of the substrate in most aquariums is generally too light for them. They will grow under the surface of the gravel but there won't be many on the top layer. Most power filters have a dark coloured case to encourage filter bacteria to grow in them. There is also plenty of water moving through the filter and sponges provide a great home for the bacteria.

There is plenty of oxygen in the top 1 to 2 inches of gravel for beneficial bacteria to live. Sand in an aquarium is finer and more compact and has less oxygen in and generally very little oxygen after you go down an inch.

After an aquarium has been running for several months it develops a biofilm over everything. This is a clear film that feels slimy and is caused by bacteria living on glass, ornaments, plants and gravel. The biofilm helps bacteria and other microscopic organisms stick to things and stops them being washed away. Once the aquarium has this biofilm, you can gravel clean the substrate every day of the year and you won't get rid of the beneficial bacteria living on the substrate.

The biofilm also harbors harmful organisms like protozoa, viruses, fungi, etc. Wiping the glass down removes this biofilm and removes a lot of the harmful pathogens. If you have suckermouth catfish in the tank, they will feed on the biofilm and reduce the amount of it in an aquarium, thus reducing the habitat for harmful disease organisms.

 

[Goldlylocks]

The water is milky cloudy and the fish is covered in excess mucous (cream film over its body and fins). This is usually caused by poor water quality.

What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH of the water?
How long has the tank been set up for?
What sort of filter is on/ in the aquarium?
How often and how do you clean the filter?

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the aquarium?

You can put a sponge on the intake of the filter to stop the fish being sucked onto it. You can buy round/ cylindrical sponges that can slide over the intake strainer, or use a piece of course flat sponge and a couple of rubber bands to hold it over the intake on the filter.

------------------

FIRST AID FOR FISH
Test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. This removes the biofilm on the glass and the biofilm will contain lots of harmful bacteria, fungus, protozoans and various other microscopic life forms.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week or until the problem is identified. The water changes and gravel cleaning will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and provide a cleaner environment for the fish to recover in. It also removes a lot of the gunk and this means any medication can work on treating the fish instead of being wasted killing the pathogens in the gunk.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Cleaning the filter means less gunk and cleaner water with fewer pathogens so any medication (if needed) will work more effectively on the fish.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration to maximise the dissolved oxygen in the water.

Hey, we do a water change every two weeks at 25%. She is not great with leaving the light off which may be contributing to issues that I have discussed with her. All tests in kit come back normal. I vacuum the gravel when I do wager change. Maybe I need to change the filter cart
The tank is 6 months old And is fully cycled. I do fully treat the water before adding.

 

[Goldlylocks]

Thanks for all the helpful tips! I want to emphasize these fish have been very healthy and im taking good care of them or trying to! The other fish is in great shape, aside from his missing eye which we adopted him with when he was injured at the pet store.

 

[Goldlylocks]

I have to agree with what Innesfan said.

I see no other issue on the fish beside th torn fin. Fish tend to regrow and jeal up damaged fins over time.

The greatest risk, and this is not likely would be an infection. Most likely fungal but also potentially bacterial. If this occurs, you would need to treat it. But for a non-infected torn or damaged fin there is no medication that will help things go faster. As long as there are no threats to it in the tank, it should do fine as it heals up. Clean water is the key as Innesfan said.

I see no reason for you to:


You need to be doing your regular weekly water changes of at least 50%. You may eed to do them a bit bigger and at a shorter interval but not 75% for 7 days in a row. I would only vac as you normally do unless that is not often enough. I usually decide a tank needs to vacuumed when I can see more than a very minimal amount of gunk on the bottom.

I believe that new fish or sick fish in a tank find big water change somewhat stressful. Stress is one of greatest precursors of illness by bacteria, parasites etc. because it weakens their natural defenses/immunities.

It is important to realize that a fair amount of the bacteria which handle ammonia and nitrite thrive in the top half inch or so of one's substrate. By an inch deep there is no longer enough oxygen for them to live in most tanks. An undergravel filter using 3 inches of proper size gravel, especially one that runs in reverse, will support bacteria all over that 3 inch depth.. But they are not popular any more and not often seen.

So unless you are careful only to vacuum the surface of the substrate, you may be sucking up some of the good bacteria.

Also, Collin makes it sound as if our tank surfaces are harboring horrible threats just waiting to happen. I do not agree. I never wipe down my glass. I do scrape algae off the glass when this is an issue. I also have fish and shrimp that help with this in some tanks.

Bear in mind that this is mostly just my opinion here and others may not agree with it. I am not perfect by any means, However, you need to decide what to do as it is your fish. But I figured you should see other advice.

One last thing. Monitor the fish closely now over the next few weeks so that you can immediately spot any changes either for the better or if things get worse. Keep us posted in this thread about changes.

Appreciate you! And the other poster

 

[Goldlylocks]

If the water is milky cloudy like it appears in the pictures, then it's highly possible there is an ammonia or nitrite problem and the best solution is massive daily water changes to remove the poison in the water. Fish tolerate big water changes much better than ammonia or nitrite poisoning.

Image you were in a room full of smoke or dust. You were having trouble breathing. If someone opens a small window and lets in a little bit of air each day and then shuts the window after, your not going to be able to breath properly and your not going to get better. However, if you leave the room and go somewhere the air is clean, you will be able to recover much faster.

The same thing with fish except they are in water. We do big water changes to dilute any harmful substances in the water so they have a better chance of recovery. This is essential when there's a water quality issue, and also helps dilute any disease organisms that might be in the water.

------------------


Beneficial filter bacteria prefer dark areas to live in and the surface of the substrate in most aquariums is generally too light for them. They will grow under the surface of the gravel but there won't be many on the top layer. Most power filters have a dark coloured case to encourage filter bacteria to grow in them. There is also plenty of water moving through the filter and sponges provide a great home for the bacteria.

There is plenty of oxygen in the top 1 to 2 inches of gravel for beneficial bacteria to live. Sand in an aquarium is finer and more compact and has less oxygen in and generally very little oxygen after you go down an inch.

After an aquarium has been running for several months it develops a biofilm over everything. This is a clear film that feels slimy and is caused by bacteria living on glass, ornaments, plants and gravel. The biofilm helps bacteria and other microscopic organisms stick to things and stops them being washed away. Once the aquarium has this biofilm, you can gravel clean the substrate every day of the year and you won't get rid of the beneficial bacteria living on the substrate.

The biofilm also harbors harmful organisms like protozoa, viruses, fungi, etc. Wiping the glass down removes this biofilm and removes a lot of the harmful pathogens. If you have suckermouth catfish in the tank, they will feed on the biofilm and reduce the amount of it in an aquarium, thus reducing the habitat for harmful disease organisms.

I think our issue is algae, I have never had ammonia spike in this tank and I test it regularly. Algae has been bad and even when I vacuum it doesn't come out that I can see.. and I have been trying to get her to keep light off but I find it on alot. Might remove it for a while. The other fish is in hospital tank with oxygen, stress zyme, aquarium salt, same tank water that i changed half of last night since this one is not being filtered. Wanted to observe him.

 

[Goldlylocks]

Doing okay in hospital tank. Eating, swimming, looks like has some stringy stuff which I'm assuming are remnants of mangled fin

 

[Innesfan]

Do not change the filter cartridge. The beneficial bacteria contained within are your friends. To clean it, put some aquarium water in a bucket or bowl and rinse the cartridge in the aquarium water. Cartridges never need to be replaced unless falling apart, despite what the manufacturers recommend. They want to sell you more of them. I'd also increase the frequency and size of your water changes, especially that you are dealing with goldfish which produce a lot of waste, and one of them is recovering from a bad fin tear.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Anybody who does water change for nitrite ignores science and a better solutiom. Colin you are a decent perdson but ypou need top be reading more science and be less assertive I think.

It jas been known for a very long time that chloride in the water can block nitrite from entering a fish. The most important solution to ammonia and notrite is the reproduction of the needed bacteria. Water changes slow this down. The bacteria reproduce faster than they die off when there is more ammonia or nitrite in the water than they can handle.

For ammonia, water changes are usually (but not always) the best solution. (It depends on how much of the Total Ammonia reading is NH3 ammonia and how mmuch is NH4 ammonium chloride.) Using chemicals to treat ammonia slows the ability of the bacteria to reproduce as the resultant form of ammonia created by using ammonia detoxifiers is used less efficiently. If when one has both ammonia and nitrite and you are changing water for the ammonia, it will lower the nitrite levels, But when the problem is only nitrite, there is no reason to do a water change unless you do not have any access to plain old salt which is 60+% chloride by atomic weight. (I calculate using chloride for blocking nitrite as being 2/3 of NaCl).
.

The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine anion (Cl−), which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond (−Cl)

from Wkipedia