Fantail Unable to Swim

[Becca]

HELP!

I left home this morning and I had 3 Fantail Goldfish. One of them looked a little more plump than usual and had a thin line of some sort of stringy material floating behind her, I figured it was ok - just fish debris or something.

I got home from work and she's caught in the filter canister. I gently removed her and tried to free her and it seems as though she can't swim - at all. She's just freely floating through the tank, I can't get her to right herself, the other fish are starting to pick on her, and worst of all, she's still alive and gulping for air.

My ammonia levels have been a little high (0.25 - 0.50) and I did a fresh water change last night. All my other fish look fine, I don't see any spots of ICH on her, though some of scales look like they're silver (I don't see this on any of the other fish.) She's a new fish, I just added her on Friday.

Any advice, other than isolating her, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Becca]

RIP Good buddy...

The fantail is no longer breathing and lying on the bottom of the seclusion tank on it's side. I'm thinking she's a goner.

ALl the other fish look perfectly fine - no spots on them, no discoloration, no akward swimming. I did a check of my ammonia levels, and they're still a little bit high (somewhere between 0.25 and 0.50 - I treated the tank for the same ammonia levels last night and will treat it again tonight). I checked the temp of the tank - 75^...I just don't know. I'm thinking the fish was probably bad.

Oh well, lesson learned. No more fishies from that LFS. (This is the second time I've bought fish from them and had one or more die - though I thought that since I was a newbie at the time that I must have done something to kill them off.)

 

[noelberg]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

But you might be best not to buy any fish. I wouldn't be too quick to blame the lfs if your ammonia level is high. IMO there are a few too many fish in that tank. I'm not sure that the 29 is big enough for the knife alone when it reaches max size. What are your nitrIte and nitrAte levels?

 

[Becca]

Thanks for your concern, though I really am positive it was just a bad fish. And shame on me for rushing the purchase. (I should have been more selective, and I wasn't really concerned with anything other than color).

My ammonia levels aren't anywhere near fatal - though I do know that any amount of ammonia is bad. (The highest measurement was last night just shy of 0.50 - I tested it twice myself.) I don't have a nitrite / nitrate test kit available (and since my heater broke, so I opted to let the LFS test the water for me, I'll make sure to get those tests on Friday. Anyway, LFS said they look fine. So, I dunno. *shrug*

I know the 29 gallon isn't big enough for the knife when he reaches max size. Unfortunately, that was a newbie mistake. (I've had the tank for almost a year, but never really knew what type of research to do regarding the fish I wanted until just recently. The Knife is about 6 inches at the moment, fits beautifully, but I'm actively looking for a new home for him since I will not be able to afford an upgrade.

Once the knife is gone, I'll concentrate on populating my tank with more suitable fish.

 

[jams.alaskan]

Becca, you have a very positive attiude and seem to really learn all that you can. You are a breath of fresh air and I'm sure that the folks that have replied to your posts and tried to help are happy to do so. I'm hoping that you are through the problems soon because you soooo deserve a happy, healthy, aquatic community

ALASKA

 

[Becca]

Awww, thanks. It's sad when you lose a fish, but (fortunately) it's easier to take when it's one you only had a couple of hours ago.

Honestly, I've been looking for a hobby for quite a while. And I've always been intrigued by Marine Life and ALWAYS wanted a decent sized aquarium, so you can imagine how stoked I was when my hubby agreed to let me take on a 29-Gallon. Yay! Now I gotta convince him to get that 75'er I have my eye on. But, baby steps, baby steps. If we get our way now, we'll have nothing to work towards!

Seriously though I love this. I used to always find myself bored and without something to do, research or even just lookup on the net. Now I have something. And I'm addicted, lol. I want to learn and know everything I can about these little critters. It just makes enjoying your aquarium so much nicer if you know how much work you actually put into keeping these guys healthy and happy.

 

[noelberg]

Glad to hear about your enthusiasm (I'm recently addicted to fish too) and your desire to keep healthy fish!

But always remember that no ammonia reading is truly safe. Delicate fish and sick or stressed fish can react to small amounts of ammonia. This is why biological filters and safe stocking levels are so important.

Knowledge is power, which makes WalMart the 98 pound weakling of the lfs world

 

[Sky042]

A few observations.
first I would absolutely stop adding any more fish till you've had a stable 0 ammonia level for at least 3 days. Second make it a priority to purchase a Nitrite test set. You'll find while nitrite isn't as deadly as ammonia it can still be plenty effective in higher concentrations.

Also you may have done nothing at all wrong. In fact you could potentially have done everything in the world for that fish and it still might have died. Some things are just outta your control. But keep moving forward keep reading and learning. You'll never regret the time you spent learning the first time you find yourself mezmorized by your tank. Today I spent like 3 mins just watching my oscar and another 20 watching my loaches.

 

[Becca]

noel:
LOL - I love that "Wal-Mart, the 98 pound weakling of the LFS world." It was sad, I actually saw someone trying to purchase fish there. And you know, I do stop to look at their fish while I'm their, not going to buy of course, just looking. And I've yet to see a single tank without several dead fish littering the bottom, and quite frequently see quite a few who are obviously diseased and probably close to joining their tank-mates on the gravel. I've absolutely learned a very valuable lesson from my recently deceased Fantail. BE MORE CAREFUL! D

Sky:
Obviously I'll not be adding any additions until my readings all pan out nicely and can sit that way for a while. Had I known that they were out of whack on Friday, (which, again is my fault - I thought 0.25 - 0.50 was ok for ammonia) I would have not bought the fish. My sole concern right now is making it safe for the fish I still have and keeping them healthy.

Honestly, I don't know - and probably won't know, if I did anything wrong or not. But the important thing here is the lesson to be learned from all of this. Take things slowly when you're picking out fish. Be more selective. It's not a bad thing to force the LFS guy (or girl) to get that one fish you have your eye set on. If they're into aquariums and fish, they'll understand completely and might be able to help you in your selection.

And I know what you mean by being mezmorized by your tank. Mine isn't nearly as impressive as an Oscar tank, but it's still beautiful to watch. I have literally sat and just stared at it till I fell asleep, I really love it. D

 

[Sky042]

It's ok my oscar tank isn't particularly impressive. It's just a 5g hex with a baby. BUt today was fun because I fed him ghost shrimp for the first time.