goldfish

[hellohefalump]

I suspect my common goldfish has a worm of some sort in his intestine. He's not eating as well as he used to, his belly looks very bloated and his poo is white and stringy. I've never had a fish with worms... what can I do? Is it catching? Should I treat the whole tank or just the one goldfish?

I think he's had it for some time but I assumed he was just growing - my goldfish tend to get fatter, then longer when they're growing. But he's been fatter for ages now and hasn't got longer. He's also got the poo...

Last week I came home to find he had a small white spot on him (bigger than the white spot parasite, more fungal looking). It disappeared within two days and I found that the scale was missing - I think he might have lost a scale and it got infected due to weakened immune system because of the worm?

They live in a 180litre tank. The water quality is perfect, the other fish are thriving, the plants are massive and healthy... so a common goldfish shouldn't be getting fungus unless his immune system is bad. I've got an orlanda in there and his fins are perfect and very very healthy.

 

[black angel]

hi
If it was an internal parasite and the fish has had it for a while then i would have thought the other fish would have caught it by now.
It could be an internal bacteria going on with the long stringy poo and bloating. Are any scales sticking out? Sometimes a fish can get dropsy and not have the sticking out scales until much later.
It could also be an egg bound female. Any chance of a pic?
Is there any way you can isolate this fish.

 

[hellohefalump]

no, his scales aren't sticking out, and he's had the bloating for some time, and he's swimming fine as well so I don't think it's dropsy. I've called the vet and they're going to get back to me. I called a few fish shops but none of them had anything to say about it.

could it be eggs would that explain the poo and the fungus though?

yes... I can isolate him.

 

[hellohefalump]

I'm taking him to the vet today, they have someone there who knows about fish. wish him luck!

 

[black angel]

Good luck with him, please post what the vet comes up with.

 

[hellohefalump]

Turns out he has a tumour on his kidney and the reason he's swelled up is either the tumour, or the tumour is making the kidney produce more fluid and it's in his body cavity. He also has a very very minor swimbladder infection.

 

[hellohefalump]

He died rip

 

[black angel]

i'm really sorry. i lost my own oranda to a tumour of the kidney, and he kept going for three months with it.

 

[hellohefalump]

yeah it was a shock that he died, I guess the trauma of going to the vet didn't help. The vet said he could have months to live or even years. Apart from the tumour and the swimbladder he was perfectly healthy. Maybe his tumour/fluid pressed on an organ it shouldn't have? I buried him under my oak tree in a pot in the garden (my garden has paving).