Weird leafy bug? on Fancy Goldfish tail - what is it?

[Colin_T]

Honestly, I was wondering the same thing since I didn't see any on the black moor but maybe it was on it already and then moved to the other one? I read they fall off after 2 hours? Another thing I noticed is on the fish I pulled it off of she was already stressed or sick the day before with tiny black tops of her fins. We did also do a full water/filter change recently, maybe that was part of it.

When fish lice latch onto a fish, they tend to stay there for weeks or even months. They won't let go of their host unless they have to. And they don't kill fish quickly. They drink the fish's blood over a long period of time and big fish can live with one or two lice for months or even years.

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Did you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank when you changed all the water?

Did you use clean buckets for the water change (ie buckets that have never been used for chemicals, cleaning products or anything except water)?

 

[fishiefreak]

So sorry they passed away

Just curious, what is the tank size?

Thanks and it's a 4 gallon and each fish was just over 1" long. We have a 30 gallon we were going to set up once they grew a bit more.

 

[Essjay]

4 gallons is way too small for even small goldfish. They needed to be in the 30 gallon as soon as they were bought. If she want to get more, I would set up the 30 gallon and cycle it while you are in lockdown then hopefully it will be ready for fish when it's lifted.

Was the 4 gallon cycled before the fish were put in it?

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

 

[fishiefreak]

When fish lice latch onto a fish, they tend to stay there for weeks or even months. They won't let go of their host unless they have to. And they don't kill fish quickly. They drink the fish's blood over a long period of time and big fish can live with one or two lice for months or even years.

-------------------
Did you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank when you changed all the water?

Did you use clean buckets for the water change (ie buckets that have never been used for chemicals, cleaning products or anything except water)?

Hey, yeah we did both and the tank was cycled. Everything was perfect for the past month until this.

 

[Colin_T]

It could have been anything. It might have been a major change in water chemistry (pH, GH or KH) when you changed all the water. They might have had a health issue and the water change pushed them over the edge.