Fancy goldfish gasping at the surface and have white poop

[LordToad]

I seem to have gotten myself into a bit of a pickle by taking on some sick goldies. I have a black moor and a fantail in a 20g (I'm aware this is too small but they're only 2in at the moment and I'm looking for something bigger) with 2 sponge filters and an internal filter. Surprisingly, my water quality is pretty good, I do an 80-90% w/c every 5 days. When I first got them, they were suspected to have gill flukes and I treated them for it with praziquantel. However, they still gasp at the surface. Over the past few weeks, I've noticed that their poop has turned clear/white- I feed them soaked saki hikari purple bag as a staple and peas before I do a w/c. I'm pretty new to this hobby and have found out that white poop can sometimes be a sign of internal parasites. Would it be wise to medicate their food with praziquantel? If so, what dosage should I use? Other than the gasping at the surface and white poop they seem fine and still love their food. Any advice would be accepted as I don't want to end up losing the little guys.

Thank you in advance.

[shakaho]

You might try the epsom salt treatment for internal hexamita infection described  here: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/treating-hexamita-aka-spironucleus.339362/  

You can find epsom salt (Magnesium sulphate) in a pharmacy, since it has many functions.

Prazi treats only flukes and tastes so bad that fish reject food containing it.  How long did you treat with Prazi?

 

[LordToad]

13 minutes ago, shakaho said:

 

Prazi treats only flukes and tastes so bad that fish reject food containing it.  How long did you treat with Prazi?

 

I did in between 7-9 rounds, treating the whole tank when I did a w/c.

[Chaory]

I would do metronidazole. You can also mix it with garlic guard to add acceptance and Seachem Focus to help bind it. Then mix it with fish food (pellets, bloodworms etc).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LordToad]

2 hours ago, Chaory said:

I would do metronidazole. You can also mix it with garlic guard to add acceptance and Seachem Focus to help bind it. Then mix it with fish food (pellets, bloodworms etc).

 

I've started the Epsom salt treatment since it's apparently safer, if they're still not doing great I'll try metronidazole. Thank you.

I've also began dosing the tank with praziquantel again. The poor little guys have begun to bottom sit every so often but I think that may be due to the flow of my internal filter- sadly, I cannot adjust the flow.

[koko]

how are they? 

[LordToad]

7 hours ago, koko said:

how are they? 

They're doing a little better, I've finished the Epsom salt treatment but they're poop is now a very light brown- it looks almost clear sometimes but can be seen on the white sand. I have to separate them when feeding because my fantail is a bully so I don't know if it could be due to a little stress because that and my filter. My black moor has a deformed anal fin and my fantail's upper lobes on its caudal fin are a little fused, giving him a butterfly tail - he seems to handle the flow of the filter much better though. 

[koko]

On 11/5/2018 at 11:09 PM, LordToad said:

They're doing a little better, I've finished the Epsom salt treatment but they're poop is now a very light brown- it looks almost clear sometimes but can be seen on the white sand. I have to separate them when feeding because my fantail is a bully so I don't know if it could be due to a little stress because that and my filter. My black moor has a deformed anal fin and my fantail's upper lobes on its caudal fin are a little fused, giving him a butterfly tail - he seems to handle the flow of the filter much better though. 

Are you still doing the "metronidazole." or General cure?

[LordToad]

1 hour ago, koko said:

Are you still doing the "metronidazole." or General cure?

I never started those medications, I opted for the Epsom salt treatment instead due to it being apparently safer. Where I live, I can only find the General Cure- which I will be looking into getting. The Epsom salt treatment did perk them up a lot and they aren't bottom sitting anymore but I was unsure if I could continue the treatment for longer than 5 days. Before I get the General Cure I may give them both an Epsom salt dip and finish my rounds of praziquantel before I put anything else into the tank as they're still gasping at the surface every now and then.

[koko]

43 minutes ago, LordToad said:

I never started those medications, I opted for the Epsom salt treatment instead due to it being apparently safer. Where I live, I can only find the General Cure- which I will be looking into getting. The Epsom salt treatment did perk them up a lot and they aren't bottom sitting anymore but I was unsure if I could continue the treatment for longer than 5 days. Before I get the General Cure I may give them both an Epsom salt dip and finish my rounds of praziquantel before I put anything else into the tank as they're still gasping at the surface every now and then.

Well with the white clearish poop I would give them the Metro. It sounds to me like something is going on inside then. and if your doing Prazi well General Cure is the way to go then since it has the Metro and Prazi in it.

[LordToad]

On 07/11/2018 at 6:35 PM, koko said:

Well with the white clearish poop I would give them the Metro. It sounds to me like something is going on inside then. and if your doing Prazi well General Cure is the way to go then since it has the Metro and Prazi in it.

Will do, thank you🙂

Today I spotted that my fantail had a long poop hanging from it, around 2 inches in length but it was normal coloured and had a few air bubbles in it. But then my fantail ate the whole thing and never spat it back out and then went back to having clear poop. I feed them 3-4 pellets twice a day, I'm pretty sure I'm not over feeding them.

[koko]

On 11/8/2018 at 12:33 PM, LordToad said:

Will do, thank you🙂

Today I spotted that my fantail had a long poop hanging from it, around 2 inches in length but it was normal coloured and had a few air bubbles in it. But then my fantail ate the whole thing and never spat it back out and then went back to having clear poop. I feed them 3-4 pellets twice a day, I'm pretty sure I'm not over feeding them.

I dont think your over feeding at all. But I do think there is something wrong inside.

[LordToad]

On 10/11/2018 at 2:16 AM, koko said:

I dont think your over feeding at all. But I do think there is something wrong inside.

I have ordered the General Cure. Unfortunately, it'll arrive in 2 weeks. I did end up fasting them, just in case and have begun feeding them peas starting this morning. Since then, they haven't gone up to the surface once, I know I can't feed them peas forever so I'll also be looking into a brand of food that has a lower protein content etc. I know that this probably won't be the case, but I'm hoping that it is just constipation. But I'll be prepared for when the General Cure arrives. 

They have seemed much happier after being fed peas- swimming actively instead of rushing to the top or resting at the bottom.

[koko]

Well going to the top isn't always an issue. Pellet food will bleed oils out when it touches the water. This will make the fish gulp up there cause they can smell food (which is really the oils from the food).

If you can I would try and find some Duckweed  

[LordToad]

20 hours ago, koko said:

Well going to the top isn't always an issue. Pellet food will bleed oils out when it touches the water. This will make the fish gulp up there cause they can smell food (which is really the oils from the food).

If you can I would try and find some Duckweed  

Will do. I'm so concerned about them gulping at the surface because my black moor has now began to stay at the surface, having a hard time swimming downwards.

[koko]

When you can fill this out so we can take a more closer look

 

Please copy & paste fill the following form and fill it out to the best of your ability when requesting help for Goldfish Problems: 

Test Results for the Following: * Ammonia Level(Tank) * Nitrite Level(Tank) * Nitrate level(Tank) * Ammonia Level(Tap) * Nitrite Level(Tap) * Nitrate level(Tap) * Ph Level, Tank (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines)  * Ph Level, Tap (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines) Other Required Info: * Brand of test-kit used and whether strips or drops? * Water temperature? * Tank size (how many gals.) and how long has it been running? * What is the name and "size of the filter"(s)? * How often do you change the water and how much?

* How many days ago was the last water change and how much did you change? * How many fish in the tank and their size? * What kind of water additives or conditioners? * What do you feed your fish and how often? * Any new fish added to the tank? * Any medications added to the tank? * List entire medication/treatment history for fish and tank.Please include salt, Prazi, PP, etc and the approximate time and duration of treatment. * Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt," bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? * Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, etc.?

[Helen]

17 hours ago, LordToad said:

Will do. I'm so concerned about them gulping at the surface because my black moor has now began to stay at the surface, having a hard time swimming downwards.

this behaviour is typically observed if the water is lacking oxygen, particularly during colder seasons since the heater is on. there is less oxygen in the water when the temperature is higher. partial water changes more frequently will maintain good oxygen levels in the tank water. do you have airstones in the tank? even when medicating, ie epsom / aquarium salt / any meds, it's advised that you add an extra airstone or two (depending on the volume of water) more so to keep the water circulating well.. fish taking oxygen from the surface risk swim bladder issues as you have described. bubbles in the poop casing confirms that they have air in their tract and that is most likely being received from gulping at the surface. if you can share a full tank photo and a short video with us, that would give a better understanding to the people helping you with the issues you presented. good luck