What Disease Does My Fish Have?

[Guest Balsa]

I think my fish may be sick! Here are the details it says to include:

I don't know the ammonia level

His tank is 2 gallons and has been running for a few months

Don't know the Nitrite Level

I change all the water every week or two.

I don't know the Nitrate Level

I use a disposable filter. I just changed it, but the last one was very clogged.

I don't know the Ph Level

I use AquaSafe to make tap water safer.

I feed him TetraFin Goldfish Flakes

I just added some Maroxy.

Only one fish; about 5 inches long.

Some scales seem to be gone and he isn't as active as usual. He doiesn't have any spots or worms visible, just missing scales.

Please help me diagnose my fish since his symptoms don't match anything I've heard of before! Is it normal for fish to lose their scales???

[Guest Sacreligioushippie]

Hi Balsa!

First, I'd say your tank is too small for your little fish. Fancy goldfish need at least 10 gallons, and commons need 20 gallons.

Without know your water parameters, it's hard to determine what the cause is. With such a small tank & such a big fish, he could be bumping into things, causing the scales to fall off.

Does he have any black spots that weren't there before? If so, he may have ammonia burns that were healing.

Those are just some ideas.

Someone else will be along that can help you a bit more.

~ Jessica

[Florissa]

Jessica is exactly right. Your tank is way too small for your fish. The bad water quality is what is causing your fish's scales to fall off. You will soon see some discolouation on the fish due to water quality as well. Using maroxy in such a small tank without a filter is not a good idea either.

If I were you, I would do a large water change right away (using a dechlorinator like you already do) about 40%-45%. Make sure the temperature is close when adding new water to the tank. Only feed the minimum to your fish for now to keep the tank from getting very dirty. I would then keep doing water changes of about 10% everyday for about 4 days. This will help get the meds out of the tank. Remember that meds are rarely needed when you keep your tank water very good quality. Always do a large water change when you see things happening like scales falling off or discolourations on the fish.

I would look into getting a bigger tank asap. A 10 gallon would do for now, with a permanent filter like an aquaclear. You will need to get the right size for your tank size. Water changes needs to be done on a weekly basis. About 30% once a week is good along with regular gravel syphoning.

I wish you luck, and if you have anymore questions be sure to ask!

[Guest Balsa]

Thank you! I changed his water like you said and am looking to buy a new aquarium for him. He's looking a lot better now and I think just cleaning his tank helped a lot. Thanks!