Regular Member erica Posted October 15, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted October 15, 2005 thanks in advance for any help. i haven't been feeding (2 days) my 2 medium sized lionheads because one has been sitting on the bottom a bit- he tends to have constipation problems. it seems that thay have been gasping at the surface a bit but i can't figure out why because all water levels are normal- amonia 0 and i have to go double check but very low nitrates, no nitrites. 2 fish- 29 gallon no heat. no additive except a dechlor. today the other fish is bright red behind one gill and on that same fin he has red spots, also on his bottom fin on that side and behind it. his bottom fin is clamped as well. please help, he's always bveeen the healthier of the 2. i feel so bad for him. i want to do something ASAP he doesn't look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Devs Posted October 15, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted October 15, 2005 Sorry to hear that your fish aren't feeling up to par.If you could possibly answer as many questions in the red area as you can,that would also help us to diagnose somewhat.Post soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted October 15, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted October 15, 2005 As Devs mentioned, if you answer the questions in the box at the top of the page, that will help enormously to figure out what is going on. For now, though, a big water change would help. I would do about a 40% water change. Rinse out your filter media in a bucket of tank water. You could also add 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon of water. Use aquarium, kosher, pickling, coarse or sea salt. A salt without additives. Dissolve in tank water before adding. This will give you a 0.1% solution of salt which acts as a tonic for goldfish and will help with healing. Hope to hear back from you soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member erica Posted October 15, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 15, 2005 Test Results for the Following: Ammonia Level? 0 Nitrite Level? 0 Nitrate level? .5 Ph Level, (If possible,KH and GH and chloramines)? haven't checked but always in good range Ph Level out of the Tap? same Tank size (How many Gals) and How long has it been running? 29 gal. 1+ year What is the name and size of the filter/s? 280- penguin How often do you change the water and how much? %30 every 2 weeks How many fish in the tank and their size? 2 medium What kind of water additives or conditioners? declor only- amquel very rarely Any medications added to the tank? no Add any new fish to the tank? no What do you feed your fish? progold & spirulina (gf connection) Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt", bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? bloody behind gill, on fin 2 spots Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, ect..? nope i called Tropiquarium, the best fishie store at the Jersey shore. they think it's septasimia (sp?) bacterial infection causing blood vessels to burst- 5 days treatment. something like that. let me know what you think and thanks again for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted October 16, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2005 Did you try the large water change and add the salt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member erica Posted October 17, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 17, 2005 I did a %30 or so water change and got K-Myacin. I've added it only twice but the red scales are improving very much as well as the fins. little concerned that her gills are a little curled but overall is looking much better. keeping an eye on her though thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted October 17, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted October 17, 2005 I would start doing 30% water changes weekly in your tank. I have found with goldfish that they really do better with weekly water changes. When I first started keeping goldfish, I treated them like my tropicals and did water changes every two weeks, but I found that I had a lot of problems with my fish. Since I started doing weekly water changes my fish have been far more healthy. I would definitely do a large water change (around 40%) after you finish the antibiotic treatment. You will have to keep a close eye on your ammonia and nitrite levels for a while since the antibiotic may crash the cycle of your tank. Please keep us posted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Ranchugirl Posted October 25, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted October 25, 2005 How are your two lionheads doing these days, Erica? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member erica Posted November 8, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2005 Hi everyone, Thanks for your advice and concern. I?ve been so busy that I?ve been a very bad fish keeper. After treating I forgot to put the filter back in! so dumb! So last night the heat broke in my house and it got a little cold and Sushi?s septicemia seems to be coming back. Only one tiny spot but right by his gill. I did a big water change, put in the filter and I?m going to have to get more medication tonight. I feel awful- I DO need to do once a week water changes all the time, you?re right! He did seem fully recovered after the first bought- it?s my own fault for taking it for granted he was all better. I think I?m also going to get a heater- I was always against it because I know a few people who had bad problems with them but I can?t let the temp drop like that again and hopefully it will aid in his recovery. Should I quarantine him? I don?t have a spare tank?. And I?m kind of broke. I go to work all day and school at night- I didn?t mean to not pay attention to my babies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member erica Posted November 8, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2005 ps- i thinnk my PH is a little high too- maybe 7.8.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted November 8, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2005 Don't worry about the ph at 7.8. Goldfish tolerate high ph very well, but ammonia is more toxic at higher ph, so you will have to watch your ammonia levels. The ph in my water is 7.8, too, and it hasn't been a problem at all. I would do another water change before adding any medication and treat the same way that you did before. You will have to watch the ammonia and nitrite levels in the tank since your cycle will be starting all over again. Do you have test kits for ammonia and nitrite? If not most fish stores will test your water for you. Ask them for the actual numbers, not just if it is good or bad. When you are treating with antibiotics, you don't have to remove the whole filter, just the carbon from the filter, if you use it. Please keep me posted how things are going and don't hesitate to ask questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member erica Posted November 8, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2005 Thanks! oh no, i just removed the carbon- that's how it was easy to forget that it was out! After treatment should i also buy some bacteria? The tanks well established and didn't seem too lose it's cycle after the last treatment- but the fish store sells the refrigerated kind of bacteria - i'd hate to lose all that cycling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted November 8, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2005 That is good. You won't lose your cycle by removing the carbon. Carbon is only necessary in filters to remove medications or dyes. I don't use carbon in my filters on a regular basis. I would just keep a close eye on ammonia and nitrite levels when treating with antibiotics. They can kill the beneficial bacteria as well as the harmful bacteria. What medication did you use before? Biospira is the best bacteria sold for jumpstarting cycles in tanks, but if you tank is still showing 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite, and a low nitrate, then this wouldn't be necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member erica Posted November 8, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2005 K-Myacin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member erica Posted November 8, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2005 oh and since the first episode i feel like his gills stick out more (the inner translucent part) than they used too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member touchofsky Posted November 8, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2005 Sounds good. How do the actual gills look? Are they nice and red? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member erica Posted November 8, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 8, 2005 the gills, they look healthy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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