Help! Fish About To Die

[carefish]

Ammonia Level: 0.0

Ph Level: 7.4

Ph Level (KH/GH) out of the Tap: 6.5

Brand of test-kit used? drops

[*]Tank size (How many Gals) and How long has it been running: 10 Gallons, 5 months

[*]How often do you change the water and how much:35% weekly

How many fish in the tank and their size: 1 fish, 1 inch long

What kind of water additives or conditioners: chlorine and chloramine remover

What do you feed your fish: Goldfish flakes

My fish used to be really active and friendly but is now lying upside down or on his side at the bottom of the tank barely able to swim. I have thought he was dead twice now due to his extreme inactivity. He has no visible signs of fungus or fin rot, but he does has a very tiny red dot on the side of his gill. He started acting weird a few days ago so I changed his water but he has not improved just continued to get worse.

Please help!! I don't want my goldfish to die

Chelsea

[Trinket]

Hi chelsea, do you have any test readings for nitrite and especially nitrates?

Is the red spot on his body or actually on the gill cover plate?

[vickielm]

Hi chelseaw! Imogen mentioned nitrates so I'd do a 100% temp and ph matched water change while you are getting a tester for the results. A 35% wc isn't going to bring your nitrates down enough to make a large difference. I fight with nitrates, also, but its because I tend to overfeed. The babies always look like they're hungry, lol.

[carefish]

Hi

My Goldy actually died last night

Trinket the red spot was on his gill cover, and after posting there was one on his eye as well?

I don't have a nitrate/nitrite test, but last time I got it checked at the fish store it was a bit high so I have been trying to do lots of water changes to keep it down.

Do any of you know what he may have died from?

If i am going to get a new goldy should I change all the water first or put him in the same water?

Thanks for your help

[Trinket]

I'm sorry chelsea

If it was very sudden, you couldn't have known. High nitrates can cause red streaks and bottom sitting and flipover yes. A few red spots would probably mean he also had a septic infection of some sort which fish on the bottom are apt to get easily.

You should change out all the water, sponge the sides and bottom and gravel and keep the same filter media which you can rinse in de-chlorinated water. You should be able to reduce most lurking pathogens like that and still preserve at least a partial cycle.

Then you'll need a nitrate/nitrite test kit.

[carefish]

Great will do

Thanks for the help!

[vickielm]

Gosh chelseaw, so sorry about your fish passing. Sometimes they go so fast that you don't have time to diagnose what the problem is.

Before you get another fish, I'd get a fishless cycle going in your tank, get a good water testing kit...the drop testers, not the strips, have salt ready,(not necessarily aquarium salt. You can use canning salt, pickling salt, kosher salt as long as there are no anti-caking ingredients). I'd also have Prazi handy to treat for flukes. That way you will be armed and ready for any problems that may occur in the beginning. You can buy Prazi online at Ricks, and wallyworld has Jungle Parasite Clear that has Prazi in the ingredients. I'm not positive if you can use this instead of pure Prazi, but someone more knowledgeable could chime in on this and let you know.

Good luck. We've all lost fish to unknown problems, especially in the beginning stages. You can only start again and be more prepared for problems.