Goldfish Won't Eat

[mkinga 0]

oinklet took a turn for the worse yesterday, I put her in a medicated tank and she is still swimming around, but very weak and upside down. She survived the night.

Here is her today.. I don't know if she will make it much longer..

Here is her and her brother gumpy 1.5 years ago! Oinklet is on the left.

[mkinga 0]

I forgot to add that its been 1 week that she barely ate (3 days ago she ate like 2 pellets). Should I try to force feed her soon? or are goldfish ok not eating for so long?

[koko 14,340]

Ok so shes in a tank by her self now?

Have you test the water in the QT tank to make sure all the numbers are right?

What kind of food did you try to feed her?

[mkinga 0]

She is with another goldfish, since the other goldfish has a red sore. I added in Furan-2 medication into the water.

I tested the water in the QT tank and the numbers look ok. The PH is between 7.4 and 7.8 according to both my strip and drop tests. The Ammonia test says 0 (API drop test). The nitrites are 0 and nitrates are between 0 and 20 (strip test).

I tried to feed her peas and medi-gold soaked in garlic juice. She is very weak and upside down with a pale color (but in the middle of the tank). Since she was near the top i gently grabbed her and put the food straight into her mouth. She spit it back out. I fear the end is probably near for her =(. She is looking pale and has some white stuff from her head is being leaked out into the tank. I took a q-tip and poked her head and it was bleeding, so I disinfected it with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on a q-tip.

Edited August 3, 2011 by mkinga

[mkinga 0]

One more update. She is still alive, but still weak and pale, as well as upside down. She can still swim a bit, but she hasn't eaten in over a week.

Her belly is not mushy and she seems to recognize people and swim over. I tried with limited success to force feed her using a dropper in her mouth and squeezing in some mushed up fish food. She spit a lot of it back out, but hopefully some got in.

In the past, by the time the goldfish gets to this stage (pale, weak) they seem to die very fast after. I guess she is a fighter, but I don't know what else to do.

[koko 14,340]

At this point I honestly would do a Massive water change. I dont think that med is happy with them, after that I would let them rest a day. See if you can feed them just peas for 2 days.

[mkinga 0]

So you think I should discontinue medication and do a massive water change?

So a quick review, she started not eating and had some white stuff leaking out of her head(low PH high nitrates), then I raised the PH/KH and did 20%-40% water changes daily. I also added salt slowly. I did a salt dip and massaged her belly (in case something was stuck) and that day she ate 1-2 pellets. 2 days ago she was flipped upside down and pale and her tank mate got a red sore (both not eating). I moved them both to a hospital tank and started medication.

In the hospital tank, the one with a sore got a lot better, she is eating again. The one who is upside down and pale does not look better or worse than before I put her in the hospital tank.

[koko 14,340]

Ok so your saying they are looking better with the med but wont eat.?

[mkinga 0]

Well the white stuff/sores are gone. Gumpy (the not so sick one who didn't eat much) is much better, will eat and swim around now. His sore is also almost gone. But oinklet (the sicker one, who didn't eat at all for 8 days except for 1-2 pellets and had white fluffy stuff on her head) now has no more white stuff, but is still pale and upside down. Before I put her in the medicated hospital tank she was upside down and a bit pale. Now she is about the same or possibly a bit worse.

[koko 14,340]

I would do as much as 100% water change you can do. Do not touch the filters unless there is carbon in there, if there is take it out.

then if you can please try to get http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4838

How many days are left with treating it with the Furan-2 ?

[Chrissy_Bee 144]

Where is the red sore on your other fish and what does/did it look like?

[Trinket 108]

I'm so sorry I suspect she also has a sore inside her mouth too, swollen throat so she cant eat. The Furan should have helped with this kind of columnaris type thing but the pH will have negated some effect...

That gravel looks deep just wondering if there is a sulfate reduction thing going on here too. Bare bottom seems safer for sicklies.

[Helen 8,511]

I have extremely soft water too and I have had great luck using crushed coral in my tank to keep the Ph stable. You have to be extra diligent at water changes to make sure you add back the correct amount of buffer to make sure your Ph stays stable. Soft water is no fun.

excellent advice here. from the moment i started reading, i too had in my mind to advise of crushed coral in the filter, as well as some in a stocking in the tank.. then when you do you water changes, you can use the seachem ph buffer to match the PH that is in the tank.. or gradually add it as you're filling the tank.

I forgot to add that its been 1 week that she barely ate (3 days ago she ate like 2 pellets). Should I try to force feed her soon? or are goldfish ok not eating for so long?

i am a supporter of force feeding. head down to the drug store and purchase a standard size syringe. i will post either one or two videos later of me feeding Amico and Sir Loyn.. basically, either with or without med food, all you need to do is boil a pea until it's super soft, then put it in the syringe, release all the air by squeezing the push handle as far as it will go before the food pops out, draw up some tank water into the syringe, shake until well blended and then hold the fish whist syringe feeding. the vids will show you how. they're not 100% but they give a good idea.

in all of this, i also recommend that you crush an epsom granule into the mixture because she could be constipated from the antibiotics (possibility). even though you think she may not have eaten, antibiotics could have leached into the water from the uneaten food and she may have received some that way.

[Helen 8,511]

this is of me feeding amico

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwTpEiMkZRU

i can't find the one of sir loyn..but this should give you a good indication of how to force feed. as you can see, the fish actaually wanted to eat.. but, sitting in the tank, she never went for food and i was determined to not give up hope..

when you handle the fish, just make sure that gill areas are clear, ie, do not cover gill area with your hands otherwise the fish wont eat or breathe.

good luck.

[mkinga 0]

Unfortunately oinklet passed away 2 days ago, she started pine coning and I knew that was the end.

Her tank mate Gumpy is still doing ok, but strangely only likes to eat medi-gold. I was going to stop medication and start feeding pro-gold again, but he doesn't eat it. I also tried feeding peas and he wouldn't eat it. But he loves medi-gold.. any suggestions?

[koko 14,340]

Exactly what do you mean in not eating it, is it like he turns up his nose or is he spitting it back out?

[AMeyers 6]

I'm sorry to hear about Oinklet.

Are you still feeding the Medi-Gold? I thought I read that you had stopped that after a couple of weeks (?). Medi-Gold is harsh., so it should not be used as food.

Is Gumpy showing any other symptoms at this point?

Edit- as Koko asked, is he spitting it out as opposed to not eating it?

[mkinga 0]

Actually gumpy won't eat anything now. He won't eat at all (doesn't go in his mouth).

He is in non-medicated water now. I have been changing 30% of the water and testing all the water parameters daily.

I fear that he may have what oinklet had, which I suspect hole in the head followed by dropsy. I know a lot of medication is bad, but i wonder if I should use metronidazole

[mkinga 0]

I was planning on stopping feeding medi-gold, but they didn't get better.. but they have been on meds for a long time, so I will stop feeding medi-gold now. After reading up on hole in the head disease and dropsy, I am convinced that is what oinklet had. I fear that gumpy may fall to the same fate. I have metronidazole on hand, and I am considering doing this one last medication.

[AMeyers 6]

How long have you been feeding the Medi-Gold exactly?

I would wait for someone to advise about any further medication.

[mkinga 0]

I think about 3 weeks now.

Oinklet had a creamy white/yellow substance coming out of her head a few days before her death, also she swelled up (pineconed) and stopped eating.

Gumpy currently has no external problems, but is not eating once he got off of furan-2. I suspect the furan-2 was a stop gap for him and now that he is off his meds he is starting to feel poorly again. He used to have a head sore that healed when I put him through furan-2.

I checked carefully and he is not pineconing, but not eating either starting today, I got him off furan-2 yesterday, and he was eating while on furan-2. I read on several websites that hole in the head is effectively treated with metronidazole. My gut tells me to treat him with it, which I will do tomorrow unless advised strongly against it or if I have other good options to choose from.

[Helen 8,511]

how's gumpy doing?

can you please post current water parameters and a recent history of medication used and some pics for reassessment?