Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) My Comet needs help. She has started sitting on the bottom, and is eating little to none. (May have gone back from none to little). She seems to like putting her mouth near the glass, at least before she was moved to the QT tank. Also, red streaks have appeared on her tail. Also, her dorsal was clamped, but raised once she was put in the quarantine tank, and medicated. She has been medicated with Lifeguard All-In-One Treatment. http://www.petsmart....ductId=11147150 http://reviews.petsm...ews/reviews.htm Ammonia: .10 Nitrites: 0 Nitrates: around 0 pH: 6.9 40 gallon tank AquaClear filter Water is changed about 1-2 weeks. not sure of the exact amount. Fish are fed twice a day. Testing kit is Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Lives with 3 other fish. Two of these, both Commons, were recently added after a week in a QT tank, where the Comet now is. They both seem healthy, as does Nubtail. However, their gender is unknown. Edited May 2, 2012 by Bob the Goldfish 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted May 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) Sorry your comet is not well! Would you please fill out the questions below (you missed a couple on the form and I have a few additional questions) Could you also post a video of your comet? Thanks! * Ph Level, Tank (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines) * Ph Level, Tap (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines) * 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? (please try to estimate amount) * 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? * List entire medication/treatment history for fish and tank. Please include salt, Prazi, PP, etc and the approximate time and duration of treatment. How large is the QT tank the comet is in now? Is the QT tank filtered (what kind of filter)? Were the two new fish treated with anything during QT? Have your fish ever been treated for flukes? EDIT: As a first step I would suggest doing either a 100% water change or two back to back large (60-80%) water changes and get the tetra lifeguard out of the water. This medication is pretty harsh, and has been known to wipe out the cycle in some tanks. Make sure you match temp and Ph when changing out the water. Edited May 2, 2012 by tithra 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) The tank has been running for many years. The fish are fairly medium-small, with the Comet being medium, easily the largest in the tank. The fish are fed floating food. Five gallons are changed. The Comet is now a 10-gallon tank which is half-full. Their is currently no filter, but one will be added later. The new fish were not actually treated, just allowed to be in a seperate tank. Wish I had treated them, though! Here are some photos and a video I took with the 3DS: Edited May 2, 2012 by Bob the Goldfish 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted May 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) I am sorry to seem a bit nit picky, but it is very important to have all the information when making a diagnosis or suggesting any kind of treatment. You did not answer all of the questions I asked above (perhaps you thought I was only asking the ones in bold? ) below are the questions that need to be answered: Also, is there any way you could get a clear video? The pictures are unfortunately very blurry and not very helpful. A video of the fish and the redness you are describing would be helpful. * Ph Level, Tank (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines) * Ph Level, Tap (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines) * Water temperature? * What is the name and "size of the filter"(s)? * How many days ago was the last water change and how much did you change? * What kind of water additives or conditioners? * What do you feed your fish and how often? * List entire medication/treatment history for fish and tank. Please include salt, Prazi, PP, etc and the approximate time and duration of treatment. How large is the QT tank the comet is in now? Is the QT tank filtered (what kind of filter)? Were the two new fish treated with anything during QT? Have your fish ever been treated for flukes? Edited May 2, 2012 by tithra 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 Can't get better quality. The area around the base of the tail is turning red. There are no water additives. The water was last changed Saturday or Sunday. The fish are fed Tetrafin. The new fish were not treated for flukes. The filter is 60 gallons, I believe. The water temperature is room temperature, 70 degrees. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted May 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 Do you know your Ph? I think it would be a good idea to treat all 3 for flukes with prazi pro. You can order this online http://www.amazon.com/PraziPro-oz---treats-480-Gallon/dp/B0006JLPC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335920327&sr=8-1 QTing new fish for a week is unfortunately not long enough to determine health. Standard QT procedure is .1% salt (1 tsp per gallon) and prazi pro for flukes. Flukes are quite common in goldfish and it is possible that your 2 new guys brought some into the tank. Prazi is a very gentle but effective med. The redness you are seeing may also be due to the ammonia in your tank. Being that your tank has been running for many years, you should not be getting any ammonia reading at this point. An ammonia reading suggests that you are not changing enough water. A minimum of a 50-80% water change weekly is recommended, 5 gallons every 1-2 weeks is unfortunately just not enough to keep tank parameters safe. Even low levels of ammonia act as a stressor over time and can lead to illness, as stress decreases immunity in fish just like it does in people. Here is what I would suggest now: 1. Do a big water change (80%) on your main tank to get all the ammonia out 2. Add .1% salt (1 tsp per gallon of either aquarium salt or salt without any additives/anti-caking agents etc.). Add another .1% salt in 12 hours, and another .1% in another 12 hours. This will get you to .3% It is very important that you monitor your ammonia while salting, as ammonia and salt are a potentially dangerous combo 3. Order prazipro When you get the prazi bring the salt back down to .1% and follow this dosing schedule: Day 0: add prazi Day 4: 50% water change Day 5: 50% water change, add prazi Day 9: 50% water change Day 10: 50% water change, add prazi and so on. Continue this schedule until you have added prazi 4-6 times. For the first two rounds you want to salt the tank to .1% (you can begin removing salt with water changes after the first two rounds) In the meantime please let us know if anything changes with you fish's behavior 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 I'll mention again that the pH in the main tank is 6.9 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted May 2, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 I'll mention again that the pH in the main tank is 6.9 thank you, sorry I missed that. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 As of this morning, more water has been added to the QT tank, and water circulation has begun. The Comet seems to be much the same. Anyone know what might be wrong with her, or is it not possible to tell without photos or a video? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin koko Posted May 2, 2012 Admin Share Posted May 2, 2012 Well the problem is the information given is kinda vague. So are these fish brand new, as in just bought? if so I would do what "tithra" said. http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/forum/index.php?/topic/99686-need-help-with-sick-comet/page__view__findpost__p__1217032 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 The sick fish I have had for a while. The two Commons are new. It's possible the Comet has septicemia, judging by the streaks in the base of her tail. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 2, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2012 Had another look the fish. The red is more noticable on the bottom half of the tail, but is also present on the top as well. It has also appeared on some of her fins as well, more towards the back of her. It is a blood-like red. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted May 3, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 3, 2012 Redness in the fins can have many causes, the most common of which is water quality, which would be my first thought in this particular case given the fact that you have an ammonia reading in your tank. However, it is difficult to tell for certain without clear pictures or video. Is there a way you could borrow a camera from someone else? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 7, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 7, 2012 Still haven't got any more pictures. As of today, the Comet is back in the main tank. She doesn't look any different, but is eating a little now. Also, her dorsal is now clamped, as was the case when she was last in the main tank. However, as I said before, her dorsal was raised normally in the QT tank. Also, I need to mention the Commons also have clamped dorsals and are bottom-sititng, however, they quite eagerly go for food. Will keep trying to get pictures. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted May 7, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 7, 2012 Given the clamped fins and bottom sitting and the fact that you did not QT the new fish for an adequate amount of time I would still suggest my original treatment plan of prazi and salt above. Flukes are a very common issue in goldfish. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 9, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 9, 2012 Still no pictures (though I have begun talking to my father about it). However, I can tell you that the Comet is back in the QT tank, and the Commons are as well. They may be getting red along their fins as well. The Comet is getting red along her back now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 9, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 9, 2012 (edited) I will also mention the salt and prazi treatment to him, as well. Also, should I treat the main tank, or just the QT tank the fish are currently in? Edited May 9, 2012 by Bob the Goldfish 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted May 9, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 9, 2012 I will also mention the salt and prazi treatment to him, as well. Also, should I treat the main tank, or just the QT tank the fish are currently in? You should treat all fish 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 9, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 9, 2012 In the main tank, right? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted May 9, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 9, 2012 In the main tank, right? I am a little confused as to where all the fish are currently, are there still some fish in the main tank or are all in a QT tank right now? For the prazi/salt treatment you can treat all the fish together in the main tank. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 9, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 9, 2012 For the record, Nubtail is still in the main tank, everyone else is in the QT tank. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted May 9, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 9, 2012 (edited) For the record, Nubtail is still in the main tank, everyone else is in the QT tank. gotcha How large is your QT? Is it the 10 gallon your comet was originally in? Edited May 9, 2012 by tithra 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 9, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 9, 2012 Yes, it is the 10 gallon tank. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tithra Posted May 9, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted May 9, 2012 Okay, yes, definitely take them out of the 10 gallon and get them back into the main tank. The 10 gallon is much too small for anymore than 1 goldfish, water quality will be an issue in a tank that small. Without being able to see exactly what is going on (I know you are working on pics ) I would move them back into the main tank and do the salt/prazi treatment I suggested earlier. I would also suggest extra water changes throughout the week in order to keep the water conditions pristine, as even low levels of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate can contribute to stress and weakened immunity. When you say the comet has red along her back now, do you mean on her dorsal fin or on her actual back? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Bob the Goldfish Posted May 9, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted May 9, 2012 Her actual back. There was already red appearing on her dorsal fin. Also, what kind of salt should I use? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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