C & R Murray
May 18th 04, 11:23 PM
Ingrid,
Many thanks for a comprehensive diagnosis and action plan in response to my
plea for help.
Also a thanks to everyone else in the NewsGroup who gave their advice and
experience.
I bought a pH Tester and the result was about 6'ish when I tested the
water - about the same colour as the water. I completely changed the water,
thoroughly cleaned the gravel and let the tank stand for around 12 hours
after I had added the neutralisers for chlorine, but still had to add a
spoonful of bicarb to get the pH up to around 7.2+ - the fish were not very
happy until I put them back in the tank. It was like a new lease of life to
the troubled fish and he appears back to normal - begging for food. I have
tested the tank every day since and it is holding a nice blue at the moment.
I have been preparing the pond outside ready to return the fish for summer.
I have move three of the smaller fish to another tank as a stop gap. I have
also cut back on my over generous feeding of them, but they have dug up an
elodea plant and eaten all of its leaves! You just can't win with these
fish?
Thanks again for all of your help and advice.
Regards,
Ron.
(Wigan, UK)
----- Original Message -----
From: >
To: "Ron Murray" >
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 4:10 PM
Subject: RE: Morbid Goldfish - Please help with a Diagnosis?
> http://puregold.aquaria.net/pg/disease/disease.htm#diagnostic%20techniques
> do the physical, also, see the diagnosis by poop. it sounds like she may
> be egg
> bound. in any case, this tank is VERY overstocked and you need to measure
> nitrates
> and keep them 20 ppm or lower by water changes.
> you may well have had an ammonia spike from spawning.
> when a tank goes acid it is due to the gravel being loaded with organics.
> organics
> when they rot they make an acid waste. the time has come to clean the
tank
> and
> gravel completely. do the procedure like for removing gravel except wash
> the gravel
> in treated water and return to the tank
> http://puregold.aquaria.net/pg/care/care1.htm#REMOVING
> if the tank is very acid then it killed the biobugs.
> start doing 50% water changes if you cant do a complete clean out. add 1
> teaspoon
> salt per 5 gallons, no additives, dissolve first, add slowly. bring that
> up to 3
> teaspoons per 5 gallons over the next 3 days. continue doing water
changes
>
> if the one fish wont eat after the tank is cleaned it could have gotten a
> gill full
> of toxic wastes from the gravel, that is what happens when they root
around
> in the
> gravel. do you siphon clean the gravel?
> Ingrid
>
> "C & R Murray" > wrote:
> >I am seeking advice about one of my 4" Goldfish (a Comet I think). My
tank
> >is 24"L x 12"H x 12"W and holds six Goldfish the biggest being 6" (due to
go
> >back in the pond in June) 3 x 3"-4" and 2 x 2".
> >
> >About a week ago the 4" Goldfish started lying on the bottom at the back
of
> >the tank. It would rise when I fed them and was eating. Now it rises for
> >food sucks in large particle and spits them out - it does not bother
about
> >smaller particles. Its dorsal fin remained erect and I noticed that its
> >stomach before the anal fin has become shallow and drawn.
> >
> >Last Monday I gave the tank a 1/3rd partial change, it smelled ok as
usual.
> >All the other fish appeared ok. On Thursday night I carried out a 1/2
> >partial change. But this had no effect on my morbid goldfish.
> >
> >Today I visited the aquatic centre nearby and they said it could be
> >suffering from the water condition from a week ago! The asked me to take
a
> >water sample from the tank, which they tested and said it was acid? They
> >suggested a daily 10% water change until it balances out.
> >
> >Tonight I noticed that the fish had started to pass what seemed a hard
white
> >excreta about 1/8", so I added a level teaspoon of salt. Within the hour
> >this had lengthened to about 1" and was partially black - it has now
dropped
> >off while I was typing this plea. There is now a thin wispy white, almost
> >transparent, excreta about 1/4" trailing from it. The timer has now
turned
> >the light out and it is again resting on the bottom of the tank with its
> >dorsal fin up. Also its eyes do appear to be protruding. On Saturday
night
> >and Sunday night another of the 4" fish started to rest next to the
troubled
> >fish, but that one is searching for food with the other four fish at the
> >moment.
> >
> > Could it be gravel stuck in its gut? At lunchtime I used to give them a
few
> >wholemeal brown bread crumbs from my sandwich plate. They used to love
> >eating the crumbs as the sank and would spend the next hour scouring the
> >tank floor. When this fish went morbid I stopped in case it was a seed
grain
> >it had ingested?
> >
> >Sorry that this is a long story, but I wanted to detail the problem with
all
> >the info'. Any help or guidance would be gratefully received. Thanks for
> >your patience.
> >
> >Regards,
> >Ron.
> >(Wigan, UK)
Many thanks for a comprehensive diagnosis and action plan in response to my
plea for help.
Also a thanks to everyone else in the NewsGroup who gave their advice and
experience.
I bought a pH Tester and the result was about 6'ish when I tested the
water - about the same colour as the water. I completely changed the water,
thoroughly cleaned the gravel and let the tank stand for around 12 hours
after I had added the neutralisers for chlorine, but still had to add a
spoonful of bicarb to get the pH up to around 7.2+ - the fish were not very
happy until I put them back in the tank. It was like a new lease of life to
the troubled fish and he appears back to normal - begging for food. I have
tested the tank every day since and it is holding a nice blue at the moment.
I have been preparing the pond outside ready to return the fish for summer.
I have move three of the smaller fish to another tank as a stop gap. I have
also cut back on my over generous feeding of them, but they have dug up an
elodea plant and eaten all of its leaves! You just can't win with these
fish?
Thanks again for all of your help and advice.
Regards,
Ron.
(Wigan, UK)
----- Original Message -----
From: >
To: "Ron Murray" >
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 4:10 PM
Subject: RE: Morbid Goldfish - Please help with a Diagnosis?
> http://puregold.aquaria.net/pg/disease/disease.htm#diagnostic%20techniques
> do the physical, also, see the diagnosis by poop. it sounds like she may
> be egg
> bound. in any case, this tank is VERY overstocked and you need to measure
> nitrates
> and keep them 20 ppm or lower by water changes.
> you may well have had an ammonia spike from spawning.
> when a tank goes acid it is due to the gravel being loaded with organics.
> organics
> when they rot they make an acid waste. the time has come to clean the
tank
> and
> gravel completely. do the procedure like for removing gravel except wash
> the gravel
> in treated water and return to the tank
> http://puregold.aquaria.net/pg/care/care1.htm#REMOVING
> if the tank is very acid then it killed the biobugs.
> start doing 50% water changes if you cant do a complete clean out. add 1
> teaspoon
> salt per 5 gallons, no additives, dissolve first, add slowly. bring that
> up to 3
> teaspoons per 5 gallons over the next 3 days. continue doing water
changes
>
> if the one fish wont eat after the tank is cleaned it could have gotten a
> gill full
> of toxic wastes from the gravel, that is what happens when they root
around
> in the
> gravel. do you siphon clean the gravel?
> Ingrid
>
> "C & R Murray" > wrote:
> >I am seeking advice about one of my 4" Goldfish (a Comet I think). My
tank
> >is 24"L x 12"H x 12"W and holds six Goldfish the biggest being 6" (due to
go
> >back in the pond in June) 3 x 3"-4" and 2 x 2".
> >
> >About a week ago the 4" Goldfish started lying on the bottom at the back
of
> >the tank. It would rise when I fed them and was eating. Now it rises for
> >food sucks in large particle and spits them out - it does not bother
about
> >smaller particles. Its dorsal fin remained erect and I noticed that its
> >stomach before the anal fin has become shallow and drawn.
> >
> >Last Monday I gave the tank a 1/3rd partial change, it smelled ok as
usual.
> >All the other fish appeared ok. On Thursday night I carried out a 1/2
> >partial change. But this had no effect on my morbid goldfish.
> >
> >Today I visited the aquatic centre nearby and they said it could be
> >suffering from the water condition from a week ago! The asked me to take
a
> >water sample from the tank, which they tested and said it was acid? They
> >suggested a daily 10% water change until it balances out.
> >
> >Tonight I noticed that the fish had started to pass what seemed a hard
white
> >excreta about 1/8", so I added a level teaspoon of salt. Within the hour
> >this had lengthened to about 1" and was partially black - it has now
dropped
> >off while I was typing this plea. There is now a thin wispy white, almost
> >transparent, excreta about 1/4" trailing from it. The timer has now
turned
> >the light out and it is again resting on the bottom of the tank with its
> >dorsal fin up. Also its eyes do appear to be protruding. On Saturday
night
> >and Sunday night another of the 4" fish started to rest next to the
troubled
> >fish, but that one is searching for food with the other four fish at the
> >moment.
> >
> > Could it be gravel stuck in its gut? At lunchtime I used to give them a
few
> >wholemeal brown bread crumbs from my sandwich plate. They used to love
> >eating the crumbs as the sank and would spend the next hour scouring the
> >tank floor. When this fish went morbid I stopped in case it was a seed
grain
> >it had ingested?
> >
> >Sorry that this is a long story, but I wanted to detail the problem with
all
> >the info'. Any help or guidance would be gratefully received. Thanks for
> >your patience.
> >
> >Regards,
> >Ron.
> >(Wigan, UK)