[Saphira101]

Hi guys.

Last night I noticed that my comet goldfish, Tiffy, was acting extremely weird. She was lying on the bottom of her tank and not really moving. I decided to "wait and see" and left her overnight, though I doubted that she would survive. This morning I woke up and she was still alive, but looking worse. Her gills are now barely moving. Please help me, I've become very attached to this fish and don't want to lose her. :-(

Housing
What size is your tank? 10 gallons. I know it is too small, but I keep the parameters in check and I plan to upgrade very soon.
What temperature is your tank? Around 72-75ºF.
Does your tank have a filter? Yes. It has a tetra whisper HOB filter. It is cycled.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? Nope.
Is your tank heated? Nope.
What tank mates does your fish live with? One greater pond snail.

Food
What type of food do you feed your fish? Tetra goldfish flakes.
How often do you feed your fish? Once daily.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? About every 2 weeks, but I keep an eye on the parameters to make sure they are OK.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Seachem Prime.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 40 ppm
pH: Didn't test the pH, but can if neccesary.

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your fish's appearance changed? Clamped fins, minimal gill movement.
How has your fish's behavior changed?Sitting on bottom of tank, not reallly swimming around, lethargic.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Last night.
Have you started treating your fish? Nope.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I have no idea. She was a feeder fish at PetSmart. I have had her about 3 years.

Please help me! I really need to know what to do, this is my favorite goldfish!!:-(

Thank you so much,

Saphira

 

[fish monger]

I'd do weekly water changes of fifty percent...maybe more depending on the size of your goldfish. An air stone would be good also.

 

[Saphira101]

I'd do weekly water changes of fifty percent...maybe more depending on the size of your goldfish. An air stone would be good also.

Thank you. I'll dig around and see if I can find an air stone, and I'll try the weekly water changes. Any idea what I should do about her current condition though? She's not looking good at all.

 

[jentralala]

Could be nitrate poisoning, those numbers are awfully high. I'd do daily wc's of 50% with Prime, can't do anything but help at this point.

No offense, but the fish could also be dying because of the small tank :/ Without proper room to move/grow, the internal organs can quickly outgrow the physical body and begin to crush themselves.

 

[thekoimaiden]

You certainly need to do large water changes more often. Weekly at least and bi-weekly if you can.

Jen brought up a good point. A three-year old goldfish that still fits in a 10 gal tank is stunted. Stunted fish live shorter lives and are more prone to ailments from things that wouldn't normally affect them. Without a picture, I would guess that he is succumbing to the high levels of nitrate and they are hitting him harder than normal because of his stunted condition. Really the only cure is a large tank with larger water changes. He's a comet so a pond is honestly best, but seeing as he is stunted, a 55 gal would suffice.

 

[Saphira101]

Oh gosh!

I feel terrible. :-( My test kit said that Nitrate levels of 40 ppm or lower were OK, so I was going off of that. Time for a water change! :shock:

I'll keep my eye out for a larger tank on craigslist, and do water changes way more often until I manage to find a good deal.

Thanks for your help!

Saphira

 

[thekoimaiden]

In a normal tropical tank, we strive for nitrate readings below 10ppm. Most goldfish tanks strive for below 20ppm. 40ppm is the max it should be allowed to get to in a goldfish tank. I know goldfish keepers who do 70% to 80% weekly water changes to keep it that low.

 

[Saphira101]

Wow. I was greatly misinformed! Thank you for your help. I just performed a water change for my goldie. I also found a great deal on craigslist for a 55 gallon aquarium. Hope the seller still has it!

 

[thekoimaiden]

Nice! That is a great size aquarium for goldfish! It's sad, but a lot of people are misinformed about goldfish.

 

[Saphira101]

Nice! That is a great size aquarium for goldfish! It's sad, but a lot of people are misinformed about goldfish.

I was very much misinformed about goldfish. Sadly, Tiffy passed away last night.

I have another comet goldfish in a 10 gallon, and I think I will ask one of my friends with a pond if they will take him for me. I'm sure he'd love to live in a large space for a change!

I'm not planning to get any more comets until I have a pond of my own, or an enormous tank.

Thank you again for your help.

Saphira

 

[thekoimaiden]

I'm sorry to hear he passed away.

A pond is probably the best home a comet goldfish can have. And if he's at your friend's then you can still see him from time time!

 

[keepsmiling]

I am sorry for your loss.