Comet With Gill Issues. Env.   12/15/15 Hello Everyone, greetings from Australia! <Salutations from not-so sunny Southern California!> My family has a 7 year old comet (might be older as he is "secondhand", but he has lived with us for 7 years). He lives in a 54L tank by himself and is about 4 inches long. <Dwarfed; by living in too-small confines> His tank has lights (not on often as the room is naturally light) a little bubbler and a waterfall kind of filter but I don't think they are working very well, despite mum cleaning them and the tank pretty regularly: about every 2 weeks. Is this enough or should we clean more often? <Frequent, partial water changes.... about a quarter of the volume, gravel vacuuming, per week. See WWM Re> (Mum is in charge of tank cleaning, I'm not allowed yet and don't really know how.) He is a tough fish, but I am very worried about his current gill health: - The outer edges are kind of soft and floppy; is this gill curl? <Due to stunting.... metabolite build up.... deformed this fish; "clubbed" gills> - Inside his gills are odd white patches/lumps (one per gill) which scares me a lot. <Ditto> - He "favours" his left gill- as in, it opens more and moves freer- as the edge is not as floppy as the right gill. - He has what look like holes his right gill cover, I think they have a thin outside surface still and that they are coming from the inside of the gill cover. Do you know what these could be? <Yes; environmental hyperplasia of sorts... induced poor development> I think the water/filter quality is the cause, <What results from testing do you have to share?> but are there any medications or anti-fungal/bacteria things you would recommend to help him recover as well? Or does he need to go to the vet? Mum is not worried, but I am! He is too young to die! <Need/ed a larger, cleaner world.... more stable...> I tried to take some photos, but they are not very good because he moves a lot and I only have a phone camera. Thank you very much for your time, and for all the work you do! I appreciate it very, very much. Sincerely, Alice <Let me direct your reading. Start here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/gldfshsystems.htm then on to the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Fwd: Comet With Gill Issues; env.        12/22/15 Hi Bob and Crew! <Alice> Thank you so much your help, I finally pestered mum into buying a water testing kit (only for PH levels though, sorry I don't have more information :/) and found that the water was *way* too alkaline, which finally got mum's attention and now I am allowed to clean the tank/change the water without her (which means every couple of days as I am on school holidays!) and our fish has improved and looks a lot happier. <Ah good> (In your face, mum) He is even back to chasing bits of food instead of moping with no energy. I check the PH levels every morning so far, and have kept them at a stable neutral level. I have also been using some green anti-fungal and anti-stress/slime coat liquids which I hope is helping; some of the white fuzz around his gills has gone, so I guess it is? <Again; likely environmental. Other symptoms resultant from this> Thank you for your input guys, and Merry Christmas! From Alice <And you, Bob Fenner>

Fancy goldfish all getting sick, one by one      RMF's try   11/17/15
Hi everyone,
<Joce>
Many years ago you were kind enough to answer a question for me and I am now in a bit of a pickle again and would like to ask for some more advice.
<Sure>
I have 4 fancy goldfish that I kept in a 400 litre tank in Buckinghamshire. I ran two external Eheim filters (2075s) that had the standard noodles plus Purigen in them.
Recently I had to move abroad for work and my father agreed to look after them while I am away.
Because it worked out cheaper and easier, I bought a new tank (exactly the same one) and had it delivered to his house in Lincolnshire. I then moved the filters, fish, gravel and some water up to Lincolnshire and set them all up in the new tank. The journey took 3 hours and because I took care to keep the filters going until right before I left and set them up as soon as I arrived, as well as added all the gravel there was no ammonia/nitrite spike in the new tank – we watched closely for a number of days. I added live plants (elodea).
<Good so far>
He has now had them for about 6 months and once a week he is changing 30% of the water, using a garden hose to refill the tank and treating it with Prime.
<Mmm; a good idea to store the new water for several days; a week possible, ahead of use... this allows for outgassing, the complexing of some ions... Instead of just now use>
This is the same routine I had kept with them. He tests the water at the same time
and without fail it is 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, nitrate about 20-40ppm
and ph about 7.8. He has been testing with both ESHa strips but also, since recent troubles with the API master kit.
They are being fed a good combination of Hikari pellets, frozen bloodworm,
<I'd skip this last.... Unfortunately chironomid (sewer fly) larvae have been implicated in disease in recent years>
peas, courgette, lettuce, occasionally a slice of orange. They get greens almost daily.
They seemed fine at first but in the last few weeks they have each taken a turn for the worst. The black moor, who was around 7 years old, started to turn upside down and become lethargic; then over the course of 3 weeks or so he stopped feeding until eventually we took the decision to euthanize with clove oil.
One Oranda (around 4 years old) has started occasionally darting around the tank like he’s trying to get away from something and the, at other times he is listless and upside down when resting. However, when food is introduced he rights himself and feeds happily and then is quite active for a while. At one point he has quite a nasty scuff down the side of him which healed but it was not clear how he did it. There is nothing sharp in the tank except the gravel and he kind of turns onto his side when trying to change direction so we wondered if he had damaged himself like this. We just kept everything clean and allowed him to heal.
Last
night the female Oranda (around 2 years old) was suddenly a bit listless after behaving perfectly normally until then. When Dad checked a few hours later she was dead.
The Ryukin is (so far) fine.
When the Oranda and black moor first started to look sick we removed all the plants and gave the gravel a really good siphon where the plants had been and kept that up until we replaced the plants a little while later – just to make sure tank hygiene was optimum.
Other than the things I’ve stated above, nothing new has been added to the tank and all fish were together for at least 6 months before I moved them.
We’re at a loss as to what might be going on here and wondered if you might help with some pointers. I wondered if something was getting into the tank via the water change, like maybe pesticides from the surrounding fields being in the water supply or perhaps the fact that the hose could be leaching chemicals. Is either of those things possible or probable?
<They are... and I too suspect some kind of insidious poisoning is at work here.... Like a suspicious ornament, sea shell or such, leaching into the water>
Any help on things you would try in the same circumstance would be great.
Thanks very much,
Jocelyn
<If this were my system, I'd add a bit of chemical filtration... granulated activated carbon, Polyfilter or equivalent... perhaps in an outside hang on or canister filter. Am going to put this in Neale's in-box for his independent response.
Bob Fenner>
Fancy goldfish all getting sick, one by one     /Neale's go        11/18/15
Hi everyone,
Many years ago you were kind enough to answer a question for me and I am now in a bit of a pickle again and would like to ask for some more advice.
<Fire away.>
I have 4 fancy goldfish that I kept in a 400 litre tank in Buckinghamshire. I ran two external Eheim filters (2075s) that had the standard noodles plus Purigen in them.
<All sounds good.>
Recently I had to move abroad for work and my father agreed to look after them while I am away. Because it worked out cheaper and easier, I bought a new tank (exactly the same one) and had it delivered to his house in Lincolnshire. I then moved the filters, fish, gravel and some water up to Lincolnshire and set them all up in the new tank. The journey took 3 hours and because I took care to keep the filters going until right before I left and set them up as soon as I arrived, as well as added all the gravel there was no ammonia/nitrite spike in the new tank – we watched closely for a number of days. I added live plants (elodea).
<Does Lincolnshire have hard, alkaline water? That's the ideal for Goldfish. Soft/acidic water isn't so healthy. But do have your local aquarium shop check your water for copper, or failing that, make sure your water conditioner removes copper and "heavy metals" not just chlorine and chloramine. You might also check the nitrate level of your tap water. While unlikely to kill Goldfish by itself, nitrate is a thing that can make fish sicker than they'd otherwise be. Ideally, keep nitrate below 40 mg/l.>
He has now had them for about 6 months and once a week he is changing 30% of the water, using a garden hose to refill the tank and treating it with Prime.
<Does he add the water conditioner before adding the new water? That's the right way around to do this. Adding afterwards exposes the fish to whatever is in the tap water.>
This is the same routine I had kept with them. He tests the water at the same time and without fail it is 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, nitrate about 20-40ppm and ph about 7.8. He has been testing with both ESHa strips but also, since recent troubles with the API master kit.
They are being fed a good combination of Hikari pellets, frozen bloodworm, peas, courgette, lettuce, occasionally a slice of orange. They get greens almost daily.
<Good.>
They seemed fine at first but in the last few weeks they have each taken a turn for the worst.
<Oh.>
The black moor, who was around 7 years old, started to turn upside down and become lethargic; then over the course of 3 weeks or so he stopped feeding until eventually we took the decision to euthanize with clove oil.
<Understood.>
One Oranda (around 4 years old) has started occasionally darting around the tank like he’s trying to get away from something and the, at other times he is listless and upside down when resting. However, when food is introduced he rights himself and feeds happily and then is quite active for a while.
<A plus, and usually means there's hope. Does sound very much "floaty, bloaty goldfish" rather than anything more life threatening; do see WWM re:.>
At one point he has quite a nasty scuff down the side of him which healed but it was not clear how he did it. There is nothing sharp in the tank except the gravel and he kind of turns onto his side when trying to change direction so we wondered if he had damaged himself like this. We just kept everything clean and allowed him to heal.
<Gravel can cause problems for Goldfish; choose smooth, water worn types, even better is fine pea gravel they can sift; avoid the sharp sorts, and those made from hunks of glass.>
Last night the female Oranda (around 2 years old) was suddenly a bit listless after behaving perfectly normally until then. When Dad checked a few hours later she was dead. The Ryukin is (so far) fine. When the Oranda and black moor first started to look sick we removed all the plants and gave the gravel a really good siphon where the plants had been and kept that up until we replaced the plants a little while later – just to make sure tank hygiene was optimum.
<Quite so.>
Other than the things I’ve stated above, nothing new has been added to the tank and all fish were together for at least 6 months before I moved them. We’re at a loss as to what might be going on here and wondered if you might help with some pointers.
<Very hard to be sure. My guesses would run along the usual lines: water quality (measure nitrite several times a day to see if it peaks at different points); temperature (Goldfish, the fancy varieties at least, don't handle cold well, so 18C is about as cold as I'd keep them); toxins (copper is the obvious one, but check for rusty metal in the tank, even in ornaments like the hinges on bubble-powered mermaids, that sort of thing); out-of-date food (after a few months food may need to be chucked out, and certainly do so if it smells "off" at all); use of insecticides, paint, cleaning sprays, and other chemicals in the house (very common this). Use of a good quality carbon, ideally alongside a marine aquarium adsorbent chemical medium such as Polyfilter.>
I wondered if something was getting into the tank via the water change, like maybe pesticides from the surrounding fields being in the water supply or perhaps the fact that the hose could be leaching chemicals. Is either of those things possible or probable? Any help on things you would try in the same circumstance would be great. Thanks very much,
Jocelyn
<Not sure I can be more specific, but some ideas offered, at least. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Fancy goldfish all getting sick, one by one       11/18/15
Neale and Bob,
Thank you both so much for your prompt and thoughtful replies. You've both given us so good things to test to see if we can improve the situation.
We do so and I'll report back because I know all answers become an archive of reference for other people so it's useful to know what has or hasn't worked.
<Ahh!>
Thank you so much, once again.
J
<Welcome Jocelyn. B>

Goldfish has Red like bruise.....      10/27/15 Your email has been deleted due to too-large file size. Re-size and re-send Hello Again.... ,,,,, hundreds of Kbytes.... NOT 14 megs. Deleted Hello Again....  now only 4.5 Megs.... Hello its me again:) Desperately need your help.... My first goldfish-1 Goldfish-1 she accidentally stucked her tail in Hydor bubble maker after I came from work.... I take her out from Hydor but her tail was partially damage means shredded. .. she is fine and in good health... <I would not use the Hydor Bubble Maker with Goldfish or very small fish. The impeller (pump) is far too powerful. I've got one, the one that lights up, and it's pretty cool. But definitely for use with strong swimmers: large Plecs for example.> Now the issue is after I changed their water 90%.. I noticed my fishes are not eating... only the guppies are eating... The rest of the goldfish are not eating... <Goldfish with Guppies? Risky. Do bear in mind they have different temperature requirements. Guppies are not coldwater fish, doing best between 22-28 C, while Goldfish are subtropicals happiest between 18-24 C. In warmer water than that, it's important there's plenty of aeration (a simple airstone is fine) otherwise you'll see your Goldfish "gasping" at the surface a lot as it tries to get enough oxygen.> I remember when I changed water I used 2 head cup bottle cover of anti-chlorine for 60 liters as instructed.... <A 60 litre aquarium is too small for Goldfish in the long term. I'd suggest 120-150 litres for a single Goldfish.> But after that my Goldfish is not eating for three days now. I also check the water: N03·20 ppm N02·0.5 ppm <Nitrite at 0.5 mg/l is one problem. This means the filter isn't coping. Too many fish, too little filtration perhaps. Or overfeeding. Often both at the same time. Either way, increase filtration. A simple sponge filter can work very effectively, but I'd also recommend looking at undergravel filters as a cheap, effective way to produce good water quality without too much turbulence.> PH=6.5 ppm Alk=80 ppm Th/hardness-80ppm <Another problem. Soft water isn't what Goldfish like. They prefer hard water. Let me direct you to some reading: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwh2oquality.htm There's a "Rift Valley Salt Mix" that you could use at half the quoted dose to make water perfect for Goldfish and Guppies.> Temp: 23c <Should be okay.> Please help I don't want to loose my friendly crown pearl scale goldfish and the rest. <I would imagine not. Hope this helps, Neale.>

re: Fwd: Hello Again....      10/29/15 Thank you for your immediate reply....today I will separate my guppies to goldfish.... <Wise.> My pearl scale goldfish is gasping for air on d top and upside down ... <Let me direct you to some reading: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm Constipation may be the problem if the fish is otherwise healthy: active, feeding, no evidence of Dropsy or Finrot. But other problems can cause Goldfish to turn upside down, including serious environmental stress (non-zero nitrite, non-zero ammonia).> I bought airstone disk for additional aeration but I think it's not good quality (china made) not enough aeration coming....is it bad to put 2 air stone for additional aeration? <I'd be surprised if there are any air pumps not made in China to be honest! So if the air pump works and you have a nice stream of bubbles, I'd not worry too much. Add another airstone if you want to, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Review filtration first. Make sure ammonia and nitrite are zero. Better to spend money on extra filters than extra airstones -- though by all means use an air pump to power a sponge or undergravel filter. Cheers, Neale.>