New goldfish owner - fin discolouration - help!!!
#1
I have a 9 gallon tank with undergravel filtration (one of those that you buy from the petshop as a package, with air tube etc). The fish have now been in the tank coming up to 4 weeks. The tank has about 3 inches of natural gravel in the bottom, a couple of plastic plants and an airtube which they like swimming through. I have 2 goldfish (Feargus and William), who are very active and seem very happy. They are currently fed once a day, but I will soon be moving onto once every couple of days on the advice of the guy in the petshop.
I have just noticed that both fish have started to get a black edge to their tail fins. Their other fins do not appear to be affected, and their skin and eyes seem clear enough. I am embarrassed to admit that I haven't done a test to check the amonia and nitrogen levels, as the guy in the petshop thought I was worrying too much when I went in to get the tank with a long list of things that I thought I needed, and said if the fish started showing signs of distress I only need worry then. I'm wondering if they might have a form of fin-rot owing to poor water quality??
I have done a 1/3 water change over the past 2 weekends, but gave it a miss last weekend as I thought that I might be changing too much too often. The water is still clear and I can't see any obvious algae growth.
I now know that undergravel filters aren't the best thing, but again, I was going on the advice of the fish keeper in the petshop, who did seem very knowlegable and said it would probably be the best thing to start off with. Do you have any suggestions on what might be causing the fin discolouration? I will be calling in to a petshop tomorrow to buy some anti-bacterial medicine for fin-rot and an amonia and nitrogen test kit, but any help that can be offered will be most gratefully received. I am very fond of the little fellas and would hate to think that I'm doing (or not doing) something that may be harming them.
What can I do if the amonia or nitrogen or Ph levels are at the wrong levels?
Many thanks
Helen