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xNina xNina
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  • Posted on: 22/2/2017 23:04
Re: Sick goldfish - red streaks in tail and slight swelling #11
I bought the Marineland ick remedy as instructed by the pet store. I put in the ick treatment before I put him in the old 10 gallon tank, separate from the other fish. Will it be helpful?
fcmf fcmf
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  • Posted on: 22/2/2017 23:05
Re: Sick goldfish - red streaks in tail and slight swelling #12
The most important issue is that the filter is cycled. It/its media carries 90%+ of the beneficial bacteria required to process the fish's waste; the remainder will be in the substrate and decor.

Therefore, what is required is either to move the filter with the filter media into the new tank or to transfer the filter media into the new filter. If either of these hasn't happened, then what will be happening is that the fish will be going through a fish-in cycle, essentially with the filter playing catch-up in building up sufficient beneficial bacteria to be able to process the fish's waste. This will account for the problems, not the actual tank itself. It's absolutely crucial that you get an ammonia test, so that you can help monitor this more closely.

Moving him back into the smaller tank won't be of any benefit - in fact, you'll need to do even more frequent water changes, possibly 50% daily.

You ought to be doing 30% water changes at least once a week with the larger tank - or more if the water is toxic (ie you have any ammonia or nitrite, or if nitrates are more than 20 above whatever your tap water reading is). While the tank is cycling, though, you will need to do more than this - at least 10% each day but more if the water is at toxic levels as described.

Hope I've explained this a bit better but feel free to ask further questions. Keep us posted.
xNina xNina
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  • Posted on: 22/2/2017 23:32
Re: Sick goldfish - red streaks in tail and slight swelling #13
Yes, I will do a 50% water change tomorrow. How should I do it? Can you give steps on how I should change the water and how I should cycle both tanks? You're the one with more knowledge here. I'd rather take advice from you. Again, thank you for everything. It'll make me so happy to see the fish no longer suffer once he recovers, if he does.

Will the ick remedy help?
xNina xNina
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  • Posted on: 27/2/2017 5:21
Re: Sick goldfish - red streaks in tail and slight swelling #14
Hi, he was feeling much better 2 days ago. Yesterday and today, he started to stay at the bottom of the tank. He sits there, wiggles, and keeps on opening and closing his mouth. He keeps doing that and doesn't move around to eat. What's happening?
Quinn Quinn
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  • Posted on: 19/3/2017 15:11
Re: Sick goldfish - red streaks in tail and slight swelling #15
I found your site because of this thread concerning goldfish with red streaks in the tail. I hope your fish is recovering, Nina.

I am having the same issue.

I have a pale Japanese Ryukin Fantail mix. She is 7 inches long, in a 29 gallon tank. We have had her for 8 1/2 years. She is our only fish. No live plants, no tank buddies. Just her and decorations, alone in her tank. She is our only pet and means the world to us.

We moved over the Summer so her tank has been established since August. Before that, it was several years.

I have to be honest, she has had red streaks in her tail since 2014 after I had surgery and my husband was in charge of her keeping for 6 weeks. They never went away, only appeared to fade or be more prominent off and on the last nearly 3 years. I thought it was permanent damage that was irreparable. Other than the streaks, she has been an active, social fish until this last week.

We keep her tank on the kitchen counter. She has always been super social, she follows me wherever I go in the kitchen. In particular, she is very attached to me and I her. I would be devastated to lose her. :'( So I hope you can help me.

3 weeks ago, we went camping and I missed her tank cleaning that weekend. I normally would have done. We came home and everyone became ill with a virus. I was caring for sick kids and myself - her tank was overdue for nearly 3 weeks. I finally tackled it on March 11th. Vacuuming it out kicked up all the poo of course. Before I cleaned it, she was fine. After I cleaned, she sat on the bottom of the tank.

I thought she was just upset after the big change. But after 3 days and seeing her still acting out of character, bottom sitting. I began to worry. My youngest child said she saw her shaking or quivering. I began scouring the internet. I found several help websites - one suggested I give her a salt bath and that stunned me. He / she said his success rate was 50/50, resulting in half of his fish dying. So I skipped their advice. I found your site which seems logical and level-headed. So here I am.

Everything I have read points to nitrate poisoning. I have performed a 50% water change 2 days in a row now. I have only ever used paper test strips. They are showing her water completely ideal in every aspect. I have ordered the liquid test kit since I've read here on your forum that it is more accurate than paper. Unfortunately, it won't arrive until Wednesday.

We've had her tank so long, I can't remember what filter it is, but we use Tetra Whisper bio bag cartridges in large, if that helps any.

I have been using Prime, Ammonia tabs, aquarium salt when doing her water changes. I also dosed her daily for a week with Melafix since the big water change on Mar 11th.

Thanks for any help.
Quinn

PS Let me know if I should post this separately in another thread.

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Quinn Quinn
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  • Posted on: 19/3/2017 15:39
Re: Sick goldfish - red streaks in tail and slight swelling #16
I forgot to mention - she is eating twice a day and appears to be eating close to the same amount she always has. She returns to bottom sit after she eats.
fcmf fcmf
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  • Posted on: 19/3/2017 17:24
Re: Sick goldfish - red streaks in tail and slight swelling #17
Sorry to read about this case, Quinn. I understand entirely the attachment to a goldfish and vice versa and how your fish means the world to you (and indeed that's why I've never been able to get another since mine died).

Goldfish become increasingly intolerant of any fluctuation in water quality as they get older ie there's not the same "room for manoeuvre" where they might have handled the occasional miss of a tank clean when younger.

I'd advise more frequent and larger water changes for the next few weeks, anything from 10-50% daily, depending on what the water quality is [eg if ammonia and nitrite are at 0, and nitrates under 20 ppm, then probably 10% daily in a tank of that size is fine; if there is presence of any ammonia or nitrite, or nitrates are more than 20ppm, then I'd increase the size of these daily water changes up to 25% or maybe even up to 50%] - you don't necessarily need to gravel vacuum but just the replenished, dechlorinated water should be fine, while the gravel vacuuming can just be done once per week

I've had goldfish respond in that way following what I subsequently realised was most likely a (partial) fish-in cycle - did you, by any chance, replace all or a substantial amount of the filter media (eg sponge or whatever is in the biobag cartridges) or run it under the tap alongside the big clean? If so, then the reaction may be due to the overcleaned/new filter media not having sufficient beneficial bacteria to process the fish's waste / ammonia. Filter media should just be dipped into and given a gentle squeeze in the removed tank water to avoid losing the beneficial bacteria. (Manufacturers' recommendations to replace these media after so many weeks/months do tend to result in a fish-in cycle - that's the reason I changed mine altogether to purely sponge in order that I wouldn't need to replace it.)

Hope this helps, at least as a "starter for ten". Keep us posted on your fish's progress, and feel free to come back with any further questions. Best of luck!
Quinn Quinn
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  • Posted on: 19/3/2017 21:55
Re: Sick goldfish - red streaks in tail and slight swelling #18
Thank you so much, fcmf!

Yes, I did replace the filter media at the same time as the big change and I did run the foam pad and cartridge under the tap to rinse. Thank you so much for describing this method (dipping the media into the removed water and just squeezing). It makes sense that a complete replacement of media would remove beneficial bacteria.

I'll keep doing daily water changes and testing her water quality. Should I continue to add the ammonia tabs with each water change? I've always used the tabs. But I never used them more often than every 2 weeks.

Let me know what you think. And thanks again!
Quinn
fcmf fcmf
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  • Posted on: 20/3/2017 19:34
Re: Sick goldfish - red streaks in tail and slight swelling #19
Glad to have been of help.

If, by ammonia tablets, you mean something like these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ammonia-Clear ... ddy-Tablets/dp/B0002APVNE, then, no - I don't think you need to be using them at all. Testing the water quality to ensure that ammonia is at 0, and, if it's not at 0, then more frequent/larger water changes to ensure that it goes down to 0, should suffice and mean no need for these tablets. Water changes are by far the best route to go down if ammonia/nitrite/high nitrates are in the tank because the presence of these are also a proxy for many other things in the tank that home-based test kits can't test for (eg hormones, stress, etc) and which only water changes will help remove.

Hope that's helpful and keep up the good work with the daily water changes and water testing. :)
Quinn Quinn
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  • Posted on: 20/3/2017 20:09
Re: Sick goldfish - red streaks in tail and slight swelling #20
Fantastic! Thanks for that reply. She is doing much better today, swimming and interacting with us. I'll keep up the daily water changes and testing. I think she's going to be okay. :D

So glad I found you guys!
Quinn