Re: goldfish has fungus and swimming into air bubbles!
#6
Hi
OK. The big problem here is that the tank is just way too small and so is the filter. Goldfish grow very big and they produce a lot of waste so they need very big tanks and very powerful filters. 19L isn't really big enough even for tiny fish - it's the size of tank we'd usually recommend just for shrimps or snails to be honest.
What this means is that the water is of poor quality and this has caused ammonia burns and all the other problems. In addition, water changes for a normally stocked, properly sized and filtered tank need to be around 25% every week. In a tiny tank like yours you'd need to be changing probably 25% every day to give them a chance of surviving short term, but long term they need a lot more water and a better filter. Have a
look at this article which shows you the size of tank they are going to need.
Your test results don't show ammonia, which is probably the most important of all, and it looks from the parameters you've listed as though they are paper test strips. Apart from not testing the ammonia level, these aren't very accurate so it would be a good idea to get a liquid based kit
like this one, which is cheaper on eBay than in the shops. The nitrate level you have is very high, which is because not enough water is being changed.
I would imagine the shop told you the tank was suitable? Unfortunately this happens a lot and I'm afraid there's just no way a tank so small is going to be safe for goldfish for more than a week or two when they're babies. If it isn't practical to get a large tank right away, you can house them in a large food-safe storage crate like this
145 litre Really Useful Box from Staples. Add a good internal filter
like this and your fish will be in a much better position to recover from their problems.
The other thing you could consider if they are common single tail goldfish rather than fancy types with a double tail is to find someone with a pond who can take them. Single tails are better suited to ponds than tanks as they reach up to a foot long and need a lot of swimming space. It's the right time of year to move them outdoors but you'll need to treat the fungus and fin rot first and that will mean daily water changes to assist in healing them.