OutOfMyDepth OutOfMyDepth
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  • Posted on: 11/3/2019 3:45
Presumed dead rescue doing surprisingly well #1
Hi there ! I’m new, and made this account because spending 2am panicking about my newly adopted fish child probably isn’t healthy.

Disclaimer: this is going to be all rambly. Sorry. :s
Now, please know this before the (really painful) backstory: We are chasing it up.

So my friend works with properties, and someone hadn’t paid their bills in ages. Over a month. Company sends them to investigate. Finds the place an absolute wreck. Finds the fish tank... allegedly, green water, brown and mouldy stuff growing it in, handfuls of fish corpses. Gross and upsetting. Gets instructed to have the place cleaned up and etc.
Realises ONE of these poor things is still alive. Barely. Calls me, knowing I have a fish tank. (I’m an absolute doofus who only got the tank to briefly observe critters that show up in my garden ponds; wound up saving a “mean” danio and an injured pregnant platy’s five children- the other ?? 30 ? were rehomed. Point is, these are hardy fish that pull their weight as much as I do- I don’t know how to handle this fancy thing).
Naturally, we don’t know anyone else and the pet shop isn’t interested. I now have (what I believe to be) a fantail/fancy goldfish.

I can’t tell if it’s meant to be pale, if it’s albino, or if it’s super, SUPER sick. (Guessing the latter). Now, because I don’t know what it’s sick with, I’ve had it in a large bowl with an air rock and a cave to hide in. I’m changing the water daily because I’m scared of the water values fluctuating and hurting it; luckily they’re not getting stressed by it. Err, I guess having water changed isn’t too bad when you’ve been starved and surrounded by corpses for a few weeks, huh ?
Anyway. The good news is they’re eating and swimming well. (And they haven’t tried to eat the small snail I put in to keep them company). They seem lively under two conditions: low light, and believing I’m not nearby. I don’t know if they forgot humans already, but it’s actually quite jarring not having a fish come up to me to want to brush against my fingers or get excited for food (I’m not taking it personally, just weird to experience !). When I’m nearby, or when they’re near light, they hide in the cave. Which is awkward because google says goldfish need a day and night cycle like humans, and that they become healthier and more physically vibrant with light exposure ? If I have a gothic child I can set up a dark tank, but would that be bad for their health ?
I’ve been putting in snail algae pellet things which is what it ate most on the first day (maybe because they’re easy to see and eat on the bottom of the bowl when it’s too weak to swim much ?), temperate fish flakes, and goldfish flakes. Not too much, don’t want to poor thing getting constipated. (Gosh goldfish poop a lot). Is it true that goldfish don’t know when to stop eating ?

It’s been maybe 3-4 days since I got this new fishy friend, and I thought here might be the best place to get some answers. I want to introduce this fish to my other kids; they’re all really, really friendly (even to small snails and shrimp!), so that’s not holding me back... but I’m scared this fish is contagious. I mean. Weeks. Surrounded by corpses. In those disgusting water conditions. It’s got to have SOMETHING wrong with it, more than just being hungry and a little scuffed up, right ??

So here’s what I’ve noticed (maybe some of its normal ? Idk, I’ve never had a sick fish before): It’s too skinny, maybe bloated or constipated, it’s too pale, it’s scales look spiky instead of flat, some of its scales are missing, and it appears to have little red bits on it’s fins so maybe that’s like a fish bruise ? And a weird kink in it’s tail that doesn’t unkink even when it’s swimming well. When I go too close to the bowl and they see me, they STOP and start breathing heavy as if they have PTSD ?

Now, all knowing google has said that fish in bad water conditions quickly get sick, and usually get cotton fluff and gill flukes. What on Earth is that supposed to look like ?? On close inspection, their nose looks a little funny. Honestly that could just be what their nose is supposed to look like though.

I’d really appreciate feedback on what I’m doing right or wrong here, and help identifying what’s wrong with the fish (and maybe when would be a good idea to get them back in an actual tank with friends and plants and stuff).

Also, I’m expecting my next pets at home order to come tomorrow which will contain: Interpet Anti Fungus and Finrot Aquarium Treatment 100ml, Interpet Anti Internal Bacteria Fish Treatment 100ml, and API Aquarium Salt 453g. I figured these would be good to own even if they won’t be helpful for the new fish (did I cover the bases okay ?)

As it’s now 2:40am I won’t be posting pictures as that would involve blinding the poor thing with my phone’s flash. I will post pictures in the daytime though, probably as soon as I clean the bowl out and refill it with fresh water (and tapsafe stuff) so everything’s clear and visible as possible.

Thank you for any help !!
OutOfMyDepth OutOfMyDepth
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  • Posted on: 11/3/2019 11:24
Re: Presumed dead rescue doing surprisingly well #2
Update: cleaning the bowl and changing the water again now, have taken pictures, and have added both aquarium salt and interpet anti-internal bacteria treatment. Couldn’t add the Internet fungus and finrot treatment because the product was damaged, but a new one is being sent tomorrow.

Upon attempting to upload pictures they’re all too large, unsure what to do about that ? Also, it just struck me: maybe they appear to be swimming fine to me because they’re in a bowl. They spend most of their time as low as possible until feeding or bursts of energy... maybe they’d “sink” in an actual tank ?
fcmf fcmf
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  • Posted on: 11/3/2019 20:32
Re: Presumed dead rescue doing surprisingly well #3
I'm not able to reply fully just now but will do so as soon as I can. However, in the meantime, I'd advise reading:
https://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles_12/keeping-goldfish.htm
https://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... -size-life-expectancy.htm
https://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... esheet.php?caresheetID=83

Also, a few key tips:
* if you can buy one of these to keep the goldfish in http://www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk ... eshop/rub/b145_0litre.php until you get a suitably sized tank, that ought to help a lot, whereas even daily water changes in the bowl are unlikely to be anywhere near sufficient;
* you'll also need to buy a filter to process the fish's waste;
* ensure you treat the water with dechlorinator that treats chlorine and chloramine as many water companies treat the water with the latter too now;
* liquid-based test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are crucial [API Masterkit ideal];
* I wouldn't overly concern yourself about the lighting - my own goldfish lived for a decade and a half without artificial lighting at all as he hated it;
* best to feed the fish food specifically for goldfish, as it will be formulated for their specific requirements and digestive tract - and also read this http://injaf.org/aquarium-fish/the-go ... /goldfish-and-their-diet/
* white spot treatment is also a good treatment to have on standby.

If the scales are spiky, I suspect dropsy has likely developed. The bacterial infection treatment is probably the best course of action in case that's the cause (and the red fins could also be symptomatic of that) but I wouldn't bother with the aquarium salt for now - it ought to be diluted with the water changes but don't put any more in.

Will reply more when I can which might have to be tomorrow, unfortunately.

PS. By 'they', are you referring to this one fantail/fancy goldfish?
OutOfMyDepth OutOfMyDepth
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  • Posted on: 12/3/2019 1:05
Re: Presumed dead rescue doing surprisingly well #4
Thank you for the reply, I appreciate it (and understand I probably rambled way too much) !

Just checking in quickly in case I was doing something horribly wrong, and to track my progress.
After the water change today, (this was much earlier before your reply) I added the (carefully measured) tapsafe plus, aquarium salt and interpet anti internal bacteria treatment, and am very suspicious but happy to report that the weird spiky scales thing has calmed down significantly ! (They’re still visibly ?off? but they’re more flat than spiky now which feels like we’re going in the right direction.
After watching them for a while (yes it felt kinda creepery) I noticed that they’re spitting out some but not all of their food. Going to crumble up the goldfish flakes even smaller and keep adding a few algae pellets since it never seems to spit those. :s
Their strange bruised/blood spots on the tailfin is getting larger but not as red so I can’t tell if it’s fading or spreading.
However, the weird bend in their tail has improved ! Not sure if it’s because the bowl is small, but I began taking their cave out when feeding them and sort of forcing them to acknowledge the food and eat; when the cave is removed, the tail gets better. Put the cave back in, and they hide in it, but the tail kinks again. :/
When observing from directly above, I noticed one side of their body seems longer or puffed out more than the other at the end, which isn’t present in my other fish who all seem symmetrical ?

I’ve made a quick shopping list with the recommendations (but would really appreciate specifics about the ideal filter, and white spot treatment (I don’t even know what that is and am getting a little nervous about accidentally over-medicating them !).

Going to read the linked articles later today because I’ll probably not take in much at midnight. :)

Oh ! To clarify, it is just one fantail/fancy goldfish, I just don’t know how to figure out their sex. I suppose it doesn’t really matter too much, I just didn’t want to get super attached gendering and naming them if they’re about to, ahem, leave.
OutOfMyDepth OutOfMyDepth
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  • Posted on: 12/3/2019 15:14
Re: Presumed dead rescue doing surprisingly well #5
Tried to upload some pictures during water changing times, unsure if they came out okay/are useful but maybe better to go on that nothing ?

https://m.imgur.com/a/zskIlHa

Will continue to add pictures as they recover (hopefully not die ??)

They smell a bit better today and the scales look much smoother, I don’t think they’re spiky at all anymore but don’t want to risk trying to brush a fingertip against them in case it hurts. :s