I recently got a goldfish from my brother as it had been attacking another fish in his tank, I’ve put it into my new tank that has been filled with water for two weeks, the fish has just been sat on the bottom a lot, it’s not eating either but it did a poo that was black,I’ve also noticed it’s missing a lot of its scales, I think it’s a fantail goldfish but I’m not sure, is it just in shock and stressed due to being moved or is it ill? Many Thanks.
What a beautiful fish. (I suspect it may be a he, chasing/attacking another fish during breeding.)
Does the tank have a filter with filter media in it? This is essentially the fish's life-support machine, which processes its waste and keeps the water sufficiently healthy for it to live in. This is crucial and the priority, as healthy water (0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, low nitrates <40 but ideally <20) is necessary to reduce stress and ill-health.
You will also need a liquid-based test kit that measures ammonia, nitrites and nitrates (at the very least) - API Masterkit or JBL Test Combiset are good options. You need to test the water daily (especially at this key stage of tank set-up) and so need your own kit rather than relying on a pet/fish shop to do it (and they often use test strips for which accuracy is very poor).
Hi thanks for the reply, I have bought tetra test 6in1 and it has shown the nitrates and nitrites are high, I have also bought tetra aqua safe to see if that helps, I’ve also bought some quick clear as the water is a little cloudy, I have got a filter that came with the tank, I’ve inserted a picture, I fed him this morning and he ate off the bottom of the tank and was swimming around a bit more.
If nitrite is high that is why the fish is sick - it is being poisoned. Ammonia is also likely to be high but the test strips you have don't show it so how high is a guess - get an ammonia test ASAP. To help him you need to change enough water to get nitrite down to 0.25 or less. Use the Aquasafe to treat the fresh water before putting in the tank as this is essential to make the water suitable for fish. Your filter is not cycled, so the nitrite (and ammonia) will continue to rise meaning you will need to do water changes daily until they are consistently at 0.
Longer term, how big is your tank? I'm guessing quite small as that filter is for small tanks and isn't going to be adequate for a large goldfish. He will need around a 180-litre tank with an external filter to thrive long-term.
Thanks for the reply, I have an 125liter tank but am struggling to find a stand for it or a way of putting the fish tank safely onto my carpet, either that or I may have to put it in my hall where I’ve got tile floor, I put the aqua safe into the tank and have got a thermometer so I can check the water temperature, which is now okay, I think he may be happier in the 125liter tank as that’s the same size my brother had him in, the tank it’s in now is only 38liter but needed to take him as he was bullying the other fish he was with.
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