sick fish?

Here we go again... · #1 12-05-2007, 11:12 PM

Was it on this board that I read something about how to help a sick fish?
We have a gold fish that we thought was going to die... for weeks. It looks okay one day then is on it's side the next. Just when we think it is gone, it is straight again the next day.

Any suggestions?

MsMin · #2 12-06-2007, 03:11 AM

In the pet area of a pet store and walmart they have things like ick out or other remedies and they describe the problem on the bottle e.g. ick is usually white spots on the fish.
Is your water purified? is the chlorine completely out before you change his water? is he warm enough? They like a temp of 65 and can get more dormant when it's colder (if you have them outside like I do). Look for tail or fin rot and they have some scale disorders too(they stick out) air bladder problems etc. I'm not an ichthyologist.

kakn7294 · #3 12-06-2007, 07:28 AM

Your goldfish most likely has something called: swim bladder disorder - a condition in which he cannot maintain his balance due to high levels of nitrates in the water. We've had the same thing happen in the past and the fish survived it with treatment to the water. Here's a link to a page (if allowed) that explains it better and what to do for your poor goldfish. A fish expert at the petstore can probably recommend how best to treat the water and your fish. I hope this helps and he gets better!

Jeff G · #4 12-06-2007, 09:54 AM

Angel, is he in a bowl or aquarium? This could be a lot of different things from poor water quality, lack of oxygen or possibly a disease.

Gold fish are a cold water carp so when water temperatures exceed the 65-70 they can show these symptoms, with gold fish the cooler the water the better. If the fish is being overfed there may be to much ammonia in the water which could be the culprit. Frequent water changes could be causing this due to the chlorine in the water while lacking the proper bacteria to keep the water stable. Do you have an air pump running? If not the water may be getting stagnant and with a lack of oxygen it's a good bet the fish would be lying on his side.

He may be sick but my guess is probably not because a sick fish unless treated usually wont kick back like yours has. I'd guess this is an enviromental issue. If it is in a bowl I wouldn't use any of the medications, they are meant for aquariums with good bacteria keeping the aquarium stable. A bowl doesn't have any of the beneficial bacteria.

Most likely it is an environmental issue. If in a bowl here is what I've recommended to others:
*Always age your water at least 24 hours from the tap or use distilled water before changing.
*When adding water add a declorinator because it has additives to help the fish.
*Never feed more than once per day and only a flake or two at a time never allowing food to sit on the bottom. Extra food causes excess waste and ammonia will build which could be causing the symptoms your seeing. Fish can go almost a week without food but can't survive with to much in their environment.
*Keep the bowl away from any heat source including heat vents, lights and even direct sunlight. A raise of a degree or two to the water will stress the fish and possibly cause the symptoms your seeing.
* If possible run an air pump. Fish absorb oxygen through their gills. Oxygen gets in the water when it makes contact with air and without a pump the water can get stagnant and lack oxygen. This could also be what your fish is suffering from. If you notice it going to the surface for gulps it's a good indication.

Here are a couple questions that could help me better guess what is happening. Is the fish in a bowl or mini aquarium? Its the water cloudy? Any recent water changes? Any temperature changes from a heat source? Any other fish living with it?

thrillme · #5 12-07-2007, 03:51 PM

My experience with goldfish goes along with Jeff G. Watch your water temp. If it gets rather warm a goldfish (cold water) will pretty well sink and just about look dead. Sun coming in from a window or if the tank is near the heater this can cause a rise in the water temp. This can also happen if the water gets TOO cold.

An experience I personnally had was I have one of those small 5 gallon Walmart specials...a hex. It actually has a "regular" low watt light in it. The lid covers the tank really well. Unfortunately even a LOW wattage light heats up the water. My solution was to leave the "feeding door" open when I plan on having the light on for a while. This allows the heat from the light to escape.

Be careful too if you're changing the water out. The chlorine can also be a factor. After a couple of days the chlorine will fade off and fish affected by it will make a marvelous recovery (provided they've survived). Be sure to use bottled water or a dechlorinator.

Here we go again... · #6 12-07-2007, 03:59 PM

Well, I guess it is a little too late. Our fish did not make it.

We have had this fish for about a year. It was one of those fish you win at a fair. It just started floating sideways for a couple of days... now he is belly up.

Thanks for the advice anyway.
Can fish die of old age?

kdsjjb · #7 12-07-2007, 04:10 PM

Sorry to hear about 'lil Nemo there.

But, Wow! JeffG and thrillme - thanks so much for all that info. I never knew that there was so much to keeping goldfish, and I would never think to ask about it here.

I think you guys have completely covered the issues that we've been having with our tank.

I'll look like a jeanyus (lol) to DW when I have all of our issues fixed this weekend.

Jasper · #8 12-07-2007, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Here we go again...

Can fish die of old age?

Sorry to hear about your pet! And yes, fish can die of old age. However, a year is without a doubt NOT old for a gold fish. I do not know what old is for a gold fish but we have some friends who have had the garden variety goldfish that have lived five years or more and they never did anything special for them.

If you have not already dumped out the water and if it is in a bowl that is small enough to take to the pet store it may not be a bad idea to take it in to a reputable pet store and see if they can give you any ideas about what may have happened. If you have not disposed of the fish it wouldn't hurt to take the fish along as well. Naturally the quicker you can do this the better.

Good luck in the future!

Jeff G · #9 12-07-2007, 04:46 PM

Sorry to here Angel.

A goldfish can live for 20-40 years. My uncle has a pond here in Wisconsin with a 10 year old goldfish living with his koi. The goldfish was a feeder fish that somehow ended up in the bag with the koi. After the ice melts this spring will see if he makes it to 11.

kakn7294 · #10 12-07-2007, 05:54 PM

Sorry about your goldfish Angel. I had a goldfish when I went to college who lived about 8 years. His name was Mike and he wouldn't let but 1 other fish live in the tank with him. It didn't matter what kind of fish his roomie was as long as there was only 1. Any more than that and they became snacks until he worked his way back down to 1.