Goldfish disease?

Question

I just brought home a black moore goldfish from walmart yesterday(yes , i know walmart). In 24 hours his behavior has been kind of up and down. I prepared his bowl by setting it up and letting it sit for 2 days before i put him in. Since putting him in he appears to have formed a white film over his eyes and his eyes appear to have a reddish ring in them. Is this a response to stress, chemical imbalance in the water, or a disease? PLEASE HELP!

Answer 1

All of the above.

It is most probably a bacterial infection caused by poor water quality and made worse by the stress of cramped quarters and toxic water. Goldfish kept in bowls can only be kept alive by constant water changes. In order to live long, healthy lives, they need large tanks with room to grow and swim as well as heavy filtration to keep their water clean. No fish should have to live without filtration but goldfish especially produce a lot of ammonia. Ammonia burns the gills, damages the internal organs, and will absolutely kill your fish given a few more days.

To help your fish the most immediately, start by changing out half of his water with clean, dechlorinated water that you've allowed to sit and become room temperature. You'll have to do this DAILY. Buy some medication for the bacterial infection, too. I don't know if your fish will make it, but this will give him a fighting chance.

Most importantly for your fish's long term benefit, buy a larger tank. For one black moor, you'll need a 20 gallon tank at least. I know that seems big but if you keep your black moor alive it can grow to be up to a foot long! It's better if you buy pieces separately at a petstore or fish store, rather than buy a kit, so that you can choose what to get. Your goldfish won't need a heater since it's a coldwater fish, but be sure to get a good filter that can handle up to 50 gallons or so. If money is tight, gravel and plants are expensive and not necessary to start out with. There are also fish foods specifically made for goldfish rather than tropicals.

When you transfer your blackmoor, you will need to either:
1) Buy a packet of BioSpira and put it into the tank at the same time as your fish. It's the only product that actually works to instantly cycle your tank. Or
2) Test your water daily for ammonia and nitrate levels. Change 20% of your water any time you have an ammonia reading above 0 or a nitrate reading above 40ppm.

For future reference, so you don't have to go through this again, new tanks need to be cycled before you add fish. Just letting the tank sit for x amount of days or even weeks doesn't do a thing. You have to feed the bacteria to grow a colony in there capable of supporting a fish population. There's a good article here: http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_fishless.php

Good luck! If you have further questions, Aquahobby's forums are friendly, helpful, and a lot more knowledgeable than the average Answer here!

Answer 2

first of all, take him out of that damn bowl. he needs more room than that. at a minimum, he needs 10 gallons, plus filtration and air bubbles (air stone). .

it sounds like stress, and yes,, for fish, that's a disease. go to your pet store and get a product called De-Stress or one of the others that are out there. follow the directions.

also, did you treat your water first? with the chemicals to get rid of the chlorine and the noxious elements?? chlorine can do that too, and it's VERY painful for the animal. try tetra's aquasafe. cheap, and worth every penny.

wal mart is notorious for not taking proper care of their fish, and i'm sure you already know that by the way you asked your question. i would write a strongly worded email or letter to the company about it... but, tha's just me. :P

take good care of him, and do some research next time you get a pet. bowls are no good for animals, unless it's temporary and to transfer for when you're cleaning a tank.

good luck!

Answer 3

Hmm...you may need to get the water tested. Take a sample to Petsmart or Petco and they'll test the chemicals for you for free and tell you if there is any potential harm for your fish. Explain his symptoms to them..Good luck! Hope he feels better!!
(btw..I got my goldfish from walmart and he's alomst 2 years old!)

Answer 4

it seems like dises or realy poor health. also it should be in a tank with a filter and air pump.

Answer 5

It is ick. For a goldfish it is over when they get it. Please don't buy from wal-mark because they don't care for there fish and carry disses on there fish.