Help~! My Goldfishes Are Dying Fins Rots?

Question

I am in serious need of help to save my dearest goldfishes.

Recenlty they have bloody rotten fins, red veins on all fins, molds on mouth and body, and one of them always sits at the bottom.

The pet store told me to add MelaFix (for damaged fins, ulcers, and open wounds), but it has been a week and a half and my fishes are only getting worse.

I have a 10 gallons tank with 3 small goldfishes (used to have 4 but that one died with dropsy). I know this is a bit crowded for them but I am in the process to getting a bigger tank.

I have done my best to find the tester kits. The pH level is currently 7.4. The Ammonia level is 6.0. I did a 50% water change (conditioned water) and added fresh water aquarium salt which I was told that it would help to fight diseases. Is this normal?

Am I doing anything wrong? How can I save my fishes? I just couldn't help seeing them severing like this. I'd do anything I could to save them.

In the future I am just wondering if there is a

In the future I am just wondering if there is a way to keep goldfishes healthy without using so many man-made chemicals?

Answer 1

Obviously you are having some serious problems here so let's address them one at the time and get a plan of attack tat will hopefully save your fish.

First, the water. The ammonia level is far too high and is the source of some of the problems. The bloody fins and red veins are probably being caused by the high ammonia. I suaually don't endorse using too many chemicals in a tank, but in this case you need to find a product called Amquel. It will reduce the toxicity of the ammonia and help your fish considerably. Second, you need to change more water and asap. Get that ammonia down lower quickly. I would suggest a 50% water change every 12 hours until you get the amquel and every 24 after that for at least a week. During this time the ammonia should drop due to the natural cycle of the tank starting to take care of the problem.

Second, yes add salt. Keep 2 tablespoons per 5 gallons in the tank. When you do a 50% water change, add back only the salt for the new water (2 tablespoons). This will help provide protection for the fish against the ammonia as well as help kill any parasites, fungus or harmful bacteria in the tank.

As far as treatment is concerned. At this point drop using the Melafix and go for something stronger. Whenyou go to the store to get the Amquel, also get a medication with Malachite Green as the active ingredient. This maybe sold as an Ick treatment, but whatever it is sold to treat it will also treat the fungus in the tank as well as any parasites.

You will also probably need to treat with an antibiotic for fin rot, just to be sure. I would suggest you get both a medicated food and an antibiotic to add to the water. Furanace or Marcyn would be the treatments of choice.

Personally I would say the only thing you did wrong was to unknowingly get fish from the wrong place. They would not be so sick without having brought disease into the tank with them. No doubt you also added too many fish too quickly to a newly set up tank, also a common error.

I think with these treatments starting asap you have a very good chance of saving your fish.

Good luck

MM

Answer 2

You don't mention the type/s of filtration you have. Hopefully you have more than what is rated for a 10 gallon aquarium.

To treat your remaining fish, you need to use either Melafix and Pimafix together OR use Furazone Green. Remember that when medicating you need to remove all carbon from your filters.

They are getting sick due to the poor water quality. That is from a combination of issues. Overcrowding, overfeeding, and under filteration would be my guess. I would upgrade my filters, though I am not sure what you have. I would one as you said try to get a bigger tank, but in the mean time an undergravel filter with power heads AND a hang on the back filter (I like Marineland's biowheel filters) that is rated for a 20 gal. If you are using a heater, quit....Goldfish are cold water fish and that could also be stressing them out.

Salt will help with nitrite poisoning which with your ammonia level at 6.0 I am sure your nitrite level is quite high as well.

I would start feeding them less too. Don't follow the directions on the back of the food. Remember it is better to have slightly hungry fish that will search for any uneaten food scrap, than fish that have food decaying and making the water quality poor. I feed just what they eat in a couple of minutes every other day...Trust me they won't starve

That is the best I can do with the info presented. I hope it helps and good luck!

Answer 3

Yes, there is a way of keeping goldfish healthy without using chemicals. It's called proper water cycling, adequate environment, proper water changes, tank cleaning and filtration. Your ammonia is off the charts! It should be 0! Your fish have ammonia poisoning. They are being burned alive by the excess levels of ammonia in your tank. Your tank is seriously overcrowded. You should have a minimum of a 30 gallon tank for the 3 goldfish you have. You have to get them into a larger tank ASAP. If you can't afford a real aquarium, those plastic storage containers work great as a temporary tank. You will need a filter that pumps 300 gallons of water per hour. Use the old water you have now and the gravel, but add in fresh water that has been dechlorinated and detoxified. Add some stress coat such as amquel or aqua safe. All of the medication in the world won't fix toxic water, but you need to medicate to get rid of all of these diseases your fish have. I prefer Maracyn or Maracyn-2 to treat these diseases. It is going to take a long time to get rid of these diseases your fish have. When my one goldfish got columnaris, which is also what your fish have (the white "mold" on the mouth) it took 10 weeks of faithful treatment to get him back to where I felt comfortable that he was cured. You can't mix salt with chemical medications. I would suggest moving on to salt when you feel that you have reversed the diseases and you see them starting to get better. The chemicals are hard on them and salt replaces their slime coat and reduces stress. Also, during chemical medication, remove the filter pad/sponge from the filter casing so that it doesn't remove all of the medication from the water. You have to learn how to get your water quality at proper levels or all of these diseases are just going to continue. You also need to understand the proper way to change the water and clean the tank to preserve the beneficial bacteria. Good luck to you!

Answer 4

THe best thing to do right now is change half the water, then do water changes every day (about 1/4) to keep the water cleanest while the fish is healing. Then you can go to less frequent changes, but regular water changes should be continued as it removes buildup of dirt and toxic material. Add some aquarium salt as it's good for them and helps them utilize the oxygen in the water. Bloody fins are often a side effect of dirty water and ammonia from the fish droppings. (quick version)

Your best tool is good water quality, and because goldfish are dirty fish, you need to keep on top of it.

Answer 5

Sounds like you have chloramines in your water. You need a chloramine remover. Unfortunately ammonia testers pick up detoxified chloramines without knowing that they are ok. You will need to do frequent water changes. You should be doing a large change as we speak. Test your tap water for ammonia. Whatever its tests as should be your zero point after adding chloramine remover. My guess is your zero point will be around 2. Then you will want to keep your ammonia levels as close to 2 as possible. Learning how to deal with your water will be the best route to assure future fish don't go through this much trouble.