I have a sick goldfish who isn't eating and is developing black spots.?

Question

It is approx 5 years old. 2 other fish are starting to show some same signs and other 2 are fine. I changed the tank about a month ago to a bigger one. I added all the water from the old tank and topped it up with our well water.I bought new gravel for the new tank. It seems to stay on the bottom of the tank and it's top fin is down.

Answer 1

I will have to agree with Copperhead here. It sounds like ammonia poisoning or nitrate poisoning. Your new tank is not cycled totally and is stressing your fish. Just adding old tank water does not cycle the new tank. You will want to keep an eye on the water quality for the next week or two. I would suggest a test kit and 30% water changes when needed.

DO NOT add salt to your goldfish. Salt causes bloat in goldfish and swimbladder problems just to name a few.

Your fish as well needs dissolved oxygen be sure while the tank is cycling to drop the water level about 1/2 inch to allow the oxygen to remain in high levels. Watch for dropsy and ich at this point since they are stressed.

Also Goldfish need a balanced diet. When choosing a fish food choose one with high protein (48% or better) and low fat (5% or less)

You can supplement their diet with things like Lettuce, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, spinach, peas, endive, seaweed, cukes, kale, chard, broccoli, lima beans, green beans, etc. and feed aquatic plants (e.g. duckweed, azolla, salvenia, etc) or hair algae daily.

For their Carotenoids which are a family of pigments the fish can't make themselves and are obtained as part of the diet. These pigments result in red, yellow and orange colors. Fish have cells called chromataphores. Those cells convert lutein and carotenes into astaxanthin which is the red pigment.
sources include, brine shrimp, krill, spirulina, marigold flowers, paprika, sweet red peppers, yams, carrots, pumpkin

Watermellons and oranges are also good as well as proteins like chicken (chicken livers) beef (livers and parts) and pork as well as worms and bugs.


Good luck. Sounds like you have been doing a good job with your fish and yes, goldies can live well over 30 years.

Answer 2

By moving them to a new tank with new gravel, your new tank didn't have the bacteria necessary to convert ammonia and nitrite (both toxic) to nitrate. Black patches on the body or streaking on the fins is usually an indication of a high ammonia level. If you have a test kit, I'd check the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and do a partial water change. You may need to do the water changes more frequently to keep the levels of these down until the bacteria population builds back up.

BTW, your goldfish are youngsters! The oldest on record was 43 yrs old! But the fact that it's 5 shows you're doing a good job taking care of him!

Answer 3

Try adding a pinch of salt to the water, and feeding the sickies shelled peas. THEY MUST BE SHELLED. or your poor fish can't get at the food part. too lazy to shell? then squish. :) Yep separate the sick ones.

Answer 4

Your goldfish has hiposentrex disease, it is just been alive too long. You need to try and give it a variety of foods and se which ones it likes. Then it might eat

Answer 5

5 years old!! wow thats an old goldfish all mine died in a couple of days but i think its prolly just its time

Answer 6

Time for a burial at sea, you fish probably has ICK, see
if your local pet store has anything that you can add to the
water that may help.

Answer 7

take a sample of you fish water to your pet store & have it tested, remove sick fish from tank