Help my goldfish is sick!?

Question

I recently adopted 2 gold fish. However, one looks more like a koi. Anyway, the Koi must have jumped out of the tank yesterday. He wasn't moving, but after being placed back in the tank, he has started swimming and eating.. his white tail fin is turning brown on the edges and his once silky smooth scales appear to have dried out or become rough. Do you have any advice? He is small, 3" and in a 20 gal tank.. Really worried.

Answer 1

What you're seeing is probably just the effects of being exposed to the air a little too long. You can add a little salt without iodine (aquarium salt, rock salt, canning salt) at a tablespoon for every 5 gallons of water to help relieve his stress. You should keep an eye out for potential fungal or bacterial infections, but these would take more than a day (probably 2) to appear. Until then, make sure he's got clean water and as long as he's eating and swimming normally, I'd try not to be too worried.

Note: if he's a koi, it will be easy for you to tell. Koi have "whiskers" at the sides of their mouth, like the one in this photo:
http://www.westerholterkoi-center.de/koigalerie/images/koi_9.jpg Goldfish have them as well, but theirs are very small and hard to see.

Answer 2

Keep an eye on him but it sounds like he's gonna make it. The fins may blacken due to healing from the trama of being on the ground. I have heard of koi surviving this before. As long as the gills did not dry out they can make it. Keep his water real clean and feed him as normal. Watch his behavior, if he's active and eating well that's a real good sign. He may be in shock for a few days and act stressed. IF he's acting stressed for more than 3 or 4 days, I would be concerned. Little fish tend to fair better than older koi, so odds are in his favor.

Answer 3

I actual have had goldfish earlier and thats precisely what got here approximately one fish became ill and the different attacked if ill fish are stored to long in a tank with healthful fish that fish will finally end up getting ill to .....wish this helps

Answer 4

Did you just put them back in the tank when they jumped out because the air and ground can have bacteria on them that can be transfered to the tank if it's too cold or too hot they can develope things like ick and other diseases. Check with a vet or your local pet shop on what to do ...

Answer 5

he might be changing u never know about fish but when he jumped of the tank i think u should take him to the vet because when fish jump out of water they die and their scales are smooth still...