Red lines in fins?

Question

I thought I was careful when I transferred my goldies to a bigger tank. I moved this group from my 28 to my 50 gallon. The water was good quality according to my test, and I took most of the 28 gallon water, plus that filter, and used it on the new tank. However, one of my goldies has these red lines on its fins like little veins. I thought thsi might be septocimia.. I cant remember hte name, and I have been giving maraycin two, but I dont yet see a big improvement. Any other ideas? They are real light red veins you have to look close to see only on the white parts of the fin, and otherwise the fishie is swimming around with its fins all up and acting fairly normal. Thanks for any advice!

Thanks copperhead! Despite adding the water from the 28, I noticed there was some major cycling going on with all the white water. It is a hard balance between letting it cycle and ensuring ammonia levels are low, but I tried to keep it balanced based on my readings, but one fish got really sick, and such an extreme redness on its fins I was really worried. I hope I don't kill all these guys, I was trying to improve their lives. I will keep a close eye on ammonia and make sure I let it cycle.
SHould I add some healthy bacteria to the aquarium after the maracyn 2 is done? there is one day left so I better finish it just in case, it would be worse if they DID need the medicine and I stop treating too early. thanks!!!

Answer 1

You have the right name of septicemia, and the red streaks are a sign of that, but I'd be more likely to believe you're having some minor fluctuation in ammonia levels since you've just moved the fish.

And since you added the maracyn 2 (an antibiotic) this will have a negative effect on the bacteria that take part in cycling your tank, as well as the bacteria that cause septicemia. You might want to double check your ammonia readings or have a test done by a second source to confirm your results. And I'd keep an eye on the ammonia in the near future - your bacteria will need to recover not only from the move, but the medication as well.


ADDITION: If you have another tank running, adding some gravel, or exchanging the media in the filters once you're done treating will definitely help reseed the bacteria you've lost. The more, the better since it will give you more bacteria to start with, so the cycling will take less time. If you can raise the tank temperature at all (yes, I know these are goldfish) the bacteria will multiply faster.

Answer 2

I would call a vet or a local pet shop that deals with a lot of fish.