WolflyFinesse

My friend went back to the fish-store looking for some company for her bettas. The owner, who is a very kind man gave her 6 little goldfish for free. I know the man and he dosn't have a decieving bone in his body.

It turns out the goldfish are sick, and I know he NEVER would have given them to her had he known.

The problem is that yesterday while admiring her tank she mentioned that one of the fish was swimming a little funny. It was then i noticed one of them with a little white patch on his side was wobbling as he swam. I told her something was very wrong, and asked her to remove it from the tank. She put it in a glass where we could inspect it better. The white spot was just barely fuzzy, some sort of growth. But then there was a spot on the front of his dorsal fin. We checked on her computer trying to compare the illness and we were having trouble matching what it could be. I went back into the kitchen to eye the rest of the others with a flashlight, and noticed yet another with a couple little tiny white spots on his fin and body. It didn't really look like salt.. it looked sort of fuzzy when you looked REALLY close.

Should she treat them for both Ich and Fish Fungus? Is that even what we are looking at?

And what would cause the wobbly swimming?

Also.. she stated that some of them were clamping their fins..

She's at work at the moment, so felt I'd ask so she could have the quickest most accurate answer possible.

Lucy

It sounds like a fungus. Ich would look like specks of salt. Clamped fins could be a sign of ammonia poisoning.

What size tank are they in? Goldfish need a lot of room because they are huge waste producers.
It's recommended 20g for 1 goldfish and an addition 10g for every gold after that (I think, that's correct)

What are the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates? Is the tank cycled? If it's not, your friend should be doing daily water changes.

I would do a water change (possibly 50% depending on the ammonia readings) and treat it with Rid Fungus. Make sure to take the carbon out of the filter otherwise it will filter out the meds.

If other fish are showing the same symptoms, I would treat the tank.

I hope that helps, good luck, I love goldies.


Oh.....are the goldfish in the same tank as the betta?

WolflyFinesse

The tank was to be split between two betta but she never put them in, shes still waiting on a divider.

Her tank is a 5 gal, and by what you just said she is going to be grossly over the limit! I'll have to call and leave her a voicemail ><

She is VERY good about her water quality but I'll see what she says.

Should she return them to the store she recieved them? They are just tiny gold fish, feeder fish for the oscars, snakes etc.

Lucy

I know I would hate to return fish once I got them, but I think that's best unless she is in a position to buy a huge tank.

WolflyFinesse

I really do appreciate your advice on this, and I will let her know immediately Thank you so much!

Lucy

Your welcome. Good luck.

sirdarksol

Yes, Lucy, you're right about the generally accepted size requirement for goldfish.

Goldfish clamp their fins when they are in any sort of discomfort (as do many fish). It's the same as a person's body tensing up when hurt.

I have the same questions as Lucy, and the same recommendations, with the following additions:
Hopefully someone will come around with a suggestion for a good anti-fungal treatment.
Get OmegaOne goldfish food. It's among the highest quality food on the market, and good nutrition helps fish fight infection.
Goldfish prefer a tank without a heater in it. They are temperate fish, and normally deal with pretty wide-ranging seasonal temperature changes.
Wobbly swimming may be the sign of pain, or it may be the beginnings of swim-bladder disease. Goldfish seem to be pretty susceptible to this when they are fed at the surface, as they tend to gulp air with their food if not fed sinking food. This can be helped if you pre-soak the pellets before feeding them.
Bettas and goldfish do not go together. Their temp requirements are too different, and bettas prefer to have no company at all. The betta needs a tank heated to around 78-80 degrees.

Hope everything goes well with the fish. Keep asking questions as necessary.

Edit: Sorry, you guys had a whole little conversation while I was typing my response.
5g is good for a betta (it is pretty much agreed around here that it's the minimum for a betta, and since bettas don't need company, this is a good tank size.) The goldfish should either go in a much larger tank (on their own) or be taken back to the store.

Lucy

No problem sirdarksol, I'm glad you chimed in and confirmed what I thought was good advice. It's always good to have other opinions.
Thank you.
I type slow, so that often happens to me too.

WolflyFinesse

Thank you both incredibly You are very helpful

COBettaCouple

Rid-Fungus is good for fungus and easy on the fishes systems.