Lionfish17

So 2 of out my 3 goldies have some sort of weird blood red streak that has developed in their tails and fins... I don't think its a part of their coloring because it all of the sudden appeared. Can anyone tell me what this might be and how I can rid of it?
I'm already running a bear tank with "Quick Cure". This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen on a fish and again, I would like to know what it is and what I can do to get rid of it before I lose my little guys...

Tralina and Sean

Lucy

Hi Lionfish, Welcome to Fish Lore.

I'm sorry your goldies aren't feeling well.

It sounds like they're suffering from the effects of ammonia in your tank from fish waste and possibly left over food.
It would be a good idea to check the levels and do a water change.

Unfortunatly, a 10g tank isn't big enough to handle the bio-load of your gold fish. They really need a larger tank.

Good luck.

sirdarksol

I agree with Lucy. Red streaks are often burst capillaries caused by ammonia poisoning (I lost a gourami from my first tank).

Short term, partial water changes until the tank cycles (no ammonia, no nitrates) and using Prime or a similar water conditioner to de-toxify the ammonia will help keep the goldfish alive.
Longer term, they would appreciate a larger tank, both for the bio-load and the swimming space.

Lionfish17

Dang, I knew it was poisoning. I did a water change, and I added some prime and water conditioners. I'm going to take the advice on a bigger tank. money is tight right now, but I'll make it happen.
I've had the tank up for quite awhile now (profile info needs to be updated), so I'll keep on doing the partial changes and de-toxify.

Lucy

Keep your eye on craig's list, you might be able to pick up something inexpensive.

If you don't have a test kit, it would be a good idea to get one. The API master kit is used by a lot of members, it's very accurate.
Don't waste your money on the strips.

You're right on target doing water changes and using Prime. Change aboout 50% daily to get it down would be a good idea since your goldies are showing the effects of ammonia.

Good luck and keep us posted.

sirdarksol

I got my 90g for something like $150 (I don't remember the exact amount).

I got a 29g for $40.

I also found a 10g and a 20g long at a huge garage sale (by huge, I mean it was held at the local fire station and took up half of the garage) for something like $5. I gave them $20 in the end, just because I was getting such a good deal.

All of these came with equipment, too.

Iron waffle

please don't criticizeme for this although I would NEVER recommend this to a fellow fishkeeper, I have managed to keep 1 black moor, 1 oranda, 5 comets, and a fantail (4")in a 10g for almost a year now without ANY problems. On top of theat, i hardly ever check water parameters although I change their water often. they are growing still and are super active. I have 2 box filters running and their water is clear. I will eventually get them a bigger tank because they have always been so gentle and forgiving, or better yet, a pond.

Did i just get lucky then? Sorry to hi-jack your thread, but this could help a LOT of us with goldfish in small tanks.

gremlin

Lionfish, Do you have any pics? It may be red vein disease. I had a bout of that with some common goldfish I got from a friend of mine. He brought them to me in two 5 gallon buckets and I could see the red ribs in their fins. I put them in my old pond and treated them with melafix. It took a couple of months of treatment, but I finally got them healed up. The first course of treatment helped some, but not much. I ended up doubling the dose for about twice as long as it called for on the bottle. Once it cleared up on all the fish, I let them 'rest' for a week then retreated for another week. I was doing 25 to 50 percent water changes right before I gave them their dose of medicine.

Lionfish17

I don't have any current pics of my tank but I can to snap a few before I go to bed. (graveyard).. I will upload them when I wake up. They seem to be responding to the quick cure and the water changes with prime and conditioner. We do have the API Master test kit, and everything read fine. So I'm still trying to figure this one out... As of right now, my filter decided to bite it, so I'm going to have to get a new one *grrrr*. I will check out craigslist in my area to see what I can find. I don't want something too big, considering we live in an already cramped apartment, just need to find something suitable for the little guys.

hockeyref88

We use aquarium salt for our goldies as well prime after each water change. It seems to have helped them alot.

Rick

Jess

I also use aquarium salt (pond salt) for my goldies. Calming effect and helps slime coat and gill function.

sirdarksol

Not a fan of aquarium salt except in some very rare cases.

If you've got soft water (not water from a softener, but water that is naturally low in minerals), then adding something to ease the osmotic stress on the fishes' cells is helpful, but I prefer the mineral mixes made for this purpose over salt.
Still, this is a good thing to check out. If you've got naturally soft water (if you don't know, look at the oldest water fixture in your house. Check the inside of the faucet. If it's not caked with lime scale, you've likely got neutral or soft water Or you can do it the scientific way and get a testing kit), adding something to harden it a bit may help your goldfish overcome other issues.

Shawnie

poor goldies ...i Hope they do well!!! just a suggestion from me, instead of the salt, stress coat works wonders and helps with aloe and their slime coat a more natural way...salt and things just make me think of stinging even if its aquarium versions...the prime will do wonders with neutralizing the ammonia...goodluck !

and gilbert, no one will down you for how you keep your fishies...but we do have recommendations...your fishies internal organs wont grow properly even if on the outside they look ok...and they wont live as long if they cant grown properly...I know moneys tight for kids, just keep up on the water changes and see if you can hit a yardsale or two to find a bigger tank...

gremlin

What your water is like does make a difference in what you need to put in. I don't use any of the water conditioners or pond salt and have never had any problem. The one time I did try to do a clean out the way you are supposed to (with water conditioner and pond salt and such), My pond was filthy the next day and several of my goldfish started swimming at the surface like they had no air. I immediately did a major clean out the way I normally do, and my pond was fine. My sister uses pond salt every time she does anything in her pond. If she has to do a major water change, she uses a water conditioner (I'm not sure which one). If she doesn't, her fish start acting funny and she has lost one or two when she didn't have the conditioner and salt.