Goldfish barely moving please help me ASAP

Hi,

Over the past few days, my small fancy tail goldfish has gotten sluggish. Today it is basically just floating around but still alive. I actually found it upside down in a plant and it sometimes get sucked by the filter. That is how much it can't move.

Is there still hope for it to live? I fed it a very small of amount of one pea and it still ate a bit of food in the morning.

Disregarding my tank situation, I just want to know if I can help it in any way. I plan on buying elodea plants to put in my tank to increase oxygen levels and give it something to eat.

Thanks for the help. Just seeing him like that really depresses me.

 

Can't disregard your tank situation as that may well be the cause and the cure for whatever is ailing your fish.

What is your tank size?
Do you only have the one goldfish or are there other inhabitants?
What kind of filter are you running?
Is it cycled?
Do you know your parameters?
What is your water change schedule?
Do you add anything to the water?

 

All of above questions and what temp is it at? It sounds like swim bladder to me, what you need to do for now is to fast for three days, then feed on the third day a deshelled pea, repeat until it gets better. If it doesn't start getting better within a week we can look at doing an Epsom salt bath.

 

I am not proud of it, but my tank size is 5 gallon.
5 zebra danios inhabitants.
Eheim pick up 45 filter.
Ammonia and nitrate were zero when I added the goldfish.
Ph was low today around 6.6 so I added some powder when I did a water change.
I do a 50% water change every other day.
I add water ager when I do a water change.

I know I need a bigger tank. Is it ok to fast even with the danios in it?

 

Do you know the nitrite reading? The ammonia would be zero when you added the goldfish but it won't be that way for long. Goldfish are HUGE waste producers. You need to get a bigger tank ASAP or rehome the goldfish I'm afraid

 

Do you know the nitrite reading? The ammonia would be zero when you added the goldfish but it won't be that way for long. Goldfish are HUGE waste producers. You need to get a bigger tank ASAP or rehome the goldfish I'm afraid

Sorry, I don't know the nitrite reading. I only have a pH test kit. I will get the water tested tomorrow and buy some plants to help with the oxygen situation. I will get a bigger tank soon. So I should just refrain from feeding all the fish for the next three days?

 

In addition to the steps you mentioned (bigger tank, water change, not feeding) , do you have Seachem prime? You could use it to lower N.
As I learned from my own mistake I've just recently learned that you need to get a filter that pumps all your water 8-10x per hour. So if you have a 5 gallon tank, you need a filter that filters at least 40 gallons of water /hour.
You would need a better filter for your new bigger tank, this was only an example how to calculate what you need.

 

Yes, you can fast all the fish. If you can't get a bigger tank right now, then I suggest getting a large tableware container(talking about a tub, bigger the better), throughly rinsing it out with no soap, getting a filter, getting some bottled bacteria and putting the goldfish in there. You'll have to continue not feeding and only feeding every third day hopefully for only a short time, but you'll need to repeat it. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for it to work. I suggest rehoming the danios ASAP, that way it'll be easier to treat your goldfish.

 

For a goldfish I would go even bigger. And Prime doesn't remove ammonia and nitrites, only binds them in a non-toxic form for 24 hours.

@Imram, be sure to get your ammonia reading and ask whoever does the testing for the brand and type of test they used as well as the results.

If you can't afford a bigger tank right away a simple plastic storage tote will work, too. You'll need a second filter or a new, more powerful one even on the 5 gallon since the one you have filters almost 10x the volume of your 5 gallon. Your danios also need a bigger home but I think they're compatible temperature-wise (not sure on that, I hope someone with more experience chimes in on this one!) so you can maybe keep them together if the danios don't start nipping the goldie's fins. You also need more danios so they feel less stressed. Being stressed might cause them to start nipping and fancy goldfish are not agile enough to evade them.

 

One thing not mention was water temp. Both goldfish and danios do best betwee 68 - 74 degrees F. Danios are tough little critters, fancy goldfish not quite as hearty, although they seem to suffer through lots of bad water conditions. From personal experience, my fancy goldfish do especially well in water that is 64 degrees F. It's kind of hard to keep them cool in the summer months in outside pools here in Las Vegas. When it cools down they are much more active and healthy. Good luck.

 

Ph was low today around 6.6 so I added some powder when I did a water change.

This is what sticks out to me. What powder are you adding? pH adjusters can be very hard on goldfish, which I learned the hard way.