Please Help Me Save My Goldfish

My son won a goldfish at a carnival 3 years ago. He was about .5 in long. He started in a 1 gallon tank, then went to a 5 gallon tank. The filter in the 5 gallon tank was not sufficient and I noticed the water turning orange in color. I decided to get him a 10 gallon tank and knew nothing of cycling. He is a beautiful fish that used to be very active, would greet me at the corner of the tank whenever I came into the kitchen. Tail was large and full, very nice. He is now probably about 4 inches long from head to the end of his tail.
First day in new tank he was fine, ate, was his normal swimming self.
Day 2: Noticed he was lethargic and gasping for air laying on the bottom of his tank.
I figured he would be ok, it was just an adjustment. Started researching, but their were too many diseases and not enough info. I did not want to treat for the wrong thing.
Yesterday, day 4 in new tank I finally saw a symptom I could identify. He had a red streak in his tail fin only on the bottom of the fin. He also had red around his mouth. Researched the symptom and decided it was ammonia poisoning.
Got an API ammonia testing kit and it was at 2.0 ppm. Did a 60-70% water change and retested ammonia dropped to .5 ppm.
The pH is around 6.5 based on the strips and the nitrate and nitrite levels appear to be 0 based on the strips.
Thankfully he made it through the night, but I don't want him to suffer and it seems he is. Tail is a little frayed at end where the red streak is. He is swimming but sideways and upside down or laying on the bottom.
Can he still be saved? What do I do? I will be heartbroken if I lose him. I bought Ammo Lock by API, but after reading this forums all last night almost everyone said do not add anything as it just screws with the tank more. Please help me.
I will do another 60% water change tonight.
I will do whatever I need to too save this guy...

 

Do you still have the other tank filled?

 

Yes, but the filter hasn't been on. It is just stagnant water at this point.

 

Unfortunately, the best thing to do for him is rehome him. Chances are he’s a common goldfish and they get 12 inches long plus. Daily 75% water changes with prime will help but for the long term, he needs a much bigger home.

 

Can we have a picture of the fish.

If it is a common goldfish, I regret to inform you that his growth has been stunted and he may pass away no matter what you do.

Fancy goldfish need at least 20 gallons and get up to around 8 inches.

Common goldfish, which is most likely what you have, grow up to 14 inches and need either massive tanks, or ideally a pond.

 

If you end up in the same boat as me, in that I have no place to rehome my common, he still needs a big tank. Mine is 8” long in a 65g. Because he’s stunted (and so is mine, he haven’t grown in 5 years) there’s a chance you can keep him in a “smaller” tank then ideal but that’s in the 75 gallon range. Mine is only a 65 but it’s wider then the common tanks.

 

Can he recover from the Ammonia poisoning?
Should I use the Ammo Lock?
How do I identify the source of the ammonia?

 

Can he recover from the Ammonia poisoning?
Should I use the Ammo Lock?
How do I identify the source of the ammonia?

Yes, but you HAVE to stay on top of water changes. Ammonia comes from uneaten food and from poop. I personally don’t like using chemicals because water changes will take care of it *temporarily* Goldfish are very messy fish compared to others of the same size. 4” of goldfish in a 10 gallon is not going to last long.

 

Can you see the picture?

 

Can you see the picture?

Yep. Cutie.

He’s a comet (common don’t have the long tail) so he is going to need a much bigger tank. Jupe makes his 65 look small.

 

NIGHTHAWK - He has been fasting for 3 days... I will continue to change his water. What else can/should I do?

Thank you for the identification. He is my baby. What do I do to help him get through this with as little damage as possible?
If I keep doing the water changes will he get better?

 

NIGHTHAWK - He has been fasting for 3 days... I will continue to change his water. What else can/should I do?

You said you had a test kit? Check it daily. Eventrally your tank will cycle. (You’ll want to read up on the nitrogen cycle while your at it) so you need to keep an eye on it. Ammonia and nitrite combined should stay under 1ppm. If it gets above, do a water change. Clean water will cure just about anything minor.

He’s hardly showing any symptoms of ammonia poisoning (they’re tough stinkers which is half the problem...) red gills are the most obvious sign of poisoning.

Lunch break is over but I’ll be back. he’s a pic of my big boy Jupiter.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will not add any treatment, just keep doing the water changes. When should I try to feed him again? I read that he can go about a week without eating?
Jupiter is gorgeous!!!

I just want him to live and make it through this, sounds like I just need to be patient.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will not add any treatment, just keep doing the water changes. When should I try to feed him again? I read that he can go about a week without eating?
Jupiter is gorgeous!!!

I would say feed him fairly soon as to not starve him, but don’t feed him too much as, like others have said, food and poop both elevate ammonia levels

 

I will try to feed him tonight. I will be back on with updates and probably more questions after work this evening.
I am using bottled purified water with conditioner for water changes, is this ok? This is what I have been using for the last 3 years.

 

I know this might be hard, but maybe try to find a friend or business with a pond? You could even setup visits to see your happy (not so little) fish!

 

Yeah, feed him again but just do a little. It is very hard to starve a fish but the most annoying thing (and really ticks me off) is when someone has a fish they know is too big for the tank but to reduce ammonia they hardly feed it instead of doing water changes or rehomeing. It is definitely a waiting game with him, but the biggest thing is to stay on top of water quality.

Bottled water should work as long as it is not RO water. They still need the minerals in water.

 

Make sure to add some Prime in his tank. It protects him from the ammonia!

 

Make sure to add some Prime in his tank. It protects him from the ammonia!

I think I mentioned that? Maybe? Might have forgotten that part... that’s important!

 

Do I add the Prime with each water change as well as the conditioner? Will the Prime affect my ammonia readings?
Is a 60% water change daily a good place to start?
Do I need to change the filter? My understanding is to leave the filter as that is part of the cycle process.
Should I feed him a piece of romaine lettuce or the regular food he normally eats?

I truly appreciate all your help NIGHTHAWK you are giving me hope that I can get my fish through this. I have literally been on the computer for the last 4.5 hours trying to give myself a crash course in cycling and feeding and repair. This does not include last nights lessons or all the reading I did when I first started noticing his behavior.

Make sure to add some Prime in his tank. It protects him from the ammonia!

Thank you.

 

Prime is the conditioner. It just detoxifies ammonia as a bonus

 

Do I add the Prime with each water change as well as the conditioner? Will the Prime affect my ammonia readings?
Is a 60% water change daily a good place to start?
Do I need to change the filter? My understanding is to leave the filter as that is part of the cycle process.
Should I feed him a piece of romaine lettuce or the regular food he normally eats?

I truly appreciate all your help NIGHTHAWK you are giving me hope that I can get my fish through this. I have literally been on the computer for the last 4.5 hours trying to give myself a crash course in cycling and feeding and repair. This does not include last nights lessons or all the reading I did when I first started noticing his behavior.

Yeah, prime is a conditioner that also detoxifies ammonia and nitrite under 1ppm combined. You add it for the whole tank, not just what you take out. (Plus extra if needed) I don’t remember off the top of my head if prime effects the ammonia reading or not, it just makes it harmless. You’ll want to check it before the water change, not right after. 60% is a good place to start, 50% will half your current reading.

You don’t need to change the filter, but tinge it out in a bucket of tank water. When you do the water changes? Save some of that water to rinse the media in. Goldies are omnivores so they’ll eat just about anything (including skittles apparently but that’s a whole other story about moronic teenagers...) so even if you did his regular food but then added different kinds, that would also work.

The more you know, the better. you can never know to much.

(Oh, and don’t forget to add the 2211 to my username if you want to link my name like that. Nighthawk and 2221Nighthawk are different people. Any other time it’s fine, names get shortened all the time, but if it turns blue like that it needs to be the full name)

 

2211Nighthawk "Tinge it out" - do you mean where you rinse it in the tanks old water? I am still kind of confused on the tank media... My tank came with the filter and I have not switched it...
It is Aqueon 10 Gallon Boxed Kit which includes: Low Profile LED Full Hood; QuietFlow Power Filtration; Medium Filter Cartridge; 50W Submersible Preset Heater; Premium Fish Food; Water Conditioner; Fish Net; Thermometer; Set-Up & Care Guide.
Note: I have not put in the heater as I did not want to disrupt the temperature the fish is currently used too.

I appreciate you answering my questions, I have been so stressed with no one to ask questions too. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to help me.

 

2211Nighthawk "Tinge it out" - do you mean where you rinse it in the tanks old water? I am still kind of confused on the tank media... My tank came with the filter and I have not switched it...
It is Aqueon 10 Gallon Boxed Kit which includes: Low Profile LED Full Hood; QuietFlow Power Filtration; Medium Filter Cartridge; 50W Submersible Preset Heater; Premium Fish Food; Water Conditioner; Fish Net; Thermometer; Set-Up & Care Guide.
Note: I have not put in the heater as I did not want to disrupt the temperature the fish is currently used too.

I appreciate you answering my questions, I have been so stressed with no one to ask questions too. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to help me.

Oops. Yes, rinse it out. Just give it a good shake. (Ignore me and my inability to write basic English...) It says to replace them monthly, but don’t. If you throw the cartridge away, you’ll throw away the good bacteria. (Beneficial bacteria aka BB) when the old cartrage starts to wear out, cut it apart so that you keep the outside shell. Stick that into the filter behind the new cartrage and leave it there for about a month or so. Your goldy dosen’t need a heater, room temperature is fine for them.

Media is the stuff inside your filter. What you have is considered a cartridge because it’s all-in-one. What I use, everything is separate. Are you running the larger filter? You can take the media from the old filter and stick it in the new one

 

I'm using whatever came with it.
The old filter was nasty, but when my fish first started exhibiting issues about 4 days ago, I did take the old filter and rub it on the new one to see if that helped, but now I am wondering if that contributed to the problem.
I still have the old filter, but it has not been running, so I don't know if that would help.
Do I continue to use this new filter?

 

I'm using whatever came with it.
The old filter was nasty, but when my fish first started exhibiting issues about 4 days ago, I did take the old filter and rub it on the new one to see if that helped, but now I am wondering if that contributed to the problem.
I still have the old filter, but it has not been running, so I don't know if that would help.
Do I continue to use this new filter?

Yeah, I’d stick with the new one. BB starts to die after a few hours out of water. On second thought, if you have space you can run both filters to help with filtration. Unless it’s blowing the fish across the tank, you can’t have too much filtration.

 

Is it possible that this started in the other tank? The old filter was orange and the water orangey I am thinking from over feeding?

 

Is it possible that this started in the other tank? The old filter was orange and the water orangey I am thinking from over feeding?

It is possible. it’s a messy fish in too small of a tank with an inexperienced owner. It’s gonna complicate things. He looks healthy, and as I’ve said, goldfish are hardy. Heck, my poor boy went through everything from inexperience to parasites to a drained pond and he’ll be 10 in spring. Take a breath and relax, eveyone makes mistakes but your leaning and that is the important part.

 

Okay. Thank you. I will get the prime tonight, do the 60% water change and give him a little food, and be patient. Thanks again everyone for all your help.

 

Okay. Thank you. I will get the prime tonight, do the 60% water change and give him a little food, and be patient. Thanks again everyone for all your help.

Glad to.

 

Thank you everyone for your insight. My family is absolutely heartbroken right now as Magicarp did not make it through the day. Please scream to the world about cycling... I know I will be. So upset that this all could have been prevented.

 

Yeah that’s sad. I find losing goldfish is harder then any other fish due to their personality. At least you can use this knowledge to keep future fish happy.

 

Thank you everyone for your insight. My family is absolutely heartbroken right now as Magicarp did not make it through the day. Please scream to the world about cycling... I know I will be. So upset that this all could have been prevented.

What?! Ah man! I thought he had a chance. So sorry to loose him. If you do keep the tank, you can stock it with proper fish this time around. there’s lots that can go in a 10. Maybe not as personable as a goldy, but it can still be a beautiful tank.

 

I currently have my sisters betta in my 10 with ghost shrimp and a mystery snail. Sometimes the shrimp are more fun to watch then the betta.

 

2211Nighthawk Zennon - I am not ready to get a new fish as I am still grieving (almost to a ridiculous amount)... But maybe by the time the tank is cycled. What would be my next steps to cycle the tank?

 

2211Nighthawk Zennon - I am not ready to get a new fish as I am still grieving (almost to a ridiculous amount)... But maybe by the time the tank is cycled. What would be my next steps to cycle the tank?

Totally understand.

Check your parameters, and there are 2 ways to keep doing the cycle. Since there are no fish in, you can get ammonia up to 4 ppm. Either add fish food and just let it rot, or buy bottled ammonia and use that. I’m not a total expert in cycling, but you should see nitrite spike, then go down and then nitrAte go up. Once you add 4ppm it ammonia and it cycles down to 0 within 24 hours, the tank is cycled.

 

2211Nighthawk you mentioned lots of choices for a 10 gallon tank. Would you mind telling me some examples? Apprehensive to buy from fish store though, don't think I can handle another disease.

 

2211Nighthawk you mentioned lots of choices for a 10 gallon tank. Would you mind telling me some examples? Apprehensive to buy from fish store though, don't think I can handle another disease.

There’s a stocking list on this site somewhere. I’m on my phone so I can’t link it unfortunately. The biggest problem is that a lot of common pet stores don’t carry some of the more specialty fish that work in a 10. It all depends on what’s in your area.

 

2211Nighthawk you mentioned lots of choices for a 10 gallon tank. Would you mind telling me some examples? Apprehensive to buy from fish store though, don't think I can handle another disease.

Some fish are-

a single betta fish (male or female) with some snails.

6 male guppies or 4 female guppies with snails

Ember tetras (not quite sure how many) with shrimp and/or snails

Sparkling gourami (1-3, if multiple, make sure that there is only one male) they like heavily planted tanks, real or fake.

Endlers (not quite sure how many) with shrimp and/or snails

I'd recommend just one species of fish in a 10 gallon tank, but you can mix it up (for example, you could probably add a single sparkling gourami and embers)

I'm truly sorry for the loss of your fish, I know that it can be hard. At least you did everything you could for them.

Sent from my XT1650 using

 

One exotic option is a pair of pea puffers. They have as much personality (if not more) then my goldfish! Only downside is some refuse to eat anything other then live snails.