Strange Bump On Comet Goldfish

Hello! I’m Blizz, I’ve been hanging around Fishlore whenever I run into a hurdle with my goldfish. I’m only in 8th grade but I love my fish a lot, and anytime I see even the slightest problem with her I go straight to the internet and read 6-7 different websites and forum posts about similar problems. I’m not an experienced fish keeper by any means— I don’t even have an aquarium test kit because my mom will not let me buy one— but I’ve been doing my best to keep Red healthy. I don’t know for sure that she’s a female but I assume her gender because I don’t want to call her an it. I originally got her from a 7th grade science teacher who had been doing a rather cruel project with his students on goldfish and photosynthesis. One goldfish was given a staggering 5 inches of space to swim in. After the project ended, I went straight to his classroom and took a fish from the ones left behind. I didn’t even have a tank but I was really confident I could give her a better life than what she’d already gone through. My mom literally got the bare minimum— a fish bowl— and some food, and a statue of a fish, and we left.

TD;LR— She was in a fish bowl for six months but now she’s in a 2.5 gallon filtered rectangular betta tank. I seriously wish we could give her a bigger tank, but my mom already thinks 2.5 is really big for her. Ironically, she never had any health issues in the fish bowl before we moved her to the tank: after we let the water sit for a day, and put her in, a month later she started swimming diagonally. I didn’t feed her for three days and she got over that. While changing her water today, I noticed this bump. It doesn’t look like ich or dropsy because her stomach isn’t really bloated, and the only pineconing I can see is only around that bump. I could be wrong though. I have no way of testing the water. Her behavior is totally normal, she’s always been an active fish with a big appetite.

Please help me? I have been googling for over an hour. I can try to take clearer pictures if needed.

Whoops, meant TL;DR. I type too fast

 

Omg you are like actually me. I too saved my comet from a science project and I too had him in a bowl for a while. And guess what, my fish also has the same exact bump. Unfortunately, your tank is far too small for a comet Goldie and health problems will just keep occurring. I am around the same age as you, so I understand the difficulty of convincing your parents to buy things, but unfortunately this is not the optimal condition for your fish. I currently have mine in a 55 gallon and even that may be too small. if you can't buy a test kit, your LFS or LPS will most likely be able to test your water. Now for the bump, as I said my comet has the same thing. I had spoken to other reputable Goldie keepers and we had decided it was possibly a bacterial infection. I am currently treating him in a QT tank so let's hope it works. Are there any other symptoms your fish has? Loss of appetite? Lethargy? My current treatment plan is aggressive because my fish is in bad shape, but it is in the air whether it will work.

And I do see dropsy on your fish, which can also be because of a bacterial infection. For the dropsy, give the fish Epsom salt baths before it gets too bad. The Epsom salt can help bring down the fluids. For the bath use a separate container and put one tablespoon of Epsom salt per 1 gallon and leave the fish in for perhaps 5 minutes, maybe more, but I would say no longer than 20 minutes. You do not know how similar your situation was to mine like it's insane.

 

And I do see dropsy on your fish, which can also be because of a bacterial infection. For the dropsy, give the fish Epsom salt baths before it gets too bad. The Epsom salt can help bring down the fluids. For the bath use a separate container and put one tablespoon of Epsom salt per 1 gallon and leave the fish in for perhaps 5 minutes, maybe more, but I would say no longer than 20 minutes. You do not know how similar your situation was to mine like it's insane.

Ahh thank you so much?? this is so incredibly helpful hhh

Ahahahha, that’s funny to hear we’re in the same boat! Now let’s hope we don’t sink together too... I’ll be hoping your fish gets through okay!!

I understand your concerns about tank size, I’ve had this concern too for a long time. I just told my mom that we should get a tank that’s at least 20 gallons, and I swear her eyes popped right out of her head. I don’t think we’ll be getting her a bigger tank anytime soon... I haven’t noticed anything different about her behavior. No, wait, actually she hasn’t been swimming around as much. She’s still pretty active, but it’s a little subdued compared to what she used to swim around like now that I think about it. Otherwise, her appetite is as huge as ever.

NO I WAS HOPING SHE DIDNT HAVE DROPSY

Tomorrow we’ll be going to Costco to buy some groceries. PetSmart is right next to it, so I’ll see if we can pick up the salt you mentioned too. Do you think I can use the bowl she used to have for the salt bath? It’s a 1.5 gallon.

Thank you so much! You’ve been so helpful.

 

You might as well pick up a tank at PetSmart. IMO, there's no point in curing it and placing it in an environment where it will just reach an ugly end. They grow larger than a foot

You'll need at least 100 gallons, with a powerful filter.

 

HI There !

This thread might be of help to you, someone also having problems with a lump.

Doesn't look like dropsy to me. Her eyes don't seem swollen and she's not pine coning but hard to tell from the pics.

Not sure if it's the picture but she has some black smudges on her fins which could indicate ammonia burns and too high levels of ammonia. Could explain why she's being less active.

If you can, pick up some Epsom salts (for the swelling), some API freshwater salts (good for the fish) and some melafix (will help heal the ammonia burns) and water test strips.

Also, keep up with regular water changes. That will help too.

I know how much of pain it can be dealing with parents!

Try telling your mom that keeping her in this tank will cost more money in the long run: more water changes, more pricey water conditioner, more pricey medication to deal with the illnesses caused by the bad water and too small tanks.

Would she consider getting your fish a stock tank or a big plastic tub? Maybe even some type of pond? They'll be a lot cheaper than a big fish tank and your fish will be a lot happier and healthier. Plus you could keep it outside so it won't take as much as space.

Hope this helps!

 

The symptoms my fish exhibited was first, lethargy (not swimming as much), then not eating, then the bump, then some blackness on the fins and body (had no ammonia on the tank and the fish did have fin rot). I hate to say it, but not having a bigger tank is gonna be a huge issue. Naturally I would suggest giving the fish to a local fish store or petstore, but I am not sure how they are on taking sick fish. Someone else will have to answer that. I am so sorry but you really can't keep that fish in a tank that size. Fawkes21 had some great points. In the long run the expenses of a smaller tank will add up and the fish can most certainly live in a large bin, or even a kitty pool. As for Epsom salt you won't find that at PetSmart. Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) is a saline laxative commonly used to reduce swelling. That would be found at target or something. Your parents would know. Yes you can use the bowl he was in. Since it's 1.5 gallons you'll be using 1 tablespoon and 1.5 teaspoons. I used it for my fish's Popeye. Did 5 minute baths and it significantly decreased. And aquarium salt is actually good for this fish I am actually currently using it in my treatment plan. My dosage is one teaspoon for 1 gallon. My only suggestion with the ammonia burn stuff is make sure you are sure it's burn before using any meds and frequent water changes are VITAL for a tank your size and for a fish such as yours.

Just so there's no confusion, the epsom salt is only added to the bath and the aquarium salt added to the main tank.

 

You might as well pick up a tank at PetSmart. IMO, there's no point in curing it and placing it in an environment where it will just reach an ugly end. They grow larger than a foot

You'll need at least 100 gallons, with a powerful filter.

ahhhhhhh I don’t think Ican convince her to buy a tank. We have no space for a 20gallon, let alone 100. Also, she thinks 2.5 is basically a mansion for Red, when it really isn’t. Today, we gave her a drop of gel food, and she said that one drop wasn’t enough. I told her that the dose Id given her was bigger than the fish’s head, and she pulled the “Fine, don’t listen to me, do whatever you want, I don’t care if you don’t listen to me

Just so there's no confusion, the epsom salt is only added to the bath and the aquarium salt added to the main tank.

” card. I don’t think she understands scale

HI There !

This thread might be of help to you, someone also having problems with a lump.

Doesn't look like dropsy to me. Her eyes don't seem swollen and she's not pine coning but hard to tell from the pics.

Not sure if it's the picture but she has some black smudges on her fins which could indicate ammonia burns and too high levels of ammonia. Could explain why she's being less active.

If you can, pick up some Epsom salts (for the swelling), some API freshwater salts (good for the fish) and some melafix (will help heal the ammonia burns) and water test strips.

Also, keep up with regular water changes. That will help too.

I know how much of pain it can be dealing with parents!

Try telling your mom that keeping her in this tank will cost more money in the long run: more water changes, more pricey water conditioner, more pricey medication to deal with the illnesses caused by the bad water and too small tanks.

Would she consider getting your fish a stock tank or a big plastic tub? Maybe even some type of pond? They'll be a lot cheaper than a big fish tank and your fish will be a lot happier and healthier. Plus you could keep it outside so it won't take as much as space.

Hope this helps!

Yes, she does have those black streaks on her fins! I think I’ve been slacking with water changes— I’ll change them every 3 days from now on. We can’t keep her outside, because we have SOOOOO many crows in our area. And coyotes. I’ve even seen hawks flying around. The big plastic tub is a good idea! I feel quite stupid for having not thought of it before but I’ll run it by my mom.

Just so there's no confusion, the epsom salt is only added to the bath and the aquarium salt added to the main tank.

Whoops screwed up there in my first reply. Okay, I see. Would the salt also be found at a place like Albertson’s?

OH, I forgot to add. Not sure why but Red is worlds better today. I was surprised— the little lethargy she was displaying before was completely gone, and the bump on her belly had gone down too.

 

That's great to hear. Also I had a bit of confusion and I thought the lump was on the head for a reason idk why. But either way the treatment still stands. I would continue with the epsom salt and aquarium salt and see if things improve. I understand you can't get a larger tank, but your fish will be frequently sick, stunted, and have a shortened lifespan so be prepared for that.

 

Great to hear that your fish has perked up!

If your mom thinks Red is big, show her a picture of a full grown comet...

Second what FrostedFlakes said, continue with the salt treatments.

Not a bird expert, but no sure crows and hawks would go for goldfish?

In England we have loads of herons so lots of fish keepers use metal grates or nets to keep herons away. Could work where you live?

Reminds me, someone on here got a goldfish from a fair, had no space for a tank so got this big plastic tub and put it under a table to save space. Could be a set up you could copy?

Hope you manage to convince your mum. She might warm up to Red. Goldfish are very intelligent

 

My area also has tons of coyotes, hawks, etc. My friend has ponds and they keep netting above their ponds. Any sort of strong mesh will keep things out. And comets do get huge, mine is currently 6 inches and it's only around 2 years old.

 

(Maybe link your mom to this discussion with an email link?)

 

That's great to hear. Also I had a bit of confusion and I thought the lump was on the head for a reason idk why. But either way the treatment still stands. I would continue with the epsom salt and aquarium salt and see if things improve. I understand you can't get a larger tank, but your fish will be frequently sick, stunted, and have a shortened lifespan so be prepared for that.

uurrrgghhh we didn’t get to swing by petsmart today because my mom was busy the entire day. TOMORROW. I also tried convincing my mom to let me move Red to a big plastic bin since we have lots of those. She assumed I was joking and laughed, and then promptly said no once she realized I was serious. She said that it looks too bad, and that she’d once had a fish tank of 50 gallons and kept a lot of fish in that one tank, and they’d all never had problems, so I should listen to her about tank size instead of some random people on the internet!

Great to hear that your fish has perked up!

If your mom thinks Red is big, show her a picture of a full grown comet...

Second what FrostedFlakes said, continue with the salt treatments.

Not a bird expert, but no sure crows and hawks would go for goldfish?

In England we have loads of herons so lots of fish keepers use metal grates or nets to keep herons away. Could work where you live?

Reminds me, someone on here got a goldfish from a fair, had no space for a tank so got this big plastic tub and put it under a table to save space. Could be a set up you could copy?

Hope you manage to convince your mum. She might warm up to Red. Goldfish are very intelligent

Seriously, my fish is doing SOOO much better. She’s playfully chasing the bubbles on the surface like always! She thinks Red is small rather than big, which is why she thinks Red will do fine in a 2.5 gallon tank. I’m not sure they would either, but I do not want to take any chances, especially if Red grows bigger in a pond. I don’t think my mom would be willing to spend so much money on “just” a goldfish, anyways. We both love Red a lot, she just thinks all this stuff I’m suggesting for Red is extravagant.

(Maybe link your mom to this discussion with an email link?)

She has some issues with English, so I don’t think she’d understand the thread very well! I even explained to her some things in Chinese, but she didn’t show much interest at all. Reading it again in English would probably make her fall asleep

I didn’t get a chance to ask for the aquarium/Epsom salt today, since we’ve been out the entire day with no chance to go buy them. I really hope we won’t be as busy tomorrow, but most of the time my schedule changes depending on my mom’s random whims.

 

Do you happen to know anyone with a pond?

 

Perhaps show her articles on tank sizes required? Your fish is not going to be happy no matter how much you cater to its needs. When she is healthy, as hard as it may be, I would give her away. I know it can be difficult to part but she really can't be in that tank if she is to have a long, prosperous life. I wish you only the best of luck in your endeavors!

 

Emergency Goldfish.

Here is the plastic tub set up I mentioned, forgot to link it!

Definitely try showing your mom pics of full grown comets... Red is only small because she is a baby.

You can add rocks, plants, lilly pads, decorative vines like for snake and lizard set ups to a plastic tub to make it nicer.

Hopefully your mom will come around!

 

Do you happen to know anyone with a pond?

nope!

Perhaps show her articles on tank sizes required? Your fish is not going to be happy no matter how much you cater to its needs. When she is healthy, as hard as it may be, I would give her away. I know it can be difficult to part but she really can't be in that tank if she is to have a long, prosperous life. I wish you only the best of luck in your endeavors!

Yesterday my mom went shopping again, it’s one of her favorite activities to do. I made a deal with her, I said that if she goes to a store other than the ones we were supposed to go to, she has to buy me anything I want (I had a bigger tank in mind). She agreed, and then promptly forgot and went to another store. So today I think we’re finally going to PetSmart after 3 days of not being able to And this time I’m allowed to pick up almost anything I want for Red as long as it doesn’t reach exorbitantly high prices. This might not sound super believable but I swear it happened! She still won’t budge on a 20 gallon tank, but she is willing to get a 5 or 10 gallon. That’s a huge improvement from 2.5 so I think it’s a good step forwards

About giving Red away— I literally know NO ONE who would give her a better home. No one else keeps fish, or if they do, they keep them in containers equal to or smaller in size than Red’s current home.

Also. Despite Red’s bump thing going down, she has been staring at the surface for a long time. Almost vertical. She just kind of looks up like she’s waiting for food or something... If I walk past she gets super excited but otherwise she’s just floating there. I don’t know why she’s doing this...

Emergency Goldfish.

Here is the plastic tub set up I mentioned, forgot to link it!

Definitely try showing your mom pics of full grown comets... Red is only small because she is a baby.

You can add rocks, plants, lilly pads, decorative vines like for snake and lizard set ups to a plastic tub to make it nicer.

Hopefully your mom will come around!

Thank you !! I will (Or at least I”ll try to. Mom is quite picky with decorations and will only purchase decorations she thinks are pretty. We went through the entire decor aisle and the only ones she thought were “pretty” are the ones Red currently has...)

I have a picture of Red being weird. I can’t take them from closer, because she then stops doing it, but she’s just staring at the water next to the filter...

(Top left corner of tank)

 

I guess 10 gallon is better but as you know, not nearly as big as it should be. Staying at the surface isn't particularly normal. My fish used to do it but, he had excessive slime coat and a fungal infection then. Is Red gasping? I never asked this before, but is your tank cycled? What conditioner do you use? How often do you do changes? What are your parameters? What do you feed Red and how often? What is your water temp?

 

That behaviour is a little odd. Could be red is bored. Maybe a buoyancy problem or oxygen problem?

How is she swimming? Is she foraging for food at all?

As FrostedFlakes mentioned, would be good to get an idea of your water parameters.

Not sure what sort of 10 gallon you're getting but if you can, try and get a filter for double or triple that volume, to cope with bioload.

Let us know how it goes!

 

I guess 10 gallon is better but as you know, not nearly as big as it should be. Staying at the surface isn't particularly normal. My fish used to do it but, he had excessive slime coat and a fungal infection then. Is Red gasping? I never asked this before, but is your tank cycled? What conditioner do you use? How often do you do changes? What are your parameters? What do you feed Red and how often? What is your water temp?

She is now in a 10 gallon and she’s stopped staying near the surface. She is back to being slightly lethargic and her reaction time to me walking past her tank is a few seconds slower. I have no idea what a parameter is or if the tank is cycled. ahhhhhhhhhh

edit: forgot to answer the rest of your questions. I do a half change every 3 days, and a full change every 2 weeks. I feed her the Tetra goldfish flakes, just a pinch once a day around 12:00 PM. I don’t know about water temperature. I don’t use a conditioner at all but I should! oh my gosh there are too many things I need to remember

She is currently in her first Epsom salt bath. I should be doing this once a day right? Or once every two days?

That behaviour is a little odd. Could be red is bored. Maybe a buoyancy problem or oxygen problem?

How is she swimming? Is she foraging for food at all?

As FrostedFlakes mentioned, would be good to get an idea of your water parameters.

Not sure what sort of 10 gallon you're getting but if you can, try and get a filter for double or triple that volume, to cope with bioload.

Let us know how it goes!

I feel so stupid, I literally just moved the filter from the 2.5 to the 10 gallon thinking that would be okay. I probably did a multitude of other things wrong hhhh ... I also need to get a vacuum tube thing for cleaning out the bottom. More stuff to buy I guess!
She is swimming kind of lethargically but also not? If me or my mom comes near she goes insane and starts swimming around like she wants food like she always does, but a few minutes after we walk away she just swims around the tank like she normally does, but slower.

Some other stuff to note is that she’s developed a black spot on the top of her head. I have no idea what it is. her belly has gotten a little bigger, and she swims kind of lopsided. It reminds me of those cartoons where the really confident characters saunter around like they’re the king of the world or something. She does forage around.

It’s kind of terrifying knowing you have the life of a creature in your hands, but I’m so inexperienced I could easily have her death in my hands too.

 

Yes you should do the bath once a day. Your tank is most likely not cycled so you need to keep up with those changes. Don't do 100% changes. That's too much stress and kinda unnecessary. I would do a 50% every other day because I know your tank isn't cycled because it's new. If I were you I'd get Tetra Safe Start to speed up the cycle. I advise getting an API liquid test kit, but you can also get petsmart to test your water. Blizz, you NEED a water conditioner. There is chlorine and other things in tap water that cannot be there. Get Seachem Prime, especially because ammonia is gonna buildup. Prime detoxes ammonia and removes bad things in the tap. The black spot can be from ammonia burn. She has been burned by ammonia and the black is the tissue regrowing. You will need to do many water changes using prime due to the fact that your tank is uncycled and a 10 gallon cannot keep up with the load.

I suggest you change Red's diet. I find Omega One goldfish pellets to be the best, the first ingredients are whole fish and that's what you try to look for. Make sure to soak pellets in conditioned water for a couple mins. I occasionally feed my goldie pellets soaked in garlic water (homemade garlic water. Jarred can have additives that are harmful) because garlic helps with the immune system. The pellets should be fed in conjunction with boiled veggies like spinach. Also, feed peas once a week to avoid bloat. Also, Red should be fed twice a day. Once in the morning, once in the evening. But do not overfeed, ESPECIALLY with flakes. When the fish goes to eat the flakes they can also tank in a lot of air and that can lead to problems. It is better to feed multiple tiny meals than one large one.

Does Red still have the lump? If so, has it gone down any?

Also Red is like absolutely adorable

It’s kind of terrifying knowing you have the life of a creature in your hands, but I’m so inexperienced I could easily have her death in my hands too.

It is most definitely a heavy load to carry, but we know you are trying all you can and we all commend you for that. I know how hard it can be to try to provide while not having much to give.

 

She is now in a 10 gallon and she’s stopped staying near the surface. She is back to being slightly lethargic and her reaction time to me walking past her tank is a few seconds slower. I have no idea what a parameter is or if the tank is cycled. ahhhhhhhhhh

edit: forgot to answer the rest of your questions. I do a half change every 3 days, and a full change every 2 weeks. I feed her the Tetra goldfish flakes, just a pinch once a day around 12:00 PM. I don’t know about water temperature. I don’t use a conditioner at all but I should! oh my gosh there are too many things I need to remember

She is currently in her first Epsom salt bath. I should be doing this once a day right? Or once every two days?


I feel so stupid, I literally just moved the filter from the 2.5 to the 10 gallon thinking that would be okay. I probably did a multitude of other things wrong hhhh ... I also need to get a vacuum tube thing for cleaning out the bottom. More stuff to buy I guess!
She is swimming kind of lethargically but also not? If me or my mom comes near she goes insane and starts swimming around like she wants food like she always does, but a few minutes after we walk away she just swims around the tank like she normally does, but slower.

Some other stuff to note is that she’s developed a black spot on the top of her head. I have no idea what it is. her belly has gotten a little bigger, and she swims kind of lopsided. It reminds me of those cartoons where the really confident characters saunter around like they’re the king of the world or something. She does forage around.

It’s kind of terrifying knowing you have the life of a creature in your hands, but I’m so inexperienced I could easily have her death in my hands too.

Black spot could be ammonia burns. Keep the 2.5 filter as that will have some beneficial bacteria to speed your cycle.

Pick another filter if you can, it will help deal with the bioload especially if you get 20 gallon filter. Also if you don't have one, get an air stone too. Will make sure Red has plenty of oxygen (could explain why she was staying at the surface last time).

As FrostedFlakes said, pick up some Seachem prime. It will help keep Red safe whilst your water is cycling. Definitely get some sort of water testing kit too, it will help eliminate a lot guesswork when trying to figure out if your water is cycled and what might be causing Red to be acting a bit more lethargic.

Best of luck

 

And I do see dropsy on your fish, which can also be because of a bacterial infection. For the dropsy, give the fish Epsom salt baths before it gets too bad. The Epsom salt can help bring down the fluids. For the bath use a separate container and put one tablespoon of Epsom salt per 1 gallon and leave the fish in for perhaps 5 minutes, maybe more, but I would say no longer than 20 minutes. You do not know how similar your situation was to mine like it's insane.

You have given dome excellent information! However, Dropsy will cause the entire body to pinecone, not just a few scales here and there. The fish would be one large bloated pinecone. This is not dropsy. Glad to see you are working on cycling the tank. Please read on “In Fish Cycling” to understand what you are doing and yes, use The Seachem Prime daily. Good job, Gang. Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

 

Goldiemom thank you for the correction I appreciate it.

 

Looks like you have too little substrate or filter for good microbes to grow on. Bare bottom tanks only work with very high maintenance and probably don’t work for such a small tank. Your tank looks clean but it needs places for bacteria to grow to turn ammonia into nitrite and nitrate to nitrate.. and for goldfish I think it’s important to have bacteria to turn nitrates into n gas or they die because the high maintenance is hard to keep up. Especially if in a small tank. Add some gravel and lava rocks ( grill section of Home Depot sells them). Lava grow All those bacteria types.It might be too late for him if he already has ammonia/nitrite poisoning or dropsy. Get a bigger tank when you can. I have some in a cheap and big plastic pot outside with a bag of lava and water parameters are perfect.

 

. Add some and lava rocks

I am going to have to disagree just a bit. Gravel isn't a very good choice for goldies. They sift through it and gravel is the perfect size for them to choke on. Mine has choked on gravel many times and it isn't fun. Had to switch to sand. Bare bottom is pretty good for goldies because it's easy to clean. Sand is also good because they can't choke but also are allowed to sift. For blizz, I can't remember if she had a siphon or not and if she doesn't sand wouldn't be ideal. You'll have to keep it regularly stirred too. If she wants more surface for the bacterium to grow, I would get more decor. Maybe a couple large rocks. I only speak from experience.

 

Goldiemom thank you for the correction I appreciate it.

It’s how we all learn.

 

Yes you should do the bath once a day. Your tank is most likely not cycled so you need to keep up with those changes. Don't do 100% changes. That's too much stress and kinda unnecessary. I would do a 50% every other day because I know your tank isn't cycled because it's new. If I were you I'd get Tetra Safe Start to speed up the cycle. I advise getting an API liquid test kit, but you can also get petsmart to test your water. Blizz, you NEED a water conditioner. There is chlorine and other things in tap water that cannot be there. Get Seachem Prime, especially because ammonia is gonna buildup. Prime detoxes ammonia and removes bad things in the tap. The black spot can be from ammonia burn. She has been burned by ammonia and the black is the tissue regrowing. You will need to do many water changes using prime due to the fact that your tank is uncycled and a 10 gallon cannot keep up with the load.

I suggest you change Red's diet. I find Omega One goldfish pellets to be the best, the first ingredients are whole fish and that's what you try to look for. Make sure to soak pellets in conditioned water for a couple mins. I occasionally feed my goldie pellets soaked in garlic water (homemade garlic water. Jarred can have additives that are harmful) because garlic helps with the immune system. The pellets should be fed in conjunction with boiled veggies like spinach. Also, feed peas once a week to avoid bloat. Also, Red should be fed twice a day. Once in the morning, once in the evening. But do not overfeed, ESPECIALLY with flakes. When the fish goes to eat the flakes they can also tank in a lot of air and that can lead to problems. It is better to feed multiple tiny meals than one large one.

Thank you! I am going to ask my mom to order all of those things on Amazon now since I literally just spent another 6 hours out with her (with no chance to go to any pet stores) and it’s the best way to get anything at all for Red. YES, SHE IS ADORABLE. Oh heck I’m getting more worried about her because when I came home just now I saw her lying on the bottom of the tank doing absolutely nothing, her gills and fins weren’t moving and I panicked so I went nearer to the tank and she came back to life just like normal. I have no idea what that was— she’s doing it again???? Right now as I glance over to the tank. I don’t think that’s sleeping, she never slept like that before. The lump is gone, instead both sides of her belly are slightly protruding.

Black spot could be ammonia burns. Keep the 2.5 filter as that will have some beneficial bacteria to speed your cycle.

Pick another filter if you can, it will help deal with the bioload especially if you get 20 gallon filter. Also if you don't have one, get an air stone too. Will make sure Red has plenty of oxygen (could explain why she was staying at the surface last time).

As FrostedFlakes said, pick up some Seachem prime. It will help keep Red safe whilst your water is cycling. Definitely get some sort of water testing kit too, it will help eliminate a lot guesswork when trying to figure out if your water is cycled and what might be causing Red to be acting a bit more lethargic.

Best of luck

I kept the old filter, it’s currently hanging in the corner of the new tank. I’ll put the air stone in the cart too.

You have given dome excellent information! However, Dropsy will cause the entire body to pinecone, not just a few scales here and there. The fish would be one large bloated pinecone. This is not dropsy. Glad to see you are working on cycling the tank. Please read on “In Fish Cycling” to understand what you are doing and yes, use The Seachem Prime daily. Good job, Gang. Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

Thank you !!! I will read that. I’m glad she hasn’t turned into a big fat pinecone yet.

Looks like you have too little substrate or filter for good microbes to grow on. Bare bottom tanks only work with very high maintenance and probably don’t work for such a small tank. Your tank looks clean but it needs places for bacteria to grow to turn ammonia into nitrite and nitrate to nitrate.. and for goldfish I think it’s important to have bacteria to turn nitrates into n gas or they die because the high maintenance is hard to keep up. Especially if in a small tank. Add some gravel and lava rocks ( grill section of Home Depot sells them). Lava grow All those bacteria types.It might be too late for him if he already has ammonia/nitrite poisoning or dropsy. Get a bigger tank when you can. I have some in a cheap and big plastic pot outside with a bag of lava and water parameters are perfect.

I am going to have to disagree just a bit. Gravel isn't a very good choice for goldies. They sift through it and gravel is the perfect size for them to choke on. Mine has choked on gravel many times and it isn't fun. Had to switch to sand. Bare bottom is pretty good for goldies because it's easy to clean. Sand is also good because they can't choke but also are allowed to sift. For blizz, I can't remember if she had a siphon or not and if she doesn't sand wouldn't be ideal. You'll have to keep it regularly stirred too. If she wants more surface for the bacterium to grow, I would get more decor. Maybe a couple large rocks. I only speak from experience.

Thank you both! I’ll look into getting more decor for her. She had a fish statue before but my mom said that it was growing too much bad bacteria and threw it out. She’s actually currently giving me a long lecture about how I’ve ruined my fish’s life by moving her from the bowl to the big tank???? And how Red was fine before I moved her?????

 

That is a bit of an odd lecture prompt. She could be seeing all these things going wrong and not knowing that it had already started in the smaller tank. As for lying down, the fish does it when it's stressed. It can be from bad water quality, infection, etc. You've got to get that quality as pristine as ever. By protruding do you mean bloating or the scales lifting? Could it just be she is gaining weight? A nice aerial picture would certainly help. Since you don't use conditioner, Red could very well be feeling the effects of what is in your tap.

Also, do you only have the old filter running? If so, you're gonna need a filter that can filter around 20 gal as Fawkes21 said. I would go with the aquaclear 20. Petsmart only sells the 30 which is also very good and hey, more filtration. I swear by aquaclear. It's so simple yet so effective, easy to clean, and has never let me down.

 

That is a bit of an odd lecture prompt. She could be seeing all these things going wrong and not knowing that it had already started in the smaller tank. As for lying down, the fish does it when it's stressed. It can be from bad water quality, infection, etc. You've got to get that quality as pristine as ever. By protruding do you mean bloating or the scales lifting? Could it just be she is gaining weight? A nice aerial picture would certainly help. Since you don't use conditioner, Red could very well be feeling the effects of what is in your tap.

Also, do you only have the old filter running? If so, you're gonna need a filter that can filter around 20 gal as Fawkes21 said. I would go with the aquaclear 20. Petsmart only sells the 30 which is also very good and hey, more filtration. I swear by aquaclear. It's so simple yet so effective, easy to clean, and has never let me down.

Bloating. No scales lifting. Sometimes I can see something dark underneath her scales, but that may be just the lighting. I ordered all the stuffs you and other people mentioned on Amazon, saying it was an early birthday gift (my birthday is coming up). However...

You know what my mom just did? She continued lecturing me and then proceeded to FILL THE OLD BOWL AND PUT RED IN IT. She said that Red will be just as fine as she was before by tomorrow if she lives in the bowl. ???????????? I am more than incredulous to say the least, but if it actually works I will scream.

She also said that if Red spends one more day in that oversized ten gallon she will be dead by tomorrow morning!

Update, she said that she knows with absolute certainty that Red has a tumor in her belly!

 

Lol what. May I see a aerial picture of Red?

 

What...

You were right to get the 10g, a bowl is not suitable for any fish let alone goldfish. Plus you just bought the 10g, might as well use it!

A bowl is too cramped and because of their small surface area, less oxygen is able to penetrant the water, especially without an air stone.

What might kill Red won't be the 10 gallon it'll be the stress from moving from tanks too often, oxygen deprivation from living in the bowl or poor water quality.

Definitely move Red back into the 10g.

As for the bloating... Could be weight gain? Hard to say without pics.

Not used aquaclear myself, but I can recommend the eheim pick up 45 filter. Small but super reliable.

Adding some rocks will help give something the bacteria to grow on.

Maybe get some live plants too? Will help lower nitrates and produce oxygen.

Let us know how it goes

 

Maybe get some too? Will help lower and produce oxygen

I agree with live plants. Maybe get a small anubias or 2 and tie them to rocks. Other plants Red would gobble right up so if you want to add anacharis or something of the sort, something Red can snack on. I used to have nice anacharis until my Goldie completely destroyed all of it.

 

Anubias, amazon swords have withstood my 10 goldies so I recommend those too. Elodea is the chocolate of the goldfish world.. So be warned if you get some!

 

Lol what. May I see a aerial picture of Red?

Yes but she’s currently in her bowl.

My mom thinks she’s constipated because of the lack of poop in the water.

What...

You were right to get the 10g, a bowl is not suitable for any fish let alone goldfish. Plus you just bought the 10g, might as well use it!

A bowl is too cramped and because of their small surface area, less oxygen is able to penetrant the water, especially without an air stone.

What might kill Red won't be the 10 gallon it'll be the stress from moving from tanks too often, oxygen deprivation from living in the bowl or poor water quality.

Definitely move Red back into the 10g.

As for the bloating... Could be weight gain? Hard to say without pics.

Not used aquaclear myself, but I can recommend the eheim pick up 45 filter. Small but super reliable.

Adding some rocks will help give something the bacteria to grow on.

Maybe get some live plants too? Will help lower nitrates and produce oxygen.

Let us know how it goes

Yeah I have no idea. I can’t move her back into the 10 gallon (well, I could but I’ll get another hour long lecture about how I shouldn’t listen to strangers on the internet about fish care)

And to be totally honest Red is more active inside the bowl but that could be because of stress? She also hasn’t laid down like she did in the tank yet. She just appears more healthy in general but there are more black streaks on her fins.

 

The streaks are ammonia burns. Red could very well be more active in the bowl because she knows it more than the 10g. Have you shown your mother an article on fish care? Or would she disregard it? Would she still have the "no 10g" mentality if she knows she would have wasted money?

 

The streaks are ammonia burns. Red could very well be more active in the bowl because she knows it more than the 10g. Have you shown your mother an article on fish care? Or would she disregard it? Would she still have the "no 10g" mentality if she knows she would have wasted money?

She would disregard it. Unless it aligns with her own thoughts she considers it wrong I guess. The other day I suggested epsom salt to help with the fish’s lethargy and she said that I would kill it with the salt. Today she asked me to google what helps with fish constipation and the result was epsom salt, she was immediately behind that. smh

Today I tried moving Red back into the 10g, she noticed immediately and was like “look at that she stays at the bottom all the time. Look how depressed she is by that 10 gallon tank” and I was like okay and moved her back to the bowl, not even a second had passed since Red touched the water and she immediately said
“ Look at her she’s so much happier in there!”

 

Wow. At this point I'm really not sure what can be done. If I could I would personally talk to your mom. Perhaps maybe, just maybe, you could convince her to go to an aquarium store with you and have a worker speak to her on comet goldfish requirements. That's really the only thing I could imagine could convince her. I really hope you get this sorted out. It seems a bit ridiculous.

 

Second what FrostedFlakes said, maybe get your mom to talk to a fish store worker.

I don't want to seem blunt, but a goldfish in an filterless bowl, especially without an air stone will not last long.

Lack of activity in the 10 gallon is down to stress of the move and the fact the water is uncycled.

My goldfish did the same when I upgraded their tank. Took them a while to get used to it.

At least add an air stone for the bowl and possibly some type of filter.

Hope you sort this out!

 

Wow. At this point I'm really not sure what can be done. If I could I would personally talk to your mom. Perhaps maybe, just maybe, you could convince her to go to an aquarium store with you and have a worker speak to her on comet goldfish requirements. That's really the only thing I could imagine could convince her. I really hope you get this sorted out. It seems a bit ridiculous.

Second what FrostedFlakes said, maybe get your mom to talk to a fish store worker.

I don't want to seem blunt, but a goldfish in an filterless bowl, especially without an air stone will not last long.

Lack of activity in the 10 gallon is down to stress of the move and the fact the water is uncycled.

My goldfish did the same when I upgraded their tank. Took them a while to get used to it.

At least add an air stone for the bowl and possibly some type of filter.

Hope you sort this out!

My mom is currently away on a trip but she’ll be back in around 20 minutes. I moved Red back to the 10g, and today the stuffs I ordered on Amazon came so I just thought “why not.” Yesterday she played the “You’re a disobedient child do whatever you want” card so I’m doing exactly that. The 10 gallon has a 15 gallon filter now, and I put the appropriate amount of conditioner and the safe start into the tank. Red has developed all sorts of dark spots on her back and I’m more than a bit concerned. She hasn’t pooped in a long time. At all. That’s my biggest concern atm, so she isn’t being fed for now.

Also, I need to be away for the next 2 days for a school camp so that’s another thing I’m worried about. If Red dies/has some other crisis in that period of time I can’t help at all, since I’ll be in an area with minimal internet, and obviously I can’t go back to help her myself.

 

I went on vacation for 3 days when my fish was critically ill so I know the feeling. I commend your perseverance whole heartedly. I would change Red's diet. Give her a soft boiled pea. That should help her poop. Red really needs time to adjust. She's probably really stressed right now from getting moved back and forth so I would keep moving activity to a minimum. Best of luck to you and her.