# Advise needed please



## Steph28 (Nov 24, 2012)

Hi all, 

I'm a little worried about my new fish, he was fine the day i bought him home but since i put a live plant in he's just been sat there not moving and his fins now look a little "tatty"

a friend of mine said he could just be one of those fish that get stressed easily, but i want to make sure he's OK because if he's ill i don't want him to infect my other little fish who lives with him.

any advise would be greatly received 

thanks 
Steph & Mr and Mrs Bubbles


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Have you checked your ammonia and nitrite readings? And did you cycle the tank before adding fish?

It could be fin rot, which is caused by poor water quality. A medication such as esha 2000 may help, but if you have any ammonia and/or nitrite in the tank, your main priority will need to be to reduce levels of these. If so, you'll need to do frequent partial water changes until the problem is resolved. (The percentage of water to change will depend on the levels of ammonia and nitrite.)


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## Steph28 (Nov 24, 2012)

Hi, 

thanks for your response.

I set the tank up on the 19th, I put the first treatment in (that came with the tank) and then 24hrs later I put the second one in, then we got the 2 fish on Thursday evening, I put them in the tank in the bag, left them in for well over an hour, then cut the bag and let them swim out.

I didn't have anything in the tank, as in plants or ornaments, and read how good live plants are for fishes, so I got a plant from my local pond place that he said would be best for the tank, he said don't put too many in because it will / could put the pump under presure. he was fine thursday evening and Friday evening, then today I noticed he wasn't doing much but the other one is swimming around quite happily, staying near the bottom which i understand is a good thing. Mr Bubbles however is swimming around, as if he's drunk!? :skep: if that makes sense...

I don't have a water tester, but can get one first thing tomorrow, do you think I should get one then?


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

It seems likely that you'll have a water quality problem, as from what you've said it doesn't sound like the tank was cycled before the fish were introduced. 

It's definitely a good idea to get a test kit so you can see for yourself exactly what the levels are; just make sure you get a liquid drop kit rather than the cardboard strips, which are notoriously inaccurate. The API master test kit is a good one. 

If water quality is the problem, then as NaomiM has said, you'll need to do daily partial water changes to get it under control.

Also, what size is the tank? From the picture it looks like you have a blackmoor goldfish, and presumably the other fish you have is also a goldfish? These are very messy fish that grow extremely large, and for two of them you would need a tank that is at least 100 litres as a bare minimum (though bigger would be better).


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Yes, get the API master kit, it may seem fairly expensive but it's a good investment as it contains all the tests you're likely to need, and will last for ages. If you have a Maidenhead Aquatics near you it's about £20 there or on ebay (but ebay will obviously take longer and you need it asap really). Or try your local shop, but as Magpie said, stay away from the strip tests, they're a waste of money.


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