# 'Arnie' the goldfish needs an expert!



## ocallato (Jul 29, 2012)

Hi any goldfish experts out there. My 20 year old goldfish (ex fairground prize) is in a quite rough way. He has always been pretty healthy and, for a goldfish, has quite a personality. Arnie and I have survived without ever doing all the right things. I have always kept his tanks clean, aerated and well filtered. He has always had a voracious appetite but, despite many trials, only really likes fish flakes and the occasional tiny fly that comes his way. The past three days he has been lying on the bottom of the tank. Not eating, or swimming, except to go to the surface to gulp every so often. He is obviously not getting oxygen through his gills due to immobility and I am concerned that, as he gets weaker, he will not be able to get to the surface. He does not specifically ill but his left eye has been cloudy for a while since he knocked it. My gut feeling is that he is coming to his end but I would hate to think I have missed anything. We have never got into water ph. I change some of the water on a regular basis and use appropriate water treatments at changes. If I think he is a bit off-colour I add a bit of 'Disease Safe'. Any ideas out there? Thank you. Ocallato.


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## ocallato (Jul 29, 2012)

I need to add that I am computer illiterate and find this website a bit complex. How do I know when my message has got out there?


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## tinamary (Aug 17, 2008)

I think you are doing all the stuff that you need to. If his eye is cloudy it could be that he has a fungus. Without seeing him or a piccy it is difficult to say.
Are his fins down close to his body.


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## ocallato (Jul 29, 2012)

Yes, his fins are down close to his body. I have tried to change the position of the filters so that a sort of current can flow over his gills because, I assume, as he gets weaker, he will not be able to get to the top of the tank to gulp air. I wondered if adding oxygenating tablets would help? I put a few in last night but to no avail.


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## ocallato (Jul 29, 2012)

Yes, his fins are down close to his body. I have tried to change the position of the filters so that a sort of current can flow over his gills because, I assume, as he gets weaker, he will not be able to get to the top of the tank to gulp air. I wondered if adding oxygenating tablets would help? I put a few in last night but to no avail.


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## ocallato (Jul 29, 2012)

Good news so far. After 6 days without food and slumped on the bottom of the tank, Arnie has decided not to pop his clogs. Suddenly started demanding Food (yes he does, you should see him!!!) and swimming around seeking it. Only trouble is that his good eye has clouded over a bit so he is finding food with more difficulty than usual. He is still resting on the bottom so I have left the filters lying sideways on the bottom so that he can get a flow over his gills when he needs it.


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## andrea84 (Aug 16, 2012)

im not an expert,but i had a goldfish that was the same and he was fine once i put some anti fungus and finrot treatment in the water for a while the clouding cleared up and swimming was ressumed


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## ocallato (Jul 29, 2012)

Thank you Andrea. Arnie is doing fine but I will take your advice because he is not 100% yet and I think your suggestion may be the answer. :thumbup:


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## animartco (May 29, 2011)

ocallato said:


> Hi any goldfish experts out there. My 20 year old goldfish (ex fairground prize) is in a quite rough way. He has always been pretty healthy and, for a goldfish, has quite a personality. Arnie and I have survived without ever doing all the right things. I have always kept his tanks clean, aerated and well filtered. He has always had a voracious appetite but, despite many trials, only really likes fish flakes and the occasional tiny fly that comes his way. The past three days he has been lying on the bottom of the tank. Not eating, or swimming, except to go to the surface to gulp every so often. He is obviously not getting oxygen through his gills due to immobility and I am concerned that, as he gets weaker, he will not be able to get to the surface. He does not specifically ill but his left eye has been cloudy for a while since he knocked it. My gut feeling is that he is coming to his end but I would hate to think I have missed anything. We have never got into water ph. I change some of the water on a regular basis and use appropriate water treatments at changes. If I think he is a bit off-colour I add a bit of 'Disease Safe'. Any ideas out there? Thank you. Ocallato.


Hi Ocallato,Has your fish been growing since you had him, and do you think you might not have noticed that he has got too big for the current tank? I'm not sure just how big an ordinary goldfish can get but its certainly over a foot. If a fish is restricted in growth for too long due to too small a container, it does shorten their life. Try getting him a bigger tank, and some company!


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## Quinzell (Mar 14, 2011)

If you are worried about oxygen levels, you could put an open ended airline in the tank (use a suction cup to stick the airline to the tank wall) attached to an air pump.

Arnie sounds like a great little fish


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## andrea84 (Aug 16, 2012)

ocallato said:


> Thank you Andrea. Arnie is doing fine but I will take your advice because he is not 100% yet and I think your suggestion may be the answer. :thumbup:


your welcome hopefully it will cheer arnie up!


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## andrea84 (Aug 16, 2012)

any news on arnie?? hows he getting on?


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## ocallato (Jul 29, 2012)

Hi all. Thanks for the advice. I have got extra oxygen going in to the tank. It is a fairly large tank but I do know that Arnie could do with an even larger one. Trouble is I do not have the room. He is by the sink in the kitchen so that he can watch me doing the washing up and I can chat to him more often than if he was in a tank elsewhere. He has quite a personality. Puts on an aggressive look when he is demanding food, hates to come out of the tank so I have to clean it out with him in it. Last time I tried to get him out in the net he fought so hard that he ended up damaging his scales and had what looked like a black eye! I did think of introducing other fish but I think he would work them over! I will let you know how the fungal stuff works. If he does want to grow more I will have to look for a new home for him which will cause both of us a lot of grief. Thanks again. Tony. :thumbup:


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