# Recurring issue



## xMarishax (Sep 4, 2013)

Hello everyone,

Im having a bit of a problem with my 10 year old goldfish. I used to have him/her (I have tried many time but cannot fathom if Freddy is a girl or not) in a 60L tank which I wasnt happy with at all. A good 5 months ago we got him an Aqua One 620T tank (around 120L?), which he seems to love. I maintain/ replace the filter/filter media regularly, I do water changes once a week at around 50%.

As soon as we put him in his bigger tank his cataracts seem to have lessened a huge amount and his eyes looks relatively normal. One used to bulge and had done for years, but thats gone down too.

Anyway, I have a problem. This has been a recurring problem for a long while now (even before we moved him to a bigger tank). He seems to keep getting fungal infections, which then lead to red sores and his flashing against stones etc and me running round in a panic replacing little water daily along with medication until he seems normal again. I have no idea how Im going to combat it. I treat him with Melafix and Pimafix, although I am a little unsure of what exact measurements to put in for his bigger tank. When I change his water I use API tap water conditioner.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what may be causing this? 
He did have some plants in there, to which I pulled out the other day in case they were the cause/were making the problem worse. Other than that he just has gravel in there along with the hooded filter system.
I feel really helpless now, Ive tried all I can to help him and stop this from coming back. Feel so sorry for the poor little guy and feel like such a bad owner!

Thanks

Marie


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Well done for getting him the bigger tank 

When you do your regular maintenance on the filter, do you rinse the media in tap water, or in old tank water? And when you say you replace the media regularly - how regularly is this, and how much of it do you replace at one time? I'm just wondering whether you might be over-maintaining your filter, which could lead to water quality issues which in turn would make him more vulnerable to fungal infections.

Another possibility would be that there's something in the tank that he's cutting himself on, which then becomes infected, but as you've said he has nothing in there but gravel and some plants which you removed (were they real, plastic or silk?) then that seems unlikely.


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## xMarishax (Sep 4, 2013)

Hiya,

Well i outright change the carbon filter monthly. There are two sections of the filter, and i change them one at a time, so this month was the longer section next month will be the shorter. The biomedie balls i never change, i just rinse with clean water. The black sponges again i have yet to change outright, but if they begin to look like they have picked up some waste, i rinse them with I little bit of his tank water when changing, then finish with a quick rinse of tap water. I must admit, i'm really hesitant about rinsing in his own tank water, as there seems to be small particles in there which, if rinsing the media in there with it, seems to defeat the object of cleaning? I'm probably being really naive about that though?
You're right about the cutting himself as a first instinct, that's what I originally thought when this first happened!
I took the ornament I had out (this is now going back to early last year) and since then I have only given him natural plants in his tank obviously alongside the gravel he has.

Interestingly, I was advised on a different forum to do just 50% water changes weekly (I used to alternate from 25% or 50%, which I did Weds last week. Since then, his tank has got cloudier and cloudier, and today it almost looks fog like in there, which Im quite worried about now and although I have been using the pimafix/melafix since Friday, I am thinking of reluctantly changing his water again.

Sorry for the long posts you have to reado through, I think it's better to properly explain everything


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## Froslass (Dec 4, 2013)

You've done the right in getting him a bigger tank. 

Goldfish are commonly neglected because people keep them in tanks that are too small, they need a good large tank to be happy. 

I am 99% Certain your problem is the filter media. 

What kind of filter do you have? How many litres does it do per hour? You need a filter than can do at least 600-800 lph for your size of tank, preferably more as goldfish produce a LOT of waste. 

I'm not sure if you know how your filter actually works, I don't wanna come across patronising btw, but I will explain Incase you don't  

Fish produce waste = ammonia/poop. 

Ammonia is toxic to fish, and if it builds up in the water the fish starts to get sick. When the fish has a lowered immune system it is then susceptible to other illnesses and disease (much like us when we are run down). 

The filter media grows a special bacteria, which when the water runs through it, converts the ammonia in the water to nitrite ( still harmful) and then to Nitrate, which is not harmful to fish unless in very large quantities. This bacteria takes a while to grow, in fact, on clean/new media it will take a few months to fully establish. 

Because you are changing the sponge so regularly, you are not giving this bacteria enough time to establish - meaning the ammonia in the water is building up, and your fish is getting sick  

I don't know who told you to replace your media, but I promise you, you do NOT need to do it. The carbon you can replace, but in my opinion carbon should only be used for removing medecine from the water, and you don't need it. I'd take it out and replace with more media, and then leave it. Don't even clean your filter out. A water change of 50% a week will be fine! but don't touch the filter unss you have a lot if silt and grime being blown out of it. 

I am certain this will solve your problem  hope this helps.


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## Froslass (Dec 4, 2013)

The cloudiness is bacteria bloom, because your killing off the bacteria in the filter. The ammonia causes bacteria bloom.


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## xMarishax (Sep 4, 2013)

Froslass you have explained everything better to me!

I know about the ammonia etc being harmful, but dont worry you havent come across as patronising at all, and I would read up all night about these things if I could.
I am a complete beginner with this really, although Im better than most people who think just chucking a fish in a tank will be fine 
I did buy a water test kit previously but as my levels were staying around the same (and were all safe) I used it all and stupidly didnt restock, and havent had the money this month/last to buy any.
I (again stupidly) have been taking the advice of AquaOne (who are the makers on the filter and my tank) who say to replace the carbon cartridge every month at least. Which now thinking about it, at £12 a time per item, i see why they recommend that. 
From reading online I have now bought some pond filter wool (i think its 12-15mm, as everyone says this is the best thing to use to replace the carbon?

The filter I have comes with my actual AquaOne 620T unit (its a hooded filter). I have £20 to my name atm but as soon as Im paid this month I was thinking of getting a proper internal filter, possibly Eheim as Ive heard good reviews. But as my tank is 120L, Im not sure which is best for one goldfish &#61516; 

I did think the cloudiness was bacteria bloom, as its white, so Im so glad youve said that too.


I won't be replacing my media unless it is absolutely necessary now! I was under the impression the biomedia type balls held most of the good bacteria, but have definitely taken your advice now


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

You should never EVER rinse filter media or sponges in tap water! Always give them a squeeze out in a bucket of aquarium water, and always treat replacement water with a tap water conditioner (Seachem Prime is widely accepted as the best one out there right now) before adding it to the tank, and if you really must wash anything in the tank use tank water to do it. If you really must use clean water, treat it FIRST. 

The reason for this is that chlorine and chloramine in tap water which make it safe for us to drink by killing harmful bacteria also kill the good bacteria that build up in the filter and on all surfaces in the aquarium. You need these bacteria to deal with the ammonia wastes the fish produce, and also the subsequent nitrites that the ammonia is broken down into (both ammonia and nitrite are highly toxic to fish).

You do not need to replace the filter sponges until they absolutely are going to disintegrate, and when you do need to you normally run the new sponge in alongside the old one for a few weeks (say about 6-10 weeks) before binning the old one. Ceramic media you almost never have to change as it will probably outlast the filter.

You do not need to use carbon in the filter unless you have been using medications and need to clear them out the water quickly. Carbon absorbs medications, so if you have been running carbon whilst trying to treat your fish you will have been fighting a losing battle and not using the correct dosages for the fish.

Fungal infections in fish usually occur because of damage to the skin/scales, and ammonia/nitrites will do that quite nicely (they burn, you usually see blackened or bleached fins and scales) and they will also be causing the eye trouble. Also, anything wrong with the water chemistry (in your case chlorine/chloramine/ammonia/nitrite - all of them probably) will be putting enormous stress on the fish's immune system and in turn will lead him to being susceptible to other secondary infections - such as the fungal infection you have been seeing.

So what you need to do now is get a water testing kit (API master test kit is the best) and some Seachem Prime water conditioner. Treat the tank water with prime, test for ammonia and nitrite - anything above zero is bad - and get that carbon out the filter. Leave the filter running for a good couple of weeks without interference, it shouldn't need rinsing more than that unless there's a tonne of debris in it (which now you have no plants there wont be). Cut the food down for the goldfish, too (no more than one feed per day, ideally every other day for the moment unless he is very thin, and alternate flake with defrosted peas), to help reduce ammonia burden. 

Post your test results on here and we can advise what to do next. 

I should also mention that 120L long term isn't big enough for a common goldfish, but that's something we can discuss later.


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## Froslass (Dec 4, 2013)

Really good advice from Phoenix RE the test kits and the seachem prime 

I'd highly recommend all pond solutions filters. They are really affordable and I run two of their externals on my discus tank, and and internal on my guppy tank and community tank.

They do a 1200 litres per hour internal for 19.99 - I've got the 800 lph and it's been great. 
Www.allpondsolutions.co.uk

1200 lph is probably over filtered for 160 litres, but there's no such thing as over filtering in my mind - and as gold fish have a very high bio load (produce a ton of ammonia.) the more filtration the better. If you don't have space for am external, get the highest rating internal you can  filter floss is great stuff!

I suspect, as your fish is already ten years old he might be stunted already - but Phoenix is right that long term they require bigger tanks, they are pond fish really. How big is he?

Don't worry for feeling like a beginner btw, I made all the same mistakes when I first started. People think keeping fish is as easy as fish in bowl, but it's not. You're effectively trying to learn how to recreate a natural environment in a small space, and nature is very delicately balanced.

Have a read at this article, I know you've not got a new aquarium, but without a mature filter you may as well have and this explains it all so well 
http://www.tropicalfishforums.co.uk/index.php?page=setting up your new aquarium

Please do post your results when you get them


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## xMarishax (Sep 4, 2013)

Phoenix24 said:


> You should never EVER rinse filter media or sponges in tap water! Always give them a squeeze out in a bucket of aquarium water, and always treat replacement water with a tap water conditioner (Seachem Prime is widely accepted as the best one out there right now) before adding it to the tank, and if you really must wash anything in the tank use tank water to do it. If you really must use clean water, treat it FIRST.
> 
> The reason for this is that chlorine and chloramine in tap water which make it safe for us to drink by killing harmful bacteria also kill the good bacteria that build up in the filter and on all surfaces in the aquarium. You need these bacteria to deal with the ammonia wastes the fish produce, and also the subsequent nitrites that the ammonia is broken down into (both ammonia and nitrite are highly toxic to fish).
> 
> ...


Hiya, thank you for the advice. Like I mentioned before, I'm now not going to rinse with clean water and will only replace items once it is absolutely necessary.
He doesn't have an eye problem, like I said before that's gone now he's in the bigger tank. I feed him 2 defrosted peas one day, one with a small amount of flakes the next, so I don't think I feed him too much. He also doesn't have any black/dark markings on him, literally just the fungus. No discolouration at all! I NEVER put tap water in without using API tap conditioner, which I'll change to using the one you mentioned. I know much damage it can do if I don't use it.

I am currently saving up for a bigger tank, as I know how big they grow an how much space he needs, so that will hopefully not be an issue in a few months.

I'll post my levels when I can, the API master kit is what I had before, with the tubes and droplets, but until I get paid in a week or so I can't do anything with £20 

He about 6 inches now, and is otherwise happily swimming around the tank as he always has done, I'm just really struggling to eliminate fungus. I have literally just got home from work and have taken the carbon out, so there is only the bio media and black sponge in the filter!


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## Froslass (Dec 4, 2013)

Now you've stopped cleaning the sponges, do plenty of water changes to combat the fungus and keep toxin levels down. 

Definitely switch to seachem prime


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## xMarishax (Sep 4, 2013)

Thanks  With Seachem Prime do I have to let the water sit before putting it in the tank for it to do its work? 
Ive just been doing a bit of reading online and some people leave it for 10 mins or so. 
I fill/empty the tank using a bucket and gravel cleaner, so having to wait 10 mins between each addition of water may double the time it takes. 
Its not a problem if it is as I have all the time in the world for my fish, but I suffer from nerve damage in my leg/back and Im only 53 so I do get in pain when doing it currently! So if I can find an easier way of filling up the tank than lifting buckets/using the step ladders over double the amount of time, I would happily do so! I have no idea how other people emptyfill their tanks I guess, think i need to do a bit of youtubing!

The fogginess is still there today, but im hoping its still the bacteria bloom clearing its way.

Thank you again so much to you both for your help, i'll stick around here and will post my levels up as soon as i get the API kit as i'm going to make it a regular necessity now


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

I use Seachem Prime, and as far as I'm aware you don't have to let it stand - just swish it around a bit  You only need tiny amounts with Prime, so it may be worth getting a dosing syringe.


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

As Naomi said - no need to let water stand (no idea where people hear that... complete mystery!), just read how much you need to add and add it in. The small bottle of Prime tells you how many drops per litre, the large bottle says something like 5ml per 200L (so you can see its really, really good value for money - a big bottle lasts far longer than its use-by date!).

The advantage of Prime above pretty much all other water conditioners on the market is that it not only deals with the chlorine and chloramine, and heavy metals, but also detoxifies ammonia and nitrite as well. In fact, most other conditioners work by breaking down chloramine into ammonia, and so make any ammonia spikes worse, whereas Prime does not. You can safely use Prime at a 5X dose to help alleviate nitrite spikes too (combined with some aquilibrium salt this can be a real life saver, as I discovered once when my tank's balance was thrown into a mini cycle).

The API test kit is also well worth the money - it's not cheap I know but its one of the most accurate ones (though it is always worth testing raw tap water for a baseline, or tap water left to stand for a while - again i'm not sure why - as tap water can contain low levels of ammonia and nitrates in particular).

Which anti-fungal treatment have you been using? Hopefully you should get results now the carbon is out of the filter, but if not then you might have to consider a different treatment.

As soon as you can get your test kit, post the results on here. Do all four tests (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH) so we can get a good idea of what your tank's situation is. also test your tap water like I said, in case there's a baseline reading of ammonia and/or nitrate.


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## xMarishax (Sep 4, 2013)

Thank you again!

I did think it was a little strange re letting the water stay a little, as it works on contact doesn't it? Glad you've cleared it up 

I'm using both Melafix and Pimafix. He had the fungussy type thread/ tiny blobs on him which after a day or so I saw a few red sores, so thought it best to use both tocover bases. I've used the medicines since Friday.

I'm worried that the 'bacterial bloom' is getting worse now. It's worse than yesterday, but he doesn't seem to be at the top gasping, so i don't think his oxygen levels have suffered, which is good. With it being worse, my first instinct is to change some of the water, but I knowif it's bacterial bloom it won't make much difference. There aren't any other kind of reasons for it to be milky white is there? We changed his water Thursday and it just worries me that it's still getting a bit worse now.


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## Froslass (Dec 4, 2013)

xMarishax said:


> Thanks  With Seachem Prime do I have to let the water sit before putting it in the tank for it to do its work?
> Ive just been doing a bit of reading online and some people leave it for 10 mins or so.
> I fill/empty the tank using a bucket and gravel cleaner, so having to wait 10 mins between each addition of water may double the time it takes.
> Its not a problem if it is as I have all the time in the world for my fish, but I suffer from nerve damage in my leg/back and Im only 53 so I do get in pain when doing it currently! So if I can find an easier way of filling up the tank than lifting buckets/using the step ladders over double the amount of time, I would happily do so! I have no idea how other people emptyfill their tanks I guess, think i need to do a bit of youtubing!
> ...


There is an easier way! 

I use this pond pump and hose to empty my tanks. Just pop it in and put the other end down the toilet, out the window etc or whereever you put your waste water.

Pump: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002NLMBOM/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hose: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007V2NSJA/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It takes about 8 minutes for that pump to remove 75% of my 200L community tank water.

with your 160L tank it would take about 5 minutes. to do 75%.

The for re filling I bought this:

Tap/Hose converter. 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002NH9X6A/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Standard size hose:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001K9WE4/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You re cold water so don't need to worry about temp, just attatch that to your kitchen tap (or nearest tap) and stick the hose in the tank.

I add the seachem as the tank is filling.

It literally saves so much backache with buckets etc...takes me about 15 minutes total. On my tropical community tank I just use my mixer tap to get right temp, then attach the hose.


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## Froslass (Dec 4, 2013)

Heres a quick vid of my pump set up draining my aquarium.

Obv don't leave filters and heaters running like I have, I was just demonstrating 

Pond pump draining aquarium - YouTube


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## xMarishax (Sep 4, 2013)

Wow that looks SO much easier! It's such a back ache running from one end of the house the the other... my partner usually watches and laughs at me waddling and struggling - so supportive haha! I'm sure the fish does too!

I actually can't thank you both enough. My fish is getting spoilt this christmas with everything he needs and more. I'm just waiting for the bacterial bloom to go away now and am still treating him. Have emptied a little bit of water so the water surface is a little more aggitated he (hopefully) gets more oxygen just in case it gets worse befor eit gets better.

Thank you thank you thank you


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Just one point to remember - if you use a hose to fill the tank, be sure to add enough dechlorinator for the whole volume of the tank, not just the new water. I'd put it in just before you start filling


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## Froslass (Dec 4, 2013)

NaomiM said:


> Just one point to remember - if you use a hose to fill the tank, be sure to add enough dechlorinator for the whole volume of the tank, not just the new water. I'd put it in just before you start filling


Yes! Should have said this 

I dose for the full volume


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

If you are getting bacterial blooms then i'm afraid you will need to keep up with the water changes, as a bloom indicates ammonia levels are spiking, which can in turn put more stress on your fish.

Did you check on the bottle of the medications that it was safe to mix them? I know that some remedies it says to clear one out the water before using the other.

I would just add that melafix and pimafix come into the category of 'natural' remedies, and if you are struggling to clear the fungus you would be better going for something a bit harder hitting. I recommend Protozin by waterlife. http://www.waterlife.co.uk/waterlife/protozin.htm

As always you could try a theraputic dose of aquarium salt (API aqualibrium salt has a buffer in it to prevent pH swings, which with your water chem crisis could help a lot (cycling alters tank pH and can cause a pH crash)). A bit of salt in the water can be very helpful for freshwater fish. Always read the packet for dosage, and if you are using a high dose for medication then build it up gradually over a series of days.

I forgot to mention, if you are having to do water changes to combat ammonia, you will have to take water replacement into account when calculating doses of medication and salt. Many medications are put in on successive days to build up the dosage, so when you replace any water you will have to dose the new water (helps to know how much water you are taking out...).

Sounds complicated, I know, but on the bright side if you use salt it will reduce nitrite toxicity.


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## Froslass (Dec 4, 2013)

Phoenix24 said:


> If you are getting bacterial blooms then i'm afraid you will need to keep up with the water changes, as a bloom indicates ammonia levels are spiking, which can in turn put more stress on your fish.
> 
> Did you check on the bottle of the medications that it was safe to mix them? I know that some remedies it says to clear one out the water before using the other.
> 
> ...


In my experience, medicines are a very very last resort - most things can be cured by plenty of fresh water and water changes.

I'd do daily water changes for a week to see if that helps with the fungus, and a salt bath. Only then if theres no change would I consider medicating. 99% of the time this has worked for me. Only time i've had to medicate was for Hole in the Head!

You are effectively now doing a "fish-in" cycle. The bacteria will keep building up, but it will take a lot longer because of all the water changes.

If you know someone else with a mature aquarium, get them to give you a big bit of their sponge and stick it in your filter. It will greatly speed things up for you


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## xMarishax (Sep 4, 2013)

I've only had bacterial bloom this once, it's not a regualr thing, and it was when i'd cleaned it 50% for the first time in a while.

I know the Pimafix and Melafix can be used together, yes. I will see how the medications work now that i have eliminated the carbon i had in my tank, as before this week i wasnt aware that they would not work with it in there. 

I'm now going to buy my plants from a different place too, rather than my local Maidenhead aquatics store, as i have a feeling this started when i first purchase their plants (but im nto 100%).

I'll see how he is after my tank has 're-cycled' and if his fungual issue has got better. If it has, i'll buy a specific treatment for fungus no matter what, and dose accordingly to see ifthat helps the recurring side of things.
I'm not changing any water now, i'm leaving it to cycle in its own time and will only change maybe 25% on Saturday, a week after first dosing his medication.

So, may plan of action! I will buy some aquarium salt today and will wait until Saturday and hopefully the bacterial bloom will have cleared somewhat. I will change 25% of the water, and as long as it doesn't get worse again will do small daily changes for a week along with the salt bath.
I will also buy a specific fungus treatment and treat according to the bottle.
I've also found a cheap API kit online, so will hopefully be buying that today too!

Thanks again for your help  will post my water parimeters up when i get the kit.


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

Good luck, I hope the plan works out. I would still recommend partial water changes whilst the tank is cycling though, to reduce toxin burden (ie ammonia load) as your fish will just keep pumping out more and more ammonia. I understand though if you want to wait and see what the test kit says, it is a heck of a lot of effort changing even 10% of the water, especially on a daily basis. 

Did you say you had the Prime conditioner yet? If you have it then use the 5x dose plus the aquilibirum salt and keep a close eye on your fish for signs of ammonia toxicity (the salt will more or less deal with the nitrites) which can be ranging from gasping at the surface, darting around, clamped fins, blackened fins, bleached scales, general signs of distress, constant rapid gill movements (this is the best one to look for).

With any luck you are already over the worst ammonia wise, but if you are unlucky ammonia levels will keep rising until they stall the cycle, and will certainly kill the fish without a water change. 

When you bought the plants did they come from a fishless tank? And when you got the plants home did you rinse them first? It is always best to rinse plants (tap water is fine) as they might have anything on them from germs to snail eggs to parasites. Last time I got plants I forgot to rinse them and ended up infested with snails!


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## xMarishax (Sep 4, 2013)

Phoenix24 said:


> Good luck, I hope the plan works out. I would still recommend partial water changes whilst the tank is cycling though, to reduce toxin burden (ie ammonia load) as your fish will just keep pumping out more and more ammonia. I understand though if you want to wait and see what the test kit says, it is a heck of a lot of effort changing even 10% of the water, especially on a daily basis.
> 
> Did you say you had the Prime conditioner yet? If you have it then use the 5x dose plus the aquilibirum salt and keep a close eye on your fish for signs of ammonia toxicity (the salt will more or less deal with the nitrites) which can be ranging from gasping at the surface, darting around, clamped fins, blackened fins, bleached scales, general signs of distress, constant rapid gill movements (this is the best one to look for).
> 
> ...


Hey again,

Hes sitting in the tank now not doing much, not swimming much, just sat there. Im guessing its because the tank is so cloudy and the quality isnt as good?
He isnt gasping for air, and I do want to water change at least 10-20%, so Ill do that tomorrow.

I dont have the prime conditioner yet, but hoping itll come soon, I did choose next day! If it isnt here today Im asking my mum to give me a lift to our nearest aquatics store. Also, i'm wary of putting the salt into his tank, although i'll be getting the aquarium salt, is there a specific kind i should be looking for?

The plants were all in a fishless tank, I learnt my lesson about rinsing once I saw little orange shells on my plants once, so always rinse the thoroughly first  I dont actually treat/feed them though. Ive read that I should be, should I?

I already have some Malaysian trumpet snails in the tank, they came with an old tank years ago, and never caused Freddy a problem so I would much rather not have yet another gang of snails arrive haha!

The fogginess hasnt cleared, in my opinion, one bit since Sunday/Monday. Should I now be getting a little worried?


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

Well the main brands of aquarium salt is API or interpet. Interpet Aquilibrium salt is the one I suggested, which contains a buffer to help stop drastic pH swings whilst you tank is cycling.

Honestly, salt has long been used to treat freshwater fish. Obviously you wouldn't keep them in salt water as a routine, long term thing, but there are different levels of salt you can use that will help with various problems. I have used salt both for protecting my fish against a killer nitrite spike (salt water aquariums rarely have fish die from nitrite, salt seems to have some protective function), and for medicating various skin problems - including white spot and ulcers. Salt baths are often recommended for parasitic infections (by bath I mean quite a strong salt solution than the fish are 'bathed' in for a very short period). Dosages are given on the packet, and always check you are using the correct dose for what you need!

The sooner you get the Prime the better. And the test kit. You see the thing is, 99% of the time a fish falls sick either directly or indirectly as a result of poor water quality, so most fish keepers will check the levels first (ammonia and nitrite primarily, but pH and nitrate can also be indicators of a problem), perform a water change, check all the equipment is functioning correctly etc. After that its a case of trying to diagnose what is wrong, and how to treat it - either by correcting the water chemistry or medicating against an illness that has been able to take hold because the water conditions are not right.

Sitting at the bottom of the tank is often a sign of a swim bladder issue, which in turn is often caused by an intestinal blockage (either from over feeding, too much flake food, or from abnormal growth/stunting), a common problem in goldfish. Solution for that is to reduce feeding, feed defrosted peas (and alternate these with flake once normal behaviour is resumed) and buy a much larger tank with double the filtration for the tank size (200L for a normal goldfish, 300L for a fancy, round-bodied goldfish). Obviously not many people can afford that, which is why many experienced fish keepers frown on pet stores selling goldfish at all - they really are not suited to small tanks, let alone those awful fish bowls!

Anyway, hopefully the prime will come by tomorrow and the test kit soon after and we can see what's going on.


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## xMarishax (Sep 4, 2013)

Phoenix24 said:


> Well the main brands of aquarium salt is API or interpet. Interpet Aquilibrium salt is the one I suggested, which contains a buffer to help stop drastic pH swings whilst you tank is cycling.
> 
> Honestly, salt has long been used to treat freshwater fish. Obviously you wouldn't keep them in salt water as a routine, long term thing, but there are different levels of salt you can use that will help with various problems. I have used salt both for protecting my fish against a killer nitrite spike (salt water aquariums rarely have fish die from nitrite, salt seems to have some protective function), and for medicating various skin problems - including white spot and ulcers. Salt baths are often recommended for parasitic infections (by bath I mean quite a strong salt solution than the fish are 'bathed' in for a very short period). Dosages are given on the packet, and always check you are using the correct dose for what you need!
> 
> ...


Hi, I'm on my phone just now do can properly reply a little later, but as I mentioned previously his diet consists of defrosted peas alternating with flakes! Also he isn't sat at the bottom, sometimes kind of in the middle sometimes kind of at the top. It definitely isn't a swim bladder problem.


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