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[font color="#000080"] Hi guys. Ok, somebody suggested I increase aeriation so I figured it couldn't hurt.... I added one more line. They seem a bit better, or maybe it's just my wishful thinking?? I am still feeding them with Medi-Koi. So far so good, but DeeDee still sits on the bottom for long periods of time. Fins still look good. I noticed that the triplets I purchased about a couple of months ago, two are males (developing tubercules). I look forward to seeing them spawn! Has anybody tried Medi-Koi??

Patty [/font]

I tried it early on when I got Yoshi to make sure his SBD wasn't related to an infection. Sure made the fish poop good . In his case, it did not help him, but I wanted to try since non of the diet related stuff was working. I also then tried Prazi-Pro thinking it may have been intestinal worms. That did not do it either. I later discovered the magic of dried seaweed sheets and have been feeding them Seaweed Selects (2x2 sheet), with each feeding (once daily). So, I give them their pellets, or flakes, or some freeze dried food like krill, and the algae at the same time. That did the trick.

[font color="#000080"]I still have not seen much change in behavior. Or, I should say, now everybody goes through what I am calling "a quiet period." They just gather in a corner and sit there. When I feed them they seem fine. The finnage looks fine. Their colors are fine. They eat and poop normally. Don't know what else to do.

I do have a small white plastic bottle with Prazi. It says to dissolve all of the powder in some water (mixing vigorously) and THEN pour the entire content to 1,000 gallons of water (pond). I have a 90 gallon tank so...?? What would the dosage be??

Help....
Patty [/font]

I would not medicate.

Does that stuff happen to mention the active ingredients? Does it really say PraziQuantine? If so, there is probably more than Praziquantel in it and I would want to know what is in it. If they are eating and pooping and the feces are not long, white and stringy, you really have no reason to assume that there are intestinal parasites. Its not only a waste of meds, but unnecessary.

Who is congregating in a corner? I thought this was about a black moor?

Check parameters again to make sure you haven't any ammonia or something.

The fish could merely be sleeping. Mine go through periods in the day when that's all they do, sit in a corner.

Give us a complete stock list again for this tank, in list form so we can see it easily.

[font color="#000080"]Ok. I have 6 large (5-8 inch) goldies in there; it's a 90 gallon tank. My female started with the sitting on the gravel business. I treated with some salt the first week. No changes. I added another line to increase aeriation, just in case. I started feeding Medi-Koi in case it was a bacterial or fungal infection. I see more fish sitting on the gravel now... not just that one female. They do seem healthy, otherwise. I will check water parameters tomorrow morning (kind of late now - too dark to tell colors accurately).

Thanks a million for sticking with me on this!

Patty***[/font]

Last edited by PattyPedd at 23-Jan-2005 16:15

I just checked my book, Fancy Goldfish by Dr. Erik Johnson and Richard Hesse. Here is what they say:

SITTING ON BOTTOM
Causes
Goldfish that rest on the bottom of the tank can be divided into two categories, each requiaring different treatement. The first category includes fish that have to struggle to swim into the mid-water or to the surface. They have a swim bladder problem, sometimes due to bacterial infection and sometimes due to defects in the swim bladder (necropsies show that some of these fish have water in the air sac instead of air).

The second category is fish that swim fine when disturbed. Thesse fish usually carry massive fluke or costia burden and are being weakened by the parasites. They rest on the bottom which further assists the parasites in proliferating on the skin and gills, and the fish eventually dies.

Electrocution can cause this symptom as well.

Solutions
Check for bacterial infection and parasites and treat as necessary. Also check for electrical current in your system.

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Now, that having been said, I would think there would be more such as grey slimey areas, especially about the head and gill covers if it were Costia (according to the book). Do the gills move rapidly?

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While praziquantel is good for flukes, it is not effective for Costia. The book goes on to talk about a 0.3% salt solution as a cure, but also recognizes that there is a salt resistant strain going about right now that even 0.6% can't kill off. In such a case, they recommend formalin. Formalin can be rough on the fish as it is a gas. The book also mentions that formalin can cause redness in goldies. I guess I'd want to be pretty confident the fish needed formalin before dosing it. They recommend removing plants in such cases as they will die off from it. Put them in a bucket.

If all you have are goldfish in the tank and no scaleless fish, then you may want to consider the 0.3% salt solution, which is 1 Tbsp/gal. This is alot and it must be done over time. The book recommends dosing one third at a time, predissolved, over 24 hours to gradually raise salinity. Another way to do this is to place the total amount of salt required into a disposable glad container with holes poked into it and sunk. It will take days to dissolve - like 3 or 4. I personally like this approach better. The book goes on to say that once fish show they are receptive to the 0.3% salt you can attempt to up it by another 0.3% to make the 0.6%. But, you must do this when you can be with the fish - like a weekend, in case they begin to stress, at which time you would do a water change to dilute it (same temp). The book recommends starting with a hefty water change at the outset so that you don't have to do one while the salt is in the tank.

I believe you may see these fish perk up just from the salt alone. Lets see if that does anything. At least it is not a chemical. Make sure you use a good aquarium salt like Doc Wellfish. Don't use the second method of dissolving salt that I mentioned unless you have the rock type aquarium salt, which is what Doc Wellfish is. Jungle sells a quick dissolving flake and that would be too rapid. That would need to be predissolved and dribbled in over time.

Let us know how that works.

Definitely get those parameter readings before doing anything with salt. The answer may lie there. That is alot of body mass for a 90 gallon tank. Hopefully, the filter is holding up.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 23-Jan-2005 17:42

[font color="#000080"]Thanks!! Ok, after reading your last email I am carefully assessing still. I really don't think there's an infection going on, because the gills and fins look supple and whole. She simply looks healthy! My water parameters are fine too. So far, I have only treated with salt and I fed them Medi-Koi for 10 days. She looks better (as far as not sitting all the time). I have added life plants to my aquarium (yesterday, actually). Today, as I was lurking, ehem.... I mean stalking, ...darn! ... I mean just walking by the tank and lo and behold I kind of saw like something weird so I did a double take..... THERE WAS LIKE AN EXPLOSION OF EGGS!! They must have just had them because it was like an explosion of eggs! They were everywhere!!! I hope they get eaten quick because I just don't have more room for babies! My husband will kill me if I get yet another tank! At any rate, I wonder if she was just laden with eggs....???

Patty***[/font]

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[font color="#000080"] Ok, here's a few more pics of the "after" courship ritual. I think she's trying really hard to hide from the guys. Sorry, did not mean to take the pics with her butt up in the air, but that's just the way she was. She does look pretty round, doesn't she??

Patty*** [/font]

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[font color="#000080"]One more shot.

My goodness... I'll try to get better pics. I just realized how bad these look...!!

Patty***[/font]

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