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Hello everyone,

I have been keeping goldfish for 4 weeks, we got given a 71L tank and fish from a friend who moved overseas.

First of all here are my water parametres as they were yesterday afternoon.

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
pH: 7.2
Temp: 20C

The tank has only showed sign of being cycled for 4 days now.

Tank Information

Tank Size: 71L/18.8 USG (2ft long)
Stock List (Quantity/Species): 2 comets - 6inches and 3 inches (not including tail) 1 ranchu - 2 inches, 1 Red Rasbora, 2 small snails. There are also plants in the tank and gravel
Filtration: It's a tank-top filter moves about 500L an hour


2 weeks ago, my smaller fish started shaking his head like a dog would do with a chew toy. He would also roll onto his side and do this.

My brother made a video of the behaviour so we could post it on a couple of forums for feedback. He got a bit carried away, but you can see the behaviour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvNUur_xkcQ

There are no other physical symptoms, no white or black spots, scales look fine, poop looks normal. No darting or rapid breathing. Appetite is good.

If anyone has any ideas or has come accross this before please let me know. If you need any more information, please let me know as well. I look forward to any suggestions.[link]

Awww.. that was a sweet video. Hope Little Teddy is feeling better !!

Um, OK, question... you have goldfish in this tank, or do you have tropical fish in this tank, or do you have both goldfish and tropical fish in the tank?

If you have both goldfish and tropical fish in the same tank, this could be part of the problem. Goldfish give off high ammonia levels. This will eventually cause problems for your tropical fish. You should remove the goldfish from the tank and put them elsewhere.

Also, I don't know how hot 20 degrees celsius is, but tropical fish need warmer water. About 76 degrees Farenheit minimum. I believe goldfish can live in cooler water.

Anyway, I really suggest that you remove any goldfish from your tropical fish tank p ronto! (ok, that was weird. Someone want to explain what's wrong with the word "p ronto" that would make me have to separate the "p" from the rest of the word to make it show without the emoticon "CENSORED" blocking it out? There's nothing wrong with the word "p ronto." It merely means a very emphasized "quickly/rapidly/etc. An Admin might want to take another look at the "censored" word list please...)

I haven't seen this behavior before, but... here's my hunch...

Something is in his left gill apparatus and he is trying to shake it out, perhaps like a piece of gravel. The behavior we're seeing is not random; he ALWAYS turns on the same side. Also, he is not having any trouble swimming, it seems he is turning on his side on purpose. Trouble swimming would indicate some sort of disorienting disease, but this doesn't look quite like that.

If it's something like a piece of gravel, it should probably come out on its own. I could be wrong about what it is, though, however I'm not sure what could be the cause of this otherwise. I should put the disclaimer that my fish hardly get sick so I don't really know much about diseases.

This behavior does not fit with poison from nitrogenous wastes, so I do not think it's a sign of the tank just having been cycled.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.