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Hello all,
I have a question about goldfish diseases. I'm taking care of someone goldfish while they're away, and the fish don't look so good. There are three 3-4 inch feeder fish? (i think they are comets) in a 29 gallon tank I think they are approximately 2 years old. The seem to have a white slimy coating over their bodies and two of them have blood streaks down their sides.
I really don't know anything about goldfish, but i'm pretty sure the tank is overstocked. I forgot my test kit to check the water parameters, (will do tommorrow) but the water doesn't smell bad.
Any ideas about what could be wrong with these fish?
Thanks

Could well be velvet, and sometimes the streaks can be from ammonia or septacaemia, its hard to know what precisely the problem is at this point, but it certainly sounds serious enough to warrant some action. Do your best to get the water at least partly changed very soon, and if that doesnt pick things up, you might have to track down some meds. Sometimes waiting for a test kit result takes a while (more than fish with radical ammonia poisoning might have) and a water change will do little harm. Its possible you might be overfeeding them, and its worth checking that all the filters / pipes, intakes and outtakes are all unblocked. What is the tank setup like, equipment etc, do you know how long its been since the last water change?

Ps , Im sure a small phone call to your friend is a good idea, he may have a suspicion of what is wrong, and would doubtless wish to know about the condition of his fish, even if it takes the shine off his holiday a little bit.Im sure if it were me Id want to know. Plus if your gonna use meds it helps to have his permission.



Last edited by longhairedgit at 11-Dec-2005 19:06

thanks longhairedgit, I was planning on changing water tommorrow when i go back. I don't think that it is ammonia poisoning because i cannot smell amonia in the water, but i will not rule it out. I think that the equipment is fine, since my friend did a water change the other day. Just in case i will double check.

Bloodstreaks down their sides and that many feeders in a 29 which is a narrow tank anyway doesnt sound to me like it's very well stocked at all . If it's early signs of septicemia and the owner is not planning relocation when they return they may be near their end twenty years too soon.

However since it's not your tank there's really not much you can do for them. I agree with LH's suggestion to give the friend a call.

Hopefully they're planning a pond for them in the next few months. They really do require ponds and should be twice that size if they're two years old .

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Hows it going BTW? Any news?

ps, depending on the the water composition you cant always smell ammonia, sometimes peaty smells and methanes can drown out the smell from the human palette. Unless you have a nose that is beastly good

A good test kit should reveal all.



Last edited by longhairedgit at 14-Dec-2005 06:58