# sick goldfish



## splur (May 11, 2011)

I've had 2 goldfish die at separate times (months apart) to this. The oranda was sick a year before to ick->fin rot so he probably wasn't the healthiest fish, the black moor was completely healthy when it happened. Anyone have any ideas as to the cause/have this happen to you? I would've taken a picture, but I am doing this after the fact.  I didn't really want to post a picture of a dead fish.

Symptoms:
kinked body (bend at the tail permanently, cannot swim, struggles to swim, lack of appetite)
minor dropsy at the later stage
dies in 24 hours

30 gal:
ammonia, nitrite, nitrate = 0 (yes, the test kit works)
water temp - 66-68 F
w/c - once a week at 20-30% treated with water conditioner (always been the same)
3 filters (sponge filter + aquatech 20-40 + AC 70)


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

what times of the year did this happen? Spring or around fall? I tend to have some fish loss issues around those times. I have no idea if its because of extra stuff in the water due to water main breaks and floods. 

What do you feed the goldies? Did these fish come from the same store?


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## splur (May 11, 2011)

Ciddian said:


> what times of the year did this happen? Spring or around fall?


Late winter/early spring (maybe feb/early march) first time around, then summer (yesterday).



Ciddian said:


> What do you feed the goldies?


Pre-soaked new life spectrum goldfish formula, been feeding them it since I got them.



Ciddian said:


> Did these fish come from the same store?


Nope, different stores actually. Different aged fish too, the oranda was small/young around 2.5 inches. The black moor was maybe 2 years old at 5 inches? (guestimated head to end of tail)


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## splur (May 11, 2011)

Wow, had one of my smaller angelfish die yesterday. Strangely enough, different tank and I didn't do a w/c to that one. No common variable other than being in the same place, maybe it was something in the air that affected some of the fish.

Strange coincidence.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

I honestly don't have that much experience myself with goldies.  I do have the odd loss around season changes. Some of the things I wonder about is how the heat effects water quality, do things leach into the water supply that might be more taxing on our fish than ourselves.

Did all the fish lost have dropsy or bloat in some way?

I am so sorry I can't be of more help


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## splur (May 11, 2011)

No, only the goldfish did. I think the angelfish died because of being picked on, he was kind of the runt of the group. Just a coincidence that it happened so close to another fish dying I think.


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## splur (May 11, 2011)

Well, my tap water is testing at 0.5-1 ppm for ammonia. That could've attributed to killing the fish if it was already stressed. Warning to anyone else who has prime that doesn't also neutralize the ammonia from the chloramine.


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## splur (May 11, 2011)

One of my orandas was sitting on the bottom as well, it was doing it for weeks. Added salt two days ago and he started swimming around regularly now like the other fish. I didn't know salt had such an effect on goldfish.


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

splur said:


> _...Warning to anyone else who has prime that doesn't also neutralize the ammonia from the chloramine._


Prime is supposed to neutralize chloramine. Infact, that is one of the main advantages that is touted on its web page... http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Prime.html


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## splur (May 11, 2011)

Mlevi said:


> Prime is supposed to neutralize chloramine. Infact, that is one of the main advantages that is touted on its web page... http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Prime.html


Sorry, meant traditional water conditioner. I was looking up Prime as I wrote that haha, I wish I got Prime.


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

splur said:


> Sorry, meant traditional water conditioner. I was looking up Prime as I wrote that haha, I wish I got Prime.


Had me all confusicated


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Maybe you could ask that goldflsh breeder who just closed down.. he might have advice on sick goldfish. Apparently he's been breeding them commercially for a long long time, but iI guess the competition from overseas and down south took most of the profit out of it for him. I got two used tanks from him today, his basement is FULL of racks and tanks.. it's something to see. Seemed like a really nice guy, Ryan is his name. His ad is in the Marketplace section of the forums.


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