Sick Redcap Goldfish

48 posts • Page 3 of 5

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


falconite
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:21 pm

by falconite

Nope....thats the main problem...theres this aquarium guy but m not pretty sure how much he knws....thats why i rely on u guys' advice so much...
n my shubunkin is a bit hot tempered....i hav seen him chase my orange goldfish a couple of tyms....n sumtyms he swims around the tank as if his tail s on fire...:D...but i really dnt thnk he wud beat the shit out of my redcap...


tekneb
 
Posts: 211
Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:45 am

by tekneb

When you say a "little flaky thing" what exactly does it look like? Is it like a cotton or wool looking growth, or more like one of the fishes scales hanging off? Terramycin is really only for killing off bacterial infections like fin/tail rot, so if its a cotton/wool growth, that would be a fungus and therefore, not cured by terramycin. Either way, that little flaky thing could be causing a lot of irritation, which could be causing him to rub up against the tank and irritate the skin around the infected area (possibly why his head is turning red?) Also, there are a lot of safer options for medicating your fish then terramycin. Over the years my fish have on occasion gotten fin rot and fungal infections (my poor betta has a little fungus growth on his tail right now) and I have always used a product called Melafix to treat them. Its made from tea tree oil so its safe for all fish and is really really hard to overdose with. Also, if your fish is getting sick, curing him is just half the solution. You should test your waters parameters if you haven't already to find out what is causing your fish to be ill. When I saw the growth on my betta this morning, the first thing I did was test the water for ammonia/nitrite and checked the PH level. All were fine but I was messing with the filter yesterday and I think something that got sucked up (leftover food, poop, plant matter, etc) came loose and infected my betta.


falconite
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:21 pm

by falconite

Its actually part of his skin (its orange in colour)...n its not a scale....like if u scrub ur skin too hard flakes may come off....its similar....i dnt thnk there s any fungal growth....
n he isnt actually scratching his skin...he is leaning against the wall...lyk he is tired n feverish......
i havnt teted the water yet...if i do find anything abnormal shud i change the water or is there anothr remedy (like adding some solution to the water or sumthng)???


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

if you test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, oxygen and ph, and all those tests are within normal range, then there is really no reason to change the water except if the problem is ich, and even then it is a small chance you will catch the ich in time as it moves from gravel to host (fish)...but if you want to you can take out about 40% of the water to be on the safe side

as for the filter changing, this may be the problem, but if the fish was acting like this way before the filter change, then you can rule this out too

I feel sorry for the little fella, but the main issue one must attend to is, if whatever is bothering that one fish that it does not spread to the other fish so you end up with a lot of your fish dying (in ich cases, this can happen)

leaning against the wall or being listless/tired is not a good sign for like I aid before, fish must always move, this is a tell tale sign it is healthy (unless it is "sleeping" at night)...what you can do every so often, throw a little food his/her way, making sure she/he has access to the food and see if the fish will eat it...as long as the fish is eating, this is a good sign; once the fish no longer takes food, then it's a matter of hours before the fish will die

as for medicine - personally, I am against all types of medicines...I try to raise the temperature to fight off any bacteria/parasite/fungus whatever have you that comes into the tank plus I add tablespoons of aquarium salt - but with goldfish, you can't raise the temperature too high, so you are caught between a rock and a hard place...the sad fact in our hobby is, fish do die, some fish even jump to their death (out of the tank)...some fish can live for years (10 years plus) but if a problem happens to the fish, it will drastically ruin a fish's chance of living so long, we all must accept this

just continue to feed it, just to see if it takes food...if it won't move at all, it's also a sign the fish has very little time

if stingray is around, I am sure you will get very good advice from this hobbyist


falconite
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:21 pm

by falconite

Heidi...he is acting just as he has been all these days...ie. acting normally cept for leaning against the tank now and then....i mentioned this flaky problem and the reddish spot coz everythng seems to be happening to him all of a sudden....had he not been acting sick at tyms i may not hav given it a second thought....

yasherkoach....the good thng is that he is eating normally....i usually turn off the pump and filter before i feed them (so tht they may knw tht food is on the way)...n he just soars to the top of the tank as soon as i turn off the pump...

btw why would a fish jump out of the aquarium???its horrific to evn thnk about it....

anothr (unrelated) question....do pet fish recognize their owners???specialy goldfish???


falconite
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:21 pm

by falconite

Oh n by "stingray" i believe u meant "stingraysrule"....thnx for the advice....i'll send a message right away.....


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

yes, stingraysrule, but I always call him stingray (smiles)

some fish are just prone to jumping over the water, but they are unaware that it is a glass tank, and that if they miss, they will fall to the floor to their death...in real life, in the rivers, streams, oceans, etc, fish jump out of the water all the time (even dolphins, whales do it), except this time there is water all around them...so it's just a natural instinct to jump out of the water....of course they do not realize that jumping out of the water can also mean jumping out onto the floor (((frowns)))

well as long as it is eating, then do not be too concerned...fish are not perfect, meaning each fish does not look exactly like the airbrushed photo we may see in a magazine or online, sometimes fish get scraped or lean against a glass pane, what have you...main things to look for are: does the fish remain in one position too long at a time (like for hours even days) and/or does the fish continue to take food...because the most basic instinct for a fish is to constantly move and to eat

so I wouldn't be too concerned, but keep observing, continue to do your normal routine, and we'll/you'll see how it goes


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

on if a fish recognizes its owner

fish can see on average about 18 inches from the glass...so say you are standing 15 inches from the glass, the fish will notice you...some fish will recognize or distinguish the large figure on the other side as its owner or as its food giver...most fish can't tell the difference, but some fish, can make the difference between its regular owner (of food) or someone it feels more nervous about or feels threatened by

so it's really anyone's guess...I sometimes place my hand in the water and the fish swim up to nibble on the skin, some fish may allow me to cup it with water as opposed to the fish you first get from the fish store, those fish will run quickly away from the hand for it is usually causing the fish stress (moving the fish from farm or river to store etc)

so in this sense, fish will get used to the "hand" that feed it...but still it is 50 50...whereas dolphins even some large sharks may permit its carers to touch them without being bitten...so it all depends

but that is an excellent question...hopefully others on this forum will chime in


falconite
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:21 pm

by falconite

yasherkoach...he stays at that position for max 5 mins....actually i constanly check on him....n when i see him leaning i stand real close to the tank...he looks up at me n swims away(believe me thts wht he does)...sumtyms i tap on the tank wall....still at othr tyms the youngest fish comes up to him n kisses him ( <3 <3 <3) which gets him all workd up.....so u c he cant stay at tht position for long....evn if he wishes to.....
newaz will keep u posted if anythng drastic happens....


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

okay, it appears that the fish is fine...but if you have any sudden changes in behavior let us know

Sick Redcap Goldfish

48 posts • Page 3 of 5

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