# Poorly fish sitting on bottom - help!



## sarahplymouth82 (Nov 23, 2009)

I have 3 fancy goldfish and have had them for 9 months. All has gone well with them and have seemed happy and healthy. Until the last couple of weeks I have noticed one of them isn't acting normal. I noticed last week that he didn't seem to be eating properly - he would eat it, and then spit it out again, over and over again. And then during the end of last week he would stay at the top corner of the tank, just hanging out there....

I have just got back from a couple of days away (a friend fed my cats and fish) and he is now worryingly sat underneath the bridge. My friend said that he was doing that, but coming out to feed - he thought he is going blind as his eye is a bit red. He is seriously looking ill now, I am very worried.

I'm not sure if this is relevant or not - or whether this is normal - but when I got him 9 months ago he was gold, and he slowly turned silver a few months ago....

Any advice would be appreciated - anything i can do to help i'll try. The only thing i have done differently is buy a different brand of the stuff you put in to make the new water ok. But the other 2 are fine, so that may just be a coincidence?

Thanks, Sarah.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Welcome to the forum!!!

Are you able to check your tank water for Ammonia, NO2, 3 please? If the 1 is already a older or weaker fish he'd be the first to notice any water changes that are bad for them, so check the water, if levels elevated do a good water exchange.

If that doesn't check out and like you said the other 2 being all healthy & happy, it could well be this is a old fish who's not going to be around too much longer, sorry to say that.


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## sarahplymouth82 (Nov 23, 2009)

Hiya. Thanks for replying so quickly. I have checked the ammonia and it is fine. I haven't got any other testing kits to check the other ones you said. 

I guess it could just be age...i don't have a clue how old he is. Do you know how old fish are generally when you get them from pet stores??! I've only had him 9 months so I assumed he'd be young. Is it normal that he changed colour?!

I just hate seeing him so lifeless and unhappy...wish I could do something right now! I'll go to the pet store tomorrow after work where I got them from - they seem to know what they're talking about there too. I'll get whatever kits i need to check the water. Although at the moment I honestly can't see him lasting the night....fingers crossed he'll have perked up tomorrow morning.


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

Hello and welcome to the forum!
If you are buying a water test kit, the API liquid freshwater testing kit is a good one to have.
Any chance, that you can post a picture of the ill goldfish? The red eyes, makes me wonder if it has some type of infection. When you go to the store, take some water with you. Most stores will test for free. Post the results, when you can.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

There's no telling how old the fish may have been when you got him.
Did it just rapidly change color or was this a slow change? There's several suggestions to offer, which only you'd know if it applies to your fish or not; As said one reason (if its a slow process) would be aging. If its a more rapid process it could have to do with lack of proper nutrition or too little light/ no light which both factors often make once very colorful fish "pale".

A very good investment and cheap in the long run is the drip test set kits from API, most LFS carry them. The strip tests are inaccurate and over time much more expensive then the API set.


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## sarahplymouth82 (Nov 23, 2009)

I'm happy to say he is still alive today. Was still under the bridge this morning but got quite active when I started feeding them- came out and swum around as normal -he does seem to be having trouble finding the food though, which makes me think his eyesight is deteriorating. He then sat back on the bottom for a bit, and then I went to work. When I got home he seemed a lot better - although he is still hanging out a lot in the top right hand corner of the tank....which seems a bit strange.

I'm going to take some water into my local pet store tomorrow to be tested for free, so will let you know what the results are.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that he has a slight black mark on his mouth which has developed over the last month or so. The colour change of the rest of him was very gradual.

I just tried to take a picture but he's very camera shy, and he kept hiding from me! Which is a good thing I suppose as he's very active tonight. Not as worried, but will post the results tomorrow.


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

It normal for goldfish to change color. Is the black mark around the mouth raised, or do the scales look any different?
Glad to hear he is acting better!
Do post the water test results when you can. Don't give up on the picture taking. A picture could help. If only we could teach fish to pose!


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## sarahplymouth82 (Nov 23, 2009)

Hiya, i'm happy to say he's still looking a lot better. Still think he's going blind as when i feed him he seems to be THAT close to some food, and then he doesn't quite get it! Also, the biggest of my 3 fish has recently got FAT....seriously, he's massive!!! I think he's eating for both of them! He's active again and isn't sitting on the bottom anymore - this only happened for a couple of days so maybe he was just a bit under the weather. He is still hanging out a lot at the top though - it's like he's eating invisible food, that's the only way I can describe it...but then he'll swim around as normal for a bit.

The black mark isn't raised and the scales don't look any different. I think it could just be his change in colour generally which has resulted in the black mark.

I got my water tested today:
pH: 7
Ammonia: 0
Bacteria/nitrite - 0
Bacteria/nitrate - 0

So all fine on the water front. Not worried too much now, but i still think he's going blind. This is quite ironic actually as I named him Goldie after a fish I had as a kid, and Goldie#1 went blind and spent about 8 years alive and blind, and used to sit on the bottom of the tank all day long...we'd have to push his food down to the bottom of the tank for him to pick up each stone in turn in order to find it! He outlived the healthy fish Bubbles by about 5 years!! Now Goldie#2 I named after him as he looked the same... (i.e. gold...)...and now he looks like he's going blind too.....but now he's turned silver...oh well!!


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

Can I ask what size the tank is? Have these goldfish been in this tank for 9 months?
That is great, that you have 0 ammonia and nitrites, but zero for nitrates is a bit odd. Do you have plants in the tank?


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## sarahplymouth82 (Nov 23, 2009)

Hiya. It's a 17 litre tank. I do have a couple of plants in there. Yes they've been in this tank since i got them 9 months ago.

He's been sitting under the bridge again today. He came out when i fed them (although he didn't eat a lot as he kept missing the food that was right there in front of him). He then went back under there. Maybe he's weak as he's not eating a lot. Also, last night he seemed to be stuck up by the filter - as soon as I switched it off for a few seconds he swum out of that corner. Bizarre.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

I find your water parameters rather bizarre. What test kit was used? If I were you, I'd simply invest in API liquid drops. It will last you a year or two and a master test kit costs $25 but nevertheless, it is always much better to be one to test the water parameters than let others do that task for you to make sure the tests were not tampered with.

Unfortunately,your tank is very small to fit even a single goldfish. Fancy goldfish are no strangers to outgrowing small tanks. They can grow too much bulk and a lot of them can reach 8-10 inches max which is often the norm for adult goldfish who manage to reach their full potential with proper care provided to them. If you wish to keep at least two goldfish (minus the pond types such as shubunkins), then a 30g should be the minimum to consider. A general guideline set is 10-15g per fish although it does not mean anything smaller than a 30g is okay unless you can cope with the additional filtration and more frequent water changes.


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## sarahplymouth82 (Nov 23, 2009)

My poorly fish has been acting a lot better recently, although I'm still doubtful he's been able to eat as he doesn't seem to be able to find the food. Unfortunately though, the last couple of days he's taken a turn for the worse. He's curled up his body, almost like he can't unfold himself, and he's constantly underneath the bridge huddled in the corner. Earlier I moved the bridge just in case he was stuck, but he soon found his way back under there (by twisting his way back, he can't swim properly). When I moved it earlier and he was out in the open, i pushed some food down to him, and he tried to eat it but couldn't. 

I have rung round a few places for advice - my vets (that I take my cats to) said I could take him in for them to euthanize him. A fish expert shop said they could sell me some "revitiliser tonic". And the pet store i got him from said that he sounded like he has a swim bladder problem, and maybe some blood worm or special food from them may help. They did say though that if this didn't work and i did want to put him out of his misery, i could put him in a pint glass of ice water and this would kill him instantly.....i'd rather not though!

Any advice would be appreciated - he looks so poorly and sad, I don't want him to suffer anymore. But obviously if there is anything I can do to make him better i will. Alternatively, any tips on how to put him out of his misery would be gratefully received too.

:-(


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Let me ask a few question to try offer some help here...
Did your LFS test this with a strip? 3 Goldfish in a 5g I'd def expect to see some NO's - Which could stress the fish to act like this.
How often and how much do you change water in the tank?
What do you feed them and how much?
Have you tried offering the sick fish some thawed out bloodworms (with tweezers strait in front of this mouth)?
Apart from being hanging out in the corner alone - Is there ANYYYY other visible signs on this fish (bumbs, scares, anything???)

On a side note a 5g (=17l) is very small, I'd pers not recommend to keep any goldfish in there, much less 3.


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## sarahplymouth82 (Nov 23, 2009)

My LFS tested it using some sort of chemicals added to each sample of water (i.e. to test for different things). It wasn't strips - although they did compare the colour the water changed to a water colour chart.

I change the water once every 1 or 2 weeks, and I change half the water each time. 

I feed them once a day, a pinch of food, and it's "Aquarian advanced nutirition". 

I haven't tried any bloodworm - i asked about that in my LFS just now and they didn't think it would help now as he is so sedentary on the bottom. 

Having just been there, i have bought some salt and also some swimbladder treatment. I've just treated the water with both and will carry on as per the instructions. 

The only query I have about the treatment, as it says to "remove carbon and zoelite (ammonia remover) filter media from the aquarium". Please can you just verify what this exactly is? I have a filter in the tank but i'm not sure whether it comes under this title or not? I have removed it for now just in case, but if you could explain in layman's terms that would be appreciated!

I know the tank is small - but just to confirm that these are fancy goldfish, and are much smaller than "normal" goldfish. I know this may not make a difference though. I appreciate your advice.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Generally I'd rather suggest a weekly w/c and then less (eg. 20-30%).
Just be advised, treating the tank with the other 2 healthy one's may influence them negatively, just so you're warned.
Do you have a HOB? They usually have pads in there that have "crunchy" stuff inside of them / filled with it and that's carbon. The reason you wanna take it out, is because carbon removed med's from the tank so that wouldn't help you any to add it and the filter removes it in 30mins or less.


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## sarahplymouth82 (Nov 23, 2009)

What's a HOB? The filter i use is quite a basic one and it uses "filter foam" which is like a sponge. I don't think this is what you were talking about - shall i put my filter back on??

How may the treatment affect the other fish? Would it make them ill?? The guy in the shop said they would be ok...


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## sarahplymouth82 (Nov 23, 2009)

Hi again. He's died, poor thing...... thanks for your help though, much appreciated. Sarah.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

The filter gotta run, that's certain! HOB - Hang on back.
If its only a sponge in there w/out no pocket and "crunchy" stuff in it and maybe a biowheel to the filter too then you have no carbon in there now. (Thou you will need a carbon insert when you're done with the treatment to remove the meds from the tank again)

I'm sorry to hear this update...I really wanted to help, but sometimes we just can't.


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