# Epsom Salt Bath Length?



## Cyndi

I recently had a bubble-eye goldfish come down with dreaded dropsy. I am pretty sure that it occurred due to constipation and poor water quality when I foolishly got lazy about water changes. The fish presented with a very swollen belly for 2 days, followed by pineconing on the left side more than the right. It has no other signs of illness. It continued to have a ferocious goldfish appetite and it swam actively around the tank as usual. No signs of swim bladder issues. The other two goldfish are completely fine (except for a healing ammonia burn on one's fin edge for which I feel very guilty).

Seven days ago, I put the sick fish in a hospital 10G with 1/4 tsp of epsom salts. I stopped feeding for 2 days, then started feeding one pea per day. I've also performed 50% water changes daily. The pinconing and swelling slowly disappeared over the course of 3 days and I started seeing long, green poops. He continued to have a regular appetite and swim actively as usual.

The fish has been visually normal for the past 4 days, but I am afraid to move him back into his usual tank. The regular tank has been vacuumed twice and I've performed multiple water changes and replaced the filter cartridge to get things back into tip top shape. 

How long should I keep my fish isolated in the epsom salt bath? Should I feed him Metro-Med just in case? I don't want to medicate him/stress him if it's unnecessary. It's a beautifully bred bubble-eye (which can be very difficult to find) and I really want him to survive.

Tank: 20 gal
Bubble-eye 3 inches (sick guy)
Bubble-eye 5 inches
Ranchu 3 inches

Nitrate 10ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Ammonia 0ppm
Hardness 150ppm
Alkalinity 120ppm
pH 7.5

No heater
Gravel substrate
Aqueon Quiet Flow 10 Power Filter
1 tablespoon aquarium salt added


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## emc7

Before moving a fish, you want to slowly adjust the concentrations of salts in the tanks until they match. You should probably wait for answer from a goldfish guru before moving him, but you can start letting the water change back with wcs and watch for symptoms. 

I was impressed by how metromeds worked in my too-skinny cichlids, but because it has an anti-biotic, you don't want to medicate for less than the recommended 14 days lest you encourage antibiotic resistance. So do a full course or don't start. It is expensive, but it didn't seem to stress the fish to eat it.

That filter is on the small side for a 20 w/ 4 goldfish. A stronger filter could be too much flow for bubble-eyes, so I would suggest adding a sponge filter w/an air pump or a really wimpy powerhead. It should give you some insurance against ammonia spikes in the future.


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## lohachata

you will soon need a larger tank....maybe a 40 breeder or a 40 long....
to switch him back start doing about 15-20% water changes every other day...after a week or so back with the others...
i think that the biggest mistake folks make with goldfish is that they feed them incorrectly...constipation is cause by an incorrect diet...one too high in proteins and fats....
feed them more vegetable matter......i would also suggest vegetable bits fed daily...this will prevent constipation...it is better to not feed with tropical fish foods ; but with foods specifically formulated for goldfish...


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## Cyndi

Yes, after some research last week, I found that the "goldfish food" I purchased is not adequate for goldfish at all. The first 3 ingredients are salmon, cod, and perch. I have started feeding them the fish-based pellets once per week (pre-soaked), frozen brine shrimp with spirulina once per week, and peas/spinach/carrots the other five days. Is this diet more adequate?


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## lohachata

it should work ok ; but i would rather feed a good quality vegetable pellet because they are specially formulated to provide proper nutrition for the fish...


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## Cyndi

I to find some "veggie" pellets, but when I looked at the ingredients on these, the first 2-3 ingredients were still always starches or fish products. The proteins were still over 30% and fiber was less than 5%. The only difference between the veggie pellets and the regular ones was that spirulina or algae was somewhere down the line in the ingredient list. Any particular brand you recommend?


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## squeekee35

this company makes a really good veggie stick with lots of different veggies in it try these guys


earthworm sticks.... 1








Show Details 









http://www.yourfishstuff.com/yfs-earthworm-sticks/


--Angel


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