# Goldfish Dying Fast! Please Help!!



## Cyndi (Oct 29, 2012)

Last night, I noticed that my one of my goldfish was swimming around only at the top of the tank and his fins were clamped. Now, he is just floating upside down at the surface. It appears to be a swim bladder disorder. I'm not sure what could be causing this. The other goldfish are happy and heathy. 

Ammonia and nitrites are 0ppm, nitrates are <10ppm, hardness is 150 ppm, alkalinity is 180 ppm, and pH 7.0. 

The fish started swimming around frantically when I added peas to the tank, so he is motivated to eat, but I don't think he was physically able to get any. His breathing is labored. He appears to be fading fast and I'm not sure he will last through the night.

What should I do!?


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

Not knowing what is wrong with it, I would get it out of the tank asap before it happens to other fish.


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## fishrawesome123 (Aug 16, 2012)

Take the fish out of the tank and put them in a secondary tank with really clean water, your lucky you have gold fish they are tough little fishes. Also try to clean your current tank, and you said peas like the ones that humans eat too or is there another kind.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Too many things cause fin clamping to make a good guess, but I'm going to guess that your fish has some sort of nasty infection.


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## Cyndi (Oct 29, 2012)

Update:

Yes, human peas. Goldfish love 'em and peas keep them poopin'!!

Last night, since the fish was drifting around the tank upside down and couldn't get any food, I held the fish in one hand put part of a cooked pea to his mouth. He gobbled it right up. When I woke up in the morning, he was swimming around the tank again. I fed him another pea today. He is now swimming around the tank foraging for food. He's a bit wobbly and he occasionally floats to the top, but he is otherwise normal. When he rests, his fins clamp, but when he's swimming, they unclamp. This does not seem like an infection to me. He never showed any bloaty signs on constipation either...

What could possibly be going on?


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## Guest (Nov 30, 2012)

Keep feeding the goldfish the peas. It sounds like the peas are working for him. It could just be swim bladder disorder, which takes a while to correct. My biggest clown loach had swim bladder disorder and it took three weeks to get her better.

You might want to fast your fish once a week to prevent the fish from getting swim bladder disorder.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

dont put peas in tapwater to defrost... lots make that mistake or declorine if you do, maybe add an anti fungal and antibacterial agent to the water to treat anything they may have picked up, dont think a water change will do anything except shock your fish as the parameters seem ok from what you say.
goldfish are known to suffer with swimbladder problems especially the fancy type from what i understand, had one with dropsy that kept comming back years ago, managed to keep him going for a few years without too much suffering


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## Cyndi (Oct 29, 2012)

I have been defrosting the pea in tap water! I never even thought twice about it! I wonder if this could be the problem!!


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## fishrawesome123 (Aug 16, 2012)

glad to hear your fish are getting better it probably was swim bladder disease just follow the pros.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I've always microwaved frozen peas in tap water. It never occurred to me to dechlor it. Makes sense, though. Dechlor can't hurt unless you OD it.

goldfishconnection.com sells a medicated food, metromeds, that has metro (anti-parasite) and anti-biotic. Their idea of a 'small pellet" is a 3x as big as mine but a mortar and pestle takes it down to size. If you suspect a gut infection, it may be worth a try. 

Goldfish may slowly recover from "swimbladder" disease or they may live for years upside down and pampered.


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## Cyndi (Oct 29, 2012)

Another downfall. The goldfish's tail fins now have red streaks in them and seem to be fraying at the ends. Happened over the past 12 hours. I don't understand what this could be. The water quality had not changed from the amounts listed previously. The water is pristine. 

Should I medicate the tank? Only one fish of three is showing any symptoms, but if there is some sort of bacteria, it's probably in the water of the entire tank.

What medication should I use? Metromed sounds great, but I need one that I can access today at a store.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

red lines are usually a bacterial infection called septicemia. It isn't one of the highly contagious nastie, but usually a secondary infection attacking fish already ill. 

I would just treat the one fish in QT unless other fish show symptoms. 

I seldom see medicated food in a store, but you can look/ask.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

when ive fed with peas ive always just left in a bowl for a few hours and use baby garden peas or petit pois whatever they called, i prefer them so why wouldnt the fishes 
as for meds i use api pimafix and melafix, its all you need in one(well 2 bottles) instead of a treatment for a specific thing, follow the instuctions on the bottle to water ratio, treat for a week.(water stinks a little)
you will probably get a bacterial bloom so keep lights off through the day an have on for a few hours in the evening if at all for a few days or use a uv unit and feed a little less food that cause the bacteria to multiply to get it under control


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## Cyndi (Oct 29, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. I did purchase API Pimafix and Melafix. I like that the medications are all-natural. I get nervous about using heavy medications that are cancerous to humans, because imagine what they would do to a tiny goldfish!!

I decided to dose the entire tank, because upon further inspection I did notice some red streaks in the tail of my other bubble eye. He is acting and eating normally, but I'd rather be safe. Hopefully this won't stress the fish out too much and I made the right choice :/ My plan is to keep the lights off, dose the tank daily for a week, then perform a 25% water change. Any other advice?


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

just treat with both for a week, and 25% change...
keep up weekly water changes at 20% is all you can do to be fair apart from moving fish to another tank but that will stress the fish more tbh and not everyone has a med tank.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Check your ammonia levels- too much ammonia can cause red streaks.


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## Cyndi (Oct 29, 2012)

Alas, I think my bubble eye is dying. Over the past 2 days, he has started spitting out all of his food, he has lost a ton of weight and looks completely emaciated, and his tail fins are almost completely rotted away. The other two fish in the tank continue to look great. 

I wonder what this mystery disease could be? Maybe he has goldfish cancer. I suppose I will never know, but I don't expect him to last the night.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

I have never had issues defrosting peas in tap. I just remove the shell and feed it to the fish. 

For treating your goldfish, do lots of 25 percent water changes. If you think it's a bacterial infection, treat it with an antibiotic.


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## Cyndi (Oct 29, 2012)

The water quality is perfect, ammonia is zero, and I've been dosing with anti-fungal/anti-bacterial for two days. The fish has only gotten worse  He looks skeletal and his tail fin is completely frayed. He is spitting out all his food. I think he's done for despite all my efforts.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

be patient, adding the meds could take a little longer, add the right amout for the quantity of water, if your best efforts fail then none of last forever and be happy to yourself in the knowledge that you tried to save the little fella.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

try not to use floating foods..sinking pellets will help to keep them from getting bloated..
buy vegetable sticks or bits and feed it 2 or 3 times a week..this will keep them from getting constipated.....easier to do than peas.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

lohachata said:


> try not to use floating foods..sinking pellets will help to keep them from getting bloated..
> buy vegetable sticks or bits and feed it 2 or 3 times a week..this will keep them from getting constipated.....easier to do than peas.


Lohachata is probably right. I have heard of betta fish getting bloated because of an air bubble in their stomach which can be caused by floating foods.


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