Please HELP me

First topic message reminder :

I guess this is the place I need to post my problem regarding my 80 gallon fancy goldfish
tank. The tank was originally a salt water tank that an old boyfriend made me purchase
for him. He set up the tank and took care of it while we were dating. After we broke up
I was NOT going to just give him the tank that I spent A LOT of $$$$$$$$ on so I kept it.
I had watched him long enough to know how to take care of it and I did for about 15 years!
I had to convert it to a fresh water tank because after 15 years I became allergic to the water. Every time I would put my hand in the tank, I would break out with very itchy, red bumps on my arm, that would last for 1-2 weeks! I have always LOVED goldfish so I decided to make it a fancy goldfish tank. That was about 3 years ago when I converted
over to it. The only thing I kept of the original set up was the acrylic tank. I purchased a new stand and hood, a RENA xP3 filter, a UV light, heater, medium sized, colored gravel, bubble wand and air pump, different sized and colored glass rocks and plastic plants for decorations, and mounted lights.
I do 30 gallon water changes every 1-2 weeks and clean the filter every month. I test the water and everything is always in the " good zones " but I constantly lose fish! I have had
break outs of Dropsy, anchor worms, costia, fungus infections, and MANY unexplained deaths! I am looking into purchasing a chiller for my tank now because the temp fluxuates
between 72- 78 depending on how hot or cold the weather is. I know that goldfish prefer below 70. I just don't know what the hell is going on! Why can't I keep any of my goldfish alive! The " good " snail I have in the tank is healthy but the tank is cursed for goldfish! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!! If anyone lives in So Cal, and knows a lot about goldfish, I would REALLY appreciate someone looking at my tank to see what I am doing wrong!
Half my goldfish stay/float at the top of the water( NOT up-side-down or on it's side), one fish is losing it's color in patches, ( it's not a fungus because it is smooth) another, that I just noticed today, has tiny white bumps grouped together on it's cheek and another seems to have a slightly reddish patch on it's head. I am currently treating the tank with an anti-biotic again. I have spent a fortune on fish meds! Buy stock in fish meds, you will make alot of money from just me!
Well, thanks for listening/reading!
Take care
Tamara

Pixie-dust wrote:

Ray ( Lifeisgood )
Thanks for the video. I love your tank! I want happy, healthy fish like you have.
I know what problem I have with my tank. I have to many fish and not enough
filtration. I NEED to add a wet/dry system and a chiller!


Is there anyone local who can help me purchase these things and help me set
them up?

I wouldn't jump straight to needing more filtration although is makes sense. If you are testing your water for ammonia, Nitrite at the very least you will know if your filtration is currently enough. No need to jump into an expensive venture if you don't have to. If those readings are both a 0 and stay that way in combination with your current cleaning schedule I would feel safe in saying filtration is not the problem. On the other hand if they are above 0 steadily and or spike often then most certainly that is where your problem sits.

If I can suggest just one thing... before you go out and spend lots of money on something that may not be the problem because it seems like a good idea why not spend a little on even the API liquid test kits and get a good reading of what's going on in your tank.
I would try some of the suggestion people left here that involve spending little to no money long before a wild shot of adding a wet/dry system and then having to go through the trouble of setting that up. Worst of all if that does not fix your problem you will be left even further in the hole. There must be a reason for such a high fish loss and people here presented you with some logical steps to figure out what it might be. I don't like to at problems

I have Fancy Goldfish.... They eat alot so they poop a lot. I get offended when people say they are dirty- only if you don't care for them well. You wouldn't believe how many dirty fish tanks I have seen that don't have any glodfish... LOL!

I don't think you can over filter the water, but you can starve them easily. How many and how large are they? Also what are you feeding? They do not have stomachs only intestines- therefor they are always hungry. My guys are only in a 55 with a emporer 400, and shoddy petsmart filter along with a giant sponge and a powerhead. Most breeders won't recomend that much current for goldfish, but the higher current keeps more water going through the filters.... In my mind anyway and my fish are thriving.

Years ago I tried and could never keep these guys alive. They always died. My guys now eat 2-3 times per day several different foods. High quality flakes, 3 different pellets, algae wafers, shrimp pellets and frozen food 1-2 per week. Lots of people recomend soaking the pellets before feeding. I always forget, but I use the small sinking pellets the most.

I do weekly water changes and if I feed them fresh fruit (they love it btw) I throw in another water change or do it early since the water will get cloudy. My guys have tripled their size since November. I purchased 3 fish and expected to loose 1-2 but then my neighbor decided I needed more as a Christmas gift so she got me 4 more. They have been thriving. One had some gas/constipation but I just added some dissolved epsoms salts to the tank (as recomended on the goldfish baord) and he was fine.

As for all the trouble with the water. I just use tap water. I fill my buckets and poor in the dechlorinator as it fills- stiring once or twice. I might let it set for 5 minutes but never too long. I do about 30% every week and once in awhile I will do 50%.

I wanted to remind you they do need a little aquarium salt like other tropicals. I have a large feather fin catfish, a fast growing chinese algae eater (I suspect is really a cichlid) a black shark (new) and 3 cory cats as well as some ghost shrimp and ramhorn snails as my clean up crew. The tank always looks good and everyone is growing and healthy. My tank is not heated- house is kept at 70' tank says 68'. Oh and my tank has real plants in it as well as driftwood (the wood is new still leaching tanis).

Good luck,

Julie

As the new kid on the block, perhaps this wont mean too much, but as someone who has kept all manner of fancy goldfish for over ten years, I hope to help you. First ..... take a deep breath......... exhale...... good? Okay. You'll be just fine, and no one thinks you're a goldfish killer.

Goldfish are pigs. Anyone who will tell you otherwise is a liar or in denial. They create more ammonia and waste than any other fish out there, it's just how they are. BUT! They really aren't all that hard to take care of either.

MEDICINE: It sounds like everyone else has already addressed the one thing I would point out first: you're over-medicating your water. It's nothing to be upset about, but like a new mother over her child, you're smothering them with good intentions. Once your tank is cycled, you can more or less throw a goldfish in and (in my experience) as long as you keep your temperature under 85 and the water "clean", they don't stress too much.

SALT: As other members mentioned, salt is used as a medicine, but goldies DO love it. However, if you give them salt too often and they build up an "immunity" to it, it becomes ineffective if needed for treatment later. I have a 55g and I only add a tablespoon of aquarium salt after each 30% water change to help relieve stress. It's just something you'll have to test for yourself.

STOCKING: There is a common saying amongst goldfish keepers "10 gallons of water to every inch of fish." Which SOUNDS good in theory, but really, who is going to keep a 100 gallon aquarium for two five inch fish? Balance is the key to goldfish. If you're going to have a TON of fish in your aquarium, you're going to deal with more frequent water changes. If you have one itty bitty fishy in a huge tank, he's going to grow like a bad weed. Goldfish are capacity fish. The more space you give them, the bigger they grow.

SPECIES: The second major question is, despite your having an 80g tank, what KIND of fancy goldfish are you keeping? Different breeds have different needs. For instance, Ranchu and Pearlscale are "compact" body fish, who get swim bladder issues more easily than a telescope or an oranda, so if you're feeding them a pellet food, it's best to soak the food for a minute or two to allow the food to sink, so your fishies aren't taking in huge mouthful's of air and getting bubbles in their tummies. *Note* depending on the size of your goldfish, an easy remedy to swim bladder problems is to pop a "shelled" frozen pea in their mouths. They take them pretty easily (whole or halved) and this helps clear out their digestive tracts. Also, these fish prefer to have less water current than a sleek bodied comet or shubunkin, and can become stressed if the current is too strong.

FOOD: Unless you're planning to show your fish or breed them professionally, there are plenty of readily avalible foods out there. Goldfish will eat just about anything--And I do mean ANYTHING-- and a diverse diet IS good for them, but is it good for you? Goldfish can easily live off flake foods, but they lack many of the nutrients that fishies need to look pretty. I highly recommend the Hikari brand goldfish foods, as they are catered to each type of goldfish to promote growth and full of carotene to enrich their coloration, and it's a heck of alot easier (And less smelly) than making your own homemade jelly food. Frozen Blood worms are cheap and easy to store, and a good treat that usually gets eaten quickly. Freeze dried brine shrimp are also a favorite, but both of these foods are messy and will quickly foul up a tank if not cleaned up. A fun treat for your goldfish could be a slice of banana (but remove the seeds) or a slice of peeled cucumber (no seeds). Mine have always loved them.

Bottomless pits: Another thing to keep in mind is that goldfish will eat themselves to death. Literally. They have no sense of when to stop. The more you feed them, the more waste they produce, and the more bacteria the food in the water will produce, thus increasing water changes. Young goldfish (six months to a year/1inch to 3 inches) should be fed up to 3 times a day ONLY if you're trying to bulk them up. Otherwise, a once a day feeding is sufficent, and never feed them until they're "full". They are never full, and will always give you the "I'm ever so hungry could I please have a bit more" look. Don't be a succker.

Overall (and to get off my soapbox) You sound like you're doing fine. You've got good filteration going in your tank which is important. Just be careful with how much you're cleaning your filters. If you're worried about your levels, try adding anachris. It's a cheap floating plant that helps with the nitrates/nitrites, and goldies love to nibble on it. Ammonia lock works wondering with goldfish, helping to keep their levels down and reducing water changes. Fish keeping is alot of trial and error, and you're off to a great start.

All in all, I think you'll be fine. =)

Good luck, and happy fish keeping!

Okori.. An incredible 1st post!.. Can't wait to hear you weigh in on other issues!.. Are you GoldFish only or do you branch out? Bill

Verynice explanation

Great help! Thanks Okori!

Wow! What a wonderful response.... Thank you all very much for the high praise. I'll do my best to continue contributing to this forum.

And once again good luck Pixie-dust! You'll be a goldfish master yet!

To Bill: Not to take away from this help topic, I'll post an introduction in the appropriate thread =)

very nice post.

Very nice post!!

Here is a quick link to compute the volume of water in gallons your tank really is:.. Just provide the measurements in inches... Who know's.. ya might have a 150g there!.. Bill
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/information/calculate.htm

It appears , by the measurements you gave , you have a 120 gallon tank.
The quick equation method is ,,,
in inches ,,, length X hight X width divided by 231
Hope this helps,,,,,Ray

Good luck Tamara!

Ahh yea... the insane sums of money we will spend to keep our fishies happy....

Yay for you !!!!

I think you should stop all meds. Thats not helping this matter. Gold fish are hardy.
Perhaps you may be killing with kindness. The other point is chemicals in the house, Windex etc.
Is your gravel really dirty? Water changes with a water conditioner. I would not even think of a chiller. Go easy with the feedings, I'm sure you already know all these suggestions just trying to throw stuff at you. Fish don't have to be fed daily. Just my thoughts , hope everyones input helps!

Just one question on your measurements... 1 ft 17 inches wide?.. you mean 2 ft, 3 inches?.. If it is 17 inches wide, it's about 70 gal. Bill

ornate12 wrote:

I think you should stop all meds. Thats not helping this matter. Gold fish are hardy.
Perhaps you may be killing with kindness. The other point is chemicals in the house, Windex etc.
Is your gravel really dirty? Water changes with a water conditioner. I would not even think of a chiller. Go easy with the feedings, I'm sure you already know all these suggestions just trying to throw stuff at you. Fish don't have to be fed daily. Just my thoughts , hope everyones input helps!

I especially don't think you need a chiller. The temp fluctuation isnt causing all the disease issues you are having. Goldfish are raised in ponds year round. Where do you get your fish from? Your source for your fish could be an issue.

Agree- no chiller needed IMO (from everything I have read). I think finding the exact size on the aquarium will benefit your water quality. If you were only treating the chlorine for 80 gallons and it is really 120 gallons that should be a clue.

Good luck- Julie

what's the range of temperatures that the tank fluctuates?