fins clamped, but why????

[seanleila]

some of my balas just died and now my goldfish are acting funny as well. all readings are normal, i just did a 50% water change last night, but their fins are still clamped. they also lay at the bottom of the tank , the start swimming like crazy and beggin for food when they see me (as usual) why are their fins clamped though???

[lloyd berg]

fin clamping is a 'first sign' something is wrong. do the basics. water change. clean the glass and substrate. get your ph over 7.
then consider a mild salt (deionized/pickling only) to rid external parasites. it will also add oxygen intake to reduce stress. or you can go the melafix route if you like store bought meds better.
stop feeding for a day or two to relax any belly ache. don't get fooled by their attention to food. if they aren't eating don't feed for 2-3 days. then retry.

[seanleila]

ok i'll try those things . thanks again.

[seanleila]

that's the weird thing oter thatn the clamped fins and them tending to lay all together at the bootm they act normal. they still swim around and eat when i feed them. i just did a water change last night, and they don't seem to have any external parasites. they just "sleep" a lot. they're acting like they do when i turn off the lights for them at night. weird right?

[Tracy]

what are your water parameters.. sounds like either a bacterial problem or high nitrates/ ammonia.

oh.. also.. i have balas in my tank- they are super super sensitive to ammonia and goldfish waste.. have to keep up with water changes and a good filter... so my guess without knowing your tank.. i would say first do water checks... i bet high ammonia.... also.. my balas are in with goldies in a 55 gallon- have to have a large tank cuz they get big :)
tracy

[seanleila]

i just changed the water 2 nights ago, readings before water change were normal and readings after water change are normal as wel. no my balas were in another tank (a 55 by the way) and something happened and they all died. i just mentioned them cuz i don't want the same thing to happen to my goldies who are now more than a year old and i am attached. why do they "sleep" even when the lights are on though? before when they slept they would just float in th tank, now they all hover near the bottom. to me that is the weirdest thing.

[Buddha_Red]

6 med bala sharks, 2 large plecos, 1 small pleco, 1 spotted cory

Im sorry, this was a ticking time bomb, There was way to much in your 55g. The ammonia is probable cause, although it may have been soemthing else, it just appears this way to me.

Common plecos are way to big to be in a 55g, they get quite huge. the balas get up to 16", females are smaller. You were in a huge overstocking problem. I do not mean to be rude at all. I just noticed some problems with your profile and though it best to address them now.

plecos are a huge poop factory, and the medium sharks probably cause a mess as well. There simply needs to be more room. Upgrade your tank to over 100 gallons if you like these fish. You can use smaller tanks, but to have them live healthy you have to buy a bigger tank. They are cool, i bought two myself at one time, But they grow really fast and smaller aquariums can't hold them. They can survive yes, but not live happy. Ammonia levels such as an ammonia spike can occur which will kill the sharks in a blink of an eye.

You said your readings are fine, they look good but i can't understand why you do not have ammonia readings. Based on your profile, the fish in that 55g should have produced large amount of ammonia that the nulifying bacteria could not absorbe it. ammonia comes from fish poop, plant and food decay mainly. sometimes the water source as well.
This is what my research says, now maybe someone with actual owner experience can tell you different about the sharks, i am using the general sizes found on most pages.

Im sorry if i am over simplfying it, i tend to "break it down" sometimes and i love to type aperantly lol

[seanleila]

yeah i have heard tht this tank was overstocked before and it is true. the 6 balas became 5 around 6 months ago ( ith ink one died of that tuberculosis fish get) he wasted away despite eating heartily. the two big plecos i just got about a month ago from someone who had been keeping them in a fish bowl for about a month (if you can believe that) because she had decided to get rid of the tank they were in. so needless to say i rescued them so they weren't figured into the equation when i got the tank. the balas are now all dead (they got some sort of infection) the small pleco, ad the cory are still with me. believe it or not the ammonia has always been kept under control. the balas were very small when i got them so i knew eventually i'd have to get a bigger tank. anyways the problem now is the goldfish. i don't want the same thing to happen to them that happened to the balas. an infection that took over so quickly i had no time to treat it. i don't know why their fins are clamped!!! and why they sit at the bottom of the tank. i just changed the water so it can't be the ammonia levels. they've never been like this and they are a year old. what's up?

[lloyd berg]

check out:
http://www.goldfishinfo.com/ailment1.htm
scroll to 'sitonbottom' and read about two diagnosis depending on how your fish react to swimming.
hope it helps.let me know if it does.(it took a while to find)

[Buddha_Red]

check out:
http://www.goldfishinfo.com/ailment1.htm
scroll to 'sitonbottom' and read about two diagnosis depending on how your fish react to swimming.
hope it helps.let me know if it does.(it took a while to find)


You ROCK! thanks for that url, i missed that one. It's like a tresure chest to me, tons and tons of good information. Thanks a lot LLoyd!!

[seanleila]

yeah thanks for that link. i've used it before but i had forgotten about it. my gold fish are now exhibiting redness around mouth and fins just like the balas did and one does not look as if he'll make it. what is going on?? how could these fish (which) are in different tanks be affected with the same thing? there is no possibility of cross contamination. the only thing i have done differently with both fish is buy thema new food. tetramin crisps. is there any way that could be it?? my poor fish!!!

[seanleila]

quick question. i have two snails in the goldfish tank should i remove those before salting the tank?

[lloyd berg]

no. the food has nothing to do with it. if you have not added any meds,then the redness is most likely caused by flushing of blood and infection finally visable to extremities. not a good sign.
are they breathing heavily yet?
i would go with a gill fluke infestion . you can't see them( except for microscope) but you can see the results of heavy infection as a reddish blush and/or bleeding in the mouth and gill area.
i would suggest maracyn 2. it is available at almost any pet store. follow instructions to a 't'.

[Tracy]

quick question. i have two snails in the goldfish tank should i remove those before salting the tank?


yes yes! definitely take out the snail... it can hurt him..

[seanleila]

well tonight it's too late to use the meds you mentioned, i had already put melafix in there, and nowi think i'll take out the snails and start salting the tank. one of them is swimming near the surface so that one is the one that is worse off for now. can the existing melafix in the tank and the salt mix ok? is it too much??

[lloyd berg]

you can leave the melafix in. take the snails out before salting. add 1 tsp. per gallon. dilute salt in water before adding to reduce chance of burning fish with direct contact. remember de-ionized or pickling salt only. that will only offer some level of comfort while you chase down some real medication to treat the origin of your outbreak.
hope the site i referred helps with understanding your problem. good luck. keep in touch.

[seanleila]

soory for the stupid question is de-ionized salt the same as salt that does not contain iodine? i have sea salt (w/no iodine) and kosher salt, will either of those work?

[Buddha_Red]

kosher salt can be used. I have read about that alot lately. It just must be pure salt. nothing else at all in it. Sea salt works too, but its advised to buy salt sold at serious LFS. They make sure its pure and nothing in it that will harm anything.

*cue the salt pros*

[seanleila]

thank you.

[seanleila]

ok so after i add the salt i leave in there for how long??? do i keep adding every 12 hrs? water change each time i add more salt?? how mant times do i add salt?? i need very specific instructions.

[seanleila]

ok the salt is in there for bettor or for worse. i assume i leave the salt in there for now. i'll check the forum in the morning and see what you guys have to say. thanks.

[AngelMom]

Sorry no one responded before now (and yes, I'm nuts to be up so late).

The maximum amount of asalt you should use is about 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. It should be added slowly over time (maybe 12-24 hours).

You do not need to keep adding it, it stays inthe water and is only removed by water changes.

HTH

[seanleila]

oops, i had read one tsp per gallon. and the site said nothing about adding it gradually. i simply dissolved it (salt) in some water then slowly poured it in the tank. it's been like that overnight. what should i do now?

[AngelMom]

If they are doing OK, I wouldn't worry too much. You can do a partial water change if you want to be on the safe side. Also, if you are going to be using salt with any regularity, get yourself a hygrometer.....they should be $5-$10 at any LFS. Basiscally just a plastic container with a needle in it that measures the specific gravity of the water, which in turn tells how much salt there is in it.

[seanleila]

thanks for all the help. i'm almost positive the goldfish will make a complete recovery. i am so happy about that. as for my other fish well.......

[Jaimecid]

Seanleila...I just read this topic...was wondering...how did it go??? is your buds recover???
Hope everything went well. :)