Help! My Goldfish has something terribly wrong with it!

Aug 1, 2012
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#1
If this is in the wrong "discussion" section please forgive me. I literally just joined this site today (out of interest obviously) and because I don't know where else to turn.
My goldfish is very ill, and I have scoured the internet for days attempting to find just one disease that matches his symptoms to no avail.
First:
The fish itself does not have a wen, he was a fair fish and is 10 years old. He resembles a koi fish, but is probably closer to a "fancy goldfish". He's about 7 inches long and is currently residing in a 25 gallon tank. I have a 30 gallon TopFin filter, a mixture of sand and gravel (as well as those burrowing snails to avoid toxic air pockets in the sand).
I tested the water which had a pH of 7.0, NO2 of 0, NO3 of 0 ammonia 0. The tank also has aeration.
This fish as survived velvet, ick, fin rot, scale rot, the works (after all I've had him for 10 years).
Now, 4 days ago I noticed a blister type bump on the top center of his head. I figured he'd just managed to bump into something and had a little sore like he often gets. Everything else about him at that time was normal, eating, swimming, normal goldfish stuff.
The next day I noticed the bump has increased to twice it's size, and I became very concerned. I sat there at watched him for a while until it looked as though the blister was about to pop. (The blister itself was clear, and reddish around the edges.) That afternoon the blister did pop, and to my surprise it literally left a hole in his head. No joke, I can see my fishes brain.
The next day after it popped he stopped eating and became very lethargic, laying on the bottom and what not. I had spent hours searching through forums and informational websites searching for an answer and still haven't found one. Yesterday evening before my attempt to feed him and go to bed I noticed it had gotten worse. I began treating with erythromycin (as I couldn't figure out what the problem was), removing the charcoal filter and doing a 50% water change. After this I noticed when he would lay on the bottom the would drift over to one side, I figured it was not affecting his swim bladder and attempted the pea trick, but he refused to eat even that. Then he began having seizures (they are incredibly violent, I can hardly watch them when it happens), and so I am here, with a very very ill fish and not a clue as to what the problem is. (Oh yes, he looks completely normal and when I began the anti-biotics the red coloring around his "head hole" cleared up to a natural color, although I just noticed it has taken on a very light grayish tone to it).
PLEASE HELP ME!!! :(
Thankyou.
 

1077

Large Fish
Jun 4, 2009
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#2
25 gallon's for seven inch goldfish is woefully small, and fish may be suffering from long term exposure to it's own metabolic waste.
Would take twice weekly 50 percent water change to come up with zero nitrate reading's in a tank this small holding big waste producing fish such as the poor goldfish. And at any time between these water changes ,ammonia and or nitrites could have weakening affect on fishes immune system until it then became suceptible to bacterial pathogen(s) unknown.
I am sorry ,but this is the way it often goes when fishes who can't speak ,are kept in small tank's where the water can foul quickly bewteen water changes and or possible overfeeding further pollutes the small system before weekly?? water change removes the waste.
Is why larger tank's are suggested for these and other big waste producer's. Water in larger tank ,does not become toxic as quickly and with weekly water change,,water quality remains cleaner,more stable.
Follow dosing on medication (more is not better),and perform twice weekly 25 to 40 percent water changes and try and find the fish a larger tank?
 

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Aug 1, 2012
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#3
I realize this and in my haste forgot to mention that this is simply a sick tank and not the tank he is usually in. Usually he is in a 50gal tank with one other gold fish who is completely fine.

I shall begin with the water changes as suggested and follow the dosing instructions as I always do (wouldn't want the medication to kill my fish).
 

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Aug 1, 2012
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#6
Thanks very much. It seems as though after a few days on the medication his seizures have stopped, but still not eating :( If you know any tricks to get a fish to eat please let me know! I've tried peas, blood worms, brine shrimp, pellets. If only he were as motivated by food as my dog haha. Hopefully the old guy can pull through this one too. I suppose now it's up to him.
 

KcMopar

Superstar Fish
#7
All you can do is keep his water in top condition and see what happens. Some sick fish can go a week or better without eating. One of my old jack Dempsey's (12 years old) would do that, he would stop eating for a week or two if he got into a fight with one of the others and suffered a wound or just lost scales.
 

Aug 3, 2012
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#8
To help get him to eat especially for sick fish I have found the best way is to provide them with a constant source of food so if you feed him at noon, see he's not hungry, and then net him he won't get his food. He may just be picky about what times he eats.

To solve you're problems I would recommend raising some brine shrimp. You can put them in the tank when they reach appropriate size and if he's hungry he will eat them or if not, they'll swim around until he does. Also try putting a little garlic with the shrimp as it helps as a natural flavor and boosts their immune system.