Fish question for those with goldfish...

[Chantilyvamp]

Okay so not a lit question but there has to be someone here who has goldfish who might could help or who has had a similar problem.

Scenario: One of minx's goldfish died last night and had white spots all over it. Went on excursion this afternoon for things to try and save the last fish who now shows white spots as well.

I wasn't feeling well when we went to the store (Nearly 35-40 miles away) ..I managed to get the medicine for the fish and water testing strips and everything like that to try and save the remaining fish.

The strips say the ph level for the 2.5 gallon goldfish tank is 8.5 and shouldn't go above 7.5.

Anyone have any idea how to do that? Can it be done with anything you might have in your house normally? I've done a google search and came up with a whole load of crap and a whole load of people not agreeing on methods of lowering the ph. Most keep saying buy fish suited to higher ph levels.

Minx got these from her grandparents for Christmas so I'm trying not to let the damn thing die so we don't have to do a repeat of the 'toilet bowl funeral' that we did today. (the damn book we bought today doesn't say how to lower ph levels just how to raise them.)

Help!

 

[Safe_Bet]

Okay so not a lit question but there has to be someone here who has goldfish who might could help or who has had a similar problem.

Scenario: One of minx's goldfish died last night and had white spots all over it. Went on excursion this afternoon for things to try and save the last fish who now shows white spots as well.

I wasn't feeling well when we went to the store (Nearly 35-40 miles away) ..I managed to get the medicine for the fish and water testing strips and everything like that to try and save the remaining fish.

The strips say the ph level for the 2.5 gallon goldfish tank is 8.5 and shouldn't go below 7.5.

Anyone have any idea how to do that? Can it be done with anything you might have in your house normally? I've done a google search and came up with a whole load of crap and a whole load of people not agreeing on methods of lowering the ph. Most keep saying buy fish suited to higher ph levels.

Minx got these from her grandparents for Christmas so I'm trying not to let the damn thing die so we don't have to do a repeat of the 'toilet bowl funeral' that we did today. (the damn book we bought today doesn't say how to lower ph levels just how to raise them.)

Help!

I don't know about fish tanks but you add soda to raise the pH of a swimming pool. IN A SEPARATE CONTAINER you might try adding just a tiny bit of baking soda to the water sample you take from the fish tank and see if that does the trick. You shouldn't need much to move the ph so I don't think that it will make your fish water too saline.

 

[cf23430]

Ok. Here we go.

First - if you where at a Pet store they should have helped you out with some stuff there to lower the PH. It is called a buffer. It brings the PH Down.

Secondly - I have to ask this becasue I do not know you and your tank. Do you change the water out regularly? If not your supposed to change out 10-15% of it weekly. There are some drops that you can buy to put in the tank each time you add water to help out with the stress.

not sure what kind of tank, how big the tank is. Filtering system, etc.

HOpe I helped somewhat

c

Okay so not a lit question but there has to be someone here who has goldfish who might could help or who has had a similar problem.

Scenario: One of minx's goldfish died last night and had white spots all over it. Went on excursion this afternoon for things to try and save the last fish who now shows white spots as well.

I wasn't feeling well when we went to the store (Nearly 35-40 miles away) ..I managed to get the medicine for the fish and water testing strips and everything like that to try and save the remaining fish.

The strips say the ph level for the 2.5 gallon goldfish tank is 8.5 and shouldn't go above 7.5.

Anyone have any idea how to do that? Can it be done with anything you might have in your house normally? I've done a google search and came up with a whole load of crap and a whole load of people not agreeing on methods of lowering the ph. Most keep saying buy fish suited to higher ph levels.

Minx got these from her grandparents for Christmas so I'm trying not to let the damn thing die so we don't have to do a repeat of the 'toilet bowl funeral' that we did today. (the damn book we bought today doesn't say how to lower ph levels just how to raise them.)

Help!

 

[Vermilion]

Am trying to reply on msn - come back online woman

 

[Chantilyvamp]

Am trying to reply on msn - come back online woman

I'm going to beat msn to the ground any minute now for the messages it keeps sending me

 

[Chantilyvamp]

I don't know about fish tanks but you add soda to raise the pH of a swimming pool. IN A SEPARATE CONTAINER you might try adding just a tiny bit of baking soda to the water sample you take from the fish tank and see if that does the trick. You shouldn't need much to move the ph so I don't think that it will make your fish water too saline.

I've put that in my notebook. thanks sweetie.

Ok. Here we go.

First - if you where at a Pet store they should have helped you out with some stuff there to lower the PH. It is called a buffer. It brings the PH Down.

Secondly - I have to ask this becasue I do not know you and your tank. Do you change the water out regularly? If not your supposed to change out 10-15% of it weekly. There are some drops that you can buy to put in the tank each time you add water to help out with the stress.

not sure what kind of tank, how big the tank is. Filtering system, etc.

HOpe I helped somewhat

c

water has been changed once as the fish have been in it exactly 11 days today. its a 2.5 gallon tank and had two fish, now has 1 (fish number 2 died last night). Has filter and aeration stuff attached to the side.

and while at the pet store i didn't know the ph was high i did however find the drops to help with stress when changing.

thanks

~I seriously do not believe Sprout will make it through the night.

 

[Guest]

The white spots if I am not mistaken are called Ick... its like a build up of stuff that eventually will grow all over their gills and slips into their lungs and then bye bye fishies.... sometimes you can by the medicine that you put in the water to kill the Ick but usually when one fish dies it's already too late to save the rest of them

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Is there no subject that the denizens of the hangout are not expert in? I am amazed and humbled at the expertise here.

 

[freshface]

The white spots if I am not mistaken are called Ick... its like a build up of stuff that eventually will grow all over their gills and slips into their lungs and then bye bye fishies.... sometimes you can by the medicine that you put in the water to kill the Ick but usually when one fish dies it's already too late to save the rest of them

You're not mistaken. It's a fungal disease. You can treat the aquarium for it to protect the rest of the inhabitants, but a fish with lots of white spots is circling the drain. Sorry Chant...

 

[Emperor_Nero]

Okay so not a lit question but there has to be someone here who has goldfish who might could help or who has had a similar problem.

Scenario: One of minx's goldfish died last night and had white spots all over it. Went on excursion this afternoon for things to try and save the last fish who now shows white spots as well.

I wasn't feeling well when we went to the store (Nearly 35-40 miles away) ..I managed to get the medicine for the fish and water testing strips and everything like that to try and save the remaining fish.

The strips say the ph level for the 2.5 gallon goldfish tank is 8.5 and shouldn't go above 7.5.

Anyone have any idea how to do that? Can it be done with anything you might have in your house normally? I've done a google search and came up with a whole load of crap and a whole load of people not agreeing on methods of lowering the ph. Most keep saying buy fish suited to higher ph levels.

Minx got these from her grandparents for Christmas so I'm trying not to let the damn thing die so we don't have to do a repeat of the 'toilet bowl funeral' that we did today. (the damn book we bought today doesn't say how to lower ph levels just how to raise them.)

Help!

OK ... as a pet store employee, let me try to help some -- although it might be too late to save your last fish.

First off, we'll start with the pH. On the pH scale, 7 is neutral, 0-7 is considered acidic and 7-14 is considered basic. So as your pH is high (basic), you need to add an acid to bring the levels down.

The first thing to do is an emergency water change, taking out 25 percent of the water in the tank and replacing it with fresh, treated water. Wait about 30 min. and retest the pH. The water change will also help with Ick, which is a parasite that is always present, but the fish are more susceptible to in times of stress, which would include the recent purchase and moves, as well as the elevated pH.

It levels are still high, you need to add a mild acid to lower levels. Vinegar is probably the easiest to find -- start with about 1 tsp for your tank size of 2.5 gal. Aggitate the water gently and retest the levels in about 30 min. If you're still high, repeat process until you get to where you want to be. There are products your pet store has, but why pay money you don't have to, as a simple white vinegar will work just fine and won't hurt the fish. Just make sure you add the vinegar away from where the fish is, as hitting it with straight vinegar could cause burns, more stress and more problems. As was mentioned in another post, baking soda is a basic and putting it in the water would raise the pH even higher

As far as Ick (whick looks like crystals of salt all over the fish) you have to treat the entire tank. Ick is a parasite and the white spots are where it has penetrated the fish's skin. Eventually, the ick drops off into the gravel or sand at the bottom of the tank and reproduces, putting many more parasites into the water and back onto the fish. Ick can only be killed when it is in the floating in water stage, so continue treatment for a full 14 days, even if the product says "Cures ick in 4 days" or something similar. Even if the fish you have dies, continue to treat the tank if you plan on getting new fish, as the Ick will continue to reproduce and will just infect your new fish. Warming the water slightly (to about 75-77 degrees Farenheit) will speed up the Ick lifecyle, making it more likely to have a successful treatment.

If the white spots don't look like grains of salt, but instead look a little fuzzy, you may have a fungal infection. There are also medications for this at the pet store ... just follow the instructions. You might also want to consider an antibiotic as well, as fungal infections usually start to grow in an existing injury (a bite, a scrape from the net getting purchased, etc...)

Speaking of grains of salt, adding a few to the water won't hurt the fish and may (depending on who you talk to) help with both ick and fungal infections. They make aquarium salts, but any regular table salt will work as long as you make certain there is NO IODINE in the salt. Iodine will eventually kill the fish, but there are so many non-iodized salts out there now (including most kosher salts) they are easy to find and much cheaper than the pet store stuff. Usually you add about 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons of tank water, so you would add a quarter tablespoon. Remember though, salt doesn't evaporate, so as you simply replace water due to evaporation, you don't need to add more salt. You will add salt again when you remove water for cleaning, using the same ratio based on how much water you are adding (not the total amount of the tank).

Hope this helps and good luck

ETA -- If you try adding salt, dissolve the appropriate amount of salt in a small amount of water and pour in -- again, away from where the fish are, as salt is capable of causing burns and stress to the fish.

 

[Vermilion]

Just to back up what Nero said - we cured a tank of goldfish, all with very advanced Ich (or Ick) solely through using salt. Not only did it cure the Ich, but cleared up a minor fungal problem on one of the fish, too. Marvellous.

x
V

 

[Safe_Bet]

.... As was mentioned in another post, baking soda is a basic and putting it in the water would raise the pH even higher .

Ooops. I read that backwards didn't I? You want the pH to go DOWN not up.

 

[damppanties]

Ooops. I read that backwards didn't I? You want the pH to go DOWN not up.

Goldfish killer!

 

[Safe_Bet]

Goldfish killer!

I prefer the term "Sushi Maker," thank you very much.

 

[impressive]

I prefer the term "Sushi Maker," thank you very much.

*kona snort*

 

[Chantilyvamp]

Sprout didn't make it, will tell the minx in the morning, clean the tank and everything in it, start all over and after the tank has had time to mature go and get her some more fish. *sighs*

We'll keep any and all suggestions for the next fish, hide the baking soda and keep the sushi maker confined in the ktichen

 

[starrkers]

When I first started keeping fish, I think I killed 20 before I finally got a lifespan worth talking about.

It can be an aggravating adventure, but still fun. Chin up!

 

[Chantilyvamp]

When I first started keeping fish, I think I killed 20 before I finally got a lifespan worth talking about.

It can be an aggravating adventure, but still fun. Chin up!

I don't think I could stand seeing her little heart broken face that many times, lets hope the next ones last a bit longer..or i can replace them while she is at school with identical fish

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I don't think I could stand seeing her little heart broken face that many times, lets hope the next ones last a bit longer..or i can replace them while she is at school with identical fish

I think that last plan is the winner. Honestly, though, so long as I only had a 10 gal tank, I couldn't keep anything but angelfish alive. It was when I upgraded to something over 30 gallon that I finally began to really do well with goldfish. Just make sure that there is no rock with a cave in it if you're going to try fancy goldfish. For some reason the blamed things would swim into the cave once they had reached a respectable size and the die in it. I never understood that one.

 

[jomar]

Is there no subject that the denizens of the hangout are not expert in? I am amazed and humbled at the expertise here.

From A to Z. Gotta love a porn site with a deep bench.

 

[Vermilion]

Yeah - here's a tip - make sure you get boring, old school goldfish - not only are they easier to find a match if you have to replace them, but they're way harder to kill, because they're as nature made them. The ones with traily tails and fins are more delicate - we had three goldfish, 2 boring ones and a fancy one. The fancy one has had pretty much every illness a fish can get and the other fish just stay fine.

Although our ten year old one died just before Xmas - Hubby was broken-hearted.

 

[Chantilyvamp]

Yeah - here's a tip - make sure you get boring, old school goldfish - not only are they easier to find a match if you have to replace them, but they're way harder to kill, because they're as nature made them. The ones with traily tails and fins are more delicate - we had three goldfish, 2 boring ones and a fancy one. The fancy one has had pretty much every illness a fish can get and the other fish just stay fine.

Although our ten year old one died just before Xmas - Hubby was broken-hearted.

yeppers, sprout was common goldfish... candle (the first to die) was a brighter orange with a large white wavy circle in the middle. Both pretty easy to match up really. Only because of the drive of where we would have to go it might be easier to just tell her.

Though we were chicken and didn't tell her this morning. Will tell her when she comes in from school today. Specially after she woke up this morning hollering for candle at the top of her lungs.

 

[Chantilyvamp]

emperor_nero.. i missed that last night, thank you darlin

 

[EveAnna]

Also, I don't think anyone has mentioned this - if you have carbon in your filter - take it out. It can neutralize the medicine, stop it working and take it out of the water.

You can buy medicine for Fungus and finrot, I always keep it in. I like the plain goldfish, my oldest one is 10+ years, he's been with me forever. - but he's getting a little old around the edges now.