# Please Assist with "Sick" Calico Fantail (Looks Like He's on his Last Fin)...



## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

*Please Assist with "Sick" Calico Fantail (Looks Like He's on his Last Fin)...*

My Calico Fantail goldfish has been acting very strange and erratic for a couple of weeks now, and although he was always a bit quirky to say the least when we first got him, the strange symptoms have gotten progressively worse...

We noticed he starts to swim sideways, sometimes coming up to the surface of the water where he either remains upside down -- completely -- or lists sideways and rides the surface like that, before spiraling down and swimming "normally" again. He has always swam with his head down, doing this "boogie" motion thing as he goes through the water, but this upside down behavior is concerning me -- many times already I have caught him doing this when I have entered the room and looked in the tank closely, and I had to wonder if he was still alive or breathing, and he has been each time. We have also noticed a strange "gash" on his scales on one side, which seems to have spread to other parts of the body; but the swimming remains erratic with weird behavior in which he not only swims upside down on the surface of the tank, but also allows himself to ride the currents without any swimming strength of his own, bouncing off the glass and other weird "stuff"...

As soon as these symptoms became really regular, I did a PWC (a couple of nights ago) and cleaned all the media in my filters, also adding some Prime to perhaps promote some stress/slime coat; after doing this, the Calico seemed to actually respond and do a bit better. However, now, he has begun doing the upside down thing again, and is swimming erratically, so I dropped five tabs of the Tetra Parasite Guard medication into the tank (actually, I dissolved the five tablets into water and then dropped that in; the dose is one tablet per 10 gallons, but I was short one tablet) thinking that this may do at least something to heal the strange wounds on his scales or calm him down, if this is some kind of infection...

Can anyone recommend something else I can do to treat this fish and save him? What do these symtoms sound like? I realize another water change would be a prescribed method, but I'm not so sure that is his problem...is there something anyone could recommend which I could use that would not be that daunting of a process, and a product in which we could just walk into, say, a PetSmart to get as a kind of emergency?


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

*Re: Please Assist with "Sick" Calico Fantail (Looks Like He's on his Last Fin)...*

it sounds like a swim bladder problem. Keep doing water changes to help get nitrates and bad chemicals down. Get some test strips to test the water for nitrates, ph, gh, kh, and nitrites.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: Please Assist with "Sick" Calico Fantail (Looks Like He's on his Last Fin)...*

Feeding green peas can cure swim bladder problem. Check out you tube for how to prepare.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Please Assist with "Sick" Calico Fantail (Looks Like He's on his Last Fin)...*



phys said:


> it sounds like a swim bladder problem. Keep doing water changes to help get nitrates and bad chemicals down. Get some test strips to test the water for nitrates, ph, gh, kh, and nitrites.


Thanks so much for the reply, phys, as well as JR, who I will thank and reply to in a separate post -- indeed, I thought this may have been a bladder issue. I haven't done another water change since that last one, but I am running THREE 100ml bags of Purigen by Seachem in both my filters which is supposed to keep a lot of levels in check on its own. Do you really think bad chemicals will add to a swim bladder problem?

As for the test strips -- I actually have strips (Jungle brand) and the API Freshwater Kit (chemical) and have used them before.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Please Assist with "Sick" Calico Fantail (Looks Like He's on his Last Fin)...*



jrman83 said:


> Feeding green peas can cure swim bladder problem. Check out you tube for how to prepare.


Thanks, as always, JR...

I believe I heard of the peas as a remedy to swim bladder issues -- I will check out the procedure as soon as I can. They need to be de-skinned, though, right?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: Please Assist with "Sick" Calico Fantail (Looks Like He's on his Last Fin)...*

Yes, de-skin. Bascially, microwave some peas, slice the outer shell, squeeze out the 2 halves, and then cut them up in small pieces, feed to your fish. I would think GF would love them.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Please Assist with "Sick" Calico Fantail (Looks Like He's on his Last Fin)...*

Thanks JR...

Okay, I have an update; we actually fed the peas yesterday, a couple of times per day, and the Calico seems to be doing a bit better -- we don't see him listing to the sides all that much, nor has he swam upside down. So, I am not sure if this is because of feeding the peas, because of adding the Tetra ParasiteGuard or the PWC, or all three, but I think right now something is at least improving. I will keep you updated as to the Calico's status...

One other thing: How much longer do I need to feed the peas for -- is there a standard amount of days, or just until he starts to act better?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: Please Assist with "Sick" Calico Fantail (Looks Like He's on his Last Fin)...*

If it is helping, I would feed until he was fully recovered with some regular food thrown in there. You should make peas part of their regular diet. Not only does it keep their intestinal tract healthy, it's very good for them. I feed mine peas once a week.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

*Re: Please Assist with "Sick" Calico Fantail (Looks Like He's on his Last Fin)...*



jrman83 said:


> If it is helping, I would feed until he was fully recovered with some regular food thrown in there. You should make peas part of their regular diet. Not only does it keep their intestinal tract healthy, it's very good for them. I feed mine peas once a week.


Thank you. I have already introduced the flakes back into their diet, so I will keep up the peas and do what you said about making it part of their regular eating routine. I will keep you posted after I do another PWC tonight...


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