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



## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

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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## GuppyNGoldfish (Mar 28, 2011)

Kinda sounds like he's bloated, feed him some cut in half cooked/stemed peas.


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## Koilady (Mar 4, 2011)

Hi Terra. GG is right, I think that it is a bladder problem. Many times this happens because the fish is not getting enough exercise or has an internal bacterial infection due to poor water conditions. The peas are a good idea because of the fibre content and may help if your fish is constipated which can also be another reason why it is behaving this way.Try adding some aquarium or pickling salt to the water. Try 1 tablespoon per gallon. If you have a pond you would add 1 pound of salt per 100 gallons of water. You can go as high as 3 pounds of salt per 100 gallons of water. This will help your fish to breathe easier and to thicken the coating of mucous on it's body.

Keep us posted on how your fish is doing.

Yours Koily, Lorraine


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Hi Everyone!!

Thank you for all your suggestions and input; they're greatly appreciated in trying to get us through this. Here's an update: Based on all the recommendations for using the peas, we did that, feeding them -- and the sick Calico -- frozen variants yesterday a couple of times per day. He seems to be doing better now, and I will check back in with all of you as per his status as the days pass.

Here's a quick question: How many more days do I need to feed the peas to them/him? Do we just back off once he looks like he's swimming straight again?


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Also: With regard to the salt...I do have a container of API aquarium salt, but I have a 60 gallon (U.S.) tank, so how many tablespoons do I drop in -- and do the crystals have to be dissolved first or can I just drop them directly into the tank?

As for the mucus lining of their scales and such -- I did drop in Tetra's ParasiteGuard before doing the pea treatment, as we thought this may have been an infection of some kind...I used five fizzy tablets for treatment (the Tetra medication) and that, along with a PWC and the peas, seems to have helped the Calico...he's not really listing all that much now, and we haven't seen him swim upside down at all...I will keep you all posted, but I look forward to hearing back from someone with regard to my other concerns.

Thank you!


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## GuppyNGoldfish (Mar 28, 2011)

Feed peas til he's seems back to normal. Should only take a couple days.


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## Koilady (Mar 4, 2011)

Congratulations Terra, it sounds like things are looking up for your Goldfish. I would keep up with the water changes and the peas can be fed maybe once or twice a week just to make sure that the digestive tract of your fish is working properly. It is a very good sign that this fish is reacting to what you are doing and it makes me think that it could have just been a constipation issue.
We used to start off with 1 tablespoon of aquarium or pickling salt per 1 gallon of water and see how the fish react to that. If I'm not mistaken, as it's been a while since I've had Fancy Goldfish in an aquarium, I think that you can go as high as 3 tablespoons per gallon but I always start off slow and see how things go. Maybe there is someone else out there who could tell us how much salt can be used in a gallon of water which would be safe for the fish. I used to add my salt to the bio-filter and let it dissolve there and be evenly distributed throughout the water.

Keep us posted.

Yours Koily, Lorraine


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

GuppyNGoldfish said:


> Feed peas til he's seems back to normal. Should only take a couple days.


Thanks Gup. I'm going to do another PWC tonight because it's seems like he's not quite 100 percent there (still doing some slight listing towards the surface) and continue with a pea feeding as well...

Will keep you posted.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Koilady said:


> Congratulations Terra, it sounds like things are looking up for your Goldfish. I would keep up with the water changes and the peas can be fed maybe once or twice a week just to make sure that the digestive tract of your fish is working properly. It is a very good sign that this fish is reacting to what you are doing and it makes me think that it could have just been a constipation issue.


Thanks so much for your ongoing assistance and encouragement! As I said to Gup above, I am going to do another PWC tonight and continue with the pea treatment, though we weren't sure how long to continue that for -- are you suggesting once or twice a week for the next _couple_ of weeks or so, or just another week, couple of days...what? 



> We used to start off with 1 tablespoon of aquarium or pickling salt per 1 gallon of water and see how the fish react to that. If I'm not mistaken, as it's been a while since I've had Fancy Goldfish in an aquarium, I think that you can go as high as 3 tablespoons per gallon but I always start off slow and see how things go. Maybe there is someone else out there who could tell us how much salt can be used in a gallon of water which would be safe for the fish. I used to add my salt to the bio-filter and let it dissolve there and be evenly distributed throughout the water.
> 
> Keep us posted.


...but if I have a 60 gallon aquarium, does this mean I should actually add _60 tablespoons_ or so of salt? That seems like an excessive amount...


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

The label on the aquarium salt pkg says 1 tbsp per 5 gallons. You don't need to go as high as mentioned unless treating for ich or other diseases.

Clinica - was going through one of the plant sites a little while back and looking at their habitat pkgs they offer and noticed they have a gf pkg and thought of you. Not sure why, lol. Anyway, have you thought of getting plants and putting in your tank? I know most people don't for gf because they eat them, but if I had to guess these must be plants that gf don't usually eat or they wouldn't sell it like this. Anyway, here is the link: Goldfish Plant Habitat 50-55 Gal.


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## Koilady (Mar 4, 2011)

I said in my reply that I know how much salt was to go into a pond and what the fish and plants could take but had no knowledge as to how much salt would go into an aquarium. One tablespoon per five gallons sounds good to me. Thanks for that information JRman.

Yours Koily, Lorraine


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Thanks Guys,

But I'm still a bit cloudy here; if the "treatment" calls for one tablespoon per gallon, that's 60 tablespoons of salt I have to put in -- is that actually right?

Further, if it's a tablespoon for every five gallons....that's how many tablespoons? Keep in mind, as JR said, this isn't for treating a disease or problem -- it's for maintaining better water for a fish getting over swim bladder issues...


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## Koilady (Mar 4, 2011)

Hey Terra. I would suggest that you use the amount of salt that jrman suggests for aquariums. I'm used to keeping my fish in ponds and I suggest that people start off with 1 pound per 100 gallons and/or 10 pounds per 1,000 gallons and if they see that their fish are not getting better and feel that the water is healthy, they can go as high as 30 pounds per 3,000 gallons.
No matter what though, if water conditions are poor and water changes are not made on a regular basis, no amount of salt or medication will heal your fish.
Keep us posted Terra and best of luck.

Hugs, Lorraine


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I would just figure on your tank having 50g in it and putting 10 tablespoons. I know it is a 60, but that is to the very top of the tank and some water is being displaced by everything you have in it.

Salt is good to have as a prevention for many things. Not sure it would have helped in this case, but it does negatively affect organisms that can get to your fish (ich, parasites, etc).


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Koilady said:


> Hey Terra. I would suggest that you use the amount of salt that jrman suggests for aquariums. I'm used to keeping my fish in ponds and I suggest that people start off with 1 pound per 100 gallons and/or 10 pounds per 1,000 gallons and if they see that their fish are not getting better and feel that the water is healthy, they can go as high as 30 pounds per 3,000 gallons.
> No matter what though, if water conditions are poor and water changes are not made on a regular basis, no amount of salt or medication will heal your fish.
> Keep us posted Terra and best of luck.
> 
> Hugs, Lorraine


I appreciate your support and assistance, Lorraine, but I have to comment and disagree about one element in your reply above -- my fish _is_ in fact showing signs of healing since doing the peas, double water changes and adding the Tetra ParasiteGuard...I am not sure which of these elements caused the changes, or if all of them did, but regardless of my lack of heavy duty water changes the Calico _has definitely_ stopped listing and swimming upside down. Can this be coincidence? Is Osama Bin Laden really dead? I suppose it can be said that "anything is possible," so I leave that as it is...


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

jrman83 said:


> I would just figure on your tank having 50g in it and putting 10 tablespoons. I know it is a 60, but that is to the very top of the tank and some water is being displaced by everything you have in it.
> 
> Salt is good to have as a prevention for many things. Not sure it would have helped in this case, but it does negatively affect organisms that can get to your fish (ich, parasites, etc).


Thanks JR.

So, if I'm looking at 10 tablespoons for my tank, do you recommend I just take the physical tablespoons and adding the API salt crystals directly to the water? Just dump them right in without dissolving them first?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

ClinicaTerra said:


> Thanks JR.
> 
> So, if I'm looking at 10 tablespoons for my tank, do you recommend I just take the physical tablespoons and adding the API salt crystals directly to the water? Just dump them right in without dissolving them first?


Just dump right in. Just remember that salt doesn't evaporate like water. If you remove 20g during a water change only put back in enough salt for 20g, not the whole tank.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

I understand.

But it's okay if the crystals are just solid, and fall to the gravel? And just sit like that?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

ClinicaTerra said:


> I understand.
> 
> But it's okay if the crystals are just solid, and fall to the gravel? And just sit like that?


Yes. They'll disappear in just a few minutes.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Thank you.

As a bit of an update, it seems like I am going to have to get back on track with pea feeding and salt treatment as the Calico seems to be exhibiting some recurring symptoms of the swim bladder issue -- I will keep you posted...


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## GuppyNGoldfish (Mar 28, 2011)

how often and how much do you feed them?


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

GuppyNGoldfish said:


> how often and how much do you feed them?


I was feeding once a day, shaking enough flakes in there for the four goldfish to devour in a few minutes time; of course, there are always flakes that get belted and thrown around a tank from a strong filter current and those fly around for awhile until the fish find them...

Today, I fasted them.


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