# Fin rot/fin damage help



## erinw88 (Apr 17, 2013)

Hello. 
I have two fantail goldfish. I have had them in a 1 gallon bowl with a bubbler for a month or so. I left them for a couple days while I was out of town. I left a feeder in the bowl for them. When I returned the feeder had caused the water to get very dirty, much dirtier than it would get with just the two of them. I cleaned the bowl immediately and got them back to their routine. They seemed very unhappy still and I tried aquarium salt. They were getting a bit better, but one of the fish had a red spot near the base of her tail. It looked kind of like if I scraped my knee or something. It didn't seem to be bothering her, so I worried, but not as much as I could have. 
I was able to get them a 5 gallon aquarium finally just Friday. I changed them over and they seemed happy with it. This tank has a filter, they seemed to enjoy it as they kept swimming into the current and it looked like they were playing in it. One fish quit swimming into it and went on to other parts of the tank while the other, the one that had had the red spot on it, kept swimming into the current at its strongest point for the rest of the day and the next day. It was the Sunday afternoon I fed them and noticed the one swimming into the filter's tail was ragged looking. 
I immediately thought fin rot and went to the pet store for medicine. I began the treatment and that Monday I believe I noticed the other's tail getting a little ragged too. I've completed the treatment and they've both gotten worse. The first one to show has almost no tail left since Saturday and the other has plenty of tail, but it's getting more ragged and looks thinner I guess I would say. This one has also started just sitting at the bottom of the tank like he's sleeping, but just sits there, this started yesterday evening. 
I started looking around more today for worry they were not getting better and noticed their fins don't look like a lot of fint rot pictures, but more fin damage. I was oping someone could help me out a bit and give some advice or anything.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

First read this link;http://www.aquariumforum.com/f65/why-goldfish-need-least-20-gallon-39687.html
Second moving them to something bigger than "the bowl" is good ,but not good enough.
Third I see no mention of waterchanges,just medicating(their sick due to poor water quality).
So ,get a bigger tank again(I believe the thread will recommend a 30g) and change water.
The new tank and filter are not cycled so you probably have high ammonia(and will for a month or more while it cycles{gows necessary bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrIte,and then nitrIte to nitrAte}).You wil need to waterchanges(possibly daily) until you complete the cycling process.
I also see no mention of waterquality test results.You need to be testing for ammonia(daily) and then nitrites(daily,but not for a week or so) and then eventually nitrAtes).
Ammonia should not be allowed to go over 1.5 and should be better kept under 1.
Please change water until you can test(50% at least daily) as this is your fishes only hope.


----------



## erinw88 (Apr 17, 2013)

You're right, I did not post all of that. It may not matter, but in the 1 gallon I cleaned the whole thing, rocks, bubbler, water change and dechlorinated every week and they seemed pretty happy. Fins up, swimming, eating healthily, etc. I'm not sure of the water quality as I do not have a testing kit unfortunately. Nothing went wrong with them until I left.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Yep, bandit's right. You have your goldies in a tank that is WAY too small for them. The medication probably aggravated their fin rot rather than helped. Water changes daily, and please get a bigger tank. No need to clean EVERYTHING, but do try and vacuum the gravel. Also, dechlorinate your new tap water or the chlorine and/or chloramine in the tap water will further aggravate them.

Good luck!


----------



## erinw88 (Apr 17, 2013)

So medication for fin rot can aggravate fin rot? I was unaware, that would have been good advice at the time. It's still odd though, they just act pretty well normal, just bad fins. The worse one still swims around and eats and acts totally normal, the other is a bit less active, but still acts normal. I should be able to get a bigger tank tomorrow at the earliest, but I still don't know if it's sure enough fin rot or fin damage and I don't know what to do anymore for either. I also don't know how to tell if anything is getting better, or how long until anything regrows or anything. I've researched a pretty good bit, but everything says pretty much the same things.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Give them time, fresh water, and a bigger tank and you will see improvement.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Improvement will honestly not occur for a month or so.They are in an uncycled enviroment and in the presence of ammonia.Water changes(daily) until the cycling is complete is all you can do to improve and make them more comfortable.
I wouldn't say the medication "aggrevated" them ,but often when fish are sick /or stressed the addition of meds(a stressing event in its self) often push some over the edge(death).
Possibly what you originally thought was fin rot is ammonia poisoning(it doesn't have to kill them to effect them).Until your filter is cycled water changes will be their only relief from the ammonia.You're not alone in this predicament,it happens to everyone who does not "fishless cycle",as your fish are creating the ammonia to grow the desired bacteria,but still causing them distress.You won't have to change water everyday for the rest of your life(you can go to weekly once your tank is cycled ),but until then....Everyday and being able to test for ammonia,nitrIte,and nitrAte will avoid a lot of guessing.


----------



## erinw88 (Apr 17, 2013)

I just learned about 20 minutes ago that a new tank needs to be cycled. I should be getting a new 20 gallon tank tomorrow and was wondering if I should transfer them immediately, or if I should cycle it first as well, and in that time, should I put them back into the 1 gallon until the other is a bit more ready.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

The fishless cycle done properly will make their new home much more acceptable quicker.You will still need to do changes on the 5 they are in and don't feel that placing them back into "the bowl" will help at all.Here's the sites thread on fishless cycling and with luck and reading and following the great advice in this thread your fish new home could be properly ready(cycled) for them in under 2 weeks.Here's the thread and please ask any questions about the process you wonder about,as there are many here who completely understand the process.
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f66/fishless-cycle-15036.html


----------

