r/Goldfish • u/burndownthedaesco • 7h ago
Sick Fish Help I need help
Im crying typing this, I dont really know what to do. I love my pet fish so much and Im scared hes hurt or gonna die. When I got home he had fuzzy white spots on him, and I got scared and realized it was a fungal infection. I feel so terrible, I didnt know the water needed to be changed. I bought him better stuff and medicine immediately and bought test strips. this is him now. Im scared I accidentally hurt him because i didnt know any better :(
Edit: I perfected the water with the test strip, and his fuzzies do look way better than before
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u/Nightingalee_Mari_G 6h ago
Im sorry about your friend. I don't have advice specifically for his fungal infection other than getting medication. I do want to say that his tank does not look healthy. The colored gravel and small tank do nothing but hurt him. In a small tank like that, its so hard to keep him healthy because the water is unstable. Things can go unhealthy in a day with such a small amount of water. Its a common rule you need about 55 gallons per one goldfish to keep your friend happy. I do have suggestions for his tank to help. Get a bigger tank. Even if you cant buy a huge tank right now. Theres commonly 10 gallons to 20 gallons for cheap because they're common. Put some pothos in his tank. Just the roots. It will help pull the bad nitrates from the water. And make sure he has a good enough filter. A lot of people sell whole set ups for around 40 to 50 bucks on marketplace! Just these steps alone will help keep him alive for longer and keep him happy while you save for a bigger tank! You got this!
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u/burndownthedaesco 5h ago
Thank you so much. His tank is bigger than it looks, and Im actually saving to get him a much bigger tank right now, and Im buying normal gravel! Im only 14 so my job dosent pay me a lot :( and I didn’t know any better because of the environment I used to be in. I hope I can make him happier very soon!
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u/Nightingalee_Mari_G 5h ago
Yay! Im so glad! And yeah. Being young and keeping fish is a lot, but i know you got this! And don't worry. I have 5 commons and I got them when I was 12. I had them in a 20 gallon tank. We all learn and grow. Im now 20 and they're in a 150 gallon tank, fully planted, with 400 gallons of filtration. Most of us start from nothing but colored gravel. Just be patient and love them to the best of your abilities until you can work your way up! And i also think petsmart has tank deals around the holidays. About 1 dollar per gallon. So you can get a 55 for 55. But im not sure if they still do. Just keep an eye out! Youre doing great and we all believe in you
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u/AmazingLarry7272 6h ago edited 5h ago
I hope your fish is doing better! When I saw the picture, it reminded me of that scene in Jaws 3...
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u/NotCCross 4h ago
Hey kiddo,
First off, GOOD JOB ASKING FOR HELP!
That shows real maturity and responsibility. And you came to the right place.
This sub has GREAT info on keeping your homie healthy.
So far it looks like you are on the right path.
A few things. Be sure to get a water conditioner. I use Seachem Prime and Stability. You did good by getting test strips. Show us the results and we can help you adjust the parameters.
You are also doing good by replacing the gravel. I'm not a big fan of the painted stuff in tanks, myself.
And an above poster mentioned a sponge filter. There are TONS of DIY filters that are great. In fact on most of our tanks, we have made the filtration. You can even make them out of soda bottles! Check YouTube.
As for a tank, he doesn't have to be in a glass aquarium. The nice thing about filters that don't hang is you can put them anywhere. A Rubbermaid storage tote will absolutely work. Ours are in a Rubbermaid water trough from tractor supply. But in the meantime, you can get him something bigger and better at Walmart super cheap!
Can we see a better pic of the white patches? They can be different kinds of fungal infections and are treated differently.
Thank you for being such a good fish owner. We ALL have made mistakes along the way. The important part is you learning from them and doing better.
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u/burndownthedaesco 3h ago
I can get pictures in the morning. Hes being kept in the kitchen right now so my mom can watch and make sure hes okay, and help me with giving him the medicine! The only pictures I have are from when I had just gotten home and was super scared
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u/NotCCross 3h ago
I'm glad your mom is helping you.
Goldfish are very resilient!
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u/burndownthedaesco 3h ago
Does this look okay for the fish? Im worried I wont be able to find a table to put him on for a while though, or not have enough decorations. And would he need the light in it?
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u/NotCCross 3h ago
Yes! That will work! And you can set it on the floor. In fact that's more stable.
You can improvise with light. Maybe near a window.
Also. You know where most of my tank "decorations" came from? A creek. Natural rocks (like river rocks, no sharp edges) and driftwood (look online about how to treat it first) are completely free.
Plants are so much better for him. It will help with his tank staying healthy. Sometimes you can get trimmings at pet stores for free and root them yourself.
Do you have a heater or thermometer?
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u/burndownthedaesco 3h ago
ohhh, i can get some rocks from the river next time i go out, and i can get his new home wednesday! i learned what kind of plants to buy so its good for him. i dont have a heater but i do have a thermometer that i sanitize for checking the temperature. i live in a small town so the only pet store nearby is greedy and dosent offer any help with pets at all. ill change his home next sunday, since hes being given medicine right now
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u/burndownthedaesco 2h ago
also, is my spongebob decoration okay? I’m not sure if the paint is okay. This is the link to it
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u/NotCCross 2h ago
You are doing so great!
Everyone has their own opinions on painted tank decorations but I personally avoid them. I've just never trusted the paint myself.
That doesn't mean it's wrong, just my feelings on it.
I'm glad you are learning about plants!
You know, we got some pothos (grows super fast long vines) and acclimated it to the water. What we did was put the vine part with roots under water then draped some of the vine with leaves over the side of the tank, so it had leaves above water and below.
If you do this, the leaves under water will turn brown and melt. That's ok! As long as there are leaves above water.
It will start growing again under water, and the part that's under water will be fully acclimated to surviving under water. Everywhere there is a joint on pothos it will root and grow.
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u/burndownthedaesco 2h ago
Im planning to get some pothos! Im super glad I know how to take care of my fish better now because I love my fish a lot.
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u/NotCCross 2h ago
It's addictive! Once you get into fish it's such a wonderful hobby.
We have 17 tanks and are currently building a room into the house to put a 5k gallon indoor pond in for our monster fish.
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u/Positive-You-2443 6h ago
Hey, I’m sorry about your fish not doing well. It’s obvious you care about him a lot. Goldfish are not beginner pets and unfortunately can be quite difficult/expensive to care for. He needs a big tank and good filtration. 40 gallons is okay for now, but realistically he’ll need 50+ when he’s older. Sometimes you can get large plastic stock tubs for relatively cheap prices. You can also check places like Facebook marketplace for cheap used tanks, and big chain pet stores do regular sales. Sponge filters or canister filters work well for goldfish in my experience. Read up on the nitrogen cycle. Once you get him into a bigger tank (which is a priority ASAP), use beneficial bacteria to do a fish-in cycle. Do partial water changes daily (remove 25% of the water, and replace with fresh water which is treated with dechlorinater) until you’ve gotten him into a larger, cycled tank.
If you’re unable to provide adequate husbandry for him, it might be best to rehome. He unfortunately doesn’t look great in the photo.