Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey guys,

I have a sick golf fish and this is a first for me so I am looking for some help. What does it look like the problem is and what should I do to fix it!

I just noticed this today although it could have been like this before, please see photos. I moved the sick on to a bucket with an air supply and about 4 gallons of water (all I have other then the main tank) and have the other healthy on in the main tank. I added some salt and am heating the water in the bucket ( should be about 70 by morning (from 62) The healthy one is moving very fast and looks totally fine, this guy almost did move when I tried to catch him. If i remember right he was fine 2-3 days ago, which was the last time I really took a look at him.

Sorry but I had to make this fast, sick and need to go to bed so I can show up to work tomorrow on time...

Thanks!

Looks bacterial to me.

It probably won't make it. But salt to 3ppt (3 grams of salt per liter), otherwise the rest will start to be knocked on the head too.

Keep an eye on cleaning out their tank. If there is lots of uneaten food rotting in there/solids building up in the bottom, it can bring on things like this.

any kind of major stress can, zinc, copper, highly fluctuating temps, etc.

Thanks for the input, I think the problem is solid at the bottom of the tank, probably rotting food. I have been thinking about getting a cat fish to clean up the bottom, what do you guys think?

Also, if this guy doesn't make it I was planning on cleaning out the FT completely. If I do that, what would be a good way to prevent stuff like this in the future, just a catfish at the bottom, snails?

Thanks!

Thanks, and it looks like he is dead. The other guy is still looking pretty good. I am considering emptying the tank and cleaning off all the solids/fish food from the bottom. Any suggestions for what to do from now on? The water doesn't really fluctuate temp more than 2-3 degrees during the day. I don't think the water has any heavy metals in the water seeing as it is from the city water system. The fish lived for the last three months. I did lower the amount of aeration from there still should be plenty. I added a bunch (probably more than I should have) sea weed extra about a week ago and the water is just now not looking like it is discolored.

I was wondering if maybe I should get some snails for the tank, or maybe a catfish. I also have a pretty goof filter on the intake so I don't think any solids are making it to the grow bed (and I have worms on the way to add there) maybe I should get rid of that filter so it naturally moves some of the solids out of the FT?

Any suggestions?


Thanks!

Just feed them less food. If there is uneaten food, then they are getting too much.

Catfish work well in a system, but they aren't the fix all.

I have to agree with the above. It's difficult to starve a goldfish to death since they will eat almost anything, but once food spoils, they won't touch it. There should be no food in your tank at the end of their feeding sessions. People give varying advice regarding how much to feed. Some say to feed what they can consume within 5 minutes twice a day.

I also agree it looks bacterial, and the most likely culprit is Columnaris whose populations can explode on uneaten food like that. Columnaris is ubiquitous but will generally not cause disease unless the fish are stressed and they become immunocompromised. Check the basics: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Uneaten food is quickly broken down by bacteria and can lead to ammonia spikes. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Deteriorating water conditions is almost always the cause of disease, one exception being Ich.

Oxytetracycline is my favorite medicated feed or Minocycline for water treatment in a separate hospital tank.

I generally regard goldfish as almost bulletproof and ideal for the beginner. I have yet to lose one despite some aggregious water conditions during my steep aquaponics learning curve. I did lose two because they fit inside the mouth of larger Brown Bullhead catfish.

Presume this is the plastic type filter attached to the pump (that most pond pumps have ?) and you pump FT to GB ? If case it would be better to run your pump without the pump filter and some of the solids will leave the system. Add some worms in the GB to deal with it. (you will just have to keep an eye on your pipes to GB).

try reduce feeding as well and maybe get some duckweed to give some variety - then they can graze when hungry. GF will slow down as it gets cooler as well, so consider feeding once every second day and simply using some seasol/low nitrate fertiliser direct to the grow beds if/as the nitrates drop a bit..

Snails are a 50/50 - some like them some don't. I use them and am OK with them.
(ramshorn variety). I also have a yabbie (crayfish) in two FT's and a chinese algae eater in the other,
both get a taste for left over fish food along with algae.