Common Goldfish Not well?

[fr499y]

Don’t take any replies personally, but goldfish require a much much larger tank. Preferably a pond.

I know the advice always has to be right but it is interesting that fish can and do defy expectations. Twenty years is great going.

20 years isn't. A gold fish average life span is a good 40-50 years ( In the right conditions ). Fancy goldfish on the other hand are lucky to get to 10-15 years

[black ghost]

The average life span of a goldfish is about 5-10 years. Not many live past 20. The oldest known was 45.

[LG85]

If you can take a picture of him then that would help ID the illness he has, sounds like maybe ICH which is treatable, once thats done then if he gets well you could consider rehoming, 20 years is an amazing innings for a goldfish, sounds like you have looked after him well, hope you can sort him.

Here’s some photos, taken before the new filter arrived







I’m just awaiting a testing kit then I’ll test the water, new filter has arrived though! And I’ve not fed him for 2 days and plan to feed him peas in case it is the bladder that’s the problem

What I’ve noticed since I got the new filter is he has hardly left the bottom of the tank right next to the filter, he will be there for hours at a time

[LG85]

[Martinspuddle]

Greetings & welcome to

Any pictures!?

[plankton]

He (?) doesn't look happy at all, does he (?).
It may just be the fact that he (?) hasn't got much room to swim in. I can't see any external problems or damage.
Did you use the media (sponge, etc.) from the old filter in the new?
If not you'll be cycling the tank again and there will be ammonia and nitrite in there which won't do him (?) much good.

[LG85]

Always assumed it was a he? haha
it was a completely different filter so the old filter wouldn't fit in the new one

fine after 20+ years in that tank, but he's not behaved like this before, i don't think ive seen him move from that corner at all since this morning

What about the white patches on his fin and white spots on gils? (can see in the first lot of photos i put up)

[black ghost]

So you didn’t use the old media? In that case you’ve no filtration, so you’ll have ammonia. And then you’ll have nitrite. Either could kill it. It’s peduncle seems quite red, and possibly the tail(?) which fits with ammonia poisoning.

My advice to everyone... if you have fish you need test kits.

[VikingMummy2015]

Oh dear....when you zoom in that red patch above his pectoral fin doesn’t look good, and looks like possible fungal growths too.
As above, despite having best interests at heart in buying a new filter, without transferring over the media, your fish is now rapidly poisoning itself on its own waste.
Large water changes multiple times a day, buy a bottle of Seachem Prime and Seachem Stability for next day delivery off Amazon to get some beneficial bacteria in there pronto and to neutralise the posoinous ammonia and nitrite.
I’d also treat with Esha 2000 for the potential infections.

[LG85]

So you didn’t use the old media? In that case you’ve no filtration, so you’ll have ammonia. And then you’ll have nitrite. Either could kill it. It’s peduncle seems quite red, and possibly the tail(?) which fits with ammonia poisoning.

My advice to everyone... if you have fish you need test kits.

No when we changed our 2 filters we’ve had before we never moved over the media as we’ve always had completely different filters! But there is media in the new one so surely that’s still filtering?

He was acting strangely before I’d even ordered a new filter I only got a new one because the old one was making a massive noise and not pumping very well, that’s when the struggles started

Do you think he’s got bladder problems too because when he does finally move and go back to the corner you see his whole body tip to the side and then back upright again?
Testing kit has arrive though what sort of numbers should I be looking out for?