Help! I think my fish has had a bad reaction!

[Fisharetheapy1983]

Good afternoon, I have a small pond and recently I used pond clear to make my pond clearer. As I live in a flat I can't have a electric fountain so I have a solar one with a small filter. I noticed a week later one of my goldfish skin looks like it's been melted the other fish seem okay. So I am wondering did this particular fish have a bad reaction to the pond clear...I know it does say on the bottle harmless to fish. Since this has happened I have emptied the pond with fresh water...he seems to be swimming and eating okay...just hope he will be okay. Would be grateful for any advice.❤❤

Thank you Tanya

 

[WaterGardener]

To me, that looks like a bad ulcer. Those are usually bacterial infections. Or the fish could have gotten some of the chemical pour onto it, maybe?

Do you have liquid testing kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and KH. If so, please test your water and post the results. Good water is the best medicine and it's important to know what quality the water is.

Also more information about your pond, like size and filtration, how long it has been set up, anything you can contribute would be helpful.

 

[poconojoe]

You should never add any so-called fish safe miracle additives. You did good by a water change, but you should have only done a partial water change. A complete water change can be stressful and unhealthy to the fish.
I want to make sure your new water does not contain chlorine. If so, you need to get a dechlorinizing water conditioner.

 

[Fisharetheapy1983]

To me, that looks like a bad ulcer. Those are usually bacterial infections. Or the fish could have gotten some of the chemical pour onto it, maybe?

Do you have liquid testing kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and KH. If so, please test your water and post the results. Good water is the best medicine and it's important to know what quality the water is.

Also more information about your pond, like size and filtration, how long it has been set up, anything you can contribute would be helpful.

Good afternoon WaterGardner & poconojo I really appreciate your quick response so thank you for that .When I used the pond clean I did make sure the fish was at the bottom of the pond but like u say some of the liquid may of accidentally touched the fish...hope this isn't the case poor thing No I haven't got any testing equipment for the water. Would you recommend one? I will be honest I have had the pond 2 years now and never had a problem with my goldfish but because I can't have a electric pond pump my pond turns very green in the summer and I was recommended by a well known aquatic shop that pond clear was safe so I am rather upset if it has done damage to my fish. I really appreciate all your help...means a lot...thank you so much

 

[Fisharetheapy1983]

As you can see it's quite a small pond

 

[Mmathis]

When you say “small pond,” how many gallons is it? What kind of fish and how many are in the pond? That one almost looks like a koi (but don’t see whiskers).

Yes, get a water test kit and post your results (actual numbers, not “OK” or “fine.” It looks like a water quality issue.

 

[Fisharetheapy1983]

It Is a 50 gallon pond. And it is a goldfish he is a bigger reason why you might think ot looked like a koi. Is they any medicine I can put in the pond to treat it? Kind regards Tanya ❤❤

 

[IPA]

Sorry about your fish. They make something called stress coat, it’s also a dechlorinator and many different brands make it. It helps with the fish’s protective slime coat, might tray adding some. I wouldn’t do any treatments unless it is looking worse or it’s behavior becomes concerning. Health water, healthy fish is a good mantra.

 

[poconojoe]

I'm by far no expert, but that's an unusually cool looking fish. It doesn't look like a koi. It's not really shaped like a goldfish. The head looks like the shape of a catfish. Can anyone out there ID this fish? I've never seen a gold catfish!

 

[Mmathis]

It Is a 50 gallon pond. And it is a goldfish he is a bigger reason why you might think ot looked like a koi. Is they any medicine I can put in the pond to treat it? Kind regards Tanya ❤❤

He is a pretty goldfish! I won’t give you any medical advice, but I will say that you probably have water quality issues. Believe me, I don’t mean to sound rude, but the first thing to do is get that fish out of a potentially toxic environment. I suspect that your ammonia levels are high. This is stressful for fish. When fish are stressed, they get sick.

It sounds like you have more than one fish? With limited filtration, you may want to consider re-homing the other fish — as your fish grow, they produce more waste products. Please get a test kit and test your water. If you don’t have a test kit, or can’t get one right away, you at least need to do a water change. If you can’t increase your filtration, can you add bubbles with a small air pump? @IPA mentioned stress coat.

 

[j.w]

@Fisharetheapy1983
I never put any so call safe chemicals in my pond water that brag about clearing your pond of whatever.
Seems we hear of a lot of mishaps from people who do. Hope your fish gets better.

 

[Fisharetheapy1983]

Thank you all for your help and advice it is much appreciated ❤❤ Is this the correct stress coat to get? Would it be okay to put in the pond with the rest of the other gold fish or is it best to separate the fish? Thanks again everyone. Tanya

 

[Fisharetheapy1983]

Is this the stuff you mean? Thanks

 

[WaterGardener]

At this point, I wouldn't be concerned with adding anything to the pond, but getting the water healthy for them. If the water is bad, adding something won't do any good. The water will still be toxic and any medications won't help since the cause of the problem is still there.

If your water has chlorine in it, then you need a dechlorinator. You also need good testing kits, not strips since those are so inaccurate they are pretty useless. You can get the API Master Test Kit or their Pond Test Kit and it will have most everything you will need. The only other test you will need is for KH and you may need to order that online.

Always fix the water first and in order to do that, you have to know what condition the water is in.

I would recommend that you catch the fish and put some triple antibiotic oinment on that wound. You will need to dry that area as much as you can with a paper towel and the salve will be hard to get to stick. But it should help. But it will have a hard time healing if your water isn't healthy, so you really need to address that as well.

Good luck.

 

[Mmathis]

Agree with @WaterGardener.