Vet Q&A-Fish

My fish all have ICH and we have only had them for about a week. Our tank is at 70º and it is a 10 gallon fishtank with a albino catfish, a koi fish, and one classic gold fish. The gold fish is the only one HEAVILY infected! What do we do?!?! P.S we do have one live plant in the tank as well.

Ich can only be killed in its free swimming stage. After it feeds off the fish, it drops into the substrate where it forms cysts and multiplies. Then the new ich parasites swim out of the gravel and find new fish hosts and start the cycle all over again. That is why it is important after all white spots have disappeared to continue treatment, you should continue treating for an additional 2 weeks after all symptoms are gone. After the spots disappear off the fish, I would vacuum the gravel to suck up any cysts. If you increase the temperature the life cycle of the ich becomes faster. All new fish should be placed in a quarantine tank for at least 2-3 weeks to make sure they are eating, free of disease, and are able to recuperate in a stress-free environment.

Hi, I'm putting water to his dry food water to make it mositure because that's he would only eats and he likes it. But in the second day, he ate less of dry food. Oliver is active and looks like very healthy. I feed him wet food twice every morning and left out his dry food to noon from night. His dry cat food is fish flavor. The brand I've been feeding to him is all fish flavors. Is that okay, is fish flavors makes my cat eat less of dry food or should I feed him a variety flavors per bag dry??

I think fish flavored food is just fine. I would just offer him dry food with no water on it and leave this out all day for him to nibble on it. Then I would also offer him a small amount of canned food (a spoonful) once or twice a day. If he continues to refuse to eat, then I would have your vet look at him. Your vet will be able to do a fecal, bloodwork and even X-rays if needed. Your vet will be able to get him started on the proper meds to help him feel better and help increase his appetite. I hope this helps.

One of my goldfish appears to have his tail turning transparent. It was not like that last week. I have only had him and two other fish in the tank for all of one week. The water is a cloudy gray, but I was told that is normal. Is this caused by stress, diet, parasites, or something else?

Thank you for the picture - I am unable to tell if the tail is just turning transparent, or if portions of it are missing. If it is truly just a color change, and there are no other problems with C.G. or the other fish, it may just be that he is going to become a different color. If the tail has missing portions, that is more likely to be caused by an infectious problem (such as bacteria, fungi, parasites). I would recommend evaluating your water quality parameters, as you eluded to in your question. Then I would monitor the tail, and if there are portions missing, I would recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian. They can take samples of the area, as well as from the skin and gills to evaluate for parasites and other organisms.

Hello, I'm currently using a joint supplement and fish oil daily. Do you think it would beneficial to add in something called bio cardio (for heart health) as well as a canine probiotic supplement? How much would these additional supplements help? Please explain. She is on royal canin weight care diet. Thank you! my dog is a cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Royal Canin diets are all formulated with pre-biotics which help support a health gut bacteria. You could add in an additional probiotic but you may not see a huge amount of benefits BUT it will not hurt anything. Purina makes a very nice probiotic called FortiFlora and that would be the one I recommend. The Bio-Cardio may be beneficial but to the best of my knowledge, no testing has been done to know for sure if this is effective or not. Royal Canin does make a diet specific for Cavaliers that has additives for heart heath. They also make a diet for pets with heart disease or even just heart murmurs. They have done some studies indicating that these diets do impact heart health. Your fatty acid supplement does help to maintain heart health through its natural anti-inflammatory properties. I would recommend to look into the other diets and discuss with your vet if these may be good option for Chloe. I hope this helps and thank you for using Boop by Petco.

So my little dog ate half a bag of hot and spicy cheez its, and half a bag of gold fish while I was away.. she has never had anything spicy or really salty! What will this do to her? Should I be overly concerned??

You may see some stomach upset (vomiting or diarrhea) in the next few hours. As long as Miska is behaving normally, you can try withholding food for 24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or unflavored PediaLyte. Resume feeding a bland diet in small, frequent amounts until symptoms resolve. Transition slowly to the regular diet afterwards. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite, persistent vomiting or diarrhea and abdominal pain. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian.

My fish are dying,Had other fish in there before these new one but now so far the new one are dying. what to do.

Check the water chemistry first. Use a home test kit or submit a sample of water for testing. Most pet stores will do this for free or for a small fee for. High ammonia or nitrite levels can be toxic to fish. Aim for 0 ppm ammonia and nitrites with a nitrate level of 20ppm or less. Perform a partial water change, if indicated, to stabilize chemistry and maintain water quality. Use only aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. Check the water temperature as well, confirming it is appropriate for your species of fish.

One of my goldfish’s eye seems to be swollen while the other one looks fine. I’m not sure if it popeye or if it was just n injury. What should I do to help bring done the swelling?

It could be "pop eye". This can be caused by infection or trauma (aggression or from tank furniture). Treatment will include medication and maintaining pristine water quality. Goldfish produce a larger than average bio load (wastes) which can quickly overwhelm a tank and filter. Ideally, one goldfish should have 20 gallons of water and 10 additional gallons should be added per extra fish. The filter should be rated for at least twice the volume of the tank. Check water chemistry using a home test kit or by submitting a water sample for testing. Most pet stores will do this for free or for a small fee. Aim for 0 ppm ammonia and nitrites with a nitrate level of 20 ppm or less. Partial water changes can be done to stabilize chemistry and maintain water quality. Use only aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. Goldfish are cold water fish and do best between 65F and 72F. A broad spectrum antibiotic can be found in the Aquarium section of the local Petco. These include erythromycin, tetracycline or kanamycin. Brands include Kanaplex, Maracyn , FishMox or FishCillin. Follow label directions carefully and remove the carbon filter insert during treatment if indicated.

I live in Hawaii and was told that I didn’t need a heater for my baby beta fish. I still find my fish to be very lethargic and unable to swim properly. What should I do.

Bettas are tropical fish and do best in water between 78 F and 80 F. A heater is typically required to maintain stable temperature. Rapid fluctuations in temp can be stressful. You should also check the water quality and chemistry. Poor water quality can cause the symptoms described. Filtration and regular partial water changes are necessary to keep a tank clean.

My female betta fish has a white ring around her eye. Is this a early stage of popeye?

Thanks for reaching out about Minn and including photos, although the lesion can not be identified through the pictures. Is the eye protruding more than the other? Popeye can be caused by multiple problems including an infection, mass behind the eye, increased intra-ocular pressure and more. Many of these are difficult to treat but none of the over-the-counter remedies work. Test and correct water quality for pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Review diet as pellets/flakes should be purchased every 3 months as vitamins (especially vitamin C) degrade quickly. If continues to progress, a veterinary visit with an experiences aquatic veterinarian is recommended. Good luck.