The new fluke treatment and duckweed

I decided to reintroduce the babies back into the main tank this afternoon. So far, so good.

I did a big water change and discovered that the filter in the main tank was totally clogged with duck weed so perhaps my greedy piggies weren’t so greedy after all! This duckweed has now been transferred to the large tub the babies were in, situated underneath the skylight so it  should get plenty of light! I haven’t changed the water in the hope that the nitrates will really help boost growth. Hopefully, it will grow a bit more as it was very popular.

The babies have found some stray duck weed leaves and seem to be enjoying them.

I decided to start the new fluke treatment today so I’m keeping a close eye on them for any major changes. Thankfully, despite the water looking very cloudy, they all seem quite happy for now.

Duckweed delivery…

I ordered some duckweed off the internet a few days ago and it has finally arrived. The invoice was a little soggy but I was a little bit excited!

I’ve heard mixed things about duckweed. Some say it is brilliant for fish to snack on, oxygenates the water and removes nitrates, while others say it is a pest and near impossible to get rid of. I can’t see getting rid of it being much of a problem for my fish as they’re already tucking into it heartily. I’ve taken a portion out and put it in an open ice-cream tub with water in by the window.I figured I needed to hold some back to propagate from in case the little piggies eat it all! I really hope they don’t or it’ll be a real waste!

My concern is that while they’re heartily enjoying their new tasty treat, they’re going to gorge themselves on it and swallow a lot of air. It is a natural laxative and very good for them, but Dharma is a greedy boy and this may do more harm than good. At least he’s a bit more regular now!

Time will tell but I currently have three very happy fishies in the main tank!

I’m actually considering moving the four babies back into the tank and doing the Kusuri worm treatment tomorrow. I don’t know how much effect the antibiotics are having anymore and I’m keen to start the fluke treatment….

An update on Dharma and Lotus

As ever, I am reluctant to count my chickens but things are looking much more positive in the main tank.

Dharma and Lotus are swimming around much more happily than they were to the extent that I have added some water back in to increase the depth. Dharma is still floaty but seems to be spending less time being lethargic at the top. They both seem much more interested in their surroundings, and much happier and healthier. I don’t know if this is as a result of the diet, the medication, or just a bit of quiet time.

Given Dharma has always been floaty, I cannot help but think that he will always be like this. I don’t love him because he is floaty or in spite of him being floaty. I love him for his funny little character.

I really needed my fish to pull through for me this week and they really have. I couldn’t have coped with another blow.

I have still bought some different fluke medication I want to try. I spot the occasional flashing and gulping air at the surface and think it is the responsible thing to do. Thankfully, this time round I am armed with some better knowledge and wont have to leave it for too long between water changes! One blog post has some great advice on this:

• Day 1: This is the beginning of round one. Water change, dose Prazi/Flu and add salt to 0.1% (1 gram per litre/1 teaspoon per USG).
• Day 5: Water change, replace salt removed but do not add Prazi/Flu. This is the end of round one.
• Day 6: This is the beginning of round two. Water change, dose Prazi/Flu and add salt to 0.1%.
• Day 10: Water change, replace salt removed but do not add Prazi/Flu. This is the end of round two.
• Day 11: This is the beginning of round three. Water change, dose Prazi/Flu and add salt to 0.1%.
• Day 15: Water change, replace salt removed but do not add Prazi/Flu. This is the end of round three.
• Day 16: This is the beginning of round four. Water change, dose Prazi/Flu and add salt to 0.1%.
• Day 20: Water change, replace salt removed but do not add Prazi/Flu. This is the end of round four.
• Day 21: This is the beginning of round five. Water change, dose Prazi/Flu and add salt to 0.1%.
• Day 25: Water change, replace salt removed but do not add Prazi/Flu. This is the end of round five.
• Day 26: This is the beginning of round six. Water change, dose Prazi/Flu and add salt to 0.1%.
• Day 30: Water change, replace salt removed but do not add Prazi/Flu. This is the end of round six.

The downside of this is that I will have to think very carefully about when I begin treatment. I have to go home for a few days towards the end of June because my birthday is coming up and, as it is a ‘big one’, I need to see my family. I don’t plan to be at home for long, a long weekend at most, but it might impact on water changes and dosing. To be honest, I think I’d rather just spend some quiet time with the fish than make a big fuss over a birthday I’ve been dreading…

Give it all you’ve got

The last few days haven’t been easy for me. If I thought Lotus was stressed, it has had nothing on me recently.

Dharma and Lotus still aren’t themselves. They are a bit more active than they were and Dharma’s tummy is certainly much more ‘active’ than usual. Since changing his diet, he’s been much more regular and far less ‘sink clenching’ in his movements. I have purchased some different fluke treatment which allows for more water changes. It still isn’t ideal but after I’ve finished with this antibiotic, there isn’t much else I can do. I notice more flashing-type behaviour of late, and with no other visible symptoms, I am back to presuming it is flukes.

Before I got my fish, I made a commitment. No matter what, I would give these fish everything they needed. No matter how difficult that was, I would love them and care for them for their entire lives. After ten months, this has only become more compounded. I don’t believe in doing something half-cocked. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.

I’ve been fortunate enough to speak with a couple of my very best friends recently. The consensus is that when I love something I will give it everything I have. I will run myself ragged and think nothing of it. I am the sort of person who will drive for an hour and a half (each way) to make a cup of tea for a friend in need. I am the the sort of person who spends an hour and a half on the phone to a friend who (three months after the fact) has realised their grandmother has died, despite my own melt-down earlier in the day and a 3,000 word essay on academic policy to write (and start…) for the following day, thus resulting in staying awake all night. I am the sort of person who will spend hours making a birthday present for someone to the very best of my limited abilities, despite having looming deadlines, because my time and my effort are more precious than anything of any real monetary worth. I give everything I can.

My fish get everything I can give them – short of a massive aquarium. If I won the lottery tomorrow, the first thing I would buy is a house, and the second thing would be a massive fish tank in which my fish could live. The only reason I’d buy the house first is so I’d have somewhere to put the fish tank! Then, I’d pay someone to look after my fish for a couple of weeks while I pull a Shirley Valentine and ‘F*ck off to Grrrece’ (in a Liverpudlian accent).

In return, my fish give me everything they can. Some my consider this to be absolutely nothing. I disagree. My fish are happy to see me, they offer me love and companionship when I need it and they offer a welcome distraction from the daily stresses of life. Aside from being able to cuddle and stroke a dog or cat, what is the difference? At least my goldfish poop doesn’t poison me and is great for fertilising my house plants.

A wise woman (not me) once told me that generosity isn’t about flowers, chocolates or showering in gifts. It is about giving all that you can, even if it is a flower you picked because you have no money. If all you have is time, that is what you give. If all you have is love, that is what you give. If someone doesn’t appreciate that as generosity, they don’t deserve it anyway.

My fish don’t sulk when I don’t spend all day with them. They don’t throw a tantrum because they haven’t had any new live plants in a while. They don’t only love me because of the marimo moss balls. I could not feed them for a week and they’d survive (on the marimo moss balls, no doubt) – despite the begging. With my friends, we can go for months without speaking and then spend three full hours on the phone (minimum) as though nothing has changed. We can go years without seeing each other and, aside from all the big news we’ve missed in the meantime, it is like nothing has changed. We know that life happens and we know that we can’t always spend three consecutive hours on the phone – although we will give a good try!

A long time ago, I worked out the difference between ‘needing’ and ‘wanting’. I need to eat, but I want to eat pizza. I need a computer to work on but I might want the latest model. I need a roof over my head but I want it to be a loft apartment with an indoor swimming pool, butler, massive fish tank and a lift because I hate stairs. I figured this all out when I was small because I couldn’t always have what I wanted, despite my parents’ very best efforts. I give my fish all that they need because I love them and because I took on that responsibility. That was my commitment to them. If my fish did actually want for anything, I would at least try to make it possible for them.

To some people, the concept of moving mountains is either too much or just not enough. What counts is knowing that despite everything, you tried your hardest. Circumstances are what they are but I will always be able to look in the mirror and know that I have done my best.

Stress in Goldfish

I got to thinking last night. It has been incredibly stressful in the last few weeks with worrying about my fish. I wake up frequently in the middle of the night anyway, but I’ve been constantly checking on them, willing them to be healthy, and desperately searching Google. When it comes to anything stressful that might be playing on your mind, whether it is your own health or that of a loved one, Google is the devil incarnate! It is always a death sentence and you always feel worse than before you started. They say ‘knowledge is power’ but often it is more like a horror film. Every picture of a sick fish I see in Facebook groups now must be suffering from Mycobacteriosis (MB)/Fish TB. It is a vicious cycle of worrying, Googling, worrying and Googling.

So if I’m now a nervous wreck, how must my poor fish be feeling? Well, Jampa, Zhi-Zhi, Bankei and Bodhi who are all currently in the tub (which I’m calling ‘camp’ as though they’re on a little holiday) are all quite happy. I was hoping they’d be enjoying the castle more than they are, but on the whole, they seem quite happy. Dharma, Lotus and Aggy in the main tank, on the other hand, are having their ups and downs.

Dharma seems much less floaty than he was. To my surprise, the Interpet swim-bladder treatment seems to be helping. On a night, I often spot him sleeping much lower in the tank than he was, unaided by the plant pot, and usually at the end closest my bed. Bless his little heart, he does love his fishy-momma. Aggy is pretty much the same. I think she’s fairly chilled out at the best of times. Lotus is still spending far too much time in that plant pot, even without Dharma!

Worrying about Lotus got me really thinking. She worries about Dharma as much as I do. They are inseparable. The reason they’re in the same tank together right now is because she can’t be separated from him for too long. Maybe she is stressed out? It must be horrible to see your best friend so ill and be utterly powerless to do anything. It is bad enough being the one with Google, but to be a fish?

Lots of things can cause stress in fish:

• Bad water quality/the wrong pH/the wrong temperature
• Massive changes in environment, like moving house, or sudden changes in the above conditions
• Too much light/noise
• Bullies
• Actual illness
• Mourning

So, in brutal honesty with myself, I considered these factors. My fish were subject to nasty water during fluke treatment because I was categorically told by Waterlife, in response to my email, not to change the water during treatment. Instead, I did my best and added more Prime to neutralise some of the nasties in there. I also rinsed out the filter media in a bucket of tank water and rinsed out the pebbles for the plants to remove excess poop.

Then, there was the massive change in environment. Four of my baby fish were removed and put in another tank, the amount of water in the main tank was reduced by half, and then there was the massive water change. I even tried adding more ornaments into the tank, in the hope that it might interest them to come out a bit more.

When it comes to light and noise, I’m working on this one. Covering the tank with a blanket will certainly help, especially at night. I could almost be tempted to move out of my bedroom for a couple of days, just to give them more peace and quiet!

There aren’t any bullies in the tank and I’m not aware of any physical symptoms of illness beyond the lethargy and hiding.

Now to mourning. Yes, goldfish are not heartless creatures and they do form strong bonds. They don’t mate for life but they do recognise when their friends are missing. The big reason why Lotus is in the same tank as Dharma while I look after him is because being without him would be too stressful. Aggy also likes to watch me and got really depressed in the translucent tub – her eyesight isn’t great anyway with her being a black moor. She doesn’t appear to have a special friend in the tank like Dharma and Lotus are to each other, but she definitely appreciates my company. It wouldn’t surprise me if Lotus was wondering where the four babies are, and worrying about Dharma.

So now I am working on ensuring as stress-free environment as I possibly can for the three fish in the main tank. Less light and noise for better rest, a good diet, water changes, and aquarium salt. The aquarium salt, I worried, would be counter productive for Dharma so I had avoided it until now. Epsom salts are the way to treat a floaty goldfish as they help ease constipation and any excess fluids. Aquarium salts don’t. They can, however, help treat a stressed goldfish and I have been known to call them ‘fishy Prozac’ for a reason! I have added perhaps a tablespoon and a half (very gradually) to the 90 litres in the tank and I did a 50% water change last night. I added in the medication for swim bladder I would have removed, and Dharma is no more floaty than he was before. He can still rest in the middle of the tank (with only slow floatiness to the top, if at all). Their diet is much more ‘fish friendly’ and I seem to be turning into the Gwyneth Paltrow of fish food. Now, it is only leafy greens and PROPER fish food for protein – daphnia, bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Floaty Dharma

I had really hoped that the fluke treatment would have helped Dharma a bit more than it has. He is still quite floaty although I am glad he has now discovered the overturned plant pot in which he now sleeps/rests. It protects him from floating too much and allows him to remain still for long enough have a decent rest.

It isn’t that he floats on his side or upside down but that unless he actually thinks about it, he floats to the surface. This is a clear sign of a problem with his swim bladder. he is a little clumsy at the best of times and can end up upside down for a second if he gets himself stuck or gets overexcited about food. He rights himself very quickly but it is still a worry.

I am quite tempted to take him out and quarantine him from the rest of his tank mates. I really don’t want to – particularly from Lotus who is his best friend. When he hurt his fins on the pond pump, Lotus watched over his quarantine tub for the entire time (I had put it just below the main tank and in her eye-line). A shallower tank might help him as it would ease pressure on the swim bladder, and I may even consider some medication.

I have literally tried everything and I can’t put it down to constipation. In the last three days I have fed my fish on a diet primarily consisting of vegetables. Leek, cucumber and brocolli have all very clearly gone through their systems. It is quite easy to tell which food they’re pooping out as each is a slightly different shade of green. After only a few hours last night, there were some exceptionally dark green, brocolli looking dookies being pooped out all over the tank. Dharma’s poop is still absolutely huge in comparison to the others but then again he is much bigger – even than Lotus. They aren’t long but wide. They look like real sink-clenchers!

At the best of times he is a good eater. What really worries me, though, is that his tummy is so rounded. Buoyancy issues aren’t as simple as swim bladder and/or constipation and I cannot help but worry that it is a problem with another organ. I saw photos of a goldfish autopsy recently and while it was absolutely fascinating, it has worried me.

There is little I can do by way of medicating him at this time. I’m on the final day of fluke treatment, I need to keep the medicated water in there for another two days, and I can’t do anything for another seven days after that. What I might do is, from Tuesday after the fluke treatment, quarantine Dharma and Lotus together for a few days in more shallow water. This will certainly help reduce the stress of separation on them both. Daily water changes, a veggie diet and Epsom salt baths may help until the seven days are over. Then I can think about putting Lotus back in the main tank and medicating Dharma. I shall call it a spa week. The ultimate in treats! Beyond that, I am at a loss.

This has been a problem since I brought him home and I’ve been doing my utmost on this issue ever since. He has huge eyes which might suggest a stunting issue when he was young. True, I kept him in a 20 litre tank for six weeks while I started out, but as soon as I found a bigger tank, he had it. Even before then he was quite ‘bulgy’.

I really love that little guy and it would absolutely break me if something happened to him. I can’t imagine the effect it would have on Lotus too… I have to keep trying to help him!

More Bodhi and fluke updates

Bodhi is definitely settling in nicely! He’s quite the happy chappy! He now seems very much at home with his new family and is quite social with the others. His confidence grows daily and I even managed a goodnight ‘kiss’ the night before last! He is making lots of eye contact and even seems to be watching me.

He’s got quite a clever system at feeding time. Unlike the others who will fight to get to the gel food cube in my fingers (at least until it has defrosted enough to not float), Bodhi will hold back and pick up the crumbs which float about. Aggy will sometimes manage to get a mouthful in the melee but generally seems to go for the crumbs. This may seem like she isn’t getting her fair share, but given how much the others seem to spit out, she does get well fed. I think Bodhi must be learning from her!

As for the flukes, there is definitely more activity in the tank. In warmer weather, I’d expect more action but it can reach a point where it gets too much for the fish. It has been incredibly warm in my room and I still worry that this will be having a detrimental impact on my fish. If this weather keeps up, I may be tempted to find ways to cool the tank down. As it stands, though, there is definitely less lethargy.

We’re on day eight of the ten day treatment and I’m really not comfortable with holding off on a water change for another four days. I have a treatment to add today and another in two days but I’ve to wait for two days after that before a water change. I keep adding extra Prime but this can’t be good for my fish.

Dharma is still floaty and this continues to worry me. If flukes were the issue, it has been so long-standing that it would have killed him by now and the damage will be irreversible. I cannot help but think that this really is genetic. On the whole, he seems very happy and isn’t unduly affected by his floatiness. He’s finally discovered the overturned pots and has taken to resting/sleeping in there now. I’m quite happy about this as it keeps him more stable in the current of water and allows him to rest a little more. I am tempted to try him in some swim-bladder medication in a couple of weeks after the fluke meds have settled, but I really think this is genetic and not fixable. I really wish it was but he’s doing OK and still seems happy.

Actually, his ‘cod-father’, my friend Ed, visited briefly yesterday and exclaimed how big he had gotten. He really is a monster these days! Such a massive fish in comparison to when I got him! All my fish are growing so beautifully!

As for everyone else, Aggy still rests quite a bit but is a lot more active than she was. Bankei is definitely more active, and Lotus spends a lot of time at one end of the tank. They are all, nevertheless, a lot more active.

I’m glad I’ve done the fluke treatment. It is one of those things that should be done and I never had. I never spotted any symptoms before so didn’t think it was worth doing. It was worth doing. It is always worth doing. I was wrong.

Bodhi and an update on the fluke situation

Bodhi seems to be settling in well. He didn’t seem particularly worried when I put my hand in earlier to make sure that some of plants were staying rooted. He’s also spending a bit more time at the front of the tank and watching me. I think he knows who feeds him now! That said, there’s still the whole tank to explore and he’s finding plenty of time to do that too.

He seems to be making friends fairly well. There might have been a bit of chasing by Jampa in the small hours the other day, but on the whole, he seems quite happy, especially with the other smaller fish. He, Jampa, Zhi-Zhi, and Bankei seem quite social. He also seems very comfortable with Aggy, but she’s still quite socially isolated in general. He doesn’t seem worried about Lotus and Dharma, but they are significantly bigger than him so he doesn’t seem to swim with them quite as much.

He is feeding well but doesn’t get too involved in the rigmarole that is feeding time. A bit like Aggy, he hangs back and waits for the crumbs. I think he actually makes sure that he gets his fair share this way. It’s a bit like being first at the buffet table. You look greedy and are very rushed. If you hold back for a few minutes, you get your share and don’t look like a total piggy.

All in all, I would say he’s a very happy chappy. I’m not entirely sure he’s a boy yet, but time will tell.

The flukes situation seems to be going very well. I’ve noticed a dramatic improvement in all my fish, with the exception of Aggy. Dharma, Lotus and Bankei are much less sedentary than they were. Dharma is still much more floaty than the others but I can only put this down to a genetic problem now. Aggy is a bit more active at feeding times and still has her moments of plenty of activity, but then she will head back to the corner of the tank and rest. A little part of me might consider putting the castle back in for a while, just to try and entertain her. If that helps, I might consider getting her a smaller one. Is she bored, lonely or ill? I wish she could tell me.

I am a bit unnerved about the medication though. Nowhere on the instructions does it mention about water changes. It seems like a long time to go without a water change so I’m going to add some additional Prime in the hope that this helps alleviate some of the problems. If nothing else, I might consider adding a drop of prime to a bucket of water and rinsing out the filters tomorrow. Meanwhile, I’ve dropped them an email.

I must admit that I haven’t had much time for my fish in the past week. I’ve been exceptionally busy with work. Constant emails and phone calls, and having to deal with the fall-out of marking essays is very stressful. Logically, I should be spending more time actually watching my fish to chill out. I spent a while last week turning round to look at them whilst marking essays, but the stress of last week has left me utterly shattered.

Fasting and flukes

Well the past week has been a strange mix! For a couple of weeks, I’ve noticed some unusual behaviour in my fish. Aggy, in particular was spending a lot of her time in a corner, at the bottom of the tank. Bankei and Lotus were too, but a bit more active. Dharma was pretty lethargic and seemed a bit floaty. Jampa and Zhi-Zhi seemed ok, but more than half my tank weren’t behaving like normal.

There’s a few things I could put this down to. It is getting very warm in my bedroom and the change in temperature may be having an effect. Given the size of the tank, I wouldn’t have expected that much effect though. Another thing is that in throwing out my sleeping pattern, I may have thrown out their’s. I had to pull an all-nighter this week to get some work finished, and I’d already had a couple of very late nights. Add this into the longer days, and they’re probably as exhausted as I am. At least they didn’t manage to eat half a tub of ice-cream on the stairs because they needed the sugar boost just to get back up the stairs! All-nighters used to be a lot easier! When did I get so old?!

Given I’ve seen a few damaged fins, another logical cause would be flukes. It would make sense if Bankei brought them into the tank with him. I wasn’t sure if his gills were a pinky colour because that was his colouration or not but it could be that he’s brought the little parasites in with him. This is my fault as I should have quarantined him for longer. That said, if I’d kept him in the small tank, he’d be far too warm and displaying similar behaviour.

I did a bit of research and came up with this. It sounds about right:

• Split fins – check
• Clamped fins – hmmm maybe
• Disinterest in food – definitely not
• Less activity than normal -most definitely
• A goldfish isolating itself from the others -definitely
• A goldfish rubbing or scratching itself against tank furniture, which is known as “flashing” – possibly

If nothing else, I decided to treat for flukes because I never have. It’s one of those things that you should do, but I never have because I never really needed to.

It may seem strange to at Bodhi at this point but to me, I’m already treating my tank so let’s treat him too.

I went to my preferred fish shop the other day for some medicine and advice. They’re trying to beat internet prices and I really want to support them. That said, their advice wasn’t great. Apparently, I should only be doing a 25% water change weekly on my overstocked tank. They mistook my mention of Seachem Prime with Tetra Prima pellets etc. I don’t know how good this ‘Waterlife’ brand of fluke treatment is, but at least I feel like I’m doing something. Fingers crossed they get well soon!

I’m now on the third day of treatment and, with the exception of Aggy, everyone is looking a bit more pepped up. I don’t know if she’s bored, lonely, or what. I just want them all to be happy and healthy!

I’ve also been fasting my fish a little more than usual. In no small part, this is because I’ve been so crazily busy that I haven’t had the time to keep looking at them begging in their tank. It’s also because they haven’t been begging. When they have been fed, they’re their usual crazy selves who go nuts for food. I’m constantly paranoid about Dharma’s bloatiness so this has been a good opportunity to help him. I fasted them for a day, fed them peas the next and frozen daphnia the day after. I don’t want to have to isolate Dharma but I think I may have to, if only to fast him for a few days. Perhaps some shallow water will do him good too.He’s already had an Epsom salt bath this week but another may be in order. So might some more peas!