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poo hanging out of goldfish

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  • 12-06-2011 8:11pm
    #1
    buzz
    Registered Users Posts: 343 ✭✭


    Sounds funny, but for the last 10 days, all of my goldfish have poo hanging out of them. I realised it is from over feeding, so about a week ago I changed the feeding time to a small amount once per day. But still hasnt broken away.

    Random guy in a petshop told me to put a 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the water and this will do the trick, but before I do I want to know has anyone heard of this? I really dont want to do it if it could affect my fish.

    Any suggestions?


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    #2
    Silverfish
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,696 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    When they say 'salt' they mean aquarium salt, not table salt! It can work, but it's not the first port of call for poo problems.

    Don't feed your fish at all for 24-48 hours, ignore the begging, then feed them cooked garden peas - the frozen ones (not tinned) boil them, take off the shells, mush them up a bit and drop them in.

    Usually sorts out any stomach problems, as they're a laxative for fish.


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    #3
    micawber
    Registered Users Posts: 115 ✭✭micawber


    buzz wrote: »
    Sounds funny, but for the last 10 days, all of my goldfish have poo hanging out of them. I realised it is from over feeding, so about a week ago I changed the feeding time to a small amount once per day. But still hasnt broken away.

    Random guy in a petshop told me to put a 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the water and this will do the trick, but before I do I want to know has anyone heard of this? I really dont want to do it if it could affect my fish.

    Any suggestions?

    Think there is an 'aquarium' salt - basically just NaCl wtihout any of the additives in table salt that is used to treat sick fish.
    Might let them fast for a day or two.


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    #4
    fungun
    Registered Users Posts: 1,120 ✭✭✭fungun


    is it gone?

    just if its whitish it could be a sign of worms....


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    #5
    00112984
    Registered Users Posts: 1,600 ✭✭✭00112984


    Silverfish wrote: »
    feed them cooked garden peas - the frozen ones (not tinned) boil them, take off the shells, mush them up a bit and drop them in.

    Usually sorts out any stomach problems, as they're a laxative for fish.

    Completely OT but this is now my new favourite bit of "did you know...?" trivia!


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    #6
    Silverfish
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,696 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    00112984 wrote: »
    Completely OT but this is now my new favourite bit of "did you know...?" trivia!

    Okay well, here's another one - the next time someone says they have the memory of a goldfish, or that they only have a 3 second memory, you can hit them with the fact it's actually 3 months.


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    #7
    00112984
    Registered Users Posts: 1,600 ✭✭✭00112984


    Silverfish wrote: »
    Okay well, here's another one - the next time someone says they have the memory of a goldfish, or that they only have a 3 second memory, you can hit them with the fact it's actually 3 months.

    Ah see, I knew that! Thanks to my mother's fish following her as she walks past their aquarium but not any of the rest of us as she's the one who feeds them each day.
    Clever little feckers those fish.


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    #8
    Posy
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 27,551 Mod ✭✭✭✭Posy


    00112984 wrote: »
    Thanks to my mother's fish following her as she walks past their aquarium but not any of the rest of us as she's the one who feeds them each day.
    Clever little feckers those fish.

    Haha, that's exactly what my fish used to do too! They'd see my mother feeding our cat, then come over to the side of the tank waiting for their turn because they knew they got fed next. :)


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    #9
    buzz
    Registered Users Posts: 343 ✭✭buzz


    fungun wrote: »
    is it gone?

    just if its whitish it could be a sign of worms....

    I didnt feed them for 2 days and it broke away over a few days.

    I only feed them a small amount once per day but...........

    Last night I cleaned out the filter and changed about 10% of the water.

    All of a sudden this morning the fish are very subdued... The poo is back from them all, but this time worse!!

    They are all sitting at the bottom on the stones and I dont know what to do!!

    photo3.jpg

    photo2.jpg

    photo1.jpg


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    #10
    Silverfish
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,696 Mod ✭✭✭✭Silverfish


    That is a lot of poo :confused:

    What are you feeding them?

    Have you tested your water?

    And how much water do you change a week?


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    #11
    Sleepy
    Registered Users Posts: 24,196 ✭✭✭✭Sleepy


    If you'd been over-feeding them before, the water change could have kicked up a lot of food from the gravel and the filter could have released food particles once it was turned off and taken out of the tank?

    I'd give them a day a week without feeding in order to let them clear out any food that's left in the substrate...


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    #12
    buzz
    Registered Users Posts: 343 ✭✭buzz


    I've just been feeding them normal flake food.. But yes a lot of poo...

    I haven't tested the water, and usually don't change the water much at all... Maybe once per month I change 20L of water.


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    #13
    buzz
    Registered Users Posts: 343 ✭✭buzz


    Sleepy wrote: »
    If you'd been over-feeding them before, the water change could have kicked up a lot of food from the gravel and the filter could have released food particles once it was turned off and taken out of the tank?

    I'd give them a day a week without feeding in order to let them clear out any food that's left in the substrate...

    That makes sense...

    Maybe I'll only feed them every second day for the next two weeks, I just don't want them to get sicker as a result....


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    #14
    buzz
    Registered Users Posts: 343 ✭✭buzz


    Sleepy wrote: »
    If you'd been over-feeding them before, the water change could have kicked up a lot of food from the gravel and the filter could have released food particles once it was turned off and taken out of the tank?

    I'd give them a day a week without feeding in order to let them clear out any food that's left in the substrate...

    Fair play sleepy. That worked.

    I used a water tonic, 30ml per 100L and starved them for 2 days...

    I think the filter released a lot of food, but they are all happy out now ;)


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