sick goldfish

[LauBeast]

help! Our goldfish is sick. he does have fin rot which is not too severe but it's the sitting on the bottom and his very rapidly shedding scales which is what is worrying. He swims about for approx 20 seconds to come to the top and forage for food. He will then sink back to the bottom again.

He has clamped fins (dorsel and back two) but he is using his front two in order to move about. He is on his own in a glass bowl with nothing to scratch so his scales are shedding some other way. He is rough to the touch and turning white. There are no visible changed to his head at all.

We have tested the water and it meets the correct readings for GH GK PH Nitrite nitrates and amonia. He has had some all round goldfish disease medication drops in his tank for the last 4 days but has not improved at all. His body seems to be getting thinner as his scales drop off and he turns white from the top down.

His breathing doesn't seem laboured but im am at a loss as what is wrong and what to do. He is nearly 4 years ols and has been sick for approx 3 weeks. He has been eating defrosted, shelled peas for 8 days but I have no noticed him so a poo once.

Please help if you can! If I should put him out of his misery, is there a humane way to do it?

[tamborine]

is there a pump in the bowl to oxygenate the water - if not, get one immediately.

[hammerman]

Sounds like you have a pretty bad bacterial infection coupled with internal parasites. Personally, it sounds like your fish has gone beyond the point of no return and i would certainly put it out of its misery if it was my fish.

Occasionally, fish respond well to the addition of salt to their water....you can buy it from aquarium shops which will give you the correct dose rates. This will almost "sterilize" the tank killing the nasty bugs and parasites.

Good luck