Advanced Keepers Only – Septicemia?
Not for novices. Last night I was looking at my Shubunkin because he had a strange lump in his side. I’ve see this lump before but it disappeared after a day or two. While looking at it last night I noticed there are more than 1, his fins are clamped and he stayed near the surface. These almost look like white zits and there are about 4. It is not ick, I know ick, seen it in person and successfully treated it. These are much bigger than ick and appear to be pushing the fish’s scales out a touch. Now while checking him out I noticed my Veiltail has what appears to be Septicemia with bloody streaks in the anal and caudal fins.
I immediately checked the water. 72F, pH 7.8-8.0, Amm 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10-15 ppm. These two goldfish are housed together in a 55 gallon rectangular tank. The tank is fully cycled and regularly tested with a liquid kit. High temp over the summer was 76 for 1 day. High but not outrageous. Avg temp 72-74 during summer.
The only thing I can think of that made my fish sick was 2 of those tube plants I purchased from Petco. Turns out the plants were not aquarium plants despite being labeled as such. They were in my tank for 2 days before I made the discovery. I promptly took them out and returned them for a refund. Outside of that, no changes have been made to the tank with the exception of 2 pieces of decor that were removed.
The one who appears to have septicemia is showing no other signs beyond the red streaks. Appetitie and activity are normal. The Shubunkin is lethargic, hangs at the top, has clamped fins and has a decreased appetite although he is still eating.
Fish Diet : Tetra Golfish Flake, Frozen Brineshrimp, Frozen Bloodworms
Also the tank is filtered by 2 over the back filters and has 3 airstones for extra aeration.
Everything I’ve read about Septicemia says it comes from poor water conditions. My water conditions are pristine outside my nitrates but they aren’t anywhere near dangerous levels either. Could this be something else? If so then what? And what the heck is wrong with the Shubunkin?
Other articles you might like;
- Is These Pellets Healthy + More Qs-?
- Would This Hurt The Guppy Fry?
- 90g Reef Aquarium Setup Day 5
- Ideas On Fish For Freshwater Community Aquarium?
- Work Experience Melbourne 2011?
Unfortunately the symptoms you describe sound a lot like bacterial tuberculosis, and a bad infection at that. Tuberculosis is very difficult to treat in fish. It can also be harmful to humans if it gets in open cuts. Handle with care when doing water changes and wash your hands good afterward.
The best possible treatment would be to find a vet that knows how to give a fish an antibiotic injection. Other than that you can give the fish antibiotic baths and anti-biotic fish food. The food is hard to find, I’ve only found it at Petland. If you’re going to save your fish at all you will have to be aggressive. Unfortunately you will have to ruin your cycle in your tank because you need to get antibiotics in the tank. This means you’ll have to do frequent water changes just as you did before the tank ever cycled.