Sorting out goldfish tank

[Joyfulgrl]

I'm settled in somewhere I'll hopefully be very long term and I'm trying to sort out what type of tanks I want where.. my goldfish are sweet goofy little guys and I'd like to get a start on them first. Just kind of rambling out loud and trying to stay on track and also not lose my mind and overwhelm myself by doing too much at once.
I have 3 in a55 right now. I've had them for going on 3 years. The only plants that have survived with them so far has been java ferns and anubias species.. I want to go with different forms of Java fern to get visual variety.
I'd also like to add 2 more goldfish and a group of 6 weather loaches but that's getting super crowded so I'd like to put them in a 90. Since the plants are all attached to wood it should be easy enough to just move everything over..I'm tempted to get the fish now because I really miss seeing weather loaches nosing around.
There's nothing horribly wrong with the tank at the moment, except it's too boring for them. I turn on different by power heads and they'll swim around in the current, I give them ping pong balls that float and I drilled holes in easter eggs and put their food in those sometimes. I'd been trying to think of things to occupy puffer and figured they might like it too. The timer somehow got knocked to always on and now there's some of that black brush algae. Got it off the rocks and wood but need to get it off the ferns. I'm going to end up giving up and doing a bleach dip I think.
Need to have workshop space cleared out to build stand and hood if I switch to a 90 so that's the limiting problem for upgrading goldfishies.

My goal for now is to sort out one tank each month and address the ones I have before setting up new stuff. I use to go crazy and I'd end up with 20 or 30 and they'd be boring spawning tanks. It was fun to see all the babies but it was so much work it felt like a second job and less of a hobby. I really enjoy more display still style tanks being ocd with them feels more rewarding. but fish can be like Crack. :/ so here's me mulling over what I want and trying to stay on point.
I'll start switching puffer over to full marine so he can move over to bigger tank with sump and skimmer which should be so much better all around. I need to get that tank from ex's family though so puffer might be on hold for awhile. It's always something.
Does help to verbalize what I want though so I don't get side tracked.

[Joyfulgrl]

Double posting about this. Goldfish tank came unplugged, not sure how long ago. Noticed when I saw them sluggish. Now my orange and white had dropsy and I'm guilt ridden and depressed.
I added a second filter which I should have done from set up.
Adding a bit more salt to water. Honestly I'd slacked off with adding salt at water change. So unhappy with poor deciduous.
Antibiotic in water.
Soaking food in antibiotic.
2 50 percent water changes daily now.

I don't know what else I can possibly do.

So not happy with situation.

[Pufferpunk]

Poor GF. I gave mine injections for a while but they didn't help.

[Joyfulgrl]

So depressing. She's swimming fine and eating for now but I've never had good luck With gf once this has happened. Even if they improve they seem to relapse off and on and until they eventually succumb. Feeling broken hearted about negligence.

Not feeling like doing much with tanks other than keeping an eye on this little one. Don't want to move her to quarantine since they hang out together. There's always something major and identifiable that sets off dropsy for me. Problem is fixed so not really worried about it happening to the others.

[Joyfulgrl]

GF is still alive. Missing a few scales, that's scary, but they're popped out less. She's lethargic and breathing hard. Upright and not off balance. Not avoiding other GF and not being picked on by them. She eats when I feed but doesn't graze the rest of the time like they normally do.
She looks better but I've never had one really recover before so I'm not holding my breath.

20 gallon water changes twice day.
I'm tossing in a heaping tablespoon of instant ocean per 5 gallons.
Teyracycline in water with first water change.
Amoxicillin in morning food
Amoxi in pm water
Tetracycline in pm food

This is what I had on hand, any other suggestions or critiques are always welcome. I feel pretty hopeless.

Depressed about gf and bogged with household projects. None of my tanks are as nice as I want them to be. Quantity over quality is not cool.

[Pufferpunk]

I wish I could remember what the injections were that I had offered mine.

[Joyfulgrl]

Looks like the most common injectable treatment for carpy guys is e rofloxacin. I feel like a jerk but there's no way I can afford a vet visit for her right now. Looks like it's im and pretty easy to do. I hate the idea of making her more miserable right now. Unhappy fence sitting right now.

Same stuff as yesterday. Instead of sitting on the bottom of the tank she's occasionally paddling around in the bottom third. Still panting like a puppy. Ugh. Frustrating fish.

[Pufferpunk]

I just asked my vet for it & a syringe. Mos of them know nothing about fish.

[Joyfulgrl]

Still fence sitting. Same today as yesteray.
The odd thing is she's lethargic but not having problems swimming, not bloated at all anymore. The worst problem is the lethargy and really rapid breathing. I'm not use to that being the main problem after dropsy. The other two are doing great. I'm going to back off with the salt and crazy doses of antibiotics, for all I know at this point that could be stressing her out.

Yes, aquariums are soothing and good for your bp and over all health.
Fecking liars.

[Joyfulgrl]

I've held off on antibiotics still and put carbon back in tank. I'm at once daily water changes.
She's still lethargic and at the bottom of the tank usually though she is active for food.

Newest joy is she has a spot of fungus on her head. Never had this before. I'm so frustrated. Off to take a hot bath and read about goldfish fungus.

The other two are still right as rain and healthy little piglets. Probably not the most popular opinion but still not bothering with quarantine because I've never had goldfish get ill without a pretty clear reason. The other two got through the original filter problem fine and I'm not really feeling worried. Everything that's going on with my puny one has been a result of that.


Hadn't posted because it's been my turn to be sick and then I found an orphaned possum. A charming 1 pound bundle of teeth. Herr rat face is happy to sleep on my angora sweater, use my cats thermal pad, and eat my food. He's told me in no uncertain terms that I can go pound sand.

[Pufferpunk]

Nasty lil creatures, aren't they? Smell bad, too.

[Joyfulgrl]

Same old same old with goldfish. I've lightened up on my normally uhm excessive feeding. So champ bolted food at the surface and swallowed air. I saw him bobbing along uncontrollably at the surface though and had hysterics for a bit. No bloatiness though and gave him some peas and oatmeal for more fiber. Some digesting and goldfish farts later and he's right as rain.

This one is still so little it's soft and pink looking but plenty of attitude. When I first saw them without the mom I'd hoped they were old enough to be ok. Felt terrible when this was the only survivor a few days later so guilt care taking. Warm spot to sleep and access to food and this one is plumping up and doing better. He lives on the porch and goes out to wander at night. Eh. They're bald toothy unfriendly little things but whatcha gonna do. Shrug.

[Pufferpunk]

Poor fella...

[Joyfulgrl]

Goldfish seems to be at that recovered but I'll never trust she's entirely well point.
She no longer stays at the bottom, she swims around the tank now. Rests in the plants far more frequently than the other guys though. Eats but not like she used to.
I increased salt awee bit again and tossed in some melafix and no new fungus and slight receding of what had been there. I am glad she's alive and hope she continues to recover. Until the Fungus goes away I'll keep doing once daily 50% water changes, salt and Melafix.
If they weren't goldfish I probably would have quarantined and not been nearly so aggro with tossing everything at the tank and so much salt but in general they're sturdy little puppy like fish and so far so.. s good as it could go at least.

I do use auv light with canister filters and one advantage has been no matter how compromised with moving or new fish or anything I tend to worry about, and it's been a horrible 3 years for moving over and over with aquariums there's been no ich. Small blessings.

Little possum has been doing well. Couldn't check on him last night but hopefully will see him tonight. Room mates saw how dinky he is and how besotted I am with him and have given apathetic blessing to porch possum.

[Joyfulgrl]

Goldfish world seems to be at about as good as it's going to get. Only doing water change every other day now. Fungus receding. Still salt and melafix.

My ex is going to trade me a bunch of aquatic plants for some spider plants. Ordered some of the dwarf lily guys. The lights had got tripped to permanently on without me noticing so got some black brush algae. Bleached wood and attached java fern. Stopped being an idiot asks covered power strips and timers so they'd stop getting knocked. I have empty plugs covered but cats have started hitting the lit rocker switches on them.

I'll take pics after I get plants in.

I think ultimately I want a75 gallon. I'd prefer a90 but it's at the foot of my bed and the TV is mounted over it and ceiling is too low to have TV over a90. Though hmm with a lower stand I probably could. It helps to write everything out. I'd like 5 or 7 goldfish though and half a dozen weather loaches so the 90 really would be nice.
That'll be 6-8 months out though with other stuff I'm replacing post breakup and stuff for house projects. So replacing equipment, lights, planting with what I'll want for eventual switch to larger tank. .

October will be plants, larger backup filter, maybe lights but probably not since I'm already hemorrhaging money on lights for house plants as days get shorter and the indoor herb garden. Oh well. Will be nice to see it better planted, yaaaas.