Urgent - Poorly Goldfish - Please Help!!

[cazwinhelp]

I have a number of goldfish that until recently have been very healthy. Over the last few days, one of them seems to have become very ill but i don't know why. The fish is on thebottom of the tank and is almost curled up - it looks as if it has been folded in half! It is just resting on one side of its face on the bottom and has developed black marks on the fins. Can anyone give any idea as to what this could be? The fish has been quarantined, but has been like this for several days and i'm sure he's suffering. PLEASE HELP!!

[k8bailey]

have you tested the water? I've read that black marks can be from ammonia burns, but don't think theres any 'cure' other than correcting the problem.

[showcatbenga]

If he is unable to straighten out it sounds as if he's been electrocuted. Be very careful but check your aquarium set up for stray water/ electricity contact.
Otherwise he may have jumped out & broken his back or come into contact with the lights inside the hood?
if there is nothing wrong with the water quality (& i'm assuming you have a mature biological filter) then a good first aid measure is a salt solution.Treatment dosages:
Prolonged immersion:
1-3 grams per litre[(1-3 ppt - 0.5%)(0.25 - 0.5 oz per gall UK)]. The lower dosage is often recommended for koi ponds as a prophylactic treatment on a permanent basis. But can be very useful for swim bladder & constipation.
Bath treatment for freshwater ectoparasites and bacterial gill disease.
10-30 grams per litre[(10 - 30 ppt - 1-3%)(1 - 4.7 oz per gall UK)] for up to 30 minutes. The higher dose may only be tolerated for a few minutes. My own preferred dosage, unless there is a reason to go higher, would be 20 grams per litre (3oz per gall UK) for 20 minutes.
�Do�s and �don�t�s...
Make sure it is fully dissolved to prevent �salt burns�
Aerate water in short-term baths
Remove fish if they �go over� as weaker ones may not stand the full treatment time
Use aquarium salt. Do not use salt containing anti-caking agents such as sodium ferrocyanide (yellow prussiate of soda � this can release hydrogen cyanide when exposed to sunlight!)

[showcatbenga]

Hi cazwinhelp, how's the fish?

[cazwinhelp]

Thankyou for your replies, unfortunately the fish didn't make it. I'm still puzzled as to what happened, but at least he's not suffering anymore. Thanks again!!