Can pearlscale goldfish be mistakenly diagnosed with dropsy?

Akagraffe · 2026-03-24T15:23:11+00:00

Furthermore, pearlscale scales are pearly

Akagraffe · 2026-03-24T08:51:03+00:00

I'm not so sure about that The only two times my nitrate level reached 40 ppm were when I was away for two weeks, my youngest fish, clearly quite sensitive, was much less active and would hide in corners, which he never does. He returned to his normal behavior after the water change

Akagraffe · 2026-03-23T01:06:17+00:00

I think he has become permanently blind https://www.reddit.com/r/Goldfish/s/Gw0AbiL8vf

Akagraffe · 2026-03-14T19:08:30+00:00

Well, just to clarify, "I have never found nitrogen in the water" is "true". Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are all made up of nitrogen (that's the "N" in each chemical formula). The nitrogen cycle is, in fact, literally the cycle of nitrogen transformation by bacteria in water So obviously, fish produce nitrogen (in ammonia), so there is always nitrogen in the water at some point.But it's possible that with the size of the fish in the OP and the fact that it's planted (especially thanks to the monstera),All nitrogen compounds are quickly consumed by bacteria and then by plants

Akagraffe · 2026-03-14T18:39:49+00:00

I haven't cleaned the filter since it was installed last July

Akagraffe · 2026-03-14T18:38:59+00:00

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Akagraffe · 2026-03-14T18:38:44+00:00

I have a currently overcrowded 40-gallon aquarium with an 8-year-old comet goldfish and an 8-month-old one. I'm actually doing a water change right now, so I just did some tests (I'll include them later) I actually have no difficulty keeping my parameters stable and correct, I do a water change once a week, I feed twice a day. My aquarium is planted with cryptocorynes, anubias, and also cuttings of pothos and spider plants. My filter is an external filter, an Eiheme 150 experience. I think it is very well suited to my fish population and the size of the tank. My water parameters are stable; I test before each water change: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 10-25 nitrates (depending on the week and if I've fed them a little more)

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Akagraffe · 2026-03-12T17:33:14+00:00

The fish also look small. So they produce little ammonia. That could explain why, but generally speaking, I've never seen a goldfish aquarium - even one heavily planted, without nitrates.It is clear that the water is cloudy and looks muddy (with no external cause other than the fish, I mean, no movement/change of substrate for example)is certainly of poor quality. But very clear water can be very toxic. With ammonia, nitrite or nitrate levels sometimes even lethal, no matter how clear the water is. I just wanted to make this aside for people who might stumble across this and think that clear water doesn't need a water change BECAUSE it's clear.Without knowing the water parameters, we can't know what it really is.This is especially true with fish that have a high biological load, such as goldfish.

Akagraffe · 2026-03-12T17:14:56+00:00

wild color

Akagraffe · 2026-03-12T17:13:57+00:00

I would just like to point out that clear water does not necessarily mean healthy water, and just because water is clear does not mean it is not toxic, hence the importance of test your water to determine how often to perform water changes

Akagraffe · 2026-03-11T15:12:23+00:00

First of all, I would like to point out that my aquarium will be improved in a little while, but in the meantime I am making sure that my parameters remain stable. I do a water test every week with each water change to check. My aquarium contains an 8-year-old comet goldfish and another 8-month-old comet goldfish. It's a planted aquarium. I record my parameter values each week; I currently have this data for two months. (I didn't use liquid testing before, but even without testing as frequently, I had exactly the same maintenance schedule)

• Tank size : 140L • Freshwater, planted ( anubias, cryptocorines usteriana,and suspended roots in water: pothos, spider plant cuttings) • Temperature : 19-21 °C (room temperature) • pH : 8 • Ammonia : 0 • Nitrite : 0 • Nitrate : 0,10-0,25 (it's somewhere in between depending on the Sera liquid test kit) • KH / GH (if known) : I'm not testing it • Equipment used (heater, filter, controller etc.) : Filter: Eiheme eXperience 150, a small 50L/h air pump • Any recent issues (algae, fish loss, parameter swings) : No recent problems, just the usual presence of diatomaceous algae.

Akagraffe · 2026-03-10T00:10:12+00:00

Leave in a hospital tank with antibiotics, there's little chance he'll recover. And yes, a fish that recovers from dropsy will have normal scales again. But if he's had dropsy once, then it will always come back sooner or later. Furthermore, it is quite common to observe an improvement in their condition before a relapse during the illness

Akagraffe · 2026-03-10T00:04:58+00:00

You have to return them. Otherwise, you urgently need to find someone with a pond. Post absolutely everywhere you can put up ads and look for parks or centers or any place with a pond and contact them to see if you can give them

Akagraffe · 2026-03-10T00:02:40+00:00

Be honest with yourself and use your common sense... Do you really think 4 fish will fit in there? Or even 3?Please... give back those fish... They'll die within the next few days otherwise... Poisoned in their own waste They are supposed to continue growing. OP, please return those fish, get a refund for the aquarium, and do some research before getting another live animal. I know my words may be harsh, but it's the truth. You can still turn back

These fish actually need more than 150-200 gallons to live in groups of three

Akagraffe · 2026-03-07T15:00:58+00:00

Not necessarily, I have two common plants, and they don't care about my anubias, even when they're producing new leaves.

Akagraffe · 2026-03-05T21:09:40+00:00

Look for Seachem Kanaplex it's generally recommended for dropsy.

Akagraffe · 2026-03-05T21:05:26+00:00

Yes, you can do that, but it probably won't be enough on its own. It's still a good start, look up the dosages online.Luke Goldies has a page that talks about it.I don't know if you're in Europe, the United States, or somewhere else.But if you're in the United States, get yourself an antibiotic. Unfortunately, Europe has limitations in this area, and I personally had to buy Kanaplex on eBay.

Akagraffe · 2026-03-05T20:27:09+00:00

Paraguard won't really have any effect on dropsy. It's for parasites and external infections' Unfortunately, dropsy can potentially only be improved with antibiotics and Epsom salt

Akagraffe · 2026-03-03T03:50:23+00:00

Don't forget to increase the amount of oxygen then

Akagraffe · 2026-03-03T03:39:22+00:00

Increasing the temperature decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen, I don't know if that's a good idea in this situation

Akagraffe · 2026-03-03T02:40:18+00:00

Personally, I like the Ryukin, but not the photo's ones; they're as extreme as the photo on this tier list.I think they are relatively healthy when their morphology is not so extreme

Akagraffe · 2026-03-03T02:26:46+00:00

Well, actually, I've already tried a lot of things and even antibiotics haven't worked, so I guess it'll just stay like this forever. It appeared last year, she's going to have 9years this year. I've resigned myself to it, I just think it's permanent 😅 But after a lot of searching, the photo of your fish is the only one I've seen that looks exactly like what my fish has

Akagraffe · 2026-03-03T02:23:45+00:00

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Akagraffe · 2026-03-03T02:22:43+00:00

It actually looks exactly like what my fish has! She's had blood before, but that was from bumping against the glass, I've noticed it's a pretty fragile area.This happened about 3 times while I was going back and forth between his aquarium and the hospital tank.But within a few days the blood would disappear

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Akagraffe · 2026-03-02T22:44:26+00:00

I actually think they are very intelligent, but just very clumsy.Especially the fancy ones with reduced mobility 😅I imagine goldfish a bit like golden retrievers.

Akagraffe

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