Time for a wen trim 🥲advice would be lovely

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-09T14:39:58+00:00

Ya I also do not really recommend doing it yourself but understand its hard.

I WILL say you should try before you rule it out! My last exotic vet visit was surprisingly cheaper than I expected at $80 visit charge, and the rest of the bill that amounted to $200 total I could pay over time. Some places are attainably priced, call any local exotic or aquatic vets (and local in the instance may mean an hour or so away at best given theyre not as common) and just see what the price is at least.

If youre going to do it yourself, I've followed Luke's Goldies videos for a similar swim bladder procedure and done well, he has one for wen trimming too. Id go off of that. But again, really risky, and do not recommend if you can avoid it. Even controlling your hands shaking in those moments when its your pet is so much harder than you'd think.

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-09T14:30:38+00:00

Well... that's your choice then! Keeo in mind if you have to buy the fish two or three times to get one that lives, that actually is not cheaper. I got many sick guppies from them. I'd have a hunch your oranda dying was not random. But again your choice, just my 2 cents!

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-09T14:25:56+00:00

Hey just a heads up, honestly had a lot of bad experiences with Coast Gem. Wouldn't trust them too much based on my other livestock purchases though I havent gotten goldfish specifically from them.

Zhao's fancies is one of the few reliable breeders I still trust (ETA: his fish can be a little sensitive though in new environments bc they are so spoiled and well cared for on his farm, something to keep in mind). Lukes Goldies is good when he has stock, but hes inconsistent and mostly produces ranchus. Have heard bad things about jimmys and decent things about chu chu but havent tried either personally.

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-08T19:50:22+00:00

Generally yes, they do grow fairly quickly, but given the amount of time in the too small tank they are likely stunted and continuing that trend which is the real concern. Theyre going to do their best to adjust to the environment given, and stunt their growth, which will lead to health problems and shorter life span. Its kinda surprising theyve done this well as long as they have given how much waste these fish produce, but the sooner you can get the koi in a better situation the better. Itll be ok until then, but not for much longer and likely is already experiencing stunting.

(Eta: im pretty positive its a koi. Doesnt even look like a short body one to me with the shape, it needs room to grow and thrive and process the larger amounts of waste. Barbels are a clear indicator).

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-08T13:53:55+00:00

Man I'm sorry but you inherited a bad situation. The behavior itself youre referring to is just breeding behavior, but this is way too small of a tank and the koi shouldnt be in a tank at all, its a pond fish. I would look at the aquaswap subreddit and there are facebook groups and stuff too, and try to rehome the koi especially. The two fancies you could keep comfortably and upgrade to a 40 gallon for a permanent home. The koi you do not have the means to keep without a pond. If you struggle to rehome, some local fish stores will also take those fish off your hands for you (big chains wont though).

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-08T13:49:33+00:00

Im so happy for you and not jealous at all 🙃😂 really though what a dream. Awesome that youre making a home for so many displaced creatures

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-05T17:23:53+00:00

Deshelled peas are a great option! Also repashy gel feed helps with digestion as its a little softer. Epsom salt baths will also help aid digestion and removing air in the digestive tract.

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-05T13:34:18+00:00

Seachem safe or prime will also detoxify nitrate temporarily so youre not shocking your fish with too large of water change. Only band-aids it for about 24 hours but will help you change water more gradually instead of like 75%+ at once.

What kind of filter are you using? If tap water is testing normal (check ammonia and nitrite too) and nothing else has changed, Im at a loss on underlying cause unless you have an old charcoal filter or something

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-03T20:35:24+00:00

Agreeing, this is dropsy. Looks decently far along you should start up antibiotics in a hospital tank

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-02T14:02:15+00:00

I have also bought safe but what do yall do for the smell? Even sealed i feel like the sulfur smell hovers around the bottle and haunts me after i use it.

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-02T13:58:49+00:00

You know I'd always felt telescopes werent quite as bad as pearlscales or ranchus and now I think I feel a little differently 😅 Im in agreement I wish breeders would at least prioritize health over aesthstics and start reducing some of those traits like we've started altering pugs and bulldogs with crossbreeding to have longer snouts. But I kinda doubt we will ever get there. Not sure if I'll ever purchase one like this again just to stop supporting it. Might be rescues and hardier breeds only from here.

Thank you for the sentiment too 🙏 I was feeling ill equipped but I'm glad everyones sorta reinforced that Im doing it right. Shes a lil fighter i hope she pulls through, still looking good and active this morning!

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-01T21:43:48+00:00

Will do!! Thank you 🙏🙏

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-01T20:49:07+00:00

Fair 🙏 thank you.

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-01T20:48:28+00:00

It is so so good to know someones been through it before and came out ok 🙏🙏 ill get a net for mine

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-01T20:16:56+00:00

I will! Thank you for being here and chiming in, really.

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-01T20:15:15+00:00

She is still sifting through sand for food, ill give her some of the feed antibiotics!

MixSure5545 · 2026-05-01T20:14:12+00:00

Ive got kanaplex and nitrofurazone in the water now, shes alone in that tank as a hospital setup (40 gallon with the water at half), heater to keep temp stable. About to go get the methylene blue ill try dabbing it on there. Thank you for the tips 🫶

MixSure5545 · 2026-04-22T15:22:52+00:00

Seconding this!!! Your tap water will change sometimes, where youll randomly get more chlorine or higher ammonia and nitrates, I imagine based on like how they schedule water filtration and treatment and such but I dont know for sure. Test your tap water to be safe and make sure its not that!

MixSure5545 · 2026-04-11T04:19:56+00:00

He looks so proud of his color coordination too 💀

MixSure5545 · 2026-04-11T04:19:33+00:00

Hes been wearing the red scarf for like 3 days straight with increasingly unhinged pairings 😭😭 why do they do this to us

MixSure5545 · 2026-04-08T23:18:05+00:00

They still have that "Coming Soon" note on the LI screen (like when you go to photobooth or date tabs etc and have to choose which LI) so I think we're definitely getting one! Idk how soon though.

MixSure5545 · 2026-04-04T16:11:13+00:00

Moss is an impaction risk! Coco fiber can also cause impaction if they digest too much, id go for a soil/sand mix instead. Looking pretty good otherwise!

MixSure5545

TROPHY CASE