Sick goldfish -- what am I missing?

[addy1]

My bog is four years old, It's been 100% undisturbed for over two years now

I have not touched mine since I built it in 2010. The pond needs no help from me to maintain good water tests, the fish stay healthy, The water stays clear, crystal clear.

I'm honestly starting to wonder if its the kitty litter in the bog that has started to cause of all your ponds problems either that or your design was off slightly as the bog is also new this year ?

I have tons of kitty litter in my pond, from litter that has fallen out of lily pans, to the pans that are full of litter, some even in the bog from planting a few plants in it. It has never been an issue.

 

[MitchM]

If your bog is shaded and relatively new, it's probably not the problem.
Could the enlarged cornea be genetic? It can be in humans.
Have you tried calling the breeder?

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Remember that were other symptoms with this fish, as well as the similarities with the one that died a month ago. This guy is now outside in the QT, and seems to be doing well, but he's still a little wobbly -- not quite as steady as he should be, and still listing a tad.

So the symptoms got better once the fish was removed from the pond but not completely normal? The listing makes me think he/she might have some type of bacterial infection.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Maggie while what Meyer is saying has a lot of truth and should always be considered when filtering with a bog, I don't feel like the bog has been set up long enough for there to be significant areas of concern in your situation IF you seeing pretty even flow. My bog is four years old, It's been 100% undisturbed for over two years now and I firmly believe it's in bad shape, my stocking level is far more than your pond. and every fish in the pond with the exceptions of the ones that have been born in it have been in there for over three years and I have not had a death in this pond in four years. Addy runs a similar system, It's a fair debate and one I don't take light hearted. I too was not a fan of bog filtering for a long time and wouldn't do it for my show fish. But the pond with the bog has been the most stable pond I personally have ever kept.

There is not a better overall bio-filter than a well-functioning constructed wetlands ('bog'). That being said, like any other filter, they require periodic cleaning, the frequency of which is determined by the design of the 'bog', the size (capacity) of the 'bog' in relation to the total biomass of the particular pond and the extent to which it is planted.
When searching for the cause of fish health issues, it is only logical to consider all possibilities.

 

[Mmathis]

So the symptoms got better once the fish was removed from the pond but not completely normal? The listing makes me think he/she might have some type of bacterial infection.

What I was thinking, too, but he's not 100% back to normal yet, so still keeping a close eye on him. One of his eyes seemed a little better this morning, and he's interested in food, just not moving right. Almost like he's a little tipsy.....but not acting like they do with "swim bladder" issues. It's different and hard to explain. It's more like he's weak.

There is not a better overall bio-filter than a well-functioning constructed wetlands ('bog'). That being said, like any other filter, they require periodic cleaning, the frequency of which is determined by the design of the 'bog', the size (capacity) of the 'bog' in relation to the total biomass of the particular pond and the extent to which it is planted.
When searching for the cause of fish health issues, it is only logical to consider all possibilities.

I agree to all points, and esp. about considering all possibilities! Trying real hard NOT to develop tunnel vision and/or go into denial. Trying to keep an open mind

This particular bog is small, as bogs go -- maybe 6' x 3' x 12" deep. It's only about 1/2 planted: the outer edges are dedicated to plants and the inside is a "pool" area for the turtles. I back-flushed it yesterday, and there was a good bit of gunk that came out, though nothing had an odor. Afterward, the overall water flow did seem to improve. And due to a miscalculation on my part, the top part isn't deep enough for me to run a major water flow through without its overflowing (and losing pond water, LOL!) -- the water flow has to be monitored and adjusted, but what I did yesterday did seem to make it better. Plus, there are a couple of plants with beefy roots that like to invade the out-flow tubing -- we had a nice meeting the other day.....my knife & I won!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

What I was thinking, too, but he's not 100% back to normal yet, so still keeping a close eye on him. One of his eyes seemed a little better this morning, and he's interested in food, just not moving right. Almost like he's a little tipsy.....but not acting like they do with "swim bladder" issues. It's different and hard to explain. It's more like he's weak.


I agree to all points, and esp. about considering all possibilities! Trying real hard NOT to develop tunnel vision and/or go into denial. Trying to keep an open mind

This particular bog is small, as bogs go -- maybe 6' x 3' x 12" deep. It's only about 1/2 planted: the outer edges are dedicated to plants and the inside is a "pool" area for the turtles. I back-flushed it yesterday, and there was a good bit of gunk that came out, though nothing had an odor. Afterward, the overall water flow did seem to improve. And due to a miscalculation on my part, the top part isn't deep enough for me to run a major water flow through without its overflowing (and losing pond water, LOL!) -- the water flow has to be monitored and adjusted, but what I did yesterday did seem to make it better. Plus, there are a couple of plants with beefy roots that like to invade the out-flow tubing -- we had a nice meeting the other day.....my knife & I won!

Did you backflush until the water ran clear?

 

[Mmathis]

Did you backflush until the water ran clear?

Yes, and then some!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Yes, and then some!

Then it is probably safe to eliminate your 'bog' as a source of your fish problems. I do agree that it appears to be some internal bacterial infection.

Are your fish subjected to recurring situations that may prove stressful?

 

[Mmathis]

Then it is probably safe to eliminate your 'bog' as a source of your fish problems. I do agree that it appears to be some internal bacterial infection.

Are your fish subjected to recurring situations that may prove stressful?

Nothing other than the frequent, horrendous thunder storms we had all spring. And the heat, but I dealt with that with sun shade sails.

 

[Mmathis]

An update! The goldfish, still in the QT, is recovering well. I can look at him and tell he's in that "recovery" stage just because I know what he was like before and during, but to the casual observer, he looks normal. His "wobbliness" is almost completely gone. But his corneas -- I hate to say "eyes," because it's just the cornea that is protruding -- "eyes" makes it sound like "pop-eye," and his eyes are not popping out -- are about the same, maybe a little better.

I've been watching him on a daily basis and for a while I was wondering if he was actually blind or "impared" based on the way he would go after food. But I guess if his focal length is messed up..........that would explain it. But he did much better at finding the pellets today.

And to think that I almost wrote him off....... He didn't give up, so I didn't give up on him!

 

[MitchM]

Glad to hear he's doing better.

 

[addy1]

yeah!

 

[CometKeith]

Good luck with your sick fish. It seems odd you have had that many sick fish this year. As an experiment maybe disconnect your bog from your pond and use regular filtration and see if the problems go away.If they do then it has to be something that is in your bog.