[rellica]

hey does anyone know if my blue lobster would be ok if i put medicine in the tank for the fish?? it appears that my fish have fin rot since i introduced the lobster a week or 2 ago.....they have split fins appearing but would the lobster be ok in the medicated tank? ty

 

[Jess]

Are you sure the lobster isn't the one splitting their fins? They'll go after fish, I do believe.

 

[Ravnos]

Jess is right, your little lobster may be going after your fish... but if you're sure it is fin rot, it is going to depend entirely on what medication you are using, there are many different things available to treat fin rot. Invertebrates are often more sensitive than fish when it comes to adding stuff to your tank, so you'll need to research the specific treatment you're intending to use.

 

[rellica]

i dont think he is, he is tiny compared to the fish in the tank and he always stays hidden in a ship inside the tank and when he does come out he ignores the fish totally.....plus 2 of the fish have the tiniest amount of white fungal coming off them, anyways ive medicated the tank and the lobster is ok :thumbsup:

 

[rellica]

i've just noticed that my goldfish has red streaky veins on its tail fin but the others do not.....does anyone know what this is? is it the fin rot?

 

[Sasami]

Fin rot usually doesn't need to be medicated, it's almost always caused by environmental factors. Fixing the environment and keeping the tank clean should be enough to help the fish heal. I would test your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. If you post your tank size and fish that will help, too. Something's amiss here.

If you do medicate, whether or not to remove the lobster is going to depend on what you use. Anything copper-based could kill him but other medications are more mild.

 

[Jess]

Red streaks sound like ammonia burn to me.

 

[rellica]

its an 11 gallon tank with 5 fish in......(2x goldfish, 2x black moor and 1x oranda) i did a half tank water change before i placed the lobster into the tank and since then that is when i noticed the problems with the fish they usually ok with the water changes hence why i 1st thought that maybe the lobster was carrying something from the tank he was in?
my fish are fine, still active so behaviour is normal. thx for all the replies, it helps a lot xx :thumbsup:

 

[Sasami]

Alright, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your tank is severely over-stocked . I'm guessing you were given incorrect information at some point, maybe at the pet store?

For fancy goldfish it's generally recommended to have a minimum of 20 gallons for the first goldfish and then an additional 10 gallons for each additional goldfish after that.

What's happening is that there's so much ammonia being produced by your livestock that the nitrifying bacteria (the guys who convert ammonia into nitrite and then nitrite into less toxic nitrate) can't keep up. The tank is also so small that the toxic ammonia isn't being diluted much at all. Your large water changes are probably the reason your fish are alive at all but they're still being burned by the ammonia. The burns are then being infected, leading to the fin rot and streaks.

No amount of medication will fix this problem and the tank will eventually "crash" if nothing is done. Again, I hate to be the one to tell you this .

The only way to save your fish is to upgrade to a much, much larger aquarium or bring them back to the store (and get smaller fish species that are more appropriate for your 11-gallon).

 

[Jess]

^^^ Agreed. Unless you plan on getting a 60 gallon or larger tank, I would re-home all of your fish and your lobster, and get some community fish instead.
4 or 5 tetras, guppies or platties would do fine in a tank that size, but your goldies won't make it if you keep them in that tiny tank.

 

[rellica]

wow i thought the tank was quite big....its 12 inches width, 15inches height and length is 24inches and according to the chart that comes with the fish medicine my yank is bout 11-13 imp galls.....i had the fish for 2 years now and they have been fine! not a problem with them at all till i entered the lobster....i came downstairs this morning though to a mutalated black moor :-( so i have removed the lobster and put him in a smaller smaller tank so i guess the lobster was trying to eat the fish! think my black moor is going to die though as he can hardly swim now as his tail fin is now a stub! looks like someone has hacked him with scissors! im taking to lobster back to the shop asap as they said to take him back if he started on the fish! thanks for everyones help though xx

 

[Sasami]

Goldfish can live 20+ years so having them for two years doesn't mean they're "fine" as they're not even done growing yet. I can absolutely guarantee that they will be stunted and not live long in that tank. An 11-gallon aquarium is quite small as far as aquariums go and while fine for smaller fish, not appropriate for large goldfish.

To give you an idea, this is how big fancy goldfish can get:

Now, they don't ALL get that huge but they're still large, messy fish. Hopefully now you see why they need so much room.

My advice would be to return the goldfish. If you like the look of goldfish, look into rosy barbs. They look similar, still don't need a heater, come in different varieties, etc. but are much smaller. Also look up platies, they're colorful fish with a lot of personality and a small group would do just fine in your tank . Just don't mix genders unless you're fine with babies!