strange creature in goldfish's tank

[3littlefrogs]

Help.... Found the right place this time - didn't realise there was a section for Pets.

I have just decided to do a complete cleanout 75% water change as fish still not well. I had put some "gold" disease safe in the water as instructed by pet shop. He looks slightly better, but has a few "wisps" of ?membrane trailing from his tail (sorry if anyone having breakfast). I have prepared the water 24 hours ago with Dchl. and put some disease safe in this morning.

I have just tipped out the remaining 25% of the water and there is a creature crawling in the gravel. It is about an inch long with legs and a thin tail - lightish mud colour. Gold fish is safe in a litre of tank water in a sep. bowl. I have washed and drained some new gravel in dechlorinated water. Could this creature have arrived in the oxygenating plants, and could it have harmed my fish??

Sorry for long post - have to go to work in half an hour - I daren't be any later. I would be so grateful for any further advice. Have been trying to get a test kit, but nowhere locally. Will have to do a 12 mile trip if i can leave work early today.

Poor fish is dead. Not sure what I did wrong, or maybe it wasn't very healthy to begin with. Should I scrub everything out and start again? I realise I will have to leave the tank for a couple of weeks. I think the fish had a fungus infection, in which case the fungus will still be around???

When I was a child we had goldfish in bowls of tap water and they lived for ages!!

where is 'creature' now?

Down the loo I'm afraid - it was a singularly unattractive little beastie. I suppose I should have kept it, but my initial reaction was UGH! I can only assume it hatched from an egg that was on the plants.

I suppose goldfish survive in ponds though, and there must be creatures in there with them?? I have just checked my diary and we bought the fish from a garden centre five and a half weeks ago. we followed all instructions to the letter.

I have promised dd we will try again, but don't want to make a hash of it this time.

The beastie sounds like a young newt. It wouldn't have harmed the goldfish if it had survived - we had a pet one we kept with a goldfish when I was a kid - someone brought newt spawn to school, and everyone who wanted one took a newt home when they grew up! Sadly it died after my younger brother took it out of the tank, dried it with a towel and took it for a walk.

I don't think it was a newt - we have lots of those plus eggs and tiny ones in our pond - this looked more like an insect larva. I do feel a bit guilty now though. I am upset about the fish and wondering if I could have done anything more to save him! dd very sad. I am going to buy a maintenance manual before I buy the next fish.

Sorry - for some reason I asumed it had 4 legs! Cant think what it could have been I suppose it would have died when you cleaned the tank out anyway. Fish are funny things - Ive had some that lived for 7 years and some for only a few weeks, and one that escaped out of a tiny gap in the tank cover and we found it dried out on the carpet in the morning with the cat giving it a funny look. (It was a golden loach.)

Good luck next time!

Thanks anyway, fubsy. Off to the library this afternoon to get a book about goldfish. Then I am going to clean everything, and set the tank up again. I have heard that it is a good idea to get some tank water to add before getting fish. I have a friend with goldfish, so will ask her for some out of her tank.

Oh - it had 6 legs.

I've just had a poorly goldfish...again! First time this one has been poorly though. I put it in a bucket and treated with 1/4 tspn of the all round disease treatment. It was ill for 3 days and now back to normal. I always do this and it's worked so far. I lost one fish but it hadn't been good from day 1.

Poor you though, I know what it feels like. I'm a silly moo and get upset about them. Had to leave my fish that I was eating the other day, whilst in kitchen gazing at the tank... as I felt a bit guilty

I kept 2 fish I won in a fair in a bowl of tap water for ages then decided to start looking after them properly with nice tank etc etc and they died. Could the creature have been a freshwater crayfish or the like?

I don't know - I wish I had kept the creature.....maybe it could have been an alternative pet for dd. The thing is - she begged me to let her have a pet to love, and I honestly thought a goldfish would be the least amount of trouble..................!

Ds1 is allergic to cats.
I go out to work, so not fair to have a dog.
Have been down the road of hamsters - they need peace and quiet - none of that in this house, unless kept in a bedroom, and I am not keen on that idea.

Ds 2 wants a snake - I have a horror of risk of escape.

Anyway - I've bought the tank now, plus filter etc, so might as well give it another go. Thanks to everyone for your kind words!!!

I am scared of goldfishthis thread is making me go all funny and as for the little froggy thing

3frogs, I think you need to leave the tank a bit before putting fish in so that the friendly bacteria build up? Don't know if you did that or not?

good luck with your next fish

These fish threads have the same effect on me, noddy, but I love 'em. You couldn't make this one up.

Can no one identify the mysterious gravel-loving creature?