Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My fantail goldfish's tail seems to be getting shorter. For a while it was huge- more than the length of his body- and all the sudden I noticed it looks a whole lot shorter. It doesn't *look* like tail rot, because it's in good shape.

The goldfish is about two years old, and in a tank by himself with a snail, (who I feed frequently with lettuce so I don't think he's snacking on the goldfish tail). The tank is in good condition and we tested for all chemical imbalances (nitrite, ammonia, phD, etc.)

We have a larger aquarium with various tropical fish, and I have seen tail rot before and for some reason, it just doesn't look like it to me. It just looks as if Sparky's tail was shortened by a bit.

Is there anything we can do to treat this without hurting Sparky and the snail? I *really* love this fish- I know that's crazy to some people but he's really interactive and just fun to watch. I'd love to help him out if I can.

If his tail doesnt look frayed or ragged and red streaks then maybe he has had a growth spurt that youve only just noticed and his tail hasnt grown with him. To be honest if it aint broke dont fix it. If theres no sign of disease then using meds may upset the water chemistry and cause stress to the fish and snail. Just keep a close eye on him for now.