# Gill curl, any help quickly



## hughie (Sep 7, 2003)

I know its only on a goldfish, but ive had him for years and he is about 7-8"'s long.

His gills are clearly curled outwards and he is shaking his head side to side and going nuts at the minute. How do i cure this, anything i can do?

I considered taking him out and folding them back.


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

i thought i read somewere that its

from being kept in tanks to small for it.

at six inches and in a 20 gallon i dont

really see that as being to small yet cause they

are pretty wide.

so i would assume its parasitic of some sort.

have you added anything new to the tank? id

probably start with a salt treatment for about a

week and see were it goes from there.


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## hughie (Sep 7, 2003)

Ok thanks, he was kept in a small tank prior to this one for ages at my ex's houses.

I give him the salt treatment and wait to see if they get any better.


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## Ex0dus (Jun 29, 2005)

Most of what ive read about gill curl is usually blamed on water issues (bad water conditions). What are your readings in that tank?


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## Kemper1989 (Feb 14, 2005)

hughie said:


> Ok thanks, he was kept in a small tank prior to this one for ages at my ex's houses.
> 
> I give him the salt treatment and wait to see if they get any better.


Did you cycle the tank you switched him over to from your Ex's house?


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Ex0dus said:


> Most of what ive read about gill curl is usually blamed on water issues (bad water conditions). What are your readings in that tank?


I have read that also...but I dont necessarily think that is the case. Im actually not sure what can cause it.


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## hughie (Sep 7, 2003)

Kemper1989 said:


> Ok thanks, he was kept in a small tank prior to this one for ages at my ex's houses.
> 
> I give him the salt treatment and wait to see if they get any better.


Did you cycle the tank you switched him over to from your Ex's house?
[/quote]

Yeah it was an already established aquarium, he already had it when i brought him to my house.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Gill curl is caused by not having a large enough tank. Unfortunately it is permanent.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

jerry_plakyda said:


> Gill curl is caused by not having a large enough tank. Unfortunately it is permanent.


I dont now if I agree with this either. I could see it if we were talking about very active fish...but that is not what these guys are.


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## hughie (Sep 7, 2003)

Well he is in a 60 gallon (uk) now so i willjust wait and see if it corrects itself. It doesnt look like he is in pain anymore and he looks very happy now.


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## fliptasciouz (Jul 4, 2004)

Gill curls occurs due to excessive amounts of nitrates and ammonia in the water PH. Another possibility is constraint spaces in the tank. I believe adding more water flow to your tank and moving your fish to a bigger tank may possibly heal your fish. Your last resort would be surgery


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## MONGO  (Feb 7, 2006)

GILL CURL

In this condition, the gill cover of the arowana curls outward, initially involving only the softer part of the cover, then later, the hard gill cover. If the problem is not treated, the condition will worsen and the gill will get exposed, causing breathing difficulty and making the gill prone to infection. The end result could be fatal. A small swimming space in a tank with a length and width shorter than 2.5x and 1x the length of the arowana can cause gill curl, as the fish has to reverse when turning. Move your fish into a larger tank immediately. Poor water conditions with high level of ammonia, nitrite or nitrate also contribute to gill curl. Do a large water change and increase the water current and increase dissolved O2 (by adding airstone), and if possible massage the gill cover, if the fish allows it. If all else fails you might have to operate. When only the soft potion of the gill cover is involved and the problem is noticed early, conservative management might be possible. However when the hard portion of the gill is affected, the condition is only reversible through surgery, with the curled portion of the gill either trimmed off or multiple perpendicular cuts are made on it. There is a third hypothesis on the cause of gill curl. Infection of the inner membrane is believed to be the cause. The infection causes the inner membrane to swell and push the gill to curl outward. However, more research is needed to prove it.

found this on www.fu-arowana.com


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## MONGO  (Feb 7, 2006)

found this on www.fu-arowana.com...i know its for arowana but i assume its the same with all fish

GILL CURL

In this condition, the gill cover of the arowana curls outward, initially involving only the softer part of the cover, then later, the hard gill cover. If the problem is not treated, the condition will worsen and the gill will get exposed, causing breathing difficulty and making the gill prone to infection. The end result could be fatal. A small swimming space in a tank with a length and width shorter than 2.5x and 1x the length of the arowana can cause gill curl, as the fish has to reverse when turning. Move your fish into a larger tank immediately. Poor water conditions with high level of ammonia, nitrite or nitrate also contribute to gill curl. Do a large water change and increase the water current and increase dissolved O2 (by adding airstone), and if possible massage the gill cover, if the fish allows it. If all else fails you might have to operate. When only the soft potion of the gill cover is involved and the problem is noticed early, conservative management might be possible. However when the hard portion of the gill is affected, the condition is only reversible through surgery, with the curled portion of the gill either trimmed off or multiple perpendicular cuts are made on it. There is a third hypothesis on the cause of gill curl. Infection of the inner membrane is believed to be the cause. The infection causes the inner membrane to swell and push the gill to curl outward. However, more research is needed to prove it.


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## Zirca (Jan 21, 2006)

Hmm..it looks like I have this problem. One of of P's had this from the day I got him (small fry). I figured it was just a bite or something, but it never healed. 2 of my others are now starting to show similar problems on their left gill (a slight curl, barely noticable). My water parameters are quite good and consistent. here are my latest results

Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = 0
Nitrates = ~20
PH = 7.2
Water Temp= ~80

I have 4 rbp's in a 55 gal tank. Currently, they are about 4mths old and are around 2.5-3" in size. I figured my problem was too much decor, so I removed a few big pieces today. I hope this will help. Any other suggestions? I'm not doing the surgery to the one (as mentioned above)...I'm sure I'll do more harm then good. His left gil is very exposed, but he doesn't seem to have any breathing problems. I want to ensure the other 3 don't get worse. Should I be looking into a powerhead?

Thanks,
Dan


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## Zirca (Jan 21, 2006)

bump


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## hemptation88 (Jun 9, 2005)

i did surgery to my gold a week ago and hes back in action w/ out gill curl.. didnt take pics tho


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## Zirca (Jan 21, 2006)

hemptation88 said:


> i did surgery to my gold a week ago and hes back in action w/ out gill curl.. didnt take pics tho


How did you got about doing it? Scissors? did you cut the entire curl off or do incisions to let it straighten out? Please advise. It doesn't seem to be bothering my one guy, but a good chunk of his gill is now exposed and there is a significant amount of curl. Did you have to add salt after you did the surgery for healing?

I don't understand why they're getting it. It's a 55 gal tank with lots of room for 4 2.5-3" rbp.

Thanks,
Dan


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## ICEMAN330824 (May 30, 2006)

TRY MARDEL MARCYN! BUY IT AT YOUR LOCAL LFS!!

ICEMAN!


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## hemptation88 (Jun 9, 2005)

Zirca said:


> i did surgery to my gold a week ago and hes back in action w/ out gill curl.. didnt take pics tho


How did you got about doing it? Scissors? did you cut the entire curl off or do incisions to let it straighten out? Please advise. It doesn't seem to be bothering my one guy, but a good chunk of his gill is now exposed and there is a significant amount of curl. Did you have to add salt after you did the surgery for healing?

I don't understand why they're getting it. It's a 55 gal tank with lots of room for 4 2.5-3" rbp.

Thanks,
Dan
[/quote]

I just cut all of it off w/ a small pair of scissors... it seems to be coming back a little tho







and i only have 1, 7 inch gold in a 55.. i duno man


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