u/Informal_Maximum2009

my goldfish died on thursday, i do not believe he was in the tank for long as i took him out and buried him that day. That same day i noticed these worm looking things on the sponge filter. Ive been really sad about my fish passing but today im finally going to start working on my tank again. What the hell are these worms though, i thought detritus worms, but theyre honestly huge. How do u get rid of them 💔

update: 🤷‍♀️did a 90% water change, got rid of the driftwood, removed the sand, and lightly brushed off everything in the tank. rip my biofilter

so heartbroken about this i dont even know what to do. I had been preparing for an oranda for two plus months. 30gal tank, live plants, canister filter double tank size, sponge filter, heater, fan, everything. Cycled the hell out of my tank for a little over a month until my parameters were perfect.

Breeder was Jimmy Goldfish after hearing so many amazing reviews online, in videos, etc. Got a lovely 5in male yuanbao oranda (6months) from him whom i named Mushu. The day after he arrived i could tell he had a slight buoyancy issue, figured likely shipping stress. I followed all the breeders instructions for acclimating Mushu (fasting, temperature,etc). I tested parameters every single day, to find they were always perfect (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20 or less nitrate, ph, temp, everything stable). Changed water 25-50% when nitrate was getting a little higher than 20ppm.
Buoyancy issues got worse, determined it was likely SBD. Also noticed he wasnt pooping as frequently as i expected. (week 1 of having him)
Tried deshelled peas, tried repashy gold gel food, which did help him go to the bathroom.
But then i noticed he was progressively getting more lethargic (this is week 3 of having him), i have a tank camera and would check in to see him resting nose down in the plants allllllll day. That day, i checked his scales and there was the slightest bit of pineconing. Had some stressguard so i put some in just in case.
This is when i decided to start kanaplex in his food with a combination of epsom salt baths. He seemed to like the baths. Now he spends all day at the surface corners. Clamped fins. Really tired. He still eats and goes to bathroom.
Its now day 4 of kanaplex. This morning i found him at the top of tank, nose down, trying to rest uncomfortably. I gave him another bath after finding him like that and it gave him some energy to swim around the tank for a short while afterwards. Im so extremely heartbroken and angry at everything. My 11yr old cat had passed away in february and losing another pet is going to shatter me.
Dont know what to do anymore.