I currently have a 10 gallon tank at home.  The tank has two plastic
plants, a big volcanic rock, a light hood, and a filter system where a
motor sucks the water up from the bottom third of the tank, runs it
through a charcoal filter and pours it back into the tank. 
Previously, I had three fish, and a nasty anchor worm problem.  I
treated the anchor worm first with a series of Parasite Clear drop in
tablets, and later some kind of copper treatment.  Two of those fish
died.  Anchor worms do not appear to be a problem anymore.  I then
changed half of the water, added a Water Safe drop in tablet and
purchased two more small goldfish.  Later I purchased a sucker-type
fish to clean the sides of the tank which were getting greenish. The
fish left over from the original bunch doesn't seem to have recovered
well and never has his top fin up.  A month or more ago one of the new
fish appeared to have a red area on the side of his body.    I treated
the tank with Fungus Clear after changing 25% of the water, adding a
Water Safe, and removing the charcoal filter.  I did this again after
four days.  The red area disappeared.  A few weeks ago the older fish
appeared to have a cloudy eye with fin rot.  I again applied the
Fungus Clear using the same method.  The cloudy eye cleared up, and he
looked better, although he still seemed to keep his fins clamped. 
Yesterday the fish that previously had the red spot on his side
appeared to have his scales go dark in the middle on both sides. 
Today I looked again and most of the fish appear to have fin rot with
the fins looking ragged.  I try to change 25% of the water every other
week, and add a Water Safe tablet.  The tank is not in direct
sunlight.

My Questions:
What is happening with these fish?  How can I properly treat what I
believe to be a bacteria infection so this doesn't keep reoccuring? 
How can I help this older fish that no longer keeps his top fin up and
looks wobbly?  Exactly how much food (I use flake food) should I give
them how often a day?  I usually put a large pinch in twice a day.

I need my answer to be more than just links on the web; I can find
lots of suggestions myself.  My problem is that I'm fustrated by
having to keep trying to heal the fish, and I would like to keep the
fish healthy from now on.  I don't like seeing my fish suffering.  I
need an answer from a fish expert, someone who knows fish well, and
can tell me exactly what I need to do, including which medicine would
be best, and perhaps where I can locate it.  If it would be helpful,
when I go home tonight I can check the water for hardness, buffer, ph
and ammonia.

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Clarification of Question by caecias-ga on 22 Nov 2002 14:00 PST

Just testing the water now:
Nitrite is less than .5 ppm
hardness is greater than 120 ppm less than 250ppm
buffering is about 180 ppm
and I'm ashamed to admit pH is high at greater than 7.6.
I can't seem to find anything to measure ammonia. 
I'm going to add some pH-minus to see what I can do about the pH.

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Clarification of Question by caecias-ga on 22 Nov 2002 20:15 PST

Retesting the water now.
I purchased a pH tester and it reads "safe".
On the new water testers I just got, hardness, buffering and pH all
read in the nominal zone.  I didn't add the pH-minus previously
because I couldn't find any, and now apparently I don't need to.   The
fish don't really look any better, and I haven't made any changes
except when I found I didn't have any more pH-minus I put in a
teaspoon of AmQuel Water Conditioner, since people were saying that
ammonia was most likely a problem.  It's a 40 minute drive to the fish
place, so hopefully I have everything I need now.

Caecias -

I believe your biggest problem is overcrowding. Goldfish should
generally be kept under the rule of "1 Goldie per 10 gallons of
water." Goldfish are fairly filthy fish, and with overcrowding such as
this, your water quality is probably not where it should be. What is
your Ammonia level? Poor water quality can create a real downward
spiral of your fish's health, the recurring parasitic/fungal
infections are a good indication that this may be the culprit.

When you change water, are you vacuuming your gravel? Getting all the
gunk up out of the rocks can help water quality to some degree.

Your best bet, with a 10 gallon tank with too many fish, is more
frequent water changes. I'd be very interested in knowing your Ammonia
levels, as it seems to me that the red area on one of your fish may
very well be Ammonia burn. The absolute best thing to do, if you're
interested in keeping goldfish, is to upgrade yourself to at least a
55 gallon tank for your current 3 goldies and "sucker-type fish." If
this isn't an option, it would be best to find someone to take them
for you (your local fish store may be of some help there) and purchase
fish that are more likely to do well in a 10 gallon tank. A male
betta, maybe 2 African Dwarf Frogs, or even a school of 4-6 Neon
Tetras would do much better in your current set up.

The general "rule" for feeding fish - is feed what they can eat in
about 2 minutes. Give these smaller sized meals 3 times per day, and
scoop out any uneaten food once they're done. There's usually not too
much left over with goldies in the picture :)

Let me know your Ammonia reading, and I can help you figure out a
water change schedule to minimize those issues. Likewise, if there's
anything else I can clarify/answer for you, please don't hesitate to
ask.

I totally agree about getting a larger tank.  Also consider that the
filter would have to work in a larger tank, too.
Plastic plants can get pretty slimy and gross.  Have you considered
real plants and a grow light to keep your new plecostomus happy?
Are you close enough to a *reliable* fish store that you can take a
fish there for them to look at and properly diagnose?
There are also many fish fanatics on the web that may be able to help
you if you can send them a picture (if possible), or at least your
thorough explanation above.  Maybe some of them will see your question
and can help you.
Good luck.

caesias-ga

I recommend a 100% water exhange and not introducing anymore species
until the existing situation is under control. A 10 ga tank should
only have 1
medium/large fish in it, such as a large golfish. The safe rule is 1
medium sized fish per 10 gallons of water.

At this point, I would exchange your water 100% while the fish are in
a temporary holding tank. After several hours to let particulate
matter settle, reintroduce the largest fish alone into the tank.

Then set up a separate tank for the other fish.

~omniscientbeing-ga