help! is my goldfish ok?

Question

i recently set up a 10 gal aquarium with 3 goldfishies. all three of them are seemingly active and healthy. but i have 1 goldfish that seems to be very strange. the other 2 just swim around and eat and usually swims calmingly around in the aquarium.

the other particularly strange goldfish swims frantically around most of the time at the top of the tank. he pokes his head and mouth out of the water and it seems like he is spitting bubbles... at first i thought he was trying to eat them, but it appears now he is making bubbles (there was no bubbles in the tank except for a trail of bubbles coming from him). another strange thing he does is that he stays at the top and constantly swims against the current caused by my filter. he just swims in place most of the time pushing against the current, and often times he does the bubble blowing at the same time... is he ok? or is he crazy? or sick and dying?

oh, in addition, the only time he comes down from the top is when i am feeding and then he swarms the food along with the rest of the other 2...

if there's not enough air, how come the other two seem to be acting fine and not struggling for air? also, he's not just swimming at the top, he's actually sticking his mouth and top of his head out of the water. why does he keep swimming against the current? does that give him more air?

Answer 1

That remixDJ is a twit. Goldfish live 20-40 years, the fish she mentioned die after just a few.

Oxygen dissolves into the water at the surface. When a fish swims at the top then it is in need of more oxygen. Swimming into the current is a similar behavior. It forces more water over the gills providing more oxygen. You can add an airstone which will help with your O2 levels.

Your tank is overcrowded though. You need 10 gallons per goldfish. If you keep them crowded like that you will kill them.

Your O2 levels are probably low because your water has too much ammonia in it. This allows less O2 to dissolve into it. Check your water parameters, you probably need to do a partial water change.

Goldfish are really prone to swim-bladder issues- since your goldie has been gulping at the surface for a while then he will probably have buoyancy issues for a while. Does it seem like he has a hard time staying down in the middle of the tank? Does he always float up (normally- tail leading the head)? If so then you have a swim-bladder issue. Do a search on Answers- the question has been asked a million times.

Your fish should get to be 7" to over a foot long depending on the type of goldfish. They need more room then 10 gallons. If you don't give them the room they need then they will die very young. If you want a bunch of fish then buy a heater and switch to community tropical. Goldfish are like Cichlids- a couple of big beautiful fish in a huge tank.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

Well, I don't know what's up with your fish that blows bubbles. I have 2 goldfish right now & they do that every once & a while. But about the fish that seems like a loner. I started my 10 gallon with 4 goldfish. 2 from one pet store, & 2 from another. I had 2 orange & white fantails, 1 calico fantail, & a black goldfish that had bubbly looking eyes. He was my favorite. The other fish used to chase him around and pick on him, but he always stayed in 1 corner of the tank, hovering over his rock. He would never eat, he was just weird. Unfortunately he died first. I have no answer for you but my fish was doing the same sort of thing. :) -a-

Answer 3

No! that is only a bowl, it isn't acceptable for any style of fish. that's about 3 gallons. Goldfish at the on the spot are not truly good for novices, they enhance huge and are messy. for 2 fancy goldfish you want a minimal of 30 gallons, and for 2 feeders or comets you want a minimal of seventy 5 gallons. additionally they favor double filtration. some enhance over a foot lengthy. when you're searching for something more cost-effective, get a 5 gallon kit with a heater and clear out and get a unmarried betta. the different fish will favor a minimal of 10 gallons, and not in any respect many would nicely be in a tank that small both. Edit: For guppies you would favor 10 gallons with a heater and clear out. they're fantastically straight forward to save. you ought to cycle the tank first earlier you get them (takes 4-6 weeks) otherwise they are going to probably get unwell and die, guppies are at probability of diseases once you get them. you ought to have 2 women for each male in case you get mixed genders.

Answer 4

ok it's that if you don't hav a filter that produces bubbles the fish can't get enough air and it's trying to get air and the bubble blowing is normal my fish do it all the time (i have 22 fish)

suggestion: goldfish are fish that die quick so get plattys, guppies, tetra's thier low maintance well sort of and take out 25% of water ONCE A WEEK doing this will ensure clean healthy water also ONCE A MONTH use a PH test kit to make sure the PH level is balanced an d good (PH is like water condition)

Answer 5

Ok I know whats wrong he's not getting enough air. in a tank the most air and the freshest air is at the top of the tank by the filter.

So you need a bigger tank. Remeber to kep the water no higher than 72 degrees.

Best Of Luck Joe

Answer 6

It sounds to me like he needs to see a exorcist. I think he is possessed with a shark spirit. He feels he must move all the time or dye. Pehaps the bubbles are Him trying to tell you something. If you ever talked under water it makes bubbles so I am sure he is talking, or screaming, or maybe just confessing that he is "Jaws".
One question for you; "Does his head ever spin around in a complete circle? That is a tell tale sign.

Answer 7

I had a goldfish like that in a similar situation. Although the goldfish lived for several months, it did wind up dying long before the other fish did.

Answer 8

I think you need to put an aerator in there, because it sounds like he's not getting enough oxygen from the water if he keeps going to the surface.

Answer 9

He sounds fine. Some of my guppies do that. Then, they'll hide behind something like the water heater. Weird

Answer 10

he is fine and stop feeding your gold fish LSD they will live longer the only time to worry is if they are toking at the bottom of the tank there lighters wont work.