The tank had 15 fish and 4 sucker fish (3 of which were a different species to the one which has survived - its dark and browny) I am now down to 9 goldfish (1 death I can account for) and 1 sucker fish. A friend has told me sucker fish change their habits when they are older and start eating fish... another friend says this is rubbish. I did not buy this tank, but agreed to look after them as they didn't have anywhere to live - 2 years on I still have it (but less fish!)
2006-07-22 21:42:44 · 18 answers · asked by Suzanne L 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
First off your tank is WAY overcrowded. Probably why your fish are dieing.
Second, algae eaters eat the slime coat off of Goldfish. The should not be kept together. Without the slime coat the goldfish is defenseless against parasites, bacteria... Because you're tank is overcrowded it probably makes the ammonia burns much more painful.
There are a lot of different "sucker" fish. Chinese and Golden are less aggresive but Plecos are Mean. These fish are also nocturnal so they will be attacking your goldies in the evening or at night.
"sucker" fish will eat anything that will fit in their mouths they are not vegetarians. Drop some blood worms in there- they'll devour them.
One last thing- goldfish are cold water fish, "suckers" are warm (tropical) fish. They should not be together.
Goldfish should be kept 1 goldie per 10 gallons. Tropical fish should be kept 1gallon per every inch of adult fish. so
9 goldfish = 90 gallons at least
if plecos 12" adult size x 4 fish = 48 inches = 48 gallons
if chinese/golden 7" adult size x 4 fish= 28 inches = 28 gallons.
So, technically you should have at least a 120 gallon tank if not a 150 gallon. Check out any goldfish website you want they will all give you the same information. Goldies should live up to 40 years not just 2 years. Bring most of them back to a petstore along with the sucker fish. If you don't, fish will keep on dieing.
Added: To reiterate Plecos are by far meaner than any golden or Chinese. The above answer reflects the fact that they are nocturnal. Watch your fish in the evening- he will tail the goldfish trying to catch them. Plecos are often kept with aggressive fish because they can use their spikes as defenses and they will stand their own. I have seen plecos literally "roll around" with fish.
2006-07-23 04:31:28 · answer #1 · answered by Lynn 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
You have the answer about five times. The sucker sucks the goldfish slime which in turn causes the goldfish to weaken and then get sick and then die.
It is not an easy thing to take care of fish. You need to read about what all is involved in caring for tropical fish. If you learn how to accomplish it, it is a great hobby. But if you just try and do it like I did without studying the subject, the fish die and the bowl ends up in storage.
Good luck.
2006-07-22 22:08:30 · answer #2 · answered by zclifton2 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there is one grave mistake, it is to put together sucker fish and gold fish....
u c sucker fish actually are those species that get on to the bodies of sharks in sea to eat the left over meat that the shark leaves un eaten...
shark skin is hard and so this fish clinging on to the body of the shark is not a big problem to the shark...
when it comes to the domestic aquarium...the sucker fish does not show the charcter of sucking to the bodies of fishes until they grow up...
when these fish are big they try to cling on to the goldfish as goldfishes are big and brightly coloured..
gold fish have very sensitive skin...it can get very nasty when a sucker fish clings on to it... it litrally removes all the skin to make the fish sick...
if condition persists the goldfish dies...
i wud suggest you keep the goldfish in a different tank or throw the suck out into sum fresh water body like a pond or river .....
2006-07-22 21:56:12 · answer #3 · answered by Alconzy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your goldfish show signs of weakness i.e slowly dieing or ill, then your sucker fish will take advantage of this and have a good feast on them knowing there not strong enough to fight there way out
2006-07-22 21:51:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, sucker fish are Territorial and aggressive, I have seen them attack at other fish swimming near there area, whats wrong with Edna Bambrick, I think she is a Sucker Fish.
2006-07-22 21:47:46 · answer #5 · answered by jhnedrmr 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sucker fish often do prey on goldfish because they like the slime coat that they have on their body. You may need to separate your fish from your sucker fish because if the sucker fish continue to do this, you will have goldfish who are losing their fins and scales.
2006-07-23 03:14:44 · answer #6 · answered by J H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the suckerfish you are talking about are plecos, then no, they wouldn't attack your goldfish. I've had plecos before, and I have two now, and they never have attacked my fish before.
If your talking about chinese/golden algae eaters, or something from that family, then yes, they will attack the fish. I unfortunately had a golden algae eater before, and it ended up attacking one of my blackskirt tetras, leaving a gash on her side.
From your description of it being dark and browny, I'm guessing it's a pleco. Don't worry, it won't attack your goldfish, they are very peaceful fish that will get along with just about anything.
Best of luck!
2006-07-23 03:53:06 · answer #7 · answered by band_geek_til_2007 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the one you have left sounds like a plecostomus,( look it up on google photos.) If so, they don't eat other fish. i have one that is about 8 inches long in with a tank full of guppies, and he doesn't bother them. I suspect your fish have died from old age, and have been devoured by the surviving goldfish(they do that) most tropical fish have a lifespan of less than 5 years. you migst want to throw a bit of salt(less than a teaspoon) in the water once in a while to help destroy some of the bacteria that will make them age faster
2006-07-22 21:52:20 · answer #8 · answered by judy_r8 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to keep fishtanks a couple of years ago and have never known 'sucker' fish to eat others. They are great at keeping a hold on algae build up and are rather cumbersome but nothing else. A good food for the suckers is algae pellets. They love em ! gl with your tank.
2006-07-22 22:38:07 · answer #9 · answered by or8geezer 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lynn is right in all respects. Additional info on pleco. As pelcos age they get territorial and will fight with other pelco, and bottom feeders. A pelco will happily eat any slow moving fish they can swallow, as well as any dead or sick fish.
Personally I think you've got too many goldfish, and they are dying of ammonia poisoning, and being eaten by the pleco.
2006-07-23 07:32:01 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋