large goldfish, and small. 20 gallon tank, snails, water changed monthly. I feed them 3 times a day, as much as they can eat in 5 minutes. Otherwise tank is very healthy, and the water is very clear.
2006-09-04 09:37:23 · 17 answers · asked by lily28 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Way too much food. Feed them only once per day and you will see a significant difference.
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2006-09-04 12:00:16 · answer #1 · answered by iceni 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You are feeding them way too often. Once a day is fine, and you can skip a day once a week and not hurt them at all.
Your filter should be changed every week if you are getting that much crud in it. A 20 gallon tank should have no more than 4-5 2" goldfish in it. They will outgrow it shortly.
Water changes should be done regularly (weekly) and the rate of 25-30% of the water each time. More if your tank is crowded. The rule of thumb is: one inch of small "thin" fish per gallon of water. With goldfish (they are much dirtier than regular tropicals) you should go with 40-50%.
2006-09-04 13:30:02 · answer #2 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would increase your water changes to once every 7 days, and as for the filter - this is normal.
Not knowing your complete setup it makes it kind of hard to know, but if say for instance you are using a Biowheel filter with some sort of Carbon based insert - just leave those in for 3 to 4 months (as they will become a very good bacteria bed for the good bacteria that your system needs). Do not change the filters too often - and moreover - do more frequent water changes (again - once a week - not once a month).
2006-09-04 09:42:26 · answer #3 · answered by sly2kusa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
RULE FOR GOLDFISH
Baby-juvenile fancy goldfish need 10 gallons PER fish. (orandas, fantails, moors, ryukins, ect.)
Baby-juvenile long bodied goldfish need 20 gallons PER fish. (comets, commons, shubunkins)
Adults will need 50 gallons PER fish.
They should only bed fed ONCE A DAY.
You are CLEARLY OVERSTOCKED. Do a 30 percent waterchange daily and get a bigger tank or find a new home for the fish.
Water clarity does not mean the tank is healthy. There are dissolved organics in the water that you cannot see but they are turning the water acidic and slowly killing the fish.
2006-09-04 15:28:32 · answer #4 · answered by lady_crotalus 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
- Increase water changes from monthly to weekly.
- Reduce feeding from 3x a day to once a day, and as much as they can eat in 30sec, not 5min
- Add another filter, and it won't hurt to overfiltrate. For example, get another filter that is suited for a 55-75gal tank and put that on your 20gal (goldfish are considered messy fish so extra filtration will only help).
Ultimately, a large goldfish requires a larger tank.
2006-09-04 10:32:19 · answer #5 · answered by Kay B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like you're overfeeding them or your tank is a bit overcrowded. Try cutting back their food to twice a day, and only as much as they can eat in 2-3 minutes. I usually do a 20% water change every week or two, and make sure to use a gravel vacuum to get the grunge from the gravel.
2006-09-04 09:46:34 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
they really dont need that much food, just feed once or twice a day and about as much as they can eat in a minute, also if you're feeding flake, mix the food with water first so it sinks, if you feed pellets, make sure you get sinking ones. gold fish are bottem feeders but they dont always realise it (we all know how smart they are right?) if they eat from the surface they can swallow air and they cant get rid of it like most fish can so theyll end up swimming on their backs the rest of their lives. you only need to actually change your filter once a month, but you can rinse it out in between changes. how many fish do you have in ther, gold fish need aprox 2g of water per inch of fish and get about 10 inches a piece, if you have more than 10 inches of fish in there your problem wont go away till you get a bigger tank, you dont count tails when your measuring them tough, good luck
2006-09-04 10:03:05 · answer #7 · answered by Taldeara 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Get a placostimas? Not sure about the spelling. They love eating the gunk off the sides of the tank. They are pricey, but worth the money. I think you feed your fish too often.
2006-09-04 09:45:30 · answer #8 · answered by damsel36 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
feed them at most 2 times. water change frequently needed at-least once in 15 days.please try to reduce quantity of fish in tank,because cleanliness is inversely proportional 2 no of fishes.bye.
2006-09-08 06:48:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Feed once a day its more than enough. while washing ur tank use some toilet cleaners it will help u lot. use high quality of filters.
2006-09-04 19:19:11 · answer #10 · answered by pinky 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋