My mother buys her goldfish from the same pet shop, without fail. Her fish die about every six months - like clockwork! I am sure she looks after them, yet there they go, floating to the top!
Could it be that the pet shop have bred goldfish with short lifespans to make more money???
2006-09-11 01:06:06 · 12 answers · asked by Mac 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
It is more likely to be consistently bad water quality caused by overfeeding and improper tank cleaning techniques that is slowly poisoning the goldfish.
A
2006-09-14 04:05:38 · answer #1 · answered by iceni 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have wondered the same thing. My wife works for a pet store so I know they don't do it, but maybe the breeders. My daughter likes fish and has a small 10 gallon tank. A few years ago, her grandma bought her a whole bag of about 20 small comets (goldfish) these are the small goldfish that you typically feed to larger fish. Out of that 20, only one made it past the 6 month mark. Gossimer (named for the monster in the old bugs bunny cartoons), got to be over 6 inches long and was the only fish in the tank. He lasted about 2 years before going belly up.
Now her tank sits here with only 1 remaining fish again, after two more attempts with comets. He last fish is a plecko (algea eater) who has grown to about 6 inches as well. W are very careful about tank PH, ammonia levels, temperature etc. So it's not the tank. We use tetra food which is some of the best and yet they still die for no reason... So there could be something sinister going on.....
2006-09-11 10:52:15 · answer #2 · answered by sparrownightmare@verizon.net 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Y'know, I have had fish for 4 or 5 years AND have often thought the very same thing =)
HOWEVER..... it may be a problem with the water.... if you take a sample to any store they will test it for you to be sure everything is A-OK.. gold fish are kind of dirty fish if you have a lot in the tank you may have an ammonia, or other problem, addidtionally you may need a better filter depending what you currently have.
I have found that if i purchase fish at a particular store in my city they amlmost NEVER last... which is strange becasue I have fish that i have had for years... and there for awhile i too thought it was a conspiracy....
Check the water.... and if the tank is fine... find a new shop to buy fish =)
Best of luck
2006-09-11 08:32:41 · answer #3 · answered by ♥ goddessofraine ♥ 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Could it be that the tank is too small to keep larger fish in.
They grow for six months till they reach a certain size then the filtration in the tank is not able to cope with the ammount of waste produced by larger fish and they are poisoned.
Check out my web site for care sheets.
I own a pet store in Liverpool UK.
2006-09-11 11:27:04 · answer #4 · answered by stevehart53 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are the fish big?? big fish uaually mean old fish, buy little ones and watch them grow.
You should take a water sample into the pet shop, you may have an issue with the water, or the set up may be stressing them out, ask the pet shop.
2006-09-11 08:22:01 · answer #5 · answered by Krystle 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's hard to say without really knowing for sure just how you Mom is caring for the Goldies, but Goldies are big disease carriers to start with. Very dirty fish.
I would say if your Mom has an aquarium setup with good filtration and is doing proper water changes, and that the aquarium's Nitrogen Cycle has already been established prior to putting the Goldies in, and that if she is using Tap Water that it has been conditioned with something to remove Chlorine - you might want to have her go with a more exotic version of Goldfish. Here is some species info for you.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0415&view_records=1
Good luck to you, and might I suggest you join the site that this link is from? It's called Aquaria Central, and is an absolute fabulous hobbyist site!
http://www.aquariacentral.com
http://www.aquariumboard.com
http://www.monterfishkeepers.com
2006-09-11 09:56:35 · answer #6 · answered by sly2kusa 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
petshop conspiracy, probally not. While keeping fish many possibilitys for things to go wrong, especially with certain species. Water quality, quanity of water mass per fish, correct diet/correct amount of food, correct storage of food, correct assesment and treatment for illness. Goldfish can live 8-15 yrs if properly carred for. Most goldfish are not given enough water per fish in general, i would say this is the most common mistake, asside from feeding. If you had one fan tail goldfish that fish will require at a min 12 gallons of water at max 20 to reach full size and be healthy. 4 fish could easily require a 80 gallon tank. As per food, variety in foods and balance between veggies and meat utilizing live plants, fresh veggies such as broccolli, squash, green peas ect.. and a good quality pellet or flake food . Omega one makes a good quality goldfish food, but the food is only as good as the owner of the fish keeps it. Vit C is very important in the keeping of all fish. Fish like us humans need this vitamin, and like us our body uses it up regularly and it must be incorporated in our diets. Most fish foods are fortified with vitamin C , however exposer to air, moisture deterates the vit. It is important to use up the fish food with in 6-8 mths of purchase, and to keep lid on and keep away from the high moisture area of the tank. Also in flake foods the vitaman C has around 30 secs before it is leached from the food once it has hit water. This is why i try to utilize pellets when i can to extend the timespan of vitaman c that remains in core of pellet. Also feeding in small amounts and allowing time for your fish to feed before adding more food. The immune system in all creatures plays an important role, therefore dietary needs must be met in fish along with the enviroment they are living in must be balanced to meet their needs.
2006-09-12 12:57:58 · answer #7 · answered by talisy77 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that my friend is impossible to tell without me seeing the fish, tank setup and her maintenance of the tank. a goldfish in the correct size tank (or pond) can live past 25 years od age.
what is a conspiracy is that heaters all cost the LFS the same price and they sell them (most LFS'ses do) at different prices.
2006-09-11 08:54:30 · answer #8 · answered by � Fuzzy Dice 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
definetly not the pet store they get shipments of fish every week to every two weeks so it would be best to say there is something that your mom is doing that is wrong do she cycle her tank? does she do weekly water changes 10-30% depending on the size of the tank
2006-09-11 09:37:20 · answer #9 · answered by C live 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if the fish die in 6 months i am quite sure it is not the pets stores fault..usually anything that going to happen to the fish you purchase occurs with in a month.....they are not out to get your mom....and her fish
2006-09-11 09:05:01 · answer #10 · answered by d957jazz retired chef 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋