i have goldfish in my bowl?

Question

and one of thems turning black. is this normal? i change the waters every month or so and i use the drops the store told me to use. their fed 2 times a day only the special goldfish food the store gave me. whut shuld i do?

if its not normal whats wrong?

birdistasty... i didnt knwo that bowls are bad. all i know is that this is what the pet store (pet co) told me i shuld do. they said the bowls are fine and the fish will live 10 yrs or longer! is that true? they also said that im ok with changeing the water every month - i think a pet store would tell me the right way to take care of my pets. im not saying your lieing, but i dont think theyd give me wrong info

i had my water tested today and the store said the amonia was relly high. i guess bird is right.

Answer 1

I'm sure this isn't the last time I'm going to say this, but FISH DON'T BELONG IN BOWLS, *ESPECIALLY* GOLDFISH!!!

You are killing those fish due to the high levels of ammonia in their water! They belong in, at the very least, a 40-gallon tank with filtration. You need to be doing DAILY 75% water changes on that bowl to keep up with the ammonia output, and the fish will simply grow too large for any bowl.

The black you are seeing on your fish is likely due to ammonia burn. At this point, you have two choices - either let the fish die, or get them a larger tank. If you get them into a larger tank, you can treat with aquarium salt (assuming they don't manage to get a bacterial infection between now and then) and StressCoat. In a larger tank, you can usually get away with weekly water changes of roughly 40% or so.

Feed your goldfish every other day instead of twice a day.

Jesus, you people and your bowls -- when will you listen to us? Your fish are trusting you with their lives, and you're doing nothing but causing them excess pain and misery. If you're going to take fish into your lives as pets, the least you can do is care for them properly. You obviously have internet resources - look up the proper care for your fish!

And to you dolts/single dolt saying it's ich -- do some research. Ich shows up as white spots, not black.

EDIT: "During this toxic and stressful time, your goldfish may display a wide variety of symptoms. black spots can appear. They are signs of ammonia burn and actually signify healing. tails and fins might begin to look ragged, torn or split. red veins in the tail. fins clamped, bottom/top sitting and gasping for air are all symptoms as well."
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/cycle.html

And read the info on the following link:
http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/smudge.htm

Yes, your fish may be experiencing the natural color change of certain goldfish, but I'm willing to bet that he's not well, and will likely die if you don't do anything to make his situation any better.

Answer 2

Okay, first off, I work in a pet store and I'd be going to back to pet store where you bought it and demanding answers.
Goldfish cannot humanely be kept in a bowl. They can only breathe as long as there is oxygen in the water, and as bowls have a surface area less that that of the largest part of the bowl the oxygen can be depleted within hours.
Your fish should be in a tank with flat walls, and an air pump (and preferably, a filter). A pump, attached to an air stone provides aeration, that is oxygenation of the water, allowing your fish to breathe freely. Also, a goldfish needs 4 litres of water to be comfortable, small fish like danios and white clouds are exceptions to this.
The only fish who can survive comfortably in bowls are fighting fish, and the only reason pet stores should ever sell bowls are as fighting fish homes.

Secondly, you should be removing two thirds of the water once a week, rinsing your stones ornaments and plants and then replacing the water with freshly treated water... and doing a complete change every 4-6 weeks.

Thirdly, a goldish's stomach is the same size as the black part of its eye. You should be feeding a flake the same size as that tiny black part of the eye three times a day. Over feeding can cause constipation, which can be fatal to fish.

As for what is wrong with your fish, I honestly don't know. It may be because of: a lack of oxygen; poor water quality; or a disease or fungus of some sort. I'd suggest getting your water quality tested at your local pet store, and purchasing (or asking if you can be given for free) a multi-cure solution such as melafix.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Go back to the store where u bought the fish. Ask them. I have never heard of a goldfish turning black before. Take a little bit of the water (few teaspoons) from the bowl and put it in a sterilized container, bring it with you to the store and get them to test the water. The water needs to be changed every few days depending on the size of the bowl, never heard of once a month, perhaps when they said that they thought you had the fish in a fish tank. And contrary to someone Else's belief, you can keep a goldfish in a bowl. I have kept some for years in a bowl. Keeping goldfish in bowls has been done for centuries. (The practice of....)

Answer 4

I had a "goldfish" it was black and iridescent white on it's belly so it is possible it is changing colors. If you want take it out and put it in a container and take it back to the store also take some of the water it was in. (this way too if it is sick you can get it away from the other fish) They should be able to tell you what is wrong and also test the water. Good Luck

Answer 5

Many goldfish change color as they age. And fish getting darker rarely means that there is a health issue. Adding 1 teaspoon of salt for every gallon of water in the bowl may be a good idea though, and an increase in water changes. Unless you see some change in the way they are behaving coupled with the color change, I would suggest you don't make any drastic changes with what you are doing as stress can cause sickness. Aince you have managed to care for them for some time and they tend to thrive, I would say you are doing a good job.
A

Answer 6

no its not normal...first off becareful you shouldnt be feeding them twice a day too much food can actually make them get fatter and not be able to breath and swim properly. secondly it could have ick and if thats the case get him out soon cause the others may get infected and die. Theres not much you can really do but watch it carfully if it starts swimming all weird and looks tired and believe me youll notice it looking tired then its not good. feeding them once a day is the recommed dose too....it also helps keeping the tank clean and less fungus build up good luck!

Answer 7

yikes thats weird. that's imposible for a gold fish turn into black?!

Answer 8

Its not normal.

Answer 9

I'd say no, that's not normal.

Answer 10

NO