I recently bought two new 6 weekish fantails and i'm concerned about them.
My tank is 26 x 18 x 15 and I have a filter and oxygenating plants and regular gravel rinses etc, but they are frequently found just sitting on the bottom of the tank not moving.
I've thought they were dead a few times but then they'll perk up again after a while. I don't know if they're cold or something because my house is really old and freezing even with heaters on.
Also one of the fish eats food out of my hand :s which i thought was cute but a bit odd. i'll get the food pot out and it's like it recognises it and knows its food time so it'll swim to the top of the tank and wait for me to put my fingers of flakes into the tank and it'll eat straight out of my fingers.
Is this normal???
I thought it maight be blind in one eye too because one eye is completely black and the other looks like a regular eye lol
help lol
2006-11-22 21:08:33 · 10 answers · asked by yummygummybear2006 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
You say you are doing gravel rinses ? Does this mean you are changing all the water. You should only change 10% a week and make sure you use a De-chloronater. If you have sponges in your filter use the water you take from tank to wash them out. Never use tap water to wash them as this will kill the good bacteria in them. Bacteria break down the amonia in the fish waste into Nitite and then Nitrate. If you kill all the bacteria and put the fish in fresh water they wont last much longer. A lot of fish will eat from your hand, and a lot of fancy goldfish have different coloured eyes. Hope they perk up soon. Good luck with them. ps Your fish will move about more if you put a heater in the tank but they dont actually need it.
2006-11-23 03:53:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The black might be colouring.
The sitting on the bottom of the tank sounds like lethargy, they do that when its cold so try turning the thermostat up if you have a heater. If not, either add one or cut down on how much you feed them. You don't feed outdoor fish over winter because when it gets too cold they go into torpor and stop digesting their food. It rots inside them and can make them ill.
Visit your local fish shop for advice - but I'd say add a heater in winter.
And its normal for them to eat out of your hand, they recognise the food pot, see you approaching the tank and can recognise you, and learn to come up for food.
Theres a neat photo of a bird feeding the fish in a pond!
2006-11-22 22:20:06 · answer #2 · answered by sarah c 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basic piece of advice: DO NOT BUY FANCY GOLDFISH! They are realy stupid and find a way of dying no mater the tank or water quality. All fancy goldfish are completely inbred to the point where some can't use their swimbladder, stay upright or even swim. You're fantails are probably either in temperature shock or suffering due to a Nitrate build up in the tank, or a slow pH change. In the future, get proper goldfish, they are much more handsome and are more physically fit.
2006-11-23 09:19:28 · answer #3 · answered by invincible_lungfish 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could well be water quality issues. Goldfish require large filters, and fancy goldfish especially need a fairly mature tank. Although note the tank will need to be upgraded later on, fantails grow to 10" and are very messy.
2006-11-25 01:16:38 · answer #4 · answered by oohfeeshy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think there is much wrong, I would be worried if one eye was whitish, which could be an infection! Goldfish are cold water and are very hardy. They will feed from your fingers, some more readily than others. Have a look at these sites for more info. :http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/goldfish/FantailGoldfish.php http://petcaretips.net/fantail-goldfish.html
2006-11-22 21:23:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You dont say if you have heating in the tank if not do it or the fish will die that is why they are so lethargic quite normal for fish to eat out of your hand
2006-11-22 21:21:38 · answer #6 · answered by GLYN D 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First, check your water quality
http://thegab.org/Articles/WaterQuality.html
http://thegab.org/Articles/WaterQualityCycling.html
I'd put a heater in the tank and bring it slowly up into the mid 70s.
Here's a good goldfish caresheet
http://thegab.org/Articles/GoldfishBasics.html
My goldies eat out of my hand routinely. That's part of what makes goldies such cool fish.
2006-11-24 07:28:51 · answer #7 · answered by Betty H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
eating out of your hand is normal for a lot of fish but i dont know about layin on the bottom of the tank
2006-11-23 05:23:17 · answer #8 · answered by Sm@rtAs$ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aww hun, they are definitley perplexing fantails.
I am sorry I have never kept fish, but it might be an idea to give the vet a call, or even drop into a tropical fish shop to ask their advice.
Hope they're okay soon!
2006-11-22 21:19:59 · answer #9 · answered by Liggy Lee 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes my fish do that to sometimes don't worry they are just resting. I hope this is the answer to ur problem! If not I'm sorry
2006-11-26 13:37:20 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋