I just brought 2 goldfish...?

Question

I had 2 goldfish for xams off my boyfriend, and a large standard plastic tank with no filter...just rocks and an ornament....
Ive had loads of fish before but these ones dont seem to wanna move, they just sit there...looking pissed off! Woke up this morning, the tank water was all cloudy BUT...they were swimming round like troopers...

Have i gone wrong somewhere??

Answer 1

That is because they are suffering from ammonia poisoning and/or suffocation.
When you say "large standard plastic tank", what does that mean? Fancy goldfish need 20 gallons of space each, and I'm assuming that since you said "plastic", you're referring to a bowl or some sort of small plastic cage. If it is any less than 30 gallons, it is too small, even for young fish (and young fish grow quickly, so they will eventually need 40 gallons if they are fancy goldfish - or a pond if they are common, comets or kois)

Goldfish are the biggest waste producers you can get. They eat a lot, and they are poop machines. They churn out ammonia. This is the cloudiness you are seeing. Two goldfish will quickly foul up a tank, even a tank that is like 15 gallons, especially if it doesn't have a filter.

If you want your goldfish to survive, bring them back to the petstore, and get a proper tank. Get one that is at least 30 gallons, with a lid, a filter, and an air pump. You can likely find all this used in your local classifieds for a decent price. Then, cycle your tank (google Nitrogen Cycle, or How To Cycle Fish Tanks). THEN go buy the goldfish back. If you keep them in a small tank with no filter, they will not live more than a couple months, and what good is a gift that dies? lol

If you need to have a small tank but still want a nice fish, get a 5 gallon tank with a heater and a small filter (again, used, if you want) and get a nice male betta.

If you insist on keeping these goldies in a small tank with no filtration, replacing 30% of the water every other day (you can use a clean turkey baster) and not overfeeding might keep them alive for an extra few months,

In regards to what the guy above me said: you CAN use tap water, just make sure you condition it with water conditioner to take out the chlorine. In fact, tap water is recommended because it contains a bit of minerals - bottled mineral water contains TOO many, and distilled or r/o water does not contain any. Also, do NOT change the filtration material, ever. Unless it's starting to fall apart. If it gets gunky, rinse it in a bucket of tank water, or at worst rinse it under the tap. If you throw it away and replace it, you're killing all the benificial bacteria that your tank NEEDS.

Answer 2

NO YOU SHOULD NEVER EVER BUY THE FISH AND THE TANK AT THE SAME TIME!!!!! This is because the water has to filter for at least two or more weeks and the fish will probrably not survive. Even if you were to put the fish in goldfish are very messy and without a filter their poop and excess food will start to poison the water The tank sounds big enough but for goldfish you must have a ten to twenty gallon tank for goldfish. Many people do not understand that goldfish are high maintenence fish and that they seem like they are for beginners but they really are more for experience fish carers or for koi ponds.

Answer 3

You need a filter!! Goldfish produce a lot of waste and also are a large fish which should never be kept in a tank less than 4ft! Cloudy water indicates a problem already! The reason the fish were originally sedate was stress and not the clarity of the water! If you keep them in THAT water they will soon be even more stressed if not dead! Try going to www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk or one of the other fishkeeping sites for help and advice!

Answer 4

The goldfish must be pissed off going around the same bowl 90 times a day! but seriously it might be due to the type of goldfish you have, have you tried taking the rocks out because that might be the reason for the water getting cloudy. Dont know too much about fishys but when i used to have fish it was the pebbles making the water dirty all the time.

Answer 5

Hi,
You need to put in a filter immediately. You can choose either one that goes in the tank or one that hangs on the side. Also, change 10% of the water every day until it clears. Use only bottled spring water or tap water that has been "aged" for 3 days.

Change the filtration material every 2 weeks. Go to your nearest pet shop for assistance in buying the correct filter size and type for you.

Merry Christmas!

Answer 6

They will die if you don't get a filter. Actually, even with a filter they may die pretty soon. Fish in tanks are very vulnerable to funguses, etc, which are hard to treat. Because we don't get emotionally attached to them we tend to replace them and not think too much about it, and then you end up with the "mop that lasted for 20 years and only had 3 new handles and 5 new heads" phenomenon. If you decide to be a regular goldfish keeper you may come to appreciate my words.

Answer 7

Check out on the web about looking after goldfish before they die.
They actually breath oxygen, and they wont get that out of polluted cloudy water.

Answer 8

No! they are trying to get used to the new surroundings, get a filter to clear up the cloudiness, and feed them the same food they have been eating to reduce stress.

Answer 9

You do not have an appropriate setup for these fish.

Goldfish are very "messy" fish and require an excellent filtration system and between 10 and 20 gallons PER FISH. They can grow to be relatively large, and live up to 20 years if cared for properly. Take them back to the pet store, return them, and do more research on keeping fish properly.

Answer 10

do a water change-
Goldfish need at least 10 Gal per fish.
you NEED filtration, and it is going to take time for the tank to cycle.

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