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I have three goldfish in a ten gallon tank. One of them isn't growing and his fins are disappearing. Is he being bullied bythe other two or is he sick? How can I tell and what can I do about it?

2006-12-27 15:06:23 · 5 answers · asked by GBG 2 in Pets Fish

They are comet goldfish. I've had them for a few months.

2006-12-27 15:08:01 · update #1

5 answers

The problem is that you have 3 comet goldfish in a 10 gallon tank. It is commonly thought that goldfish are fine in small bowls / tanks - unfortunatey, this is not the case. Goldfish produce a LOT of waste (toxic ammonia) and need a lot of water to cope with the amount of poop they churn out. They are also BIG fish. Comets can grow to 12-18" - which is longer than a 10 gallon tank!
If you want goldfish, consider getting 2 fancy goldfish (only 5-7") in a 30 gallon tank.

If you can only have your 10 gallon, then goldfish are not for you . Comet goldfish need PONDS to live in and be healthy.

The fins dispearing is caused by the high levels of ammonia in the tank.

Please considering upgrading your tank to something larger, or getting smaller fish.

2006-12-27 15:24:29 · answer #1 · answered by Zoe 6 · 2 0

A 10 gallon tank is too small for 1 goldfish, much less 3. You need at least 40 gallons to keep 3 fancy goldfish healthy, and about 90 for 3 comets. What is happening to the little one is that is is becomming stunted from being in too small of a tank. The same will gradually happen to the other 2 as well. When a fish stunts it will become deformed. Deformities include all the symptoms you described, plus internal organs grow inside the body even though the body is not growing. Soon the organs will grow too large and either 1) 1 or more organs will burst open inside the fish causing a massively painful death for the fish, or 2) An organ will grow too large for the body to be able to supply energy to and the fish will die of some sort of organ failure, usually a slow death over a day or to. Other symptoms of stunting are sculliosis, which can get to the point where the fish can barely move, and does cause severe spinal pain for the fish.

It is probably too late for the little one, but if you get a bigger tank soon you may be able to save the other 2. remember fancy goldfish need 20 gallons PER FISH, and commons, comets, and shubunkins need 50 gallons for ONE fish and then 20 gallons PER FISH after that.

2006-12-27 23:56:32 · answer #2 · answered by fish guy 5 · 2 0

There are many reasons why your fish are not growing. First your fish could be already at it's adult size. Another reason is your fish needs a bigger environment and in your case goldfish grow to suit there environment so if theres a big tank the goldfish will grow bigger. You sould try to keep at least one inch of fish per gallon of water.When you messure the size of your fish DONOT include the lenth of the fishes tale.It could be that your fish needs more food or better quality food. Before you do anything though you should consolt an expert.

2006-12-28 00:20:14 · answer #3 · answered by Austin O 1 · 0 2

well maybe he is being bullied, maybe you can check when you feed them, if he has the same enthusiam about eating as the others and if the others happen to push him out of the way to eat, so that could be one thing. but if he is eating and you monitor the behavior of the other fish towards this one and everything is fine, then most likele your fis is sick.

2006-12-27 23:09:41 · answer #4 · answered by Dory Ian 2 · 0 0

you should go on the computer to what ever kind of the fish it is or go to the store you got them at and ask them

2006-12-27 23:21:24 · answer #5 · answered by ? 1 · 0 1

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