poor fish...?

Question

Every single goldfish i have die because when they get fish flakes from the bottom they accidently eat a pepal! what should i do!

Answer 1

One of goldfish's favorite things to do is to play with gravel, so it's important to buy gravel that is bigger than their mouths because they will swallow it. And it will harm them if they do. But, that said, they may be dying from something else as well. A few rules for goldfish. You must have at least 10 gallons of water PER fish up to 3 inches in length, 15 gallons for each fish up to 4 inches, 20 gallons of water per fish up to 6 inches and it can get to be as much as 40 to 60 gallons of water PER fish when they reach lengths of 12 inches. Next, you have to cycle the water in your tank. If you don't it will kill them. You have make sure the Ph is correct at 7.0. You have to check the ammonia and nitrates and nitrites. You need to do a 30% water change every week and siphon that food out of the gravel that you say they're eating so that it doesn't foul the water. If you aren't doing these things, you need to or your fish will keep dying. Check the link for useful information.

Answer 2

First off, what is your water quality? Start there. secondly, where are you buying fish? If you are buying them from Walmart, they aren't going to live long anyway. Buy from a good source.

Gold fish will suck up rocks from the bottom in search of food. Try not feeding as much but more often.
Also:
Goldfish eat a variety of food, especially the very tiny plants (algae) and animals that grow along the surface of pebbles and rocks. One way for a goldfish to get this goody is to pick up a pebble, scrape off the algae in its mouth, and then spit out the pebble.

Another reason:
Most fishes have very special routines or rituals that they use in courtship. One of these is nipping at the surface of things about them. If a fish were nipping at the gravel bottom of an aquarium, it would seem to be picking up pebbles and spitting them out again. So a male goldfish behaving this way might not be eating at all but only trying to impress a female goldfish nearby—or vice versa.

Answer 3

I’ve had fish for years, and I’ve never had one die from eating gravel, I’ve had plenty swallow it and live happily ever after… and I’ve had one that I think had a bit of gravel stuck in it’s mouth… but he got it out by himself after a few minutes.
Fish dig through the gravel, it’s fishie nature. When I change the water in my tank, I always arrange the gravel on a slope to help waste fall to the filter, and with in a few days the fish have levelled out the gravel… They seem to get quiet a lot of enjoyment out of it, lol.

I’d say it’s more likely that they’re dieing from bad water quality, over/under feeding related problems, bacteria in the water… ect.

If you can, get a filter.

Get the water conditioners the pet shop recommends you have, they’re not just trying to up sell.

Give them a decent diet. At the very least you should alternate between meat based, and vegetable based fish food. Try giving them cooked (and cooled) skinned peas, and bloodworms and stuff.

Check, and regulate ammonia levels. High ammonia levels kill fish very quickly.

If you can, put some live plants in your tank. They help the water conditions, and the fish have endless hours of entertainment digging them up, lol.

Answer 4

They do not eat the gravel. They are not that stupid. Even if they did it would pass through their system harmlessly.

Something you did is wrong, and that has caused them to die. What size tank to you put them in? How many in the tank? How often do you change water? Did you cycle the tank?

I am going to try and figure out your problem so you can keep fish alive in the future and get some enjoyment out of them.

Answer 5

I stopped buying fish because they die so quickly.. I'd like some tips too if anyone has any.

Answer 6

super glue the pepal to the bottom.and dont forget to add water when your done

Answer 7

Try larger aquarium gravel. But really they spit out gravel usually so its probably not that.