Me and my roommate just bought them a week ago and the past 3 days they have laid on the bottom except for to eat. Can anyone tell me if they are ok?
2007-01-28 15:25:06 · 9 answers · asked by cristinjames22 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
the tank is at 72 degrees. we have a pump and the black one has little spots on it that look like bubbles. it is a 10 gallon tank and at the top of the tank there is a line of bubbles
2007-01-28 15:54:20 · update #1
Sometimes goldfish do lay around, but not for the most part. 72 degrees is okay. 70 is perfect. A ten gallon tank is not. Goldfish need a minimum of 10 gallons of water per fish up to 3 inches. At least 15 gallons of water per fish up to 5 inches, and 20 gallons of water per fish up to maybe 8 inches, and it continues to increase with the size of the fish. You probably didn't cycle the water which, along with overcrowding, may have caused the spots. Please read up on what you need to do to get your water parameters in good order. For two goldfish in a 10 gallon tank, you are going to need to do water changes at least twice a week. Please read up on how that is done. Your fish have ick. You can treat that with a slight salt treatment. .3% per gallon of water. This translates to a scant 1 tsp of salt per gallon of water. Please don't overdo the salt as that can kill too. Or you can treat with any copper-based product such as Malachite Green. You can read up on this too. I do have to commend you for at least getting a 10 gallon tank instead of a bowl or some other small container. If your fish are really small, and you do regular water changes and maintenance, you can keep your fish in this 10 gallon for a little while. Also, please read up on filtration and aeration. It is imperative that goldfish have a good filter with a lot of oxygenation. Good luck and have fun! Oh, and, goldfish are not rats. They produce a lot of waste, but that does not make them bad, rotten creatures. Answerers, please use your words carefully.
2007-01-28 16:06:21 · answer #1 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
What size is the tank? Gold fish are very dirty fish. They need 5 gallons per gold fish is a good rule to go by. Gold fish produce mass amounts of ammonia. To help with this, add some aquariam salt or ammonia absorbant gravel (sold at walmart).
Also, they are the rats of the fish world. They probably have some disease. Do they have white spots on them? If they do, that's ich. Are their fins/tail fins beat up? They may have fin and tail rot. At almost any local fish store, you can buy medicine for these things. Melafix is a good one. You might want to check into some fungus and bacteria killers.
Did you treat the water? Tap water contains a lot of chlorine and other chemicals. Using water dechlorinators, ph balancers, aquarium salt, greatly reduce your chance of dying fish. Instead of buying all these seperate, there are these neat things called start right tablets. Since they are goldfish, and I assume they aren't the fancy expensive kind, the tablets are cheap and great to use.
Do you have a filter? What temperature is the tank? Goldfish dont necessarily have to have a heater, but if you want them active, the water can't be freezing. Do you have aeration, as in a bubble tube? Filters usually provide enough oxygen and for goldfish, bubble tubes are more decorative than necessary.
2007-01-28 15:41:37 · answer #2 · answered by lucratcia 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The problem is the tank is overstocked, you probably did not cycle it either did you? The nitrogen cycle is critical to keep an aquarium healthy. My web site has an article on cycling you should check out if you want the fish to live. Right now all you can do is water changes, water changes, and more water changes until you can take both fish back to the store or get a bigger tank.
2007-01-28 16:18:35 · answer #3 · answered by fish guy 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would say they are not acting normally at all. They could be sick or the water quality could be bad. Tell us a little more about the tank and anything else you notice strange about the fish and hopefully we can help.
2007-01-28 15:29:46 · answer #4 · answered by magicman116 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi there. Sometimes, fish will behave like this if the water temperature is cool. Check the temperature and increase the temperature with your heater. Adjust it a little bit or it can over heat the water. 76-79 degrees F should work well. Have a great year.
2007-01-28 15:32:37 · answer #5 · answered by firestarter 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
youre water is probably not cycled yet. this takes about one month with fish living in the water. the ammonia levels are probably rising. i do a half water change. what is you temperature at. goldfish thrive at about 65 degrees. and whats the pH like? they water should be around 6.8 pH. do you have a filter in there?
2007-01-28 15:32:21 · answer #6 · answered by Twilite 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
have you changed the water? usually only old fat goldfish sit around. it could be ammonia poisoning if you don't change the water regularly.
2007-01-28 15:32:49 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
They're fine.
If you are worried, try moving your tank to a cooler location.
2007-01-28 15:30:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
they're goldfish, they're the most recognized diseased carrying fish around. i wouldnt be suprised if they were sick
2007-01-28 15:29:40 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋