I think I have a serious problem...?

Question

I had 5 goldfish in my Marineland Eclipse System 12 tank with 3 stage filtration.
http://www.marineland.com/products/consumer/con_systems.asp
Two are stuck down by the filter thingy. Two are floating on top not doing much of anything.
One I have no idea where he went to. Do you think I should feed them more, so they have more "pep" like they did in the store?

Answer 1

I agree with MM. Sounds like first off your cycle has not completed. Secondly, your tank is way over crowded, even for small fish.

If you have a heater on in your tank, turn it off. Goldfish need cold water to survive, as well as pleanty of Dissolved Oxygen. Lower your tank water level 1/2 - 1 inch to add this Oxygen to your tank. Air stones don't add dissolved Oxygen to your tank. This can only happen by water movement. (Filters, powerheads, waterfalls, waves etc.) Have you tested the water? What is the Ammonia level in your tank?

Goldfish require 1 sq foot of surface water per inch of fish. They do not stop growing because they are in a smaller tank or bowl.

Also, even common goldfish (Feeders as they call them) are usually commets and will grow in excess of 12 inches and can also live to be 20-30 years old. (I have a number of these common fish in my outside ponds larger than 12 inches and older than 5 years, so do not believe they are bread to die quickly)

The main factor is water quality with that many fish. You are going to need to test for ammonia and nitrates daily. When the ammonia levels exceed 1 you are going to have to do a 20-25% water change.

Unless you are devoted to doing this, Honestly, I would consider a larger tank, or returning a few of the fish to the store.

Your fish are getting sucked to the intake due to them being stressed and weakened by the poor water quality. Just because the water looks crystal clear, there are a lot of things going on in the biofilter that you cannot see.

Water change, water test and drop the level of water in the tank by 1/2 inch. If your water temps are in excess of 65 and pushing 70 drop some ice into the tank to cool it down. These things will perk up your fish more than feeding them.

Answer 2

Sounds like your ammonia levels are probably way high. If it's not already too late, do a 50% water change. Then do another change tomorrow. Get yourself a test kit and search out some web sites on how to cycle an aquarium. Also, 5 goldfish for that tank is too many unless they are very small. You can also take a sample of your water into an aquarium shop and have them test the water for you. Most will do this at no charge.

Also, about feeding the fish. Never feed more than the fish will eat in about 2 minutes twice a day. Overfeeding will cause problems also.

Good Luck

Answer 3

I have goldfish and i feed them once a day. They should be able to finish what you give them fairly quickly or you might be giving too much. Also, if you have a heater on the tank there is no need, goldfish do best at room temperature.And last but not least, when you change the water do you use a good water conditioner? You need this to get rid of all the chlorine etc. that is in our tap water ... it's really hard on the fish.
good luck to you and your fish : )

Answer 4

That is way to many goldfish for a tank of that size. How long has the tank been running? Start by doing 25% water changes daily and see if you can save any of them. Feeding them more will just raise the ammonia levels even high. You can purchase test kit, or have your pet store test it for you, but probably the ammonia levels are through the roof. Here's a good read... http://www.fishforever.co.uk/cycling.html

Answer 5

Yes, you have a serious problem. The problem is, you have 5 goldfish in a 12 gallon tank. That tank is not even large enough to hold one goldfish (they can grow to almost a foot in length!) You need to take the fish you have back to the store, and do some research about what fish ARE appropriate for your tank.

Answer 6

for 5 fish you definitly need a bigger tank the six filtration is perfect since you have 5 fish, in the meantime, turn off the filter so they dont get stuck in it, and as for the others, maybe the water is collecting dust or somthing, is there a lid on your tank? is thats not he problem, they could be dying of old age...best of luck!

Answer 7

Did you put in these goldfish recently. This can be from 2 common things
1-your tank has not yet been cycled and will need to go through the nitrifieng cycle to reduce amonia to 0
2-your goldfish were cheap feeders that were not meant to live past a few days.
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either way feel free to msg me via email and [e-mail] or OW kinggary0 at aim so i can help you more

Answer 8

I think the problem you have is ammonia build up in the tank. You need to remove those fish, which are no doubt dead by now and have only one fish in the tank for the first month. One small fish. Read carefully about cycleing a tank here:
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

This should help you along to a nice healty tank in no time!

Best of luck!

MM

Answer 9

Only feed them once a day. Don't feed them too much.