Fish question?

Question

I recently got a fish for my birthday to keep at my dorm. It is a california fantail goldfish, and he'll sometimes sit at the bottom of the tank, just kind of sitting there. is there something wrong with him? he swims around just fine when he swims, he's active and swims around and around the tank. i'm just wondering if he's sleeping, or resting, or is he sick? we put a little bit of something called malachite green (it's actually called ick away, but it's for fish fungus, as it looked like he had some on his tail) could that make him lay on the bottom of the tank? and i know the stuff (the ick away it says it contains a known carcinogen on the bottle, adn i've washed my hands and worn gloves when we put it in the tank)is a cacinogen, but how dangerous is it if you got some of the water from the tank on you? some of the water leaked from the top of the tank when we were driving up to my dorm. we used the reccomended dose for the size tank, so i'm just wondering.

it is a one gallon tank, and it has an under gravel filter. and the fish had the fungus on it from the store. and he's a small fish, so he has plenty of room to move. we cleaned it (rinsed it with warm water, no soap) before i got the fish.
i know it seems like a stupid question but i think i was about 6 the last time i had fish, and i'm 19 now.....so i don't really remember much about what they did...sorry!

oh, and we used bottled spring water in the tank, not tap water. And i have 2 snails in the tank to clean it... my parents got the fish from walmart...

oh, and we came to the conclusoin that the fish doesn't have ick, but a fungus. ick is a parasite. we found a site that has information on fish diseases, and it looks more like a fungus, not ick. the ick away works for both fish parasites and fish fungus

Answer 1

VERY IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

A fish with ick will display small white spots on it's fins first and then on it's body as it worsens. Ick can be fatal to a fish if left unchecked. A fish with ick will also swim sideways to try to scratch itself on the rocks at the bottom of the tank or against any rough surface. After using the ick away product, you should change out 25% of your tank water and replace it with treated water. There are tablets made by Jungle called Start Right. It also comes in a powder. The directions are simple. One tablet per 10 gallons of water or one teaspoon per 5 gallons of water if you use the powder.

Fish do rest. A new fish will most likely stay in one spot of the tank when first put in a new aquarium. Fish can be shock quite easily. When putting a new fish in a tank it is always recommended that the aquarium lights be turned off so there will be less stress on the fish. You also should only have your aquarium lights on for 8 to 10 hours a day.

Some fish do have fungus but the ick remover should kill out any fungus. Jungle Start Right will eliminate chlorine and chloramine which is found in most tap waters. Whenever adding new fish or changing water, always use the recommended dosage of Start Right to compensate.

It is also recommended that you use a gravel pump (which is also easy to use) at least once a month. This will eliminate any waste products at the bottom of the tank such as fish feses and rotten food.

Answer 2

A little more information might help. How large is the tank? Is it filtered? Did you use dechlorinator in the water? Since you just got it, I would also assume that the tank isn't cycled. You probably have high levels of ammonia and possibly nitrite (could lead to an ich problem). If you don't have a test kit, take some water from the tank to the local fish store to be tested (Petsmart or Petco can do it too). How often are you doing water changes? Goldfish are very messy so you will need to do a 25% water change at least once a week. More often in a smaller tank And if the tank isn't filtered, you will need to do daily water changes of about 50% to keep the ammonia and nitrite from reaching deadly levels.

Answer 3

I had a calico fan tail with ick on his tail, and i got rid of it by cleaning the whole tank as soon as i noticed it, and then used ick treatment... it should clear up within 2 weeks. i've also been told that if you have any other fish in the tank, even if they do not seem to be affected make sure you isolate the infected fish in a little fish bowl, and treat him everyday, but before you treat him change the water completely. If your fish is alone in the tank, change the water everyday before you treat him, just to be safe! =)
Oh yeah, he sits at the bottom, because ick make him not as capable of taking in oxygen, changing the water daily will help this, a filter will help prevent it, not help to much to get rid of it

Answer 4

Put a Filter in the tank that would help
But he usually sleeping but if his tail or any of his fins are looking torn apart it is fungus the filter should help and use the ick away but don't use a lot use it once a month

Answer 5

YOUR TANK IS TOO SMALL! Fancy goldfish NEED 10 gallons PER fish atleast. Thats only for baby-juvenile fish, adults NEED 50 gallons PER fish atleast. With alot of filtration aswell as frequent partial water changes. Yes there is loads wrong with your poor fish, he is being burned from his excrement in that horrendously tiny tank. If properly cared for goldfish can live for 20 plus yrs and grow to be 12 inches.
Upgrade his tank size NOW, if you cannot since you live in a dorm, find him a new home because he is just gonna die an excrutiating death if you keep him in that horrible thing.

I live next to 2 college towns and i work at a local fish store and im so disgusted by the ignorance and lack of caring from college students just because they want a fish in thier dorm. Some of the blame lies on the colleges because they dont allow any tanks bigger then 5 gallons. Then there are those that dont want a bigger tank for their fish because of "lack of space". What i want to say is if you dont have the room for the right size tank for the health of the fish, THEN DO NOT GET A FISH. Even bettas need a filtered and HEATED tank of atleast 5 gallons to be healthy.

Answer 6

I hate to tell you this, but your tank is WAY too small for your fish. he may seem small now but they get to be 8inches, they need 10gallons when young and 20gallons when adults. if you don't get a bigger tank you will stunt him, which means his body will stop growing but his insides won't, this is very painful for the fish and slowly kills them. they can live for years with stunting, this is why people who keep them in small tanks say their fish lived long lives, but goldfish should live to be 10 or 20years old with good care, so 3 or 4 years isn't long. also, goldfish are VERY dirty, you need to do 50% water changes everyday in a 1gallon to keep ammonia at a reasonable level.

since you're in a dorm I highly doubt you can have a 10gallon tank. your best option would be to take your fish to a good pet store, not walmart it will surely die there, and give it to them. if you get a 2.5gallon tank of bowl instead and a 7.5 watt heater you can get a betta instead. if you would like a betta instead you might be able to exchange the goldfish for a betta if you explain your situation.

I know you're probably attached to your fish and don't want to give it away but keeping it in those conditions will severely shorten it's life.

Answer 7

Others have addressed the majority of your questions, but about the malachite green:

It's not dangerous in that concentration. The biggest threat from malachite green is ingestion and even that is considered remote. It's certainly nothing at all to worry about. An X-ray is probably more dangerous to your health than your slight exposure. Rest easy that you are in no danger at all.

Here's a link that covers the health risk

http://www.aquacultureassociation.ca/news/Malachite%20green%20Update%20Jul%2006.pdf

MM

Answer 8

If he is sitting at the bottom of the tank, but all seems fine he is probably sleeping. I wouldn't worry about spilling a little bit of the water on your hands it really isn't a big deal. Good luck with your fishy! :)

Answer 9

add a small amout (wee...very small) of kosher salt..but don't overfeed the fish and keep his water fresh as thats how he gets his oxygen and of course check the ph level and the chlorine is a big no no for gold fish..also copper is bad...as some people toss pennies in fish ponds?
over crowding the tank..is the tank big enough..?? avoid direct sunlight as gold fish can take very cold temp. s but they do not do so well when the water is luke warm...avoid putting decorations in his fishtank as some of them as not safe as they cause polutions...it may look cute but that ornament may have something in it to cause the fish to become sick

Answer 10

everybody will likely say "blue" fish, yet i'm quirky and could say new fish, or pink fish smoked fish,or pink fish cooked fish, very last yet no longer least pink fish stunk like fish!