Can a goldfish survive in dirty water?

Answer 1

No. They need filtered water with 20-25% water changes weekly. They need at least 3 gallons of water for every inch of body.

Answer 2

Yes they can, but they certainly won't thrive.

By Dirty water, we're talking about a neglected aquarium. Probably high in nitrates, lots of algae and crud all over the tank, and very likely a ph that's plummeted.

They do survive. Many beginners don't take care of the aquarium properly and yet the fish keep on living, and many non-beginners will often fall in and out of the hobby, their tanks becoming neglected at times. There are also a few people who insist that annual water changes are enough, and their fish are living in dirty water (whether they admit it or not). They may not live a long and full life like this, but they can certainly survive for years. They could also succumb to disease and die - it can go either way really. Dirty water holds oxygen too btw, so there's really no issue with that.

But, if by dirty you mean full of ammonia or nitrites, then no. And if you take a goldfish from a pristine tank and plunk it into an old, neglected, dirty tank, the shock will probably kill it, because the filth builds up over a period of time and the existing fish grow accustomed to the sub-par conditions and its gradual decline. In fact, if you take a goldfish out of a filthy tank and plunk it into a perfectly clean tank, it can shock and kill it as easily as the other way around.

Answer 3

Depends on what's dirtying it... a build up of Ammonia without nitrifying bacteria will kill them eventually. But if they're dirty with nitrifying bacteria they can definitely survive. In the beginning you need to let your tank cycle (usually done without fish for their safety) by not doing water changes, and "dirtying" the tank with good bacteria.

And a tank full of algae is actually pretty healthy. Not pretty, but algae helps oxygenate the water and stabilize the chemical levels, just like aquatic plants.


EDIT-- the first paragraph was based on the assumption that you have a tank with a filter. Filters usually oxygenate the water enough. Every fish deserves a filter, and goldfish especially will not survive long in bowls, no matter how often you change them. And you should never do full water changes because you want to keep the good bacteria to stop the spike of ammonia.

Answer 4

really i came to your recue ok really goldfish do duirty there own water it must be cleaned every so often to get rid of the bad bateria in the water and the old food that sinks to the bottom of the tank that makes it dirty too i clean mine about every two or 3 weeks or your fish might die

Answer 5

not really. there own waste will kill them when it reaches a toxic level and also the O2 can be too low for them to beathe. if your goldfish is in a bowl best to change to a tank and change a some of the water out of 20-25% weekly.

Answer 6

No. They need fresh water for oxygen. Why wouldn't you want to clean your tank or bowl? At least dip a cup to get some of the old water out and pour some fresh in. Can you at least do that much? Any fresh water is better than none! WHY do you have them if you aren't going to take care of them???

Answer 7

No, theyn need a filter to keep the water clear and the concentration of ammonia down in order to keep them alive longer than in bowls.

Answer 8

No it wont survive coz the water is contaminated with lots of disease so it would get affected by lots of diseases and it wont have proper breathing so the chances of surviving is less better clean the water.

Answer 9

It depends on what is making the water dirty. Dirty as in muddy, like in a pond sure they can. Remember they are carp.

Dirty as in ammonia not if the concentration are high nothing can (not even humans).

Answer 10

Goldfish are typically very hardy, and can live in almost any condition.... a factor would depend what you were calling "dirty water".