Help me save my gold fish!?

Question

I bought two calico goldfish this morning at 11:30am. One of them just died, so I took the other one out, cleaned the tank thouroughly, and even lowered the water temp slightly because the other water temp was a little too warm. I used regular tap water, so there shouldn't be anything wrong there. It's a baby calico so I it's in a 10-15 gallon tank. A family friend plans to bring a 30 gallon tank tomorrow for when they started to grow. PLEASE help! My baby goldfish's life is on the line. NO rude answers please, this is VERY serious!

I don't think it has chlorine in it. My fish alternates between the bottom and the top. But I guess it's halfway dead anyways... : (

Yeah it was chlorinated. We decided to go back to the place we bought them from, get some new fish, and some dechlorinater. Thanks for the help. However the little guy didn't make it...

Answer 1

It seems as if these are the only two fish in the tank. Was the tank clean/rinsed before it was set up for the fish? If not, there may have been something in the tank that's making them sick.

Did you acclimate the fish properly by letting the bags float for 15 minutes so the water temperature equalized, then do slow water changes in the bag so they could get used to any changes in water chemistry?

Is there a filter or airstone in the tank to move water so they get enough oxygen, or are they gasping for air at the surface?

What was the original/present temperature? Goldfish should be around room temperature (65-75o).

If your water is from a public source, there will be either chlorine or chloramine in it as a disinfectant and this will kill fish. There are water conditioners you can buy to remove it to make it safe for fish, but you'll need to know which your water has so you buy the correct product (or use the correct dose for those that remove both).

Unless the fish were already sick at the store (you should be able to tell if their behavior has changed), something's happened since their arrival. They're too new to be experiencing ammonia and nitrite poisoning, unless you did a fishless cycle and these are still present in your tank. If you notice any signs of "flashing" scraping against objects, this would be a sign of a parasite.

Answer 2

Your tank size is more than adequate.
When you added the tap water, did you use a water conditioner (dechlorinator)? If not, the other goldfish could die. Chlorine is extremely toxic to fish. As well, chlorine will kill off any beneficial bacteria necessary to the cycle in your tank.
If you put chlorinated water in, the best thing to do at this point is to get a bucket and put water into it, purchase a bottle of Prime or Aqua Plus and condition it according to the directions on the bottle. Place the fish in there. As well, there is normally an additive for stress. Fish go under a huge deal of stress just from transporting.
When you brought the fish home, did you float the bag in the tank? Recommended times are between 20minutes to 2 hours. This acclimates the fish slowly to the temperature change between the water in the bag and the water in your tank. Without that, the fish can go into shock and die quite quickly.
Good luck :) It's nice to see someone who has already made arrangements for the right sized tank for their goldies. With a 30 gallon, you can have 3 goldfish...or 4 if you get a filter made for a 55 gallon tank :)

Answer 3

I would take the dead fish back to where you got it from and get a replacement. Most goldfish prefer cooler temps but however these are not typical goldfish.You should also buy some dechlorinator for the tap water to remove the chlorine. Here is a link with info on them that be of some help. Good luck with the other fish. Please let know how it goes.

Answer 4

theres 2 possible reasons:

1. Your fish were dying before you bought them, return them to the pet store and complain.

2. Your water IS chlorinated and you killed them. Always treat tap water with a conditioner to remove all chlorine and chloramine.

If you act fast enough and buy some conditioner, Aquasafe is easily found in pet stores and is cheap. You can treat the water and start reversing the damage.

Also get some melafix, this will help your fish heal and prevent infectons, also cheap and available.

Good luck, I hope your last fish makes it :)

Answer 5

It sounds like you could have a problem with your pet store. Also it takes a while for a new aquarium to turn over. If you know someone with a healthy aquarium, ask if you can take a few gallons of water out of it and put it in yours. Goldfish are cold water fish, so the water should feel slightly cool to the touch. I read somewhere that you can try putting a couple of crushed peas in the water, that sometimes helps.

Answer 6

project u opt to think about earlier possessing a gold fish: -tank length -feeding -tank associates -water high quality ur tank needs tobe vast... one goldfish needs 20gallons atleast oF area... for extra golfish u ought to upload 10 gallons so 3 fish needs 40gallons. 5 needs 60... what percentage fish do u have besides? make effective you feed the goldfish in hassle-free words 3 circumstances a week (if mature more effective or less about 3-8 inches) for youthful goldfish a good 2 circumstances aday is superb.. also verify for indications of ammonia/nitrate poisoning..it really is the first reason behind disease in fish... u can upload salt to ur tank to make certain fish immunity...a good teaspoon in conserving with gallon merely to be chance-free..

Answer 7

Ammonia poisoning. The fish is in an undersized tank. You are stressing it to death with all the water changes. Learn about tank cycling.

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Answer 8

dont keep changing the water or the shock will make it die.you should have used a declorinator with the tap water.anyway return the dead fish to the store they usully have a warranty.is there enough oxygen(is the fish gasping at the top)but a pump if it is.

Answer 9

Sounds like you need to take your fish to the vet

Answer 10

ok i dont want this to sound harsh but goldfish never live more than a week.