Why hasn't my goldfish been eating, and why has it been so lifeless?

Question

I've had my goldfish for about 5 months, and these past few days it hasn't been eating, it's also just staying at the bottom of the tank and not swimming around much. I purchased a pH test kit to test the water.. It doesn't seem to be a problem. I noticed quite a few bubbles on the top of the water today.

Please help!

Answer 1

You need to do a water change. Your fish has all the symptoms of ammonia or nitrite poisoning - lethargy, sitting on the bottom of the tank, and he's not eating well either. The bubbles on the top of the tank are a sign that there's too much protein dissolved in the water. So it's probably ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates that are high and a water change will bring these down. I'd recommend getting your water tested for these.

You should be doing a 25% water change each week to keep these chemical levels low. Goldfish produce a lot of wastes, so when you clean your tank, I'd use a gravel vacuum to get any fish poop and food that's down in the gravel - this could be the source of your problem. Also, be sure you aren't overfeeding your fish - only give them what they can eat in 2-3 minutes, twice a day - even though they'll "beg" every time you walk by the tank!

Answer 2

Your ammonia is probably high in the water, take the fish out and change the water. I'd suggest putting the fish in a ziploc bag. Once you've changed the water in the tank, put the bag with the fish back in and let it sit for a few minutes until the temperature in the bag is the same as the temperature in the tank. Add a little water from the tank into the bag a few times, waiting a couple of minutes between additions. It wouldn't hurt to take a sample of the water to a pet store to have them test it. Most of them will do it for free.

Answer 3

Your Goldfish has come of age (puberty) and is probably lonely or requires some stimulation, The bubbles are a result of food that has not been eaten leaving a film on the top of the water

Answer 4

You need an air pump and a good filter.
When cleaning him out never empty the tank completely only remove 3/4 out and leave 1/4 in..and place him in a bowl of the old water when you are cleaning the tank

Answer 5

don't know a whole lot about goldfish but someone told me about putting squished peas in with a gf you think is dead before you send them to the big fish bowl in the sky - not exactly sure - maybe the water temp has something to do with it? if it's too cold then the gf don't want to move (our landlord has a pond out back and it's a little chilly yet - those fish aren't doing much except staying at the lowest point). good luck!

Answer 6

Feeding
Like most fish, goldfish are opportunistic feeders, meaning they will eat whenever food is available, whether they are hungry or not. This habit can be fatal. Their digestive tract often become so jammed with food that the intestines tear open, killing the fish. Also, an excess of food means more waste and feces, which will pollute the tank. Goldfish need to only be fed as much food as they can consume in three to four minutes, and no more than twice a day.
An effective method to determine if your goldfish is being properly fed is to look at their feces. They should be short and chunky, the same color as the food the fish is eating. Long strings of waste that trail behind the fish as they swim could be a sign of over-feeding.
Care has to be taken when choosing the right food for them, because goldfish need less protein (which they cannot digest in excess) and more carbohydrates. However, specialized food for them can be found on the market. Most come in the form of flakes, which float at the top of the aquarium or pellets, which sink slowly to the bottom.
Proper goldfish diet usually consists of a good quality floating pellet type food, along with occasional feedings of peas (removed from their outer skins), blanched green leafy vegetables, and bloodworms. Young goldfish benefit from the addition of brine shrimp to their diet. It is a good idea to set up a feeding ring in their tank where food is always introduced - not only does this prevent food from getting sucked into the filter, but it also ensures the fish know where to go for food. Within a week of its introduction the goldfish should be spending a lot of time at the feeding ring looking for food. Blanched greens should be clipped inside the tank where the goldfish can easily nibble at them.
It is a better idea to introduce blanched greens to the tank than it is to use live plants as a food source. Any plant that can grow fast enough to survive a tank full of voracious goldfish is likely to overrun the tank, creating a maintenance nightmare. On the other hand, tamer plants are likely to be uprooted, or simply torn to shreds, by the efforts of the goldfish.
Aquarium conditions
The goldfish is quite hardy, which accounts in part for its popularity. Their supposed reputation in some areas for dying quickly is often due to poor care amongst uninformed buyers looking for a "cheap" pet. The goldfish is usually classified as a coldwater fish, as it can live in an unheated aquarium or in an outdoor water garden. In a pond, it will even survive brief periods of ice forming on the surface, so long as there is enough oxygen remaining in the water and the pond does not freeze solid.
Like most carp, goldfish produce a large amount of waste both in their feces and through their gills, releasing harmful chemicals into the water. This also happens because goldfish cannot digest an excess of proteins, unlike most tropical fish. Build-up of this waste to toxic levels can occur in a relatively short period of time, which is often the cause of a fish's sudden death. Although goldfish were historically displayed in small "goldfish bowls", a healthy and happy average-sized adult goldfish requires at least 10 US gallons (38 L) of water and above in order to live even a small life. In fact, for single-tailed varieties, such as commons or comets, it is really necessary to have 100 gallons (378 L) (for adult fish). Other goldfish experts say that it is the amount of water surface area, not the water volume, that decides how many goldfish may live in a container; one square foot of water surface area for every inch of goldfish length (370 cm²/cm). For example, if you had three goldfish of length 4 inches (10 cm) each, you might need 12 square feet (1,080 cm²) of water surface area. Surface area is an approximate measure of how much oxygen may be absorbed into the water from the air. If the water is being further aerated by way of water pump, filter or fountain, more goldfish may be kept in the container.
A frequent misconception is that airstones do not increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. Most of the transfer of oxygen occurs when the bubbles are formed at and around the airstone, and therefore airstones that create smaller bubbles in large amounts are preferred over those creating fewer larger bubbles. The ripples they create at the surface of the water also increase the surface area and therefore facilitate oxygen exchange at the surface of the tank. For the beginner acquiring a goldfish, the best advice that can be given is to get a 40 gallon long tank, these are typically inexpensive, have a huge surface area, and will be a suitable fish home for over 2 years. Beginner filtration can simply be provided by a box filter hung over the back of the tank, though filtration should be rated for ), as the ammonia levels produced by goldfish are much higher than those produced by the tropical fish filters are typically rated for. It is also imperative that adequate biological filtration is provided, as the breakdown of nitrates occurs much more slowly at the colder temperatures goldfish are kept at. One useful compromise is to keep the aquarium heated to a constant 72° F (22°C), as this temperature keeps the fish active while at the same time aiding bacterial growth.
In the end, it may be easier to transfer the goldfish to a pond rather than to a 100 gallon tank (378 L), as few homes can support the size. This is an area where most serious aquaculturists will agree, ponds are superior to tanks in the long run for goldfish.

hope this is helpfull to you.......

Answer 7

Firstly check it's breathing and check it's pulse. If it's still alive, it probably needs stimulation. Try puting a TV in there with it. That might help!!

Answer 8

Its either dead, sleeping or hibernating through the summer.... either way, always looks good on a sandwich or spread on toaste.

When it floats send it to the loo in the sky!

Answer 9

Does the fish have any strange looking white stuff on it? If so, it has a condition called "Ick" (no, really), and there is medicine to fix it

Answer 10

He's just resting. He should be swimming around in no time. Hope thiis helps and have a great day! -question001