ok im trying this goldfish question 1 more time!?

Question

I have 3 goldfish that swim to the top of the tank like there gasping for air i have a filter and it put plenty of bubbles in the tank i also add amonia killer in it and that doesnt work either ive tried changing the water (25 % every 3 days) but they do the same things i no the danger of this so its very urgent so please please please help!

Answer 1

We already answered this two times. The tank is too small and they are suffocating. At five gallons, you probably can't keep them alive for long.

Answer 2

Let's try to get past the guessing stuff and to something else. I'll assume this is not a new tank and that it has been running for more than 3-4 weeks. If that's the case and also given the water changes you have done and the ammonia killer you added, then it's certainly not ammonia. A well filtered tank will provide enough oxygen for a reasonable load of fish without additional aeration, so that begs the question, is this a reasonable fish load? How large are the fish and what it the tank size?

There is also the possibility of disease. Several disease (ich, fungus and columnaris to name a few) can affect the fishes gills before showing up on the fish. It sounds like this has been a problem for more than a week, so look the fish over very carefully for any signs of disease and add anything you see to your question. While the fish are moving around and breathing, try to look at their gills. They should be fairly bright, blood red. Any other color could be an indication of a problem.

Also check the temperature of the tank. if it's above about 78-80 and has a fairly high fish load this could be the problem.

Please add this info or email it to me and we'll go from there until we find the answer.

MM

Answer 3

How big is your tank? If your tank is very small then the water might too dirty that only a 25% water change won't be enough. Try doing a 50% water change instead.

I own 2 very old and large goldfish, one 8 years old, one 6 years old and they are always hungry! Whenever I come near the tank they instantly go to the top of the tank and look like they are gulping for air but they are just trying to get at the first bite of food I might drop in their tank.

Answer 4

If you believe they are not getting enough oxygen to be the problem, the water might need to be airated more than your filter is providing. Have you tried installing a bubble curtain to help oxygenate the water?

Goldfish in ponds often come to the surface to search for food too.

Answer 5

you didn't mention the size of the tank. if its a small tank you probably need to do a lot more water changing -- i change 1/2 the water in a similar set-up in a small tank about every 5 days.

Answer 6

You only need to do water changes once a week. How is the temp? Is it too hot? Most goldfish prefer a cooler temp(70*). Also what your ammonia and nitrite at? Are you using dechlorinator(aqau safe) for all water changes? Try adding some live plants!

Answer 7

Goldfish do that, it's there form of entertainment. I had a goldfish for 6 years and it did that all the time. They're not gasping for air, they're eating it.

Answer 8

Dont use ammonia killer first off. Anyway, it would be helpful to know other water parameters and size tank

Answer 9

There fine trust me i have a huge tank of my own and my fish do that all the time and i have had them for years..hope this helps!

Answer 10

Have you changed the filter in the tank??? also you changing the water so much can stress them out. are you feeding them, my fish swim twords the top if they are hungry. how long have you had the gold fish