I have 4 goldfish. 2 died...the guy at the pet store tells me it's a waste of time to clean out the tank?

Question

He tells me the sypher hose thing will work just fine to clean out the tank..and if i had a sick fish in there...some drops will be fine to use to kill disease...do you agree? he says it's too time consuming to empty everything out and clean tank.

No, i am sure they died of natural causes...no illness...I have only had my tank 3 weeks..and i currently have 4 fish in there..fancy gold, calico, plain gold, and a black molly..it's a 10 gallon tank..and i don't know about the ammonia reading..? I am new at this aquarium thing..I have one now that is wobbly meaning kinda floating around not swimming...his color looks well, but i am sure he will die...after this fish dies i will have had 3 deaths in this tank..

Answer 1

I'd say whether or not cleaning will do any good will depend on why the two goldfish died.

Did they show any odd behavior or signs of disease or parasites before their deaths?

How large were the fish, how big was the tank, and how long did you have the tank set up? Do you have any information on the ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate readings from the tank?

Rather than put in medication which may do more harm than good, you should figure out what happened and treat for that specifically. If you can give any answers to the questions I've posted above, use the "add details" feature under the pencil icon (below your question). With some details, we might be able to give yu a better answer.

ADDITION: From your added information, I'd have to say your fish probably died from ammonia poisoning. Goldfish ar big waste producers, and if the tank is new, there aren't enough bacteria in it yet to convert the toxic parts of the waste (ammonia and nitrite) to nitrate. This usually takes 3-6 weeks.

Since your fish probably died from this rather than a disease, there's no need to medicate your tank. In fact, if what they want you to use is an antibactial medication, it will only kill the "good" bacteria you've managed to build up and that will only hurt the surviving fish.

Cleaning the tank (but not too well) will be your best option. Use your siphon to take out about 1/2 of the water and clean downin the gravel as you do this. Then slowly add new water that's about the same temperature as what's already in the tank (and add whatever you use to take out chlorine). That should remove any excess food and waste from the rocks at the bottom.

Now over the next few weeks, you'll have to do water changes pretty regularly. About 1/4 of the water should be changed each time, and this should be done at least once a week. If you have a water test kit, or you can get tank samples to your fish store, do a change whenever you see that the ammonia or nitrite is getting above 0.5. In a few weeks, you shouldn't see any ammonia or nitrite, only nitrate. You don't want to let this get above 40 before you change the water. Also, be careful you don't overfeed your fish - only give them what they will eat in 2-3 minutes twice a day. Any that's left after this time should be removed with a net. Extra food that doesn't get eaten adds to the ammonia that's produced.

You should know too that a 10 gallon tank will only be enough room for your goldfish for a few months. Since they get to be fairly large fish, and produce a lot of waste, fancy goldfish should get 10-15 gallons each. If you have a good filter on the tank, it will help you in keeping the tank clean and provide oxygen your fish need.

Here are some websites that you can read with more information about all that I've talked about:

Answer 2

If you have a filtration system then there is no need to clean the tank, what kind of illness did your goldfish exhibit? They are usually very hardy. If the problem was one of nitrates than a water change was the only thing to help. How ever. You need to use water that has set out all night or some declore drops, unless you have well water. Than you are good as long as the water is warm enough. Than you need to add some Fritzyme to the water to make sure they have good bacteria to keep the nitrate level down and you don't want to add to many fish. The rule is 1 for every 5 gallon. So for your 4 fish you would have needed a 20 gallion tank and an inch of gravel in the bot om so your good bacteria have plenty of room to live.

Answer 3

Fish don't just die for no reason. They were sick. The main reason goldfish get sick is poor tank maintenence and poor water quality. I'd break the system completely down before you go dumping some random medication in the water. Realize that you don't have a clue as to what you are doing and do some research for your self. If using a little elbow grease is too much for you then keeping a fish tank shouldn't be your hobby. The lazy way is the wrong way. You should have changed more of the water more often and your fish would still be here.

Answer 4

If you had just gotten the fish not too long ago, that could be part of the problem for why your fish are dying. Not all fish make a move to another tank very well. Sometimes its too stressful. The guy at the store is right about not cleaning out the tank. The fish need their levels kept at the same amount, so it takes awhile for them to build all of that up after the tank is all cleaned out. Also...goldfish are a very dirty species of fish. So cleaning out the tank will not only eliminate the problem, but also the fish when you put them back.

Answer 5

It would depend on what they died of. If it was "ick" then you need to treat the other fish, changing the water alone won't help. Go ahead and treat them with the drops, and after you are sure that they are healthy, clean the tank. If you add new fish later, treat the tank to make sure that they aren't bringing in a fungus or bacteria that will kill your other fish.

Answer 6

*thenks* well, fish let off their oils into the water to make a more comfortable environment for them to be in, im not sure if the sick fish could have left any sickness in the oils or not. and if ur other fish are fighting the sickness, it might be bad to take them out of the environment rich in their oils while their immunities are down..i wud suggest u put the drops in and leave the fish ♥

Answer 7

You should probably clean out the tank really good then put the fish back in or get new ones. The deasease might not die just from a couple of drops.

Answer 8

It is very likely your goldfish died from ammonia poisoning. Please read this article on cycling a new tank.
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

I also recommend purchasing a book on goldfish and/or freshwater aquariums.

Answer 9

how long after they died did you remove the fish??

I wouldn't bother with a water change if i were you.