whats happning to my daughters fish?

Question

there is a problem but dont know what it is the goldfish is turning dark orange in some areas and is always sinking to the bottom of the tank help is it dying

well i have a air pump in the tank and bowt a week ago she lost one fish its cleaned and fed regulary and my little girl is very smart we told her bowt the last fish and was fine so she got to go and choose her new fish

Answer 1

Can you provide any information about the tank size, how long you've had the fish, tankmates, water tests, etc.? Use the "add details" feature under the pencil icon below your question to add this info.

ADDITION: Since there's no new info, I'll take a guess that this is ammonia poisoning since the symptoms seem to fit. A series partial water change may help depending on how high the ammonia level is. Start by changing 25% of the water and replace it with water about the same temperature with your regular dechlorinator. In a few hours (or in the morning, depending on your location) do another 25% change.

Answer 2

Sounds to me that the ammonia got to it. If the goldfish was in a bowl how often did you change the water. A fish bowl should be changed at least every three or four days. Make sure to have a gallon or two of already treated water that has been sitting for a day or two at all times. Make sure to keep a very small amount of the old water due to the beneficial bacteria that is in the water-the fish need this to help keep them healthy.

Also most people want to fill the bowl up to the top when really they need to not over fill the bowl. The water line should be at least two inches from the top of the bowl to allow water and oxygen transfere. An air stone helps can with this, but not really since it is a natural occurance. Also make sure that the water is not too cold.

I would suggest instead of a bowl get a small aquarium. You can usually buy one with everything you need minus the heater and the decorations for about $30.00. This will make it a little easier for you to keep up with the water changes and it will also help provide the best environment for the fish. It will be more stable in a tank than in a bowl. With a tank you only need to change the water at 25% once a week or once every two weeks.

Answer 3

Hard to say. If it was short on oxygen, it would normally hang around the top of the tank but that said, if you don't have any plants or put oxygen tablets in (if you don't have an air pump to begin with), it could be that.

There are also chemicals added to water to make is safe for human consumption which are bad for fish. From your pet store, you can get other chemicals to counteract these chemicals. I personally use something called Fish Safe, a shockingly obvious name.

My fish sometimes sulk for a while after I've cleaned them out. Strange but true. They sit around the bottom of the tank until they're ready to explore what changes I've made this time.

Answer 4

It sounds like the fish is dying, maybe it is dying from depression from the other fish dying- it is possible that they were close friends so this fish is dying because it does not feel like it is worth living without his best friend that could be why they sink to the bottom of the tank is because it is to depressed, Sorry about you'r fish. And I have a bit of advice for you, if you have more then one fish wait until you run out of fish and then you can buy both of them at the same time so that you know that they have been with each other for quite a while possibly since birth.

Answer 5

If you just purchased the fish, this might be a sign of stressness. If it was in the tank for a while, I think it is caused by a bacterial infection from the things that goes in the tank(hands,chemicals, etc.) Try to change the water of the tank once or twice a week. This will provide you fish some new water.

Answer 6

when you say clean the tank? do you mean the whole tank inc. water, gravel, pumps - if so that is your problem, there is beneficial bacteria that live in the tank and brake down all the rubbish - cleaning the full tank removes this bacteria so the tank get overwhelmed with ammonia and nitrates and rubbish - so partial water changes are a better idea - i personally clean the filters (in tank water - but not in the tank) on a different day to which i do a partial water change.

Answer 7

Hi,Goldfish need the same care & attention has tropical fish.
You need filtration,heater,air pump.If you have lost your fish i strongly reccommend you do not get any more untill you read up on how to look after them.I have kept tropical fish for 10 years & am still learning.Good Luck

Answer 8

I would say, chances are, it is on its way out. Issues like water quality, overfeeding or stress might be the problem but without seeing it I cant really help more. Even if it lingers on thogh, fish dont seem to really recover from illness too well.

Maybe its time to have "that talk" with your daughter (depending how old she is)

Answer 9

thats a hard one yes i do think it is dyeing but if you call the pet store were you got it from it might just turn out that you need to clean the tank or ajust the temp of the water or just add vitimins but if all is not good and it dies dont replace it becasue when she finds out she will hate you my mum did this to me and i moved out when i was just 14.

Answer 10

Excuse my ignorance: They water changes, are they done with treated water?
Many people new to fish don't realise that chlorine kills them.
Sorry if I offend.