What can I do for a goldfish that is breathing heavy?

Question

Goldfish is breathing hard it has been for about 2 weeks that i've noticed anyways. i've had it for about 3 weeks. gills move a lot more than my othjer goldfish that is the same age. the gills look ok just from looking in from the outside normakl color.... on outside it has brownish/black areas.. not spots. i was told it was probably just the fish changing color is this at all related and how can i help my fishy

its a 10 gal. tank. I just had my water tested and it was perfect except the ammonia level was up a little. I changed the water and I change it and clean thetank regularly, the one fish is fine but the other one is breathing heavier, its always done it since i've had them I think i dont remember if it did during the first week. the fish are about 2.5-3 inches in length

Answer 1

The black shows he's be exposed to some kind of irritant. If you can test your water, I's suggest doing tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. If you can't do this, or get a water sample to your pet store so they can test it for you, I's suggest a 25% water change as soon as possible.

You don't mention anything about th size of your fish or what you're keeping them in, but goldfish tend to produce a lot of wastes, so they need a large volume of water to dilute the, It's been recommended that each goldfish should have 10-20 gallons of water per fish. While you're may be small yet, I hope you're keeping them in a tank with a filter where they get more water than they would in just a bowl. In a tank, you should be doing water changes of about 25% each week (at least), while if they're in an unfiltered bowl, they should be getting 100% changes every 2-3 days to keep the water quality good.

Answer 2

First, never ever do 50% water exchange an afternoon. you do no longer say something aboutthe length of your tank, or whether it has a filter out. Goldfish are depraved poopers, and can actual spike pH and ammonia in a tank. If all you have is a goldfish bowl, then i'm sorry, yet your goldfish can no longer stay. in case you have 7-10 gallons, then i decide to propose changing your gravel with one that is finer, offering a greater robust floor section for the stable cardio micro organism to advance.

Answer 3

Gasping means your goldfish needs more oxygen. There are two reasons for this:

1) You need to change the water. Buildup of ammonia in the tank burn the fish's gills, making it harder and harder for the fish to breathe until it finally suffocates.

2) There isn't enough oxygen in the water. This happens when the tank is too small, too crowded, or too warm. Goldfish are coldwater natives; cold water holds more oxygen than warm water, so goldfish are evolved to live in high oxygen content water.

Answer 4

i tried looking into your fish trouble but all i found was this one disease that affects goldfish called "ich". is your goldfish doing anything else that seems strange? here are some websites i was looking at

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/IchPrevention.html

http://www.bronxace.homestead.com/Goldfish.html

hope you find out what's wrong with your fishy