Dead Goldfish :-(?

Question

I just brought 8 baby goldfish yesterday afternoon. Within 2hrs of getting them home 2 died. Later on last night i found one more dead and then this morning another died. I called to pet shop where i got them and told the guy what was going on and he had me go to the store so he could test the pH level of my water. That came out fine so he gave me 5 new fish. Again after 2 hrs of having them home two more have died. What could be going on and how can i stop my fish from dying?

Answer 1

My guess is that you're putting these fish into a new tank, and one that's probably too small for the number of fish that you're getting. When fish eat, they poo, and part of their waste is ammonia, which is toxic to them. In an established tank, there are bacteria that will convert the ammonia to nitrite (also toxic) then to nitrate (which your fish can handel in moderate amounts). The amount of bacteria needed takes about 2 months to establish. Rather than testing for pH, the store should have tested your water for ammonia.

This whole thing is called the cycling process. Here are some links where you can read more about this: http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

I'd advise you to take most of your fish back to the store where you purchased them. If you're keeping these in a 10 gallon tank, you should only have 2 to start, and only if these are less than 2". You can increase by one for every additional 10 gallons if your tank is larger. As aldults, goldfish will get 10-18" (single-tailed varieties) or 8-10" for double tailed varieties. It's a myth that fish only grow to the size of their tank.

For the ones you keep, you should be doing water changes of about 20-25% at least once a week, more often if you see the fish gasping at the surface for air - this si a sign of ammonia and/or nitrite poisoning. Be careful not to overfeed your fish during this time - more poo=more ammonia - only ginve them what they can eat in 2-3 minutes twice a day at the most.

Answer 2

1- one single goldfish needs anywhere from 15-55 gallons a piece when full grown
2- the pet store you went to does not know what they are doing if they gave you 8 goldfish and did not tell you how to take care of them
3- you should be soaking the fish ( while they are still in the bag) in the new tank ( yes a tank not a bowl) for about 15 mintues so the water temperatures gets the same
4- you should never mix the two waters together, most pet stores have high amoutns of toxins in their water and probably cant keep a fish for more than a week ( not all pet stores are like this, some know what they are doing)
5- you should be conditioning the water before you put them in it a heavy metal, chlorine, and chloramine remover will be good
6- it takes one month for water to cycle... you should ONLY be doing a 25% water change each week, do not take out all the water.
7. waiste creates ammonia which is toxic to fish.... having 8 fish in a bowl and they all poop at once would cause the water to be toxic.
8. maybe you should get baby goldfish for every 10 gallons...
9. you know, it may not be your fault at all, some stores sell really crappy fish....
10. you also realllly need an airrator thats hooked up to some sort of oxygen stone in your tank, a heavy duty filter, room temperature water.....
11. good food.....

Answer 3

You could be trying to put too many fish in too small of a tank. You need at least 1 gallon per inch of fish, and more is better.

If this is a new tank, you might also have "new tank syndrome". This is where the levels of ammonia from fish waste build up before the bacteria that breaks down the waste has gotten a chance to establish itself. This is more likely to happen in a crowded tank. You can buy an item to absorb the ammonia, I forget the name of it, but it is a mesh bag that looks like it is filled with white gravel, and this will absorb the ammonia while the bacteria gets established.

Also, maybe the fish are getting stressed on the journey home. It is extremely hot out, and goldfish prefer slightly cool water (66 to 72 degrees). If you have to get more fish, pay attention to make sure that they stay cool enough.
Also, make sure that any water and tempurature changes that the fish undergo are gradual. When you get home, you should put the fish's plastic bag into the tank for a long enough time (about 1/2 hour) for the water in the bag to reach the same tempurature as the tank before you open the bag and let the fish out. If you are taking a bag that reached 85 degrees in your car on the way home, and immediately dumping it in a 70 degree fish tank in your air conditioned home, then it is not surprising for fish to die.

Finally, if you are fix all the things above, and fish still die, you may be dealing with a disreputable fish store that is selling you sick fish. If this is the case, get your money back and shop elsewhere. Good luck with your fish!

Answer 4

First, do all that is possible to make sure that your fish is healthy. If there are any sores on its body, pass on it. Before you put your fish in the fish bowel, let the water return to room temperature.

After your fish is in the fishbowl, feed it right away. However, be sure to not feed it too much. Usually, just a pinch of fish food will be sufficient for your goldfish. Fish bowls will usually need to be cleaned about once every week or so.
> Usually, only two goldfish should be in the same fishbowl, aquarium or fish tank. Any more, and it will jeopardize the health of your goldfish. If your goldfish appears unhealthy, consider buying a healthier fish food. If your fish does not appear to be getting healthier, consult your veterinarian. Goldfish will be much healthier if you provide a fish bowel or plastic plants that your fish will be able to swim around or in. Goldfish, under proper care, will usually live about 5 or 6 years. If you take good goldfish care, you will be able to enjoy and appreciate your gold fish for many years.

Answer 5

How big is the tank? For 8 goldfish you would end up needing a 80 to 96 gallon tank. Goldfish, of any kind, end up 10 to 12 inches long. What kind are they?

What kind of filter do you have? Is your air pump big enough? What decholinator did you use? How much freshwater salt did you put in? What is the temperature of the water?
These are all things the guy at the shop SHOULD have asked.

I would not return there.

Answer 6

Although adding 8 fish to any aquarium really overloads the bio filter and caused spikes in the ammonia that doesn't sound like that is the problem here. Did the petstore test the water for nitrites and Ammonia? If not why? PH isn't a QUICK killer like most like to believe the Ammonia and Nitrites are.

The store person should also have told you not to add so many fish to a tank at once and he did not do that.

Many fish can live in a wide rage of PH and water conditions. There could be a few reasons your fish had died.

Did you use a dechlor in the tank water when it was initially set up? If not that could be the problem.

Also, when you floated your fish from the store did you float the fish in the bag for around 15 min. add about 1/4 cup of your tank water to the bag and float them another 15 minutes, add another 1/4 cup of tank water to the bag and float another 15 minutes add another 1/4 cup and float 15 minutes another 1/4 cup and float 15 minutes?

This is the best way to acclamate your fish to your tank from where they came from.

Also, tank temps below 70 no heater?

Also, if your water quality is fine and you are floating your fish fine, buy your fish from another store. if the cleark at the pet store you were at thought it was fine for you to dump another 5 fish into your tank, they don't know fish.

Answer 7

Each goldfish needs 10 gallons of water all to itself.

I'm serious!

Their gills don't work right in any less than that. That means they can't breathe.

So, unless you have an 80 gallon aquarium (100 is better, they grow and need more space), you need to "re-home" some of the fish.

"Feeder" fish are kept by the hundreds in tanks. They're going to be food within a few days, so it doesn't matter if they're cramped. Also, those fish are dying. If you bought "feeder" fish, they are suffering from being in that crowded tank, and probably already too sick to save.

For best results, get a large tank, with a filter and an air pump, and 1 goldfish per 12 gallons of water.
Buy fish only from a fish store. Buy ones that aren't crowded.

Answer 8

well maybe the goldfish dont get along and are killing each other or you know if you leave a dead fish in the tank with all the other fish some of the other fish could die because the water was contaminated. so maybe thats what happened. well other than that i really dont know.

Answer 9

dont feed it to much
make sure the water is not to cold or hot
or they need to be in different tanks b/c
u dont put 8 goldfishs i a thank they need their own space ok ok hope it helps i have 12 gold fishs in a big pound in my backyard and the pond
is about the size of a van soo i can make
alot of room for the fish and they never dieded since

Answer 10

did you acclimate your fish before you put them in your tank?

you have to put the bag with your fish into your tank for about 30 min, that your fish can adjust to the new water temp.

Your fish have most likely died of stress


Hope that helps
Good luck



EB