I've a bowl and 3 goldfishes in them. initially i had a pair but one of them died. Anytime after that, i bought a single fish, it used to die. then i bought a pair and both of them are alive happily. So now, i have ended up with 3 goldfishes in a single bowl.
i've noticed that they all behave strangely after a few hours of changing the water. (i do it everyday, since i did not buy a filter for the bowl, it just seemed too much space wud be taken in a small bowl by a filter).
soon after (abt an hour or so), i change the water in the bowl, they all would come up to the surface and would pout on the surface of the water...like they are trying to use actual air for breathing. it looks something like this (-------v-------) assume v is fishes mouth pouting....
i'm not sure why they do that...can you guess???
initially i thought that they were asking for food, but they dont even touch food even when its floating on the water and wud avoid touching the food, while keep on pouting
2007-07-19 03:11:08 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
I am not going to tell you that keeping 3 goldfish in a bowl isn't the way to go, because you didn't mention how large your bowl is or how large your fishes are. Moreover if you're changing water everyday, that might just make the bowl barely suitable for the goldfishes.
Anyway, your guess that they are gasping for air is probably correct. To fix that you can buy a low powered air pump and fix it to a hose with just an air-stone. Let the air stone run in the water after you make your next water change and see if the situation improves.
BTW use a low powered air pump because I bet you don't want the fishes to stay in a whirlpool like bowl.
.
2007-07-19 04:56:44 · answer #1 · answered by dragonfly_sg 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are breathing at the surface due to a lack of oxygen in the water. Being right after a water change, I would guess that either: the water is warmer than it was before the change or there is a bit too much chlorine still in the water. In addition to those two possibilities, the fact remains that your fish will very, very quickly out grow a bowl and as goldfish create a lot of waste, they will need a filter to remain healthy. For 3 fancy goldfish I would suggest nothing smaller than a 29 gallon tank and a 30-40 gallon would be far better. You should plan on getting such a tank as soon as possible as they will grow quickly.
MM
2007-07-19 03:17:34 · answer #2 · answered by magicman116 7 · 8⤊ 0⤋
Your fish need a 20-30 gallon tank, not a 1-2.5 gallon bowl. You never said what size the bowl was, but it doesn't matter. They're probably dying due to the ammonia and lack of oxygen in the bowl. They are at the top because the ammonia in the water is pretty much eating them. I've got a goldfish in a 10 gallon aquarium, and I think it's still too small for him. You need a bigger tank is what it is. I've never heard of a single fish, that used to die. It's not goldfishes either. It's goldfish.
2007-07-19 03:42:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
How cruel! Why did you put them in a bowl! They will all die if you don't get them in at least a 20 gallon tank! Even a 10 gallon will last a couple months until they get big. I feel so sorry for your goldfish. they are NOT POUTING!! What is wrong with you? They are GASPING FOR AIR. BECAUSE THEY CANNOT LIVE IN A BOWL. Good grief, you should return those fish and get a stuffed animal.
2007-07-19 10:47:55 · answer #4 · answered by boncarles 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would think its something to do with breathing.
You need to ask an expert on fish, perhaps at your local pet shop?
Would you consider buying a small tank with a filter? Would be much better for the fish........
Good luck! x
2007-07-19 03:16:55 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
The temp. is to low and the fish need aeration to live a healthy life.
2007-07-19 04:16:12 · answer #6 · answered by mr.collegeboy34 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe the water is too cold fish are very sensitive to temperture changes
2007-07-19 03:16:50 · answer #7 · answered by helpfull2u 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋