I've had my goldfish about a year and ive never had any problems with them (2 of) But for the past 2 weeks, they are always at the top of their tank, my dad said they are tryin to get air, i cleaned their water (which i do every 1 or 2 wks) and they r still doin it, i have not seen them swim for ages, just swim at the top with their mouths at the top?
2007-07-20 03:47:25 · 10 answers · asked by x !! Me !! x 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
I always put in this lotion stuff to sort the Ph etc etc.. I have took all their wee stones n everything and scrubbed them... Nothing helps ! poor wee things
2007-07-20 03:57:11 · update #1
Could be a few problems here.
You say they're in a tank, so that's good - at least they aren't being kept in a small bowl. But do you use a filter? The movement of the water is needed to add dissolved oxygen in their water. Without the movement, there may not be enough air getting to the bottom of their tank.
What's the water temperature? Warmer water holds less oxygen. If it's above 76o and you have a light on over the tank, try turning the light off so it doesn't heat the water. You can also blow a small fan across the top of the water to increase evaporation - this will cool the water by a few degrees.
Gasping at the top can also be a sign of ammonia or nitrite building up in their water. These block the places in their bloodstream which would carry the oxygen, so they really might not be able to use the oxygen that's present. Goldifh produce a good bit of ammonia in their wastes, so you need to be very careful not to overfeed them (only give what they can eat in 2-3 minutes twice a day) and use a gravel vacuum to clean the fish poo out of the gravel - this can be another source of ammonia. Goldfish should have at least 25% of their water changed every week. While the cleaning you've done in the past may have been enough, your goldfish are probably growing, and larger fish eat more food and produce more wastes. It could be that they're getting too large for the size of the tank their in.
2007-07-20 04:10:28 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Fish do this to relieve pain if they have something wrong. Do you use a water conditioner to remove chlorine etc? They may have a swim bladder problem by spending too much time taking on air they now can't swim properly. I solved this problem by using a sinking fish food or put the flakes under the water so they sink. Make sure your pump is good enough and the filter is working ok if not up grade your equipment. Treat your fish to the best you can buy. Check the water quality with a testing kit and good luck fish are never easy to sort out when they have a problem!
2007-07-20 11:00:18 · answer #2 · answered by lotsofsmoggies 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably the water quality is poor. Chlorine/Ph etc. Don't change all the water, just about 1/3 -1/2 and only if absolutely necessary. Fish are VERY sensitive to water changes. Put in a pump and and air stone, get some (real) plants.
2007-07-20 10:59:44 · answer #3 · answered by jayktee96 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is their water too warm. I just lost a fish we kept in a pond because the water got too hot. They become lethargic, and started swimming at the top because the water was cooler there. Too much heat also causes loss of oxygen. Check the location of your tank and see if its in direct sunlight that might cause the temp to be too high. The other possibility is they are suffocating. Take a smple of your tank water to the pet/fish store and have them test it. Do you aerorate your water by having the filter pour it through the air back into the tank or by having a pump blow bubbles into the tank?
2007-07-20 10:57:29 · answer #4 · answered by Sane 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Do you have a filter, and how large is the tank? If they can't breath they need more air bubbles inside. That is bad, they will die if you don't help them. Add some more details -- they need at least a 20 gallon but if theyre small you can start with a 10 gallon for a short period. And they need a filter to breath and clean up their waste, period.
2007-07-20 14:32:59 · answer #5 · answered by boncarles 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be amonnia poisoning. If he's starting to turn darker and have a loss of appetite, than it may be. It could also be that they don't have enough oxygen. If you don;t have a bubbler or filter; than you should get some. Now i'm gonna go back to bed cuz I got up at 3:28
A$H!
2007-07-24 07:17:11 · answer #6 · answered by A$HLEY*! 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The warmer the water the less oxyen there will be in it. You can get plants which might help. Make sure the tank is not in direct sunlight as well.
2007-07-20 11:03:37 · answer #7 · answered by bouncer bobtail 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Contact your local pet store and see what they suggest. There are products on the market to help sick fish, even antibiotics. I have to be honest with you, I'm no fish doctor, not even close. But have you checked your water lately? Ph and what not? Even after changing water, if it still comes from the same place (faucet), the levels could be off.
2007-07-20 10:55:00 · answer #8 · answered by SouthernBelle 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
If you haven't already got an air pump; get one.It dosn't have to be powerfull just enough to give them extra oxygen.
2007-07-22 13:51:25 · answer #9 · answered by al3x1707 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you don't see them swimming side ways, I'd say they are fine.
2007-07-20 10:52:58 · answer #10 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋