I cleaned my Fish tank tonight and i put my fish into a small fish tank while i was cleaning it and when i was about to put them back in the tank, my favorite fish was laying upside down on the bottom of the tank, not moving at all. I thought i might have saw him move but i wasn't sure so i just put them all back in the big tank. He floated vertically for at least 5 or more minutes not moving AT ALL! then all of a sudden it looked like his gills were moving and then he started swimming... he is still swimming and its been over 30 minutes, he is slower then normal but still swimming. Does anyone know what is wrong with him or if he is going to die?? he seems to be more alert as time goes by but its hard to tell. Does anyone know what is going on? Please, anyone have any experience with this?
2007-07-31 00:01:14 · 6 answers · asked by Danny's Mommy 9/10/09 6 in Pets ➔ Fish
Please...you can even message me??
2007-07-31 00:01:56 · update #1
Can you take a fish to the vet?
2007-07-31 00:22:24 · update #2
No, i didn't change all the water, I've cleaned it before so i know how to clean it but it all happened in the small tank which had original water... He is swimming a little better but its so hard to tell... I'm starting to feel dumb for being this paniced over a goldfish but i have some odd emotional attachment to him and its important.
2007-07-31 00:25:16 · update #3
the pea is for constipation. I was careful to make sure there was no temp change, i even used thermometers. they had to be removed, i had to add things and do serious cleaning and he would have gotten hurt if he stayed... I usually leave them in for basic cleaning. He seems to be doing better but am still afraid he might be sick or not make it..
2007-07-31 02:47:36 · update #4
Once again, he was in his original water when it happened and it was his new water that seems to have made him more lively for now.
2007-07-31 02:49:53 · update #5
Your fish is in shock from the instant water temperature and condition change but has a 50/50 chance of survival but might be able to get better after a while.
And you didnt need to remove him from the tank just clean it while hes in there just make sure when you add the new water thats its has same water temperature as the one in the tank to reduce the chance of him getting into shock.
Yes you can take a fish to the vet(usually when they are big like goldfish and koi)
Hope all goes well
WT
2007-07-31 02:21:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If both tanks had the same water (you moved the water from the old tank to the new, then put in the fish), the problem must have been in the small tank itself. Is there any chance someone may have used it for something besides the fish, or may have sprayed or used chemicals around the tank which might have left a residue? That would seem most likely given the information you provided. The change back to the new tank seems to have helped him recover, so as long as he's continuing to do better, I think he'll be okay.
It shouldn't be necessary to move him to another tank to clean, though. Even if he's in a smaller tank (2.5 gallon or so), you can get mini gravel vacuums (or make one out of tubing and a thin juice bottle or a plastic container used to hold film): http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?p=648420
2007-07-31 04:38:47 · answer #2 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The ph was different between the two tanks is my guess. Sometimes the city puts chemical into the tap water, esp in the summer months, to raise the ph. The ph in your tank was likely lower. Or the temperatures were different between the two. Warm water has less oxygen. Next time leave the fish in the original tank when doing a water change. There also could have been residue in the hold over tank, like air freshner sprays or cleaning sprays accidently fell into it. However it is not neccessary to remove the fish when doing a partial water change. Only when you do a 100% water change. The fish should be fine. Keep an eye on him, stress like that could bring on illness.
2007-07-31 02:46:17 · answer #3 · answered by Sunday P 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've heard of putting a pea in the water. I don't know how it works or even if it works, but it's worth a shot, right? It can't hurt the fish.
2007-07-31 02:43:28 · answer #4 · answered by Emily A 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
did you change all the water and the filter at the same timez/
this causes your filter biological bacteria to crash causing nitrite and ammonia (wastes fish make) to skyrocket
this causes a shock to your fish and would eventually kill them in a few days or less.
this is what happened t me when i first started fish keeping
either that or the stress of the moving was really bad.
2007-07-31 00:22:16 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sorry to tell you this but he probarbly is going to die. If your goldfish is like this he is maybe on his last fins.maybe you should take him to the vets?
2007-07-31 00:16:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋