My goldfish is sitting at the bottom of the tank. He is still alive. What do I do?

Question

I need desperate help!!!!! Both of my fantail goldfish are about 3 inches long and in a 20-gallon tank. One of the fish's tail keeps wanting to go up if he lays still, and the other ones is also sitting at the bottom except his tail doesn't want to go up like the other's.

I've read about mashed, soft peas. We tried feeding them that but they won't eat the peas or their "Top Fin Goldfish Flakes."

We have some plastic plants, a mini-colosseum with air bubbles that shhot out of it, and blue aquarium rocks. The plants have a brown stuff that weren't there when we first bought them. We've had our goldfish for 1 year now, and they have been fairly well. There used to have two other goldfish that lived in the tank but died shortly after we got them (they got here sick).

The fish look healthy but they just sit at the bottom of the tank as if "bored." We don't know how to test the water temperature and we don't have a water heater.

PLEASE HELP QUICKLY!!!

One of them wants to go belly up! HELP!

They are very much alive but look like they are going to die or something.

All the water content levels were fine except for the genreal hardness level and ammonia.... sry, i keep forgetting details.

We had already changed the water about 50% and added aquarim salt, liquid neutral regulater (which regulates pH level and removes chlorine, chloramine, amonia.

we also replaced the filter

Answer 1

DO NOT ADD aquarium salt to goldfish. this makes bloat and swim bladder worse.

If your fish won't eat the peas, use other green veggies like cukes, lettuce, spinach, mustard greens zucchini beans whatever you can get them to eat. You said the water was testing fine yet the ammonia is high. What this after the large water change?

It sounds like your fish is sufforing from bloat, big time. Do another water change do not add salt to the tank.

Answer 2

Your fair goldfish is a "feeder". The least expensive goldfish the fair people could buy is normally what they get. They are usually kept in terrible conditions so if your tank is big enough or clean enough, the goldfish is getting back some of his strength. He is probably too small and too young to be interested is sex. It's not until the second season, the first spring-like period it experiences after a cool dark winter season, and body size, preferably larger than 7 inches long, but stunted fish sometimes mature at half that size even if it may kill them. Your goldfish has a long body and has much stronger swimming ability than the fan tail and the telescope or celestial goldfish. Even if he is smaller, his body shape and musculature give him an advantage. Different body shape goldfish are not compatible. Long bodied goldfish will inadvertently injure and kill shorter bodied goldfish. When the short bodied fish fails to swim at the "right" speed, the common or comet goldfish will bump into the back end. Goldfish are actually rather smart and can learn tricks and remember them for months without reinforcement, but their instincts do give them some blind spots. They have no patience with slowpokes.

Answer 3

Okay i still stick with my idea about ammonia poisioning unfortunatly.... But keep checking your ammonia/everything that isnt normal because neutral regulator doesnt even work in my tank for some reason. Sorry all this is happening were tryin to help you though! :] -- Also dont touch your fish, this will disturb the slime coat and make them even more vulnerable to diseases! Just tap the glass once or twice lightly first. And another is dont keep adding chemicals to the tank, they could become immune to it, or kill them if it becomes a chemical cocktail.

Answer 4

Well, it could be over-feeding, actually. As long as they aren't rolling onto thier side they should be ok...do you do partial water changes from time to time, making sure the water you add is the same temp as the water they're in? Goldfish are pretty hardy. Don't feed them for a day or two. You don't say how big your air 'colosseum' is, but maybe you need to add an airstone thats almost the length of the tank.
Water-testing really isn't necessary. Temp shouldn't be a problem unless it fluctuates significantly.

Answer 5

I just answered your previous question. If your ammonia levels are high, you need to do a 25-50% water change ASAP.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/ammoniapoison.htm

Answer 6

check the nitro and ammonia levels in the water. they could be high. alot of people dont know this, but goldfish naturally produce ammonia, so it needs to be checked more often. they basically can poison themselves. also if your feeding them food they dont eat, make sure to clean access food and poop that will also cause the water to harm the fish.

Answer 7

This sounds like either constipation or a swimbladder disorder
Here is a site that explains both in detail as well as pics and the treatment you can give them
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/disease.html


Hope that helps
Good luck


EB

Answer 8

fish is sinking means that its liver has become a great denser causing him to sink....this is due to the fish not having the right nutrion

put him in his own tank...try to change his diet individually
make sure there is good air flow in the tank
when your sick you want a good oxygen supply....well so does your fish

Answer 9

Have you tried touching the fish to see if they move? Try doing that first, and if that doesn't work then start worrying! Call the pet store that you got the fish at and tell them what is going on and see what they say!
Good luck

Answer 10

he might have anxiety attacks or some kind of asma where its hard for him to breath

at petstores they sell this liquid chemical substance that you drop into the tank that give fish relief and help cleane the tank

try and see if this works