Gone "Belly Up"?

Question

Today I just purchased a goldfish, and it's already gone belly up on me.

It looked like a healthy fish when I bought him, but it was an hour-long trip back home before I could put him in the 20 gallon tank and I imagine he was stressed from the journey. The water is clean as I just changed it this morning, so it can't be that. The filter was primed and a new cartridge put in a good 5-6 hours before the goldfish came home.

Do you think it's the stress that made him go belly up?

Anything I can do that might help him live?

I forgot to add that this is a "Fantail" Goldfish, in case that makes a difference...

Yes, I'll often float the bag for about 15 minutes...I feel so sorry for the poor guy. I bring him home, and I kill him!

This is actually my first goldfish. I've had many tropical fish, but never a goldfish, so perhaps I did something wrong in treating the water?

I know goldfish need slightly colder water temps. than tropicals...

Yup, water was conditioned as well. I used a pH regulator to bring the water to 7.0. Does a goldfish require a different level?

Thanks for the information. :)

If the water isn't fully prepped yet, then would it be better to transport him to my second 20-gallon, which has 2 tropicals in it? Could that potentially help him out, despite the temperature difference?

I really feel bad for the poor thing...

Answer 1

Some good answers, but in my experience this "upside down" syndrome sometimes happen to Goldfish especially Fantails because they have trapped air in their swimming air bladder. They use it to stay balance and when stressed or moved from tank to tank they develop the condition. Now I have seen the fish naturally fix the problem but some can not and usually die. Some people try gently massaging the fish or squeezing ever so slightly and sometimes a spin in a bag cures it too. Hope it works out. Good Luck

Answer 2

Probably what affected or killed your fish was the difference in the pH from the water in the store/bag to the water in your tank. Believe it or not, temperature is the least of your worries when you bring home a new fish. If there is as little as .5 difference in the pH's, it will send the fish into shock and can kill them. This is the main reason new fish die a few days or a week after being introduced into a home tank.

At this point, probably the only way to save him (if he is still alive) would be to put him back in the water from the store and then re-acclimate him over a couple hours to your water.

The safest way to acclimate a fish is to open the bag, roll the top down so there is a ring of air trapped by the plastic around the top of the bag and float it in the tank. Use a measuring cup and put 1/2 cup of tank water into the bag every 15 minutes for at least an hour and a half. If there is a huge difference in the pH's, you must take a very long time to do this (1/2 cup every 15 minutes). I have taken as long as 3 hours to acclimate delicate and expensive fish so they are not shocked by the pH differences.

You should always know what the pH is of your own home tap water and test the bag water before you start acclimating. A liquid pH test kit is only about $3-5 and will test about 250 samples of water. You should also ask the pet store what the pH is of their water. If they don't know, they can test it and tell you, but you might want to find another store that actually is involved in caring for their fish.

Some stores will test your water for you if you bring in a sample (an ounce or two is enough). If they do, ask them to test their water at the same time so you can get an idea how long to acclimate for.

Answer 3

Transportation is difficult and stressful and does, definitely, sometimes, kill. But, more than likely it was because your water wasn't ready. If you changed the water, it definitely wasn't cycled. Goldfish are very sensitive fish and rather difficult to successfully keep, despite common beliefs to the contrary. You can't buy good water by adding something from a bottle. Cycling is an easy process, but it takes time; 4-6 weeks. You don't need to worry about ph, but you do need to get a kit that tests for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. You don't need to worry about ph. Trying to change it and make it go up and down constantly is far more stressful than a slightly too high or low ph. Before you replace this fish, read up on how to do a fishless cycle, get your water cycled first, and then go get your fish. Also, learn about water changes and proper tank maintenance. Good luck with your next goldy!

EDIT: Yes, if you have an established, cycled tank, even if it is with tropicals, it would be better to put him in there until the 20 gallon cycles.

Answer 4

Sounds like this fish is dead. But, in the future leave the fish in the bag for like 20-30 minutes and just let the bag float on the top of the water so the waters can be even temperatures before you switch him into the water. It can be shocking to stick a fish who is in a controlled temp at the store into a freezing or hot temp water so by gradually allowing this temp to adjust the fish can be better prepared as well make sure to pour the whole bag of water the fish was in into the tank.

Answer 5

Did you check if all the levels were good in the tank? Ammonia, PH and all that? just b/c it's a goldfish they all have to be correct.
you are right, it could have been the stress from the trip. especially if the water in the bag got to hot or to cold.
next time you bring one home, make sure you don't set it on the floor with the heat or the AC on. also make sure that it doesn't set swished around to much

Answer 6

Did you condition your water at least??????
because your tank is definately not cycled
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in half a gallon of tank water, and pour it into your tank
Also check ammonia and nitrite levels, every day, and do partial waterchanges of 25% with a gravelsiphon everyday as well

Hope that helps
good luck


EB


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