My gold fish is not acting normal and I am so worried.It is laying down on the same spot over and over again than coming back up in a couple minuets so is she dyeing or if she isin't what is going on with her. Please awenser this question I am very very very worried
2007-09-21 14:29:46 · 6 answers · asked by Lisa 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
There are a number of possibilities as to what may be wrong with your fish.
If the fish is in a newer tank, one of the first things I'd suspect is water quality. Goldfish tend to be messy and produce a lot of waste, and one of the products they produce is ammonia, which is toxic to them. A sign of ammonia (or nitrite which the ammonia is converted into) poisoning is lethargy and sitting at the bottom. Other signs can be gasping for air at the surface and loss of appetite. All that needs to happen to "cure" these are more frequent water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels low, until you have enough bacteria in the tank to convert them to nitrate. It also helps not to overfeed (only give what the fish is able to finish eating in 2-3 minutes) and do at least 25% water changes once a week using a gravel vacuum to clean the gravel. This is assuming you're keeping the golfish in at least a 10 gallon filtered tank (which is only suitable when the fish are small - in a few months they'll need to move into a larger tank). If you're keeping the fish in a smaller tank or bowl, you should get a proper tank for them. A "common" (single tailed) goldfish is capable of growing to at least 9-10 inches long in a aquarium. Fancy varieties (those with a double tail) will be slightly smaller.
Other possibilities is that the fish is being bullied by another in the tank (and he's simply trying to stay out of it's way), too high of water movement (especially if this is a fancy - they don't swim that well if the current from your filter is too strong, so they find a place where they are able to stay in place to conserve energy), or sickness - this could be a swim bladder problem, as was already mentioned, or parasites which are weakening the fish. If none of the others seems to solve the problem, examine the fish closely for small white spots which look like salt grains (ich), a white powdery substance (could be velvet) or heavy slime coat which will make the fish look gray, pale, and dull.
See this link for possible diagnosis: http://www.klsnet.com/files/fishchart.htm
and this one for treatments: http://www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm
2007-09-21 15:09:01 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, im afraid it sounds like its dying. The person who said about the peas is right, you can feed fish mashed peas and it can help
Also, if you don't have salt in the tank, put some tank salt, that should help also
2007-09-21 21:49:36 · answer #2 · answered by Shelby 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm afraid it sounds like she is dying. They have drops at the pet store for sick fish but it might be to late.
2007-09-21 21:38:17 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like it's sick.. It's gonna take a lot of time and some money for meds...
2007-09-21 22:29:43 · answer #4 · answered by Rain L 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I heard somewhere in a magazine you feed it mashed peas or something... I have no clue
2007-09-21 21:38:46 · answer #5 · answered by Alice Seno 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its a goldfish just get another 1 for 10 cents.
2007-09-21 21:37:46 · answer #6 · answered by Brittany 3 · 1⤊ 4⤋