The 2 fish have been living together for about a day now. We fed them twice and after the 2nd one (evening feeding) they have kept going as if they want to eat more food and open and close their mouths, sometime making a lil noise with bubbles forming. Any idea what this means? My room mate and I are clueless
2007-11-03 15:25:52 · 11 answers · asked by duckgirl07 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
If you have these in a new tank, it probably means there's ammonia building up in their water or they aren't getting enough oxygen (or both). Goldfish need to be kept in tanks of at least 10 gallons (even when small) and should have at least a 20 gallon tank as adults. That's just for one, you'll want to add 10 gallons for each additional fish. They don't survive in bowls, but will do better in a tank where that get a filter, so if you don't have them in this type of set-up, you'll should think about getting one. The filter, besides filtering out the solids, adds dissolved oxygen to the water and circultes it around the tank.
The ammonia problem comes from their poop (so you really shouldn't feed them every time they look hungry - it makes the water go bad that much sooner). The ammonia keeps them from bein able to get oxygen out of the water, so they gasp for air at the top. The ammonia is eventually changed to nitrite (which is also bad for them( then to nitrate, which is safer unless there's a high amount. You can reduce this for now with regular partial water changes.
If the fish are in a filtered tank, you can change 25%-30% of the water once a week, but if they're in a bowl, you should change 100% of the water at least twice a week.
2007-11-03 15:38:52 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
They're probably having trouble breathing. The water is probably not clean enough. You should get a filter. It helps keep the the water's ph balance at a healthy level. If you don't clean out the water enough, and you feed them too much food, then the water levels are unhealthy for the fish. Fish only need a tiny bit of food. They will always look hungry. You need to make sure you don't over feed. If you do, they may die and the water will need to be replaced more often. Make sure when you change the water that you don't remove it all. Leave about 1/4 of the old water in there. Tap water has a lot of chlorine. Also make sure you control the temperature because the fish can go into shock with a rapid change of temperature. Bubbles and a live plant may help, but the plant will die if the water acidity is too high.
2016-04-02 03:29:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Goldfish are deep bodied and very messy. Basically, they eat and poop eat and poop. They produce more waste than some other types of fish and need more oxygen in their water. If you don't have an air pump with an air stone that is powerful enough, you may want to lower your water level. If the water level is lower, your filter will splash when the water is returned to your tank. If it is splashing, it will put more oxygen into the water.
If you put them in the tank together without cycling first, probably they are irritated by the ammount of ammonia in the water, do a 50% water change and that should help to make them feel better. Research cycling a fish tank on yahoo, that will help you out a lot.
Try and remember that you want a minimum of 10 gallons for each one of your goldfish, they get huge if taken care of properly.
2007-11-03 16:44:30 · answer #3 · answered by Rachel T 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Goldfish, while the most common, are sometimes the hardest to keep. Make sure that they have a filter or at the very minimum a aerator. Goldfish are the dirtiest fish you can buy. What they are doing is trying to come to the surface to get oxygen. They are suffocating. You need to get them some oxygen. They are probably not finding it in the water due to high ammonia or nitrate levels. When you get a filter or aerator make sure to pick up some 5-in-1 and ammonia test strips. you dip them in the water, let them dry for a few seconds, and it will tell you if your water is dirty, or have bad chemicals in them. But please do so quickly, your fish are dying and need to breathe!
2007-11-03 17:28:18 · answer #4 · answered by p51mustang1965 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No offense but you people listen to whatever people tell you(the answerers!! sorry but thats my opinon you have to learn what works for you!!)...my rule is 1 small goldfish per 5 gallons and 1 large one per 10 gallons so a 20 gallon tank should in my opinon have about 4 small goldfish and a 20 gallon tank should hold about 2 large goldfish!! My goldfish always smack on the surface looking for food\ gathering air even though i have a bubble wand!!! AND YES I HAVE A WHISPER 40-60 filter!!!
2007-11-03 15:44:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Is there an air pump in the water? They usually do that when they need oxygen in the water. They will eventually get a sore on the top of their little heads from being out of the water so much.
2007-11-03 15:32:14 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's normal. I've been through about 12 goldfish (orandas, comets, and commons), and all did this. It's just a way to get oxygen. You can slow this down by adding live plants to the tank since plants will bring oxygen for them.
2007-11-04 06:58:59 · answer #7 · answered by Meg J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well you should have a filter on in the tank along with a bubbler (about $10) so they dont have to go to the surface to get air. Without an air pump(bubbler), your fish will die a lot sooner. Good luck ;)
2007-11-03 19:52:50 · answer #8 · answered by Betta92 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are they in a tank or bowl?It probably means there isn't enough oxygen in the water.
2007-11-03 15:30:56 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
they are extracting air from the atmosphere because you are keeping them in a smasll space whan its actually 20 gallons a goldie return them to the store
2007-11-03 15:34:23 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋