HELP! I have 4 goldfish and I'm clueless... and now having power filter problems!?

Question

So I have a 2.5 gallon little tank for my daughter (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3635102), and we have 4 goldfish in it. The power filter that came with the tank is not working now. I can hear it running, but there's no water coming out of it. I've tried changing the cartridge in it, but still nothing. I have NO idea what I'm doing with any of this :( Some of our fish now have bloody looking noses, and I'm sure it's from this, whatever the hell is wrong! Any suggestions??

They're little fishies, the carnival kind! Well 2 of them are, the other two are fantails.

The filter does have water in it. We got 4 fish last August and 2 of them died about a month ago. We got 2 fantails at that time and all 4 have been fine until now. The power filter has been working fine since we got it, same time as the original 4 fish. It messed up once, and 2 fish got bloody noses... I changed the cartridge and cleaned the whole tank and it was fine. The fish recovered, too.

It was cleaned a few weeks ago and I added a solution for the water (dechlorinator?) and they've been fine until now. I just now noticed the bloody noses, and the stupid filter not filtering.

The link is:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3635102

It says:

Mini Bow 2.5-Gallon Aquarium Kit

* A crystal, seamless acrylic bow-front tank
* UL-Listed, full incandescent hood with 15-watt bulb included
* Whisper Micro Filter, the #1 aquarium filter, delivers a 2-step filter process which traps suspended particles and absorbs discoloration, noxious odors and chlorine for crystal-clear aquarium water

Here's a link to a pic of my filter:

http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/files/admin/product-detail/046798258162.jpg

Here's a link to a pic of my filter:

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20051130211710/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/larger/lg_18868_26781P_1.jpg

boncarles -- The tank isn't dirty, I was told to clean it once it began to get cloudy. I have a filter that cleans it well, calm down freak-a-zoid. Why bash people for things they don't know, that they're TRYING TO LEARN?? My goodness.

I didn't ask for egotistical assholes to "answer" my question so they can bash me with rude comments and assumptions. I am NOT a cruel person and in NO WAY agree with ANY kind of animal cruelty or neglect. I'm trying to do the best I can, fix the problem, and help these fish. Your asshole comments are making the fish suffer more. If you had just given me advice, they'd be out of pain already. How do you feel now tough guy?

PS: You making these assumptious, inaccurate comments about me is called LIBEL and is AGAINST THE LAW.

I'm speaking of you making comments stating that I have no problem with animals suffering. THAT is libel, it's illegal, now go away.

PS: I already took a screenshot before (and after) you deleted your illegal comments :)

Answer 1

well, usually i wouldn't chime into a Q like yours, where you call people every name outa the book, but i will answer because i love fish and have 5 tanks up and running myself and can give you advice of first hand

I would appreciate though, that you stop calling names on here, or most likely your whole profile will be deleted here, and you can forget about ever asking Q's again


As others have told you already, your little tiny tank is way to overcrowded, the red spots you see are from ammonia poisening, and you said yourself that you cleaned your tank more then 10 days ago the last time
If i where you, i would get myself an ammonia testkit, and you will see it's way off the chart, for the simple reason because 4 goldies in this kinda tank produce way to much ammonia as well as your little maintenance doesn't help the situation either

you don't even need to buy a testkit if you don't want too, but you can take a sample to your petstore and let it test for free there

If you're really so against animal cruelty then stop doing it by buying at least a 40 gallon tank for your goldies, each of them needs at least 10 gallon by themselves

If you don't believe me, please read this article here
http://www.fishlesscycling.com/articles/caring_for_your_goldfish.html

As for your filter, i would check the impeller chamber and see if it sits correctly in there
Also, there is a possibility that you didn't put enough water into your filter, which prevents it from sucking water from the tank

Also a very important issue here is maintenance, so if you're a good fishkeeper you will clean your tank once a week with a gravelsiphon and take out about 25% of the water, and replace with conditioned water

As for your tank, you need to do a 25% waterchange every 3 days to keep your fish healthy in such a small space which you provided them

The only thing people are trying to do here is help you, you can either listen to them, or you can leave it, but stop insulting anybody on here, or i will be one of the people which will report you here

So just help your fish




hope that helps
Good luck


EB

Answer 2

The link for your tank isn't working for me. Do you remember what brand it is? The filter mechanism may be clogged. Go ahead and unplug it and see if there is any way you can take it apart. If it's glued shut don't force it. Just look for any pieces that will come off - maybe down on the bottom where the intake is connected to the filter. If it does come apart carefully remove all of the pieces inside and make sure to remember how they went together. Get an un-used toothbrush or just your finger and run the dirty parts under hot water to get rid of any slimy stuff. After you get it as clean as possible put it back together and see if it works.

If this is not an option trying pouring a cup of water from the tank directly into the filter as it is running. That might jump start any areas that have become stuck.

As for the health of the fish, I doubt the filter is causing the problems. The fish are in a tank that is too small. They may be suffering from ammonia burn or even from swimming too violently and hitting their noses on the side of the tank. The overcrowding problem is something you can worry about tomorrow. In the meantime I would focus my attention on getting the filter working again. You can email me if you have any questions. Good luck!

EDIT - I can't for the life of me find anything online about how to fix that filter. Did the tank come with an air pump? It will be a little box looking thing with a hole where you can attach a plastic tube. If so you could use that through the night to keep the water circulating. Then in the morning you could run over to the fish store and get something to fix the problem. I know the other guys are telling you the tank is overstocked - and it is - but I know you can't do anything about that right now. If there is no air pump I would go ahead and do about a 50% water change. That would drop the ammonia levels for now - at least give you enough time to figure out what you need to do to remedy the problem.

EDIT 2 - If your filter is broke and you want to keep the tank here is a link to a filter replacement that might work:

http://www.petco.com/product/13796/Hagen-Elite-Mini-Underwater-Filter.aspx

If you need order it online you could probably get by with partial daily water changes until it arrives.

Answer 3

the little fair goldfishies get to be over a foot long, I'dfind someone with a goldfish pond to take them if you could. the fantails (if you mean the round bodied fantails) are more realistic for aquarium keeping as they only ge to be 6" to 10" and need about 10g each. try to do reaearch BEFORE you get the fish next time.

if you want the fish to live you're going to have a lot of wrk a head of you. first and fore most is keeping this tank clean until you can get a new one (ASAP).
1. do 50% water cahnges every day with a turkey baster.
2. fix the filter, try pouring some water into the filter.

now, the second thing to know is you should have cycled your tank FIRST. since you can't do that now you are going to have to put the fish through the cycle. once you get your 20gallon tank you check out this site and follow their directions on the cycling: http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/cycle.html

you'll if you can't get a bigger tank take them back and get a male betta, just about the only fish suitable for that size tank. once again I can not stress enough how important it is to do research FIRST. I can't imagine you'd buy your kids a dog without first making sure you had the right things for it like a big backyard for an active dog. you should treat all living things with way, just because it's "just a fish," as most people view them, doesn't mean they don't have needs. if you care not about the animal at least consider your children next time. there is a high chance these fish will die and that's not fair o your kids. make a point to show them to be responsible by doing research before they take on the care of another living thing.

Answer 4

First, fill the filter with water - you may not have it deep enough for the suction to pull water through the tube. If this doesn't work, see if the impeller (looks like a propeller) is moving. There may be a piece of gravel or dirt keeping it from spinning.

And I'll agree with the answer that said you're overstocked - maybe not right now if your fish are small, but within a few months. The fantails will get to be about 4 inches or larger apiece, and if the fair goldfish are feeders (common types with a single tail) these will grow to 10 inches+ (can get to 18 inches). They also produce a lot of wastes, and this is toxic to them. Bacteria will eventially colonize the tank and break down their wastes, but until you get enough bacteria (3-6 weeks) the fish may get ammonia and nitrite poisoning. If you've had your fish about a few weeks, this can be the cause of red or black areas appearing on the fins and body. You'll need to be doing frequent water changes (1-2 changes removing only about 25% of the water each time - never take out all the water!) until you can get an appropriate sized tank with a good population of bacteria established.

These links should help you out:
for right now -
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/ammoniapoison.htm
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/nitritepoison.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
http://www.firsttankguide.net/goldfish.php

for later -
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/
http://thegab.org/Articles/
http://www.goldfishinfo.com/general.htm


ADDITION: You don't want to wait until the tank looks "dirty" to clean/change any water. The ammonia and nitrite (what kills your fish) doesn't change the water's appearance. Both can be fatal in concentrations as little as 1 part per million in the water. The only way you detect this is by water testing (or your fish showing symptoms such as redness in their body and fins, gasping at the surface (which may resemble begging for food), lethatgy, and loss of appetite. The nitrate your fish can tolerate a little better, but it can also kill if the concentration is high enough. Nitrate also acts as a plant and algae "fertilizer". Any tank (regardless of size or fish species) should be cleaned and get a 25% water change at least weekly, but in a new tank, and one stocked as heavily as yours should at least double (if not triple) that frequency (it's better to do more small changes than larger ones, because this doesn't expose your fish to as drastic of changes in their water chemistry).

The cloudiness is natural, since it indicates the reproduction of bacteria in the tank. They're multiplying to take advantage of the free ammonia and nitrite which they use as their energy source. If the bacteria are able to convert all the ammonia and nitrite to nitrate, the reproduction will slow down and the "cloudiness" will go away on its own. The trouble is, with the small size of your tank and the fish growing, you may not have enough surface area for a sufficient amount of bacteria to handle all the waste being produced by the fish. See this link: http://www.fishlore.com/CloudyWater.htm

Answer 5

No problem has been fixed. We now have three government scandals in progress. I'd say Obama had lots of power (and followers)as he's been able to dismantle the treasure of freedom and most traditions formerly held in esteem in America. If he can undo things in a little over one term, then he has the power to "fix problems" in that same amount of time. He's the one who came up with all the stimulus programs (that did not work), bailing out automobile and other companies (that did not work), tried to stop a cap on government spending,and helped increase the National Debt. If he's so smart, then why didn't he know one thing about Benghazi? He said he learned about it the same way we do, by the tv news. I'm thinking the Commander-in-chief would be told FIRST about anything involving the military before any news leaked out. No one in his administration knows one thing about the IRS as you hear them with that answer when asked about it. Eric Holder had no answers to Fast & Furious either. Hard to believe they 're all that unknowledgable of what's happening under our noses. Maybe if one plays dumb, it will all go away yet common sense tells us SOMEONE in the IRS knew.

Answer 6

The red streaks are signs of poisoning due to the horrifying conditions they are in.
I know you didnt know better but PLEASE GET THOSE POOR GOLDFISH OUT OF THERE!! That tank is not appropriate for one goldfish, but four!! They are lucky to still be alive. They are suffering ammonia poisoning, and need at least a 20 gallon tank until they get bigger. I know people are stubborn when it comes to goldfish since they come as tiny babies, but they grow fast into adults. And they leave TONS of waste that will poison them, especially if they are in such small conditions. The general rule is at least 10 gallons per goldfish, though if you are honest about upgrading you can start with five gallons PER goldfish at bare minimum, and if they are very tiny like one inch. They WILL DIE NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO UNLESS YOU GET THEM A PROPER HOME. No amount of cleaning can make that tiny tank appropriate for four goldfish, please return them and get a betta if you can't handle the bigger tank.

Fantails grow to eight inches, not four. Four are still growing. I got two inch ryunkin about four months ago and one is already more than three inches!!


HOW DOES OUR ADVICE STOP YOU FROM HELPING THE FISH? YOU ARE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT HELPING THEM YET, LEARN TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING WRONG, AS YOU ARE NOW. SECOND, YOU CLEARLY DON'T KNOW LIBEL LAW. YOU MADE YOURSELF A PUBLIC FIGURE WHEN YOU CAME ON HERE, SO RESPONSES ARE TOTALLY LEGAL AND FAIR. AND LIBEL IS NOT WHEN SOMEONE MAKES AN OBSERVATION DIRECTLY IN RESPONSE TO SOMETHING SOMEONE ELSE SAYS!!!!

You stated:
"I'm speaking of you making comments stating that I have no problem with animals suffering. THAT is libel, it's illegal, now go away."
NOT TRUE! YOU DON'T KNOW LIBEL LAW. WHY ARE YOU STILL SITTING THERE WITH YOUR FISH IN THOSE CONDITIONS?

FYI, MY ATTORNEY CALLED ME BACK AND WE ARE PURSUING A LIBEL LAWSUIT AGAINST YOU FOR CALLING ME THE NAMES ABOVE. GOOD LUCK IN COURT SISTA!

Answer 7

Did you put water in the powerfilter?

By the way, you are way overstocked, and for those goldfish you will end up needing atleast a 45 gallon tank(goldfish can grow to a foot in length).
I suggest you return the goldfish and buy her a male betta(only one). They are much more colourful, they do well in a 2.5 gallon tank, and I assure you she will love her new fish better than the goldfish.
I would say, even if the powerfilter started working now, the goldfish will be dead within the week.

Answer 8

I can't follow your question. Maybe you should take a deep breath, and then do something about those sick fish.

Answer 9

ok mine done that i got a starter tank and i had to go buy a new power filter....and they shouldnt die without one but its not good for them to not have one...u did put the stuff in the tap water that takes out the chlorine and stuff right? and make sure u read the directions right to put the filter together...they can be tricky!