Are my fishy children okay?

#1
Hello all! I'm new :p

I got my first goldfish Kyou at the city fair about 2 1/2 years ago, I won her along with another goldfish Kagura (who died two days later). About four days before Christmas, I got a new tank (her original tank was too small so we moved her), and she was very happy. Then, we decieded to get a placo to be her tank mate. Our local pet store charges outragous prices for fish that die before Wal-mart fish do. So Kyou was alone again, and I felt bad, so I got her three 38 cent goldfish from Wal-mart. They are still alive now, and Kyou treats them like they are her children, but recently, Saya and Khloe (Khloe is Kyou's mini), are seeming almost... lethargic. I don't know. I'm worried that they might be sick or upset, because Kyou doesn't move from her postion of watching them until they move around a bit and get food with her. Are my Saya and Khloe okay?? Help!!
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#2
we'll need some specifics on your tank and tank maintenance to help pin point the problem ;)

some questions to consider:
1. what size tank (gallons and measurements)(alsy type; rectangle, cube, bowfront, tall ,long, flat-back hex, regular hex?)

2. what filter(s) are you runnign on your tank and what's in them.
3. how often do you change water out of the tank, and how much water (%-wise)
4. do you treat tap water with dechlorinator before putting it into your tank?
5. do you gravel vac your tank's gravel when ever you do a water change?
6. what do ou feed the fish, how much and how often?
7. how often do you test your water for pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrates?
8. do you do your own water testing or do you take water samples to a fish store to have them test it for you?
9. as of right now (if you know) what are the exact readings for the above 4 things?
10. if you don't have exact readings, get them...this is VERY important.
11. how many fish are in this 1 tank?

Goldfish in general get kinda aggressive as they get older, so I believe it's perfectly fine to have one goldfish in a tank on it's own...it won't get depressed lol.
 

#3
I kind of copy and pasted the questions so I didn't mess 'em up heh.. but they're in order..

1. I can't EXACTLY remember the size (I have A.D.D. sorry..) but I know it's like a 20 gallon tank, it was a start kit thing.

2. The filter is an Aqua-Tech filter (I live in a smaller town and with what I make and my parents make we can't afford things that are really expensive =/)

3. I haven't had much time to change the water, but I am planning to do it tomorrow when I get home. I'm not sure about %. (still new to this all, sorry ><; )

4. Well, we put this stuff called Aqua Safe in it to treat it before we put Kyou in, but we're so attatched to her, we waited three days just to be safe.

5. I haven't found one anywhere around where I live, so I'd have to head for the bigger cities around us to get one..

6. I feed them this brand called Wardley, and I give them about a table spoon in the morning, a pinch in the afternoon, and about 1/2 a table spoon at night (I don't want to over feed the).

7. I don't know where I could get those testing things... would that be more helpful?

8. I haven't done that yet, either... I am way un-informed about these guys...
9. and 10. What are the exact readings?
11. I have five, a placo, a large goldfish, and three small goldfish.
 

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#4
golfish produce a large bioload, meaning they need more water then most other fish. I think a 20 gallon tank is to small for them.

As for food I'm a big fan of new life spectrum. bout $80 for a 5 pound bucket with with 3 tanks and nearly 150 fish it lasts me over a year.

as for the pricy LFS prices on the pleco it depends on what kind u get. at my LFS they run from $5 for a bushy nose up to over $150 for the more rare ones.

as water changes are concerned I'd do 25-50% biweekly.

and get a better filter. if u like HOB (hang of back) as oppossed to the better canister filters. and if price is an issue HOB is ur best bet. I like marineland penguin biowheels for smaller tanks, a 150 to 200 would suffice in that size tank. looking at about 40-60 bucks for one.

test kits can be found at ur lfs. I use tetra test drops. they can be pricy, like 15 bucks for maybe 20 tests worth.

thats the advice I can give u. hope it helps.

oh and I think I speak for everyone when I say walmart must die for thier fish keeping, and for me the local petco and petsmarts as well.
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#6
w/e you do don't skimp out on the cheaper water testing STIPS. don't go with those. get the more expensive but 100x better quality liquid water test kits.
one good one is the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, available at most stores for about $25.
It will last you for a really long time. test strips last only a couple of months...

IMO I would also say that tank is way too small for all those fish. My experience with goldfish dictates that ONE goldfish should have a 20-30 gallon tank. NO JOKE.
1. they like their space
2. the need a lot of oxygen in the water, which is directly related to space (you can't put 3 goldfish in a 20 gal and put like 10 airstones in, they will STILL not have enough oxygen and will run into problems. there is nor substitute for space, period.)
3. You need to realize while a 20 gallon for a tiny 1" fancy goldfish may seem completely crazy at first, that ONE fish will grow to be at least 6-7" so you must think into the future when stocking your tank...

Considering your tight budget, I would sell the smaller goldfish and the pleco, and just leave your favorite large goldfish in there...
most plecos also grow to 2' long and even when young they will produce tons of waste...not something you want if you wanna keep your 20 gal clean ;)

In terms of water changes, you NEED to do at least a 25% WEEKLY water change on that tank becuase it sounds like you're already having problems with ammonia buildup...
I have so much more to say and more advice to give but I'm not feelin it right now :(
Any questions you'd like to ask , I will be glad to answer.
I've kept all sorts of goldfish for the past 13 years, and would like you to have a smooth introduction to this hobby :D
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#10
it could be a number of things...is it like tiny grains of white salt stuck to their tails? if not then it's not ich and is something else...any pictures you could take perhaps, or find some similar on google images so we can get an idea of what this is?

you know you *might* be able to keep your pleco in there if it is indeed a starry night and not a common pleco...
 

Feb 27, 2009
4,395
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36
#11
Until you get the bioload down to one fish in the 20 gallon tank, and the proper water testing kit, you should do 25-50% water changes 2x a week to try to keep the ammonia down.

Get a ruler or tape measure and find the length, width, and height of your tank in INCHES.

Multiply those three numbers together then divide the answer by 231.

The final answer is the number of gallons you have.
 

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Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#19
very much so. goldfish are not cute and cuddly like most perceive them to be. they are vicious and aggressive if they do not have proper space to themselves. they're also very competitive for food (I've had my goldfish shove all my tropicals around to get them away from its food lol)