Help. I just got a goldfish, he's not looking so good.

[S-kate]

Hi I just got a goldfish for my dorm room and I didn't realize at first that the tank I have is probably too small for him. Its only a 2.5 gallon tank with a bubbler but no flter. I'm working on getting a healthier environment for him set up, but in the mean time, I don't think he's doing too well. He's lost several scales and is looking kinda yellow. Definately not the vibrant orange he was just a couple days ago. He's also got some black spots on his side. He's acting fairly normal, I haven't known him that long but I think he acts the way a goldfish should act. Please help me make him better! I'm completely clueless as to whats wrong with him.

 

[timisu87]

Well, you know that the 2.5 gallon tank is too small for the goldfish already. Each goldfish by itself requires 10 gallons to itself. The goldfish are messy eaters and produce lots of ammonia, without a filter to convert that it is basically burning the goldfish. You definetly need to bring the fish back to your LFS or you can supply it with a bigger environment where it has every essential.
The tank needs to also be cycled prior to putting fish in it. If you need any questions answered about the stuff I said you can keep asking questions. Good luck.

 

[S-kate]

Thanks!

Thanks so much for replying so fast. I wish the people at the pet store had told me these things when I was getting started. As soon as I'm done with class tomorrow morning I'm heading back there to sort this whole thing out. Thanks again!

 

[Charlius]

You got a "common" goldfish, or is it of the fancy variety?? The common ones (ones that much more resemble the carp ancestor) get a lot bigger than the fancy guyz. Tell us what type it is exactly, and how big the fish is right now (diameter-wise, with and without the tail being included).

About the tank being cycled prior to the fish being in there: you can still do that with a goldfish. They're hardy, the common ones anyway. But, the way your goldie is right now, I don't know if he/she is up to going through that process.

You seem pretty new to the whole fish-keeping thing, am I right? Do you know about chlorine or chloramine in the tap water? You're going to need a water conditioner from the pet store for that, unless you buy bottled spring water like me. Do you know about cycling a tank? If you don't, there are many threads about that on this forum, check them out (the most important thing). Do you how big your specific variety of goldifish will get? Find out as this will dictate what size tank you will require. Do you know about water test kits? Do you have them? If not, GET them.

I know dorm rooms are SMALL and you're probably packed in there like a tuna with other people. If you can't get a bigger tank (10 gall.) and aren't able to care for it properly, I'd recommend just giving the fish back, and then when circumstances are different where you are able to provide a favorable living environment for a fish, then you can get back into the fish keeping thing.

Like you were probably thinking (just like I thought when I first started out), I believed fish to be an easy, no-brainer of a pet to keep. I didn't think I'd have to know that much at all. I said to myself, hmm, fish need water and food..umm, that's it. There's SO MUCH more for you to know. DO your research. I probably read about 36 hours worth of stuff to properly give my mom's fish care. In my opinion, I believe fish are actually the hardest pet to properly care for (out of traditional pets anyhow). Terrestrial pets such as dogs, guinea pigs, birds, etc, are easier in that, as we being terrestrial ourselves, cannot adversely affect the environment (namely the air) without harming ourselves as well. With fish, their water could be crystal clear (what most people will look at) but overloaded with nitrogenous wastes and we'd never know it (w/o those test kits of course).

Hope I haven't scared you off. If you've gotten to the end of this novel, hopefully, you have the will and determination to do what's right for your fish. Good luck.

 

[S-kate]

He's a common. He's small, only a couple inches long. I bought water conditioner, stress coat, and ich-out in case he gets ich. I am new to the whole fish keeping thing, this is my first fish since I was 5 and then my parents took care of it. I have room for a 10 gallon tank but not much larger than that. I did not know about cycling the tank but now I do. I'm going to the pet store later this morning to buy a 10 gallon tank, filter and what-not. Are there other things I will need? I didn't realize raising fish was so involved, but its the only pet I'm alowed to have and I really want to give it a try.

 

[calico_]

what I would do if I were you:

I'd cycle the new tank without the fish in it.
I'd keep the fish in the small tank for 20 days -the time needed for a tank to cycle- changing the water completely every other day and adding water conditioner on each water change.

what else? watch the water temp: when you perform water changes the water you put in must be the same T as the water you throw out.

it's a good idea to have a submersible thermometer.
so, leave the bubbler on and keep the water chrystal clear: it's only for about 20 days, I dont think your fish will die.

cycling a tank with a fish in it is never a good idea. if you do so, you'll go crazy testing the water everyday for fear you're having an ammonia\nitrate spike, and if you find out you are, you'll be forced to perform partial water changes which will slow the whole process and so on. better safe than sorry... *thumbsups

 

[Charlius]

From what I can gather from your ethos, you seem to care for your fish and are willing to do what's best for him. Nice to see.

That 10 gallon will be a welcome change for your fishey. That 10 should suffice for quite a while, seeing how he's only 2 or 3 inches (? You didn't specify, could you get the exact number, it'd be nice to know). If he gets monstrous, he may need a 15 or 20 gallon as commons can get huge. If that happens and you do need a bigger tank, just think of it this way, you're doing something right.

OK, so getting a bigger 10 gallon tank, check! Getting a filter, check! I'm assuming you're getting a Hang on the Tank power filter variety for the 10 gal. if you're not, that would probably be the best choice. As an avid AquaClear filter user, I vouch for their particular brand wholeheartedly. All you'd need to get is the AquaClear 20 (Mini) model rated for 5-20 gallons. With the waterfall method of reintroducing the filtered water and the surface disturbance it provides, a bubbler will be unnecessary providing you do not add any more fish (yes, do NOT add any more fish, you're stocked to capacity already).

Let me see what else you'd need to know: Ah! Water changes! Water change requirements varies on the circumstances. Say if your water has 500 ppm of nitrate (a MONSTROUS amount of nitrate, normal=40-50 ppm, ideally you would want 0 ppm, but realistically ideal=25 ppm) then I would just change 100% of the water. When you have a cycled tank that's stable in water parameters, then a routine water change regimen would be 25-30% water change every week. If you're starting to cycle, you'd probably want to do smaller, more frequent water changes to help control the ammonia, nitrite levels.

So then this comes to 'how do I change the water'? Just buy a gravel vacuum. For a small 10 gallon, I recommend just buying a self-start mini vacuum. It'll look like a clear, long plastic cylinder. One end will be open, the other end will be sealed with a tube leading into it. All you have to do, is move the tube up and down rapidly until water is forced into the tubing, doing this until a steady stream of water is coming out of the tube. When this happens, just put the open end into the gravel, and shake the gravel (are you getting gravel??) around in the cylinder for a few seconds sucking up all the poop and nasty stuff. If you're not getting gravel (if you want a bare bottom tank) you still want the gravel vacuum. Don't let the name of it make you think you HAVE to have gravel for it to work (that's what I thought

OK, I already told 'ya about the test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (you ARE an expert on the nitrogen cycle and how it applies to your aquarium now, right??). Now..um, ah, feeding. Be VERY sure not to overfeed. Fish are eternally hungry (I know mine is!). I could feed my little lionhead a 5 pound steak and he'd still be gulping at the surface looking for more food. Feeding once a day should be enough. The feeding should last around 2-3 minutes. They make good flake food for goldfish. Make sure that you buy a right sized container that you'll use all of it up within 2-3 months. By this time, the nutrients in flake food I'm told is notorious for fast losing it's nutrients. So I make sure I use all of it by then. Just write the date you open the container on the bottom. You should also try and vary the diet of the fish for best results. Freeze-dried shrimp, blood worms, frozen fish food, live food, fresh vegetables and fruits (yea, you CAN feed them these, I didn't know this either when I first started out, though mine only seems to like watermelon), etc etc etc.

Another point relating to feeding: Make sure no/minimal food drops to the bottom of the tank. It'll foul up the water and increase the waste level in the tank. A definite no, no.

What else, what else, don't let the temperature of your water get too high. Don't put the tank in full view of a window that lets direct sunlight onto your tank. Your goldfish is a coldwater fish. I believe an optimal temperature for them is 74/75 degrees Farenheight, though I keep mine at 78-79. A noteworthy thing: temperature is directly related to dissolved O2 concentration. Higher temp.=lower 02, Lower temp.=higher 02. I wouldn't worry about that, though, especially if you keep your temperature at the aforementioned.

OK, that SHOULD cover all the bare essentials. I really wish you good luck in the aquarium hobby.

 

[Charlius]

what I would do if I were you:

I'd cycle the new tank without the fish in it.
I'd keep the fish in the small tank for 20 days -the time needed for a tank to cycle- changing the water completely every other day and adding water conditioner on each water change.

what else? watch the water temp: when you perform water changes the water you put in must be the same T as the water you throw out.

it's a good idea to have a submersible thermometer.
so, leave the bubbler on and keep the water chrystal clear: it's only for about 20 days, I dont think your fish will die.

cycling a tank with a fish in it is never a good idea. if you do so, you'll go crazy testing the water everyday for fear you're having an ammonia\nitrate spike, and if you find out you are, you'll be forced to perform partial water changes which will slow the whole process and so on. better safe than sorry... *thumbsups

*EDIT* Just read my post, seemed kind of know-it-all, pompous jacka$$. So to Calico, this is all in polite intentions and just mere responses to your given logos

Keeping the poor goldfish in the small 2 gallon tank, further, waiting for a fishless cycle to be completed on the larger tank will be much worse in my opinion as illustrated by the lost scales and decreased color vibrancy of the fish. I highly recommend the immediate change of tanks.

Cycling with fish is never a good idea? That's how it was done before the advent of the fishless cycle. I believe in fishless cycling myself and see it as a superior, safer way of achieving the cycled status, but I wouldn't totally forget about cycling WITH a fish. You also described cycling WITH a fish, as a crazy testing ritual, but does fishless cycling not require the same, perhaps more frequent testings of the water to ensure proper levels and progress?? Remember, not all ammonia solutions are made equal so you'd have to test just to make sure you're getting the required 5 ppm in. For a beginner, I would not endorse the fishless cycle at all. Just make sure you're not overfeeding and you will be fine with the traditional cycling method.

I don't really think the submersible thermometer is necessary as this IS a coldwater fish. Do you have a thermostat in the dorm that indicates the temperature in the room?? This will be very close if not identical to the temp. in the tank. With no submersible heater, the tank's temp. will be taken from the ambient temp. of the dorm. You will be regulating the tanks temp. with the dorm. A/C

Just nitpicking now, but I just want to make sure no one, especially a newbie beginner in the aquarium hobby gets the idea that crystal clear water=good, safe water. Clarity of the water, is a only a rough correlate of water safety. As said before, clear water can be high in nitrogenous wastes. I've read before, someone's local petsmart/pet supermarket tested the fish water there resulting in 250 ppm in nitrate. And you KNOW those petsmart/pet supermarket people keep their tanks CLEAR b/c they know that's what people look at first; water clarity. Just in case you're ever a survivor in a post-apocalyptic nuclear world, never drink crystal clear water in the wilderness. It's probably irradiated. You'll want gunky water that supports life, insects, yummy!