Goldfish keep gasping at the top

[jmNoles]

Hi. I've got two goldfish - a fancy and a black moor, in a 55-gallon tank. My water parameters are nitrite-0 nitrate-5 ammonia-.25 pH-7.4. Sand substrate. I've got two bubblers and a filter running, so there can't possibly be a shortage of oxygen. And I just did a 20% water change and treated the water. What could possibly be causing this? I'm just about out of ideas.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Goldfish

Hi. I've got two goldfish - a fancy and a black moor, in a 55-gallon tank. My water parameters are nitrite-0 nitrate-5 ammonia-.25 pH-7.4. Sand substrate. I've got two bubblers and a filter running, so there can't possibly be a shortage of oxygen. And I just did a 20% water change and treated the water. What could possibly be causing this? I'm just about out of ideas.

Hello jm...

Goldfish are hardy, but won't tolerate traces of ammonia in their tank water. They're at the surface attempting to get away from the irritating ammonia. Ammonia is a form of nitrogen and nitrogen drives off oxygen. A 20 percent water change leaves 80 percent of the pollutants in the tank. The fish will add to this before the next water change. Is the tank cycled? If it was, you'd have no trace of ammonia in the water. I'd gradually work up to the point you're removing and replacing half or more of the tank water weekly. Add a teaspoon of standard aquarium salt to every five gallons of treated tap water. This will help ease the stress on the fish until you get the water chemistry under control.

B