New comet goldfish very inactive

[Gold123456th]

Hi everyone I just started a one gallon tank with four comet goldfish in it. I have gravel, air pump, live plant, and added water conditioner. However, one of the goldfish is very inactive and rarely swim up to get flake foods. Is there anyway I can do to improve the environment and their health? Thanks

 

[absolutangel04]

Welcome to the site! Its good to know you are interested in fish.
I am sorry to say this, but your goldies are way too cramped in that tank. They get huge and would really be better suited for pond. You little guy is likely suffering because of ammonia built up in a tank thats too small for him. Sorry if this is not what you want to hear, but I suggest you return all the goldies. A 1g tank really isn't enough space for most fish. I have a 1g tank too and I used to try to keep things in it, but they always would die within days to months. Now that I have bigger tanks, my fish do much better. I use my 1g tank for shrimp which are really fun to watch and keep.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi and welcome!
I would advise returning the fish. The goldfish you have are pond fish and can grow to reach 18 inches long. Fancy goldfish are more suited to tanks but require 20g for the first and 10g for each fish after that. Thy can grow 6-12 inches. It is easier to care for a larger tank because toxins build up slower.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html
Please read this.
Your fish are probably suffering from ammonia poisoning. I'd suggest an immediate large water change using you conditioner.

 

[glassbird]

Both of the answers above are correct. A 1 gallon tank is too small for even one goldfish, never mind four! An air pump is not a filter, and goldfish produce a lot of waste for their size...they need a filter, and a good one.

Their waste is raising the ammonia levels in that tank very fast, and the weakest is showing signs of stress first. Soon all of them will be sick.

 

[Koikid88]

Did the store really let you buy a 1g tank, accessories (no filter), and 4 comets in the same transaction? Did they question it at all? You're going to have to buy a filter and SEEDED FILTER MEDIA (NOT NEW- VERY IMPORTANT), along with a bigger tank as soon as you can. Or give the give back, and get a proper small aquarium fish. (Although I personally believe nothing should be in 1 gallon other than shrimp.)

 

[Gold123456th]

I couldn't get a new larger tank until I move out the dorm next quarter. The fish were on sale so they were final sale. If I get a better filter tomorrow would it help? I added ammonia detoxifier todayThanks!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I couldn't get a new larger tank until I move out the dorm next quarter. The fish were on sale so they were final sale. If I get a better filter tomorrow would it help? I added ammonia detoxifier todayThanks!

A better filter won't help I'm sorry. Your fish are simply putting out far too much ammonia in a tank far too small. Ask around your local stores to see if they take adoptions. You wont get your money back but they will live. The very best thing you can do for those fish is to find a bigger home for them.

 

[Scouser]

Guess you didn't see my vid with the goldfish myth being busted? Lol.

As the other above have said, if you can't get the MUCH!!! bigger tank they need then adoption or them dying are the only real outcomes.

Good luck!!

 

[KaylNeko]

If you do 100% water changes daily, they may be ok for a few weeks, but that's it. I have a young comet goldfish inside until it warms up enough for him to go outside (cold snap hit as I was buying him, it seems) and he's in more like 2+ gallons with a lot of floating plants and daily 100% water changes, and that's not really good for more than a few weeks to a month. Any filter good enough for the goldfish wouldn't fit a 1 gallon tank.

 

[Gold123456th]

Fortunately my friend was happy to put a 10g tank at his apartment.
Right now the four comet goldfish are swimming around in this tank with a 5-20g power filter.
We are biochemistry students so we know it is best to establish a system similar to the natural ecosystems found in the whild. However, the textbook only tells us about the process and pathways of the nitrogen cycle but does not provide alot of information on how to establish the nitrogen cycle. For instance, what kind of bacteria should we use and how to obtain them?

 

[absolutangel04]

Well, I am glad you got them out of the 1g tank, but truthfully a 10g tank won't be much better for their long term health.
The bacteria will form on their own from the ammonia in the tank. Here is a link
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fish-in-cycling-step-over-into-the-dark-side-176446.html that should help.

 

[KaylNeko]

It should work til the end of the quarter, but I wouldn't try to go for longer. Unfortunately, comets aren't really suitable for indoor aquariums except when very young--12 inch+ fish are hard to keep inside.

+1 on reading up on fish in cycling--you're tank will take care of the bacteria itself. Your job is to keep levels low enough the fish can survive. Someone said somewhere that we're not fish keepers, we're water keepers that have fish, and it's not inaccurate