Sickly looking Gold Fish?

[Sachiel]

I got my Gold Fish on the fourth of july at the fair, and He's always done well. I've had him in a bowl since I got him (I'm planning on moving him to a tank in the REALLY near future, I'm selling things to get the tanks) but recently he's lost some color and become very lazy. Earlier he was laying on the gravel. I do tend to over feed on accident, but I usually remove those extra flakes and the flakes he can't eat. I do water changes regularly and I make sure the new water isn't harmful with conditioner (I keep the water in a gallon jug and treat it so when I need it I have it) and He's next to a buddy. Could he be stressed? I'm not sure what's going on? Could the small enclosure be part of the problem? Like I said, he just recently started to lose color.

He does swim actively, but I was really worried about the discoloration and how he just laid on the ground. I love my animals and I want to get him out of that bowl ASAP, but I'd like to know what's wrong.

Please help!

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

How big is he and how big is the bowl? Also, what are your parameters and how often to you do water changes?

 

[Sachiel]

How big is he and how big is the bowl? Also, what are your parameters and how often to you do water changes?

He's about an inch, the bowl is about a gallon. I'm not sure what you mean by parameters, but I change his water regularly, 10% every day, up to 50% if I forget or don't have the time due to school.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Like ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. He is cramped in there which is affecting his ability to swim causing stress and also ten percent is a very small amount for such a heavy bio-load fish in such a small tank. I would say 25-50% daily, especially since he is already acting sick.

Do you have a test kit? You need to be testing the water every single day.

 

[Water]

Nothing against you at all, Gold fish in a bowl is just not right. It's not you, it's the people that put it in the bowl first of all. Gold fish are some of the dirtiest fish that need good filtration and room. Don't get me wrong, I have 5 gold fish in a fifty gallon tank and that's not always enough room.
I love gold fish, they are cool. I wish you luck with yours.

 

[jcolon]

I got my Gold Fish on the fourth of july at the fair, and He's always done well. I've had him in a bowl since I got him (I'm planning on moving him to a tank in the REALLY near future, I'm selling things to get the tanks) but recently he's lost some color and become very lazy. Earlier he was laying on the gravel. I do tend to over feed on accident, but I usually remove those extra flakes and the flakes he can't eat. I do water changes regularly and I make sure the new water isn't harmful with conditioner (I keep the water in a gallon jug and treat it so when I need it I have it) and He's next to a buddy. Could he be stressed? I'm not sure what's going on? Could the small enclosure be part of the problem? Like I said, he just recently started to lose color.

He does swim actively, but I was really worried about the discoloration and how he just laid on the ground. I love my animals and I want to get him out of that bowl ASAP, but I'd like to know what's wrong.

Please help!

The general rule for Goldfish is 20gal for the first fish ... 10 gal for each additional. If it's a goldfish you got a fair then chances are it's a common goldfish that can grow very large and are best kept in ponds. Fancy goldfish (fantails, blackmoors) can grow up 8 inches at least.

Goldfish in bowls will suffer from stunted growth, not to mention ammonia poisoning if the water is not changed constantly due to their large bio-loads. A better option till you get a tank is to put the fish in a clean rubbermaid bin with an air-stone ... even a 5 gal is better than a bowl ... not ideal but better.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

The general rule for Goldfish is 20gal for the first fish ... 10 gal for each additional. If it's a goldfish you got a fair then chances are it's a common goldfish that can grow very large and are best kept in ponds. Fancy goldfish (fantails, blackmoors) can grow up 8 inches at least.

Goldfish in bowls will suffer from stunted growth, not to mention ammonia poisoning if the water is not changed constantly due to their large bio-loads. A better option till you get a tank is to put the fish in a clean rubbermaid bin with an air-stone ... even a 5 gal is better than a bowl ... not ideal but better.

Good idea. I agree with this. Just pick up one of those clear storage tubs from the dollar store.

 

[Sachiel]

The general rule for Goldfish is 20gal for the first fish ... 10 gal for each additional. If it's a goldfish you got a fair then chances are it's a common goldfish that can grow very large and are best kept in ponds. Fancy goldfish (fantails, blackmoors) can grow up 8 inches at least.

Goldfish in bowls will suffer from stunted growth, not to mention ammonia poisoning if the water is not changed constantly due to their large bio-loads. A better option till you get a tank is to put the fish in a clean rubbermaid bin with an air-stone ... even a 5 gal is better than a bowl ... not ideal but better.

I was actually thinking of doing this, I'm glad you mentioned it, because I have to get some more anyway

He's looking better now that I changed his water, he's swimming and his color looks a bit richer

Sadly, though, we have 5 dogs here, 3 of which like to dig so we can't have a pond, and if it were to be in the front yard the idiots across the street would come over and pollute it, so until I can see if we can get a large tank, I'll have to give him a tub

 

[jsoong]

Get as large a tub as you can handle .... I use a 30 gal tub as my QT/hospital tank. <It doubles as my fish stuff storage when not in use.>

Goldfish in small tanks is prone to ammonia poisoning .... I don't think a 1 gal bowl ever cycles properly with a gold fish. Your best bet is to do 50% changes everyday (twice a day if the fish is looking sick) while he is in a 1 gal, and get a bigger tub ASAP.

The common goldfish will get big under good conditions (12-18") and live a long time (20-30 years are not uncommon.) They really need a big tank (like a 6 or 8 foot tank) or a pond. One suggestion for a "pond" if you have dogs is to make a raised pond out of rocks or Allen blocks & pond liner. They can't dig in there but can certainly go in for a swim! A less ambitious option is a water barrel on a deck. This is not ideal for big goldfish, but is certainly doable for something small (say 2-3"). I have seen nice 30 or 40 gal barrel setup with a water lily or some other plant & a couple small commons. This is relatively dog proof.

Now, if you go the water barrel (or even a smallish tank - say anything under 100 gal) route, you will have to eventually rehome the fish. Most people keep the commons until they are too big for their setup & give it to a friend with a pond.

 

[Sachiel]

Get as large a tub as you can handle .... I use a 30 gal tub as my QT/hospital tank. <It doubles as my fish stuff storage when not in use.>

Goldfish in small tanks is prone to ammonia poisoning .... I don't think a 1 gal bowl ever cycles properly with a gold fish. Your best bet is to do 50% changes everyday (twice a day if the fish is looking sick) while he is in a 1 gal, and get a bigger tub ASAP.

The common goldfish will get big under good conditions (12-18") and live a long time (20-30 years are not uncommon.) They really need a big tank (like a 6 or 8 foot tank) or a pond. One suggestion for a "pond" if you have dogs is to make a raised pond out of rocks or Allen blocks & pond liner. They can't dig in there but can certainly go in for a swim! A less ambitious option is a water barrel on a deck. This is not ideal for big goldfish, but is certainly doable for something small (say 2-3"). I have seen nice 30 or 40 gal barrel setup with a water lily or some other plant & a couple small commons. This is relatively dog proof.

Now, if you go the water barrel (or even a smallish tank - say anything under 100 gal) route, you will have to eventually rehome the fish. Most people keep the commons until they are too big for their setup & give it to a friend with a pond.

thanks for the advice! Now, if I were to go for a pond, What should I do for filter? Odds are I'll put the 1 fish in a 20 gallon tank, until I talk mum into a pond. My friends had a rather small pond that they kept about 6 gold fish in successfully... however I don't want six gold fish lol. I think the set up would look nice in the corner of my yard, where the sun doesn't hit directly (we have no trees, mum and JC hate them) and I could give it an oriental look (even though it's just a common gold fish)

I'll design it and talk to mom about it, hopefully she'll agree, because he is a beautiful fish.... and our yard is bare xD


Tell me though, what would I need for a pond, supply wise?

 

[CatmanDru]

Goldfish in small tanks is prone to ammonia poisoning .... Your best bet is to do 50% changes everyday (twice a day if the fish is looking sick) while he is in a 1 gal...

As jsoong said, 50% Partial Water Changes (PWC) daily -- or even better twice a day -- would really help your goldfish get better. A water change for a gallon bowl is very easy: just pour out half the water into a tub or bucket on top of an old towel on the floor so that if your fish gets poured out, you can easily put him back. If you pour a little bit of conditioned water (chlorine remover) into the bowl right before you pour the dirty fish water out, then it will stir up the poop on the bottom so that when you pour out half the old water you will pour out more fish poop. The fish poop creates a lot of the toxins (ammonia) that are harmful to the fish so it's very helpful to pour out the fish poop too. In addition, it will make the bowl look cleaner and keep the water clearer.

I hope your goldfish gets better.

And It's great you are already planning on getting a bigger tank for your goldfish. Often there are very good deals on used equipment. Search Craiglist dot org for "fish tanks" or "tanks". There are often used tanks and sometimes new unused tanks for very cheap, say $ .50 to $1 per gallon. So a 20 gallon tank might be $20. And check the 'Free' section also, sometimes people just give away tanks.
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As others have said, the general rule for Goldfish is 20gal for the first fish and increase the tank volume by 10 gal for each additional goldfish.

 

[CatmanDru]

I use a 30 gal tub as my QT/hospital tank. <It doubles as my fish stuff storage when not in use.>.

That's a great idea: a plastic Rubbermaid storage box/bin as a fish equipment storage container that doubles as a Quarantine/Hospital Tank when needed.

 

[Sachiel]

I've checked craigslist, but I'll keep checking Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[jsoong]

It depends a bit on your weather. If it never freezes, you can do a pond with just some kind of filter - either commercial or DIY. In colder climate, you either have to bring the fish indoors or have a pond heater (or else have a really deep in ground pond that is below local frost line.)

As for filter, easiest is a commercial internal unit - similar to an internal sponge filter, it is nothing but a circulating pump (often a fountain) attached to a box or sponge filter. Personally, I think it is cheaper & better to DIY a wet-dry. A simple one is to have a pump that pump water up to a container with bio-balls or other porous media (pot scrubbers, lava rock ....), add some filter floss if you like, and let the water trickle out back into the pond. This is usually concealed with rocks & plants, and the outflow made into a water fall (with more rocks).

Now, you can make a pond very elaborate with multiple levels, UV filters, fountains, pumps, etc., but you can always start small & keep adding as the years goes by.

 

[AquaRick]

Petco has their $1 per Gallon Fish Tank sale going on until Sept 17th. Great way to get a new tank for cheap. 10, 20,20L,29, 40B, 55G tanks all on sale. Might be worth it to check it out.

 

[Water]

Petco has their $1 per Gallon Fish Tank sale going on until Sept 17th. Great way to get a new tank for cheap. 10, 20,20L,29, 40B, 55G tanks all on sale. Might be worth it to check it out.

Thanks for the Petco info. I picked up a 20 because of this.