unhealthy goldfish

[jsoong]

I don't know if it was asked but are you using a heater with those goldfish?
If you are shut it off, goldfish are cold water fish and should be kept at room temp. They can survive higher temps but that will make them sluggish and they will produce more contaminates.

That is a myth .... Goldfish are sub-tropical (rather than cold water) .... Fancy goldfish prefer water at 75 or so, they get sluggish when temperature is lower than mid 60. They will do fine in higher temp (such as summer, when my tanks get into the 80's) as long as there is adequate oxygen content (lots of water movement & splashing, and some shade.)

I would suggest keeping the heater set at 75, and control the amount of waste produced by feeding sparingly until the tank is cycled. ...... AND more water changes!

 

[fishfan12]

my fish seem fine at 70 degrees. is it ok if i keep them there? and do u suggest amquel plus, because i heard that it sucks oxygen out of the tank and kills fish.

 

[bluerose]

I very highly doubt AmQuel will do such things. I use it in my betta tank. Betta is gorgeous and healthy.

Don't believe everything you read on the net.

 

[missileman]

That is a myth .... Goldfish are sub-tropical (rather than cold water) .... Fancy goldfish prefer water at 75 or so, they get sluggish when temperature is lower than mid 60. They will do fine in higher temp (such as summer, when my tanks get into the 80's) as long as there is adequate oxygen content (lots of water movement & splashing, and some shade.)

I would suggest keeping the heater set at 75, and control the amount of waste produced by feeding sparingly until the tank is cycled. ...... AND more water changes!

I guess we will have to dissagree on that one

 

[fishfan12]

missileman, what do u think about amquel plus?

 

[missileman]

I use it whenever I have any problems with my water, along with a partial water change. It does slightly reduce oxygen but not enough to make any difference in a normal tank. The oxygen in the new water more than makes up for any loss from the Amquel.

 

[fishfan12]

ok and what about the swim bladder or is that nitrite poisoning?

 

[missileman]

SBD can be caused by the high nitrite and amonia levels but the fish being weakened by the poor water quality may just not be able to swim normally because of it.
We are keeping our fingers crossed that your fish pulls through.

 

[fishfan12]

thanks for your support. i elevated my fish in a plastic container, it still has circulation, and it seems to be doing better.

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

I've had fancy goldfish for many yrs, in the house in tanks and outside in various sized ponds.

If you've had a goldfish that has been 1" long for years, I can believe that as I have had several "runts" who never grew as big as fast as the others. In general those runt fish always had some problem going on.

Goldfish do not need, nor do they actually like, heaters. They are tough, cool water fish that can live just fine in water near 90F in a pond (often, they hang out on the warm surface and snooze) but they will always go back to the LOW depths of the water to find come cool temps.
My opinion is he is sitting on the floor of the tank partly because the warm water higher up he is avoiding.
And he is suffering from nitrite poisoning. Salt will help him breathe for a while.
You can use something like NITRI ZORB to remove the nitrite-nitrate-ammonia in the water, but you have to remove ALL the salt or it wont work. Plus the bags HAVE to be in the flow of water or they work slowly.

Goldfish are quite happy and generally far healthier when you DONT heat the water.
When the water temp gets to 50F, stop feeding them since they go to a winter sleep/hibernation state. Above 50F, feed them when they look for food. ot takes a while for them and their guts to wake up from a 50F sleep.
I have several now, outside (fancy fantails) in a frozen pond. They are sound asleep burried in the muck on the bottom. One recent night it was close to -20, I was sure the pond had froze all the way down so I went out to chop a hole to see. About a foot down I hit water, and some very angry fish. LOL

Aquarium kept goldfish do not need nor like HEAT. They are big, and tend to start lacking O2 in warm water (cool water = more O2).

Also, to get your bacteria colonies growing well you need some currents going. Godfish love busy water, so long as there is a calm spot to rest in. If not, put the powerhead on a timer to come on every few hours for an hour. Moving water promotes good bacterial growth and you desperately need it, and a bacterial filter for it to grow on.
Goldfish will live as long or longer than you will, if kept under proper conditions.
If you can get some plants, get lots of them. Anacharis is cheap, grows fast planted of floating, does a great job at oxygenation and, absorbing ammonia-nitrite and nitrates.
Watch them grow and when they slow down or stop you know they are competing with the bacteria for ammonia-nitrates-nitrites.

put as many as you caan buy in the tank.... goldfish LOVE to wallow in weeds.

And get a larger tank if at all possible.

even a little larger will be good....