My goldfish keep getting sick and I'm not sure what to do!
Quick background...
I bought a 20 gallon fish tank on a whim back in June, then let my girlfriend pick out the fish at the store. She ended up choosing 5 goldfish. We went home and put the goldfish in the tank without going through the correct process of cycling the tank (I learned this after the fact).
Let me start by saying that I really regret how the goldfish were treated in the 6 weeks or so after I bought them, but I was a noob and didn't understand how to take care of them. I should have done some research before I bought them, but was excited to get started and just went for it.
I found out pretty quickly that I was overfeeding, and I had WAY too many fish for the size of the tank. I upgraded as quickly as I could to a 55 gallon tank, and cut down drastically on the flakes (although not drastically enough initially). Shortly after I upgraded to the 55 gal, I went out of town on a business trip for two weeks, then followed that up with another week of vacation. I suspect that the quality of the water was very bad when I got back, and I think that the fish may have gotten sick during this time.
Now here I am, about 8 months later, and I'm down to just 3 fish. 2 of them died last week (after a looong battle), and another looks very sick. I have quarantined the sick one in a 20 gallon tank, but he isn't getting better and I expect to lose him soon.
Now for my first question. Can the deaths be traced to the initial ill treatment, even though they have been in a better situation for 6 months or so? I test the water frequently with strips, and everything tests great. I do 20-30% water changes about once a week, also vacuuming about half of the gravel. I have some live plants in the tank too that have survived the entire time. The aquarium is 4ft long.
I have two cheap filters running, one aqueon and one tetra whisper. Both are rated for 55-70 gallon tanks. I change filters about once a month. I'm going to upgrade to a better filter when I can afford it, but from what I have been told these filters should do for now. I keep the temp around 68 degrees. Not sure what other info I should give. I have no idea what do do here, and I am very disappointed in myself because of all of this. I feel horrible that I am giving these fish a terrible life, and I really would like to turn it around. What should I do??
Quick background...
I bought a 20 gallon fish tank on a whim back in June, then let my girlfriend pick out the fish at the store. She ended up choosing 5 goldfish. We went home and put the goldfish in the tank without going through the correct process of cycling the tank (I learned this after the fact).
Let me start by saying that I really regret how the goldfish were treated in the 6 weeks or so after I bought them, but I was a noob and didn't understand how to take care of them. I should have done some research before I bought them, but was excited to get started and just went for it.
I found out pretty quickly that I was overfeeding, and I had WAY too many fish for the size of the tank. I upgraded as quickly as I could to a 55 gallon tank, and cut down drastically on the flakes (although not drastically enough initially). Shortly after I upgraded to the 55 gal, I went out of town on a business trip for two weeks, then followed that up with another week of vacation. I suspect that the quality of the water was very bad when I got back, and I think that the fish may have gotten sick during this time.
Now here I am, about 8 months later, and I'm down to just 3 fish. 2 of them died last week (after a looong battle), and another looks very sick. I have quarantined the sick one in a 20 gallon tank, but he isn't getting better and I expect to lose him soon.
Now for my first question. Can the deaths be traced to the initial ill treatment, even though they have been in a better situation for 6 months or so? I test the water frequently with strips, and everything tests great. I do 20-30% water changes about once a week, also vacuuming about half of the gravel. I have some live plants in the tank too that have survived the entire time. The aquarium is 4ft long.
I have two cheap filters running, one aqueon and one tetra whisper. Both are rated for 55-70 gallon tanks. I change filters about once a month. I'm going to upgrade to a better filter when I can afford it, but from what I have been told these filters should do for now. I keep the temp around 68 degrees. Not sure what other info I should give. I have no idea what do do here, and I am very disappointed in myself because of all of this. I feel horrible that I am giving these fish a terrible life, and I really would like to turn it around. What should I do??
