goldfish worries

[fishyfishyfishy]

I bought a small comet goldfish from petco on sunday (yes, I know petco isn't the best, but they were the only place where i could find comets)

Anyway, the fish seems to be doing well, swimming around and getting along well with his tankmate, the fantail. except he doesn't seem to be eating much. Everytime i feed, he ignores the food while the fantail gobbles it all up. I tried to entice him with peas this morning, but he only nibbled at some itsy bitsy floaters and ignored the larger pieces.

Should i be worried? (because i am!)

What to do?

 

[malkore]

I'd be getting concerned. a couple days of not eating is normal..but you're at 5 days now...

Hard to say, I've only tried goldies once, without much success.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Just out of curiosity, how large is the tank you put them in? When goldfish are stressed out, the won't eat. Not eating is definitley a sign that something is up.

 

[Jaxom_Ruatha]

Fancies (this would be your fantail) need 10 gallons and comets need about 15-20 gallons, so if your tank is smaller than 25-30 gallons this might be causing the problem. Even though they may be small when you get them, they can both grow 6''+.

 

[TomK2]

My wife has had a goldfish tank for about a month now. What I found surprising is that the fancy ones might actually be harder to keep than tropical fish.

 

[jsoong]

Not eating for 5 days is definitely worrisome. Somethings to check: what is your tank size, and pH, NH3, NO2 & NO3 levels, & temp.

As you might know, golds make lots of waste & the water conditions can be bad if not vigouriously maintained. The old fish will be fine as it has time to acclimatize, while a new fish would be in shock.

 

[dr_girlfriend]

jsoong is absolutely right. test your water and most likely do a water change. also, did you get your comet from a feeder tank? If so you may have some parasitic problems. i would remove this fish to a QT immediately.
also observe the following:
bowel movements - is the fish still having them and if so do they look normal?
abdomen - is it extended or sunken in? Is it mushy feeling?
comportment - is the fish leaning to one side? does it seem to go head up or down while awake or resting?
mouth and gills - are the gill covers in a normal position? Are the gills inflamed or a dark bloody red? Check the inside of the mouth if you can and make sure nothing is lodged. If you have small gravel goldfish can get some stuck in thier throats.
fins and scales - are the scales flat and shiny with no spots or streaks?
I would also put a .3% (1 tblsp/gal)salt concentration in the QT tank as a precaution. This will help with certain pathogens and ease the osmotic pressure on the fish.
If your fish has any of the symptoms above, then report back and we can help you further. If not then just observe for a few more days and reassess.