Goldfish help

Nzyme · 9 Jul 2009 at 18:21

So the girlfriend's brother bought her a goldfish for her birthday but it died quite quickly, it was replaced with 2 more but both have died in the last week.

The water has been checked and its fine, the tank has a filter and some plants.

Anyone any ideas what the issues could be before replacements are considered ?

Thanks

Street · 9 Jul 2009 at 18:24

Over feeding?

Efour · 9 Jul 2009 at 18:28

i had fish for years.

Only things i can think of -

Was it in direct sunlight? what with all the hot weather recently the oxgen levels might be low?

You checked the water you say was it allowed to "settle" for 24h before the fish went in?
Is your water highly chlorinated? Cleaned everything properly with mild or no detergant?

Mine seemed to live for ever and grew pretty huge too.

TBh sounds like its a ok little tank - better than mine had

Lumeycom · 9 Jul 2009 at 18:31

Overfeeding
Lack of 'cycled' biological filter leading to Ammonia/Nitrite poisoning
Lack of water changes leading to Nitrate poisoning
Untreated water being added to the tank (No dechlorinator used, especially important if you have chloramines in your tap water - common in hard water areas)
High water tempratures leading to low saturated oxygen levels

etc etc

also, when you say the water has been checked and is fine - how was it checked? if it was some dip strip ignore them as they are crap, only way to reliably test water is with a liquid test kit such as the API one.

From experience most goldfish die of overfeeding

RavenLunatic · 9 Jul 2009 at 18:34

Sometimes goldfish appear to be dead (floating on side or upside down without moving) its caused by overfeeding and swim bladder complications as a result. Stop feeding them for a day and they will usually recover. Its to do with them gulping down air when they feed from the surface. Swim bladder fills with air and they cannot move until it empties itself over time. Also goldfish do not need much food. A few flakes are enough.

Efour · 9 Jul 2009 at 18:47

They also have 7s memories apparently, so you might need to tell the next lot these tips a few times.

MeatLoaf · 9 Jul 2009 at 18:53

Make sure youre water is cycled. Pee in it

stoofa · 10 Jul 2009 at 09:24

You say that the water was checked and was "fine".
How long was the water/tank "cycled" for before adding the fish?

I can fill a tank from the tap right now.
With "fresh tank" solution and probably a little PH Up I could probably, within 3-4hrs have a tank of "perfect" water.

However my filter and pump do not know how to deal with the waste that the new fish will produce.
Within a few hours of life ammonia levels will increase and I'll lose the fish.

A tank should cycle for an absolute minimum of about two weeks.
That is, water in, pump on, but no fish.
However feed the tank, put some food in and allow it to pass through the filters.

Over those 2+ weeks the filters can now cope with the waste that the fish will produce and you should have far better luck.

It's also worth nothing that goldfish and a lot more difficult to look after than tropical.
They are considered a very "dirty" fish and it can take a lot of work keeping them healthy.

doddsy105 · 10 Jul 2009 at 09:28

check if the water temperature is too warm, keep it outta sunlight, another is overfeeding

Malt_Vinegar · 10 Jul 2009 at 09:31

stoofa said:
stuff

BING BING BING!!!

We have a winner

Neoni · 10 Jul 2009 at 09:55

Street said:
Over feeding?

what a way to die...

wordy · 10 Jul 2009 at 09:59

stoofa said:
.

Listen to this man, get a test kit, something like an API Master fresh water test kit and test the water, if the amonia and nitrite are anything other than 0 ppm, then your filter is not cycled and fish will die if you put them in the tank.

Janesy B · 10 Jul 2009 at 10:05

I remember when my Red Cap Oranda had swimbladder problems, the poor sod just swam upside down, I tried everything but no luck. I had to put it down by putting it in a sandwich bag full of water, sealed it with an elastic band and froze him off to sleep. Most humane way I could think of

I've got two Comets, a Shubunkin and a common Goldfish. All of them live in bowls and get a 100% change every week, I should get a tank but my Goldfish is now 6 and the others are 4 and perfectly healthy.

dun · 10 Jul 2009 at 10:26

Janesy B said:
I remember when my Red Cap Oranda had swimbladder problems, the poor sod just swam upside down, I tried everything but no luck. I had to put it down by putting it in a sandwich bag full of water, sealed it with an elastic band and froze him off to sleep. Most humane way I could think of

I've got two Comets, a Shubunkin and a common Goldfish. All of them live in bowls and get a 100% change every week, I should get a tank but my Goldfish is now 6 and the others are 4 and perfectly healthy.

You think he didn't feel being frozen to death? Next time man up and chop their head off level with the gills.

antijoke · 10 Jul 2009 at 10:35

Why do goldfish now need filters? When I had goldfish when I was younger, we just a hod a bowl and then the fish with a castle for it (Why do we put castles in for them?).

Then just changed the water regularly.

dun · 10 Jul 2009 at 10:46

Because we now like our pets to last more than a couple of weeks/ months as they are slowly poisoned

If your fish lasted longer than that you were either very lucky or your mom just kept changing the fish

JBuk · 10 Jul 2009 at 10:54

anticonscience said:
Why do goldfish now need filters? When I had goldfish when I was younger, we just a hod a bowl and then the fish with a castle for it (Why do we put castles in for them?).

Then just changed the water regularly.

Aye, that's still the way most people I know keep them , some have lived for many years

Wyrdo · 10 Jul 2009 at 10:59

stoofa said:
You say that the water was checked and was "fine".
How long was the water/tank "cycled" for before adding the fish?

I can fill a tank from the tap right now.
With "fresh tank" solution and probably a little PH Up I could probably, within 3-4hrs have a tank of "perfect" water.

However my filter and pump do not know how to deal with the waste that the new fish will produce.
Within a few hours of life ammonia levels will increase and I'll lose the fish.

A tank should cycle for an absolute minimum of about two weeks.
That is, water in, pump on, but no fish.
However feed the tank, put some food in and allow it to pass through the filters.

Over those 2+ weeks the filters can now cope with the waste that the fish will produce and you should have far better luck.

It's also worth nothing that goldfish and a lot more difficult to look after than tropical.
They are considered a very "dirty" fish and it can take a lot of work keeping them healthy.

Bloomin 'eck.

Our goldfish lived for about 8 years, never did any of that! Clean the tank, fill it from the tap and plonk the fish in.

antijoke · 10 Jul 2009 at 11:00

Glad I'm not the only one.

wordy · 10 Jul 2009 at 11:00

Janesy B said:
I remember when my Red Cap Oranda had swimbladder problems, the poor sod just swam upside down, I tried everything but no luck. I had to put it down by putting it in a sandwich bag full of water, sealed it with an elastic band and froze him off to sleep. Most humane way I could think of

No offence but thats an awful way to die, slowly frozen to death

Go for Dun's method, far more humane.

anticonscience said:
Why do goldfish now need filters? When I had goldfish when I was younger, we just a hod a bowl and then the fish with a castle for it (Why do we put castles in for them?).

Then just changed the water regularly.

Because people care more about the health, quality of life of thier fish, we also have better equipment nowadays. not being funny, but I bet you bought a DVD player when you still had a working video player.