Why does my daughter's goldfish lay on the bottom of the bowl

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sunshines

Registered Member
Sep 19, 2007
1
0
0
:help: My daughter's goldfish plays dead all the time. It lays on the bottom upside down. It will move around if you wave at it or something but mostly just lays there. Do you think it's dying?
 

Mr. U

Can I have a cookie...pweeeze?
Oct 18, 2006
84
1
8
California Central Coast
Hi Sunshines,
What is the size of tank that you keep the goldfish in?
What are the water parameters (nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, ph, temp)?
How long have you had this fish in that tank?
(btw, ppl will be asking you these questions :) )

I don't believe your goldie is dying. I have a goldie that does that exact same thing. At feeding time, or when i walk past the tank, he will be active. But when sleep time happens, I will find him on the bottom upsided down, but breathing normally *shrug*. All I can guess at this time is that my goldie's odd behavior is related to a bout of dropsy it experienced. Whenever he got quarantined, he behaved normally....and when he was returned to his 55 gallon, he started the odd behavior again. My goldie is a fancy, and I know that they are susceptible to dropsy (which can be a symptom of the water quality). I only have 4 goldfish in the 55, but they are large enough now, that they will all be moved into a 90 this weekend with HOB and canister filtration. I'm hoping this will fix his odd behavior. Hope to hear back from you so we here at AC can help you out :)
Cheers,
-U
 

jtburf

I want to hunt these.
Jul 18, 2007
637
0
0
Houston TX
because it is in a bowl... it needs a bigger tank imo

sorry to be so negative, but welcome, I only say that because how big my pet feeder fish has gotten in my pond lol.
 

wataugachicken

The Dancing Banana
Jul 14, 2005
5,451
1
0
Charlotte, NC
welcome to AC!

for the best life for the fish, you should really look into getting a real fishtank, instead of just a bowl. it is a big myth that goldfish can live in a bowl, or that they will only grow as big as their "home". pet stores, carnivals, and even tv continue to perpetrate this myth (ever watched west wing?)

truthfully, goldfish need at the very least a 20g tank for one fish. 30g would be better. in a proper home they can live upwards of 12-15 years, while in a bowl they *might* live for 3 or 4, if it's a big bowl. instead of growing, they die. i don't think you should feel bad about the goldfish - we have all made that kind of mistake based on false information we were given, whether it is this kind of situation or a betta fish in a vase, etc., but you should either try and get a bigger tank for it, or find a home for it with people who have a correctly sized tank. a fancy (round-bodied) goldie can reach 6-8 inches long, and the common (long) goldfish like the kind found in carnivals, classroom experiments, and used as feeder fish can reach 12-14 inches. i've personally seen a couple of fancy goldfish as fat around as a 1-liter soda bottle.
 

riddle4sphinx

AC Members
Jul 19, 2006
268
0
16
Illinois
Welcome to the AC!
Another question for you is... what kind of temperature is the water at? Goldfish are best equipped for water between 64-74 degrees. Different temperatures higher than that wont hurt it, but the warmer the water, the less oxygen in the water for your fish. So if its in a bowl and at possibly warmer temperatures, it might be kind of listless because it doesnt have enough oxygen. Just a thought for you. We're all here to help :)
 

-Nemo-

Master Diver
Jul 31, 2007
274
0
0
Great Barrier Reef
jtburf said:
because it is in a bowl... it needs a bigger tank imo

sorry to be so negative, but welcome, I only say that because how big my pet feeder fish has gotten in my pond lol. Yesterday 09:04 PM
i agree. all goldfish bowls need to be smashed. there should be a movement, like the ol bra-burning days. everyone can at least get a 20 gallon. poor fish. good luck though
 

fishcatch22

The Picotoper
Jun 13, 2006
4,214
2
0
33
Morris, Illinois
welcome to AC!

for the best life for the fish, you should really look into getting a real fishtank, instead of just a bowl. it is a big myth that goldfish can live in a bowl, or that they will only grow as big as their "home". pet stores, carnivals, and even tv continue to perpetrate this myth (ever watched west wing?)

truthfully, goldfish need at the very least a 20g tank for one fish. 30g would be better. in a proper home they can live upwards of 12-15 years, while in a bowl they *might* live for 3 or 4, if it's a big bowl. instead of growing, they die. i don't think you should feel bad about the goldfish - we have all made that kind of mistake based on false information we were given, whether it is this kind of situation or a betta fish in a vase, etc., but you should either try and get a bigger tank for it, or find a home for it with people who have a correctly sized tank. a fancy (round-bodied) goldie can reach 6-8 inches long, and the common (long) goldfish like the kind found in carnivals, classroom experiments, and used as feeder fish can reach 12-14 inches. i've personally seen a couple of fancy goldfish as fat around as a 1-liter soda bottle.
this is very true.... goldfish are large, messy fishes that produce a ton of waste. they are almost like aquatic cows.... in a bowl, even with frequent water changes, there is no way to properly keep one without it slowly being poisoned to death by its own waste, weither that death takes 4 days or 4 years. id do a water change and see if that helps, and work on getting a larger, filtered tank FAST if you want that thing to live. IMO no fish, no matter how cheap, deserves to die the death a goldfish in a bowl does.
 

ILOVEBETTAS

It's Cory Lover's cat!
Yup, a common goldie needs 75g or more, and a fancy needs 29+.

Just imagine, goldfish can get much bigger than this:

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