i just got goldfish yesterday for my birthday and i've placed him in a proper tank and fed him (well..maybe a bit too much, my dad fed him twice a day) and early this afternoon it started swimming sideways. i googled it and i think he's got the swim bladder disease (but why so quick?). so i changed the water (and also included water ager, the amount that was suggested) but then he started swimming vertically, head up while i was preparing the mushed skinless peas suggested by most sites. tried feeding him those into bailey's (thats his name btw) mouth myself. but i saw i got to see the last piece being held in his mouth for about 30 seconds but then he just hurled them out. then i observed that his breathing have slowed down drastically. i was just signing up for this site when he died. what did i do wrong? pleease helpp ;'(
helpp! i dont know what i did wrong! my goldfish just died!
- Thread starter fweeshaa
- Start date
:welcome: to AC!
Fweeshaa, please don't panic. It happens even to the best of us. Relax and you will find you are more prepared now than before as for every mistake, a valuable lesson is learned. I am sure you will figure out in no time your mistakes and we can help rectify it from there.
Could you please post the exact tank size? If in doubt, please measure the dimensions by length x width x height and we can calculate the water volume. You can try calculating for water volume by multiplying the length, width and height. Divide the answer by 1000 and the next answer will be in liters.
A lot of goldfish grow to at least 8 inches especially fancy ones and due to their size, they need plenty of space. Preferably, a guideline of 10-15g per fancy goldfish is set. As these are sociable fish, I would not advise keeping at least one. If possible, try keeping 2-3 as the minimum number. A 40g will be a preferable minimum assuming you want to keep the smallest strains such as pearlscales in a small number, not individually.
Do you have pictures of how your goldfish looks or do you know what it was? If in doubt, have a look over here and let us know what it is. Common goldfish, comets and shubunkins grow larger than the fancy strains such as ryukins, black moor and orandas. Guideline set is 20g per fish in this case.
Do you know your water parameters such as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? We need to know those so we will know what happened. Ammonia and nitrite are both toxic substances. If money is no object, buy a liquid test kit by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc. Test kits are extremely important for the well being of your fish. They are worth an investment in the long run and should last you at least a year or two. This is pretty much basic but which is not applied in general by hobbyists especially those new to the hobby as they fail to see the importance of its uses. Avoid the test strips which are grossly inaccurate.
If you are not aware of the nitrogen cycle process, you need to understand that learning this stage will allow you to understand better why it is important to cycle the filters and tanks. Here is an excellent reference for cycling tanks. If possible, stick to the first two options listed there and avoid using the fish to cycle the tank. Why? The fish is subjected to torture by the toxic effects of both ammonia and nitrite when both substances are dangerously high especially as the amount of wastes produced by goldfish is exceedingly higher than the standards for most community fish. The wastes in turn become ammonia and when certain kinds of bacteria are available, it willl be converted to another dangerous substance, nitrite and finally nitrate which is the least harmful substance as long as it is controlled at 40 ppm and below.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598
Do you use dechlorinator at all? Chlorine and chloramine are both toxic substances added for human hygienic reasons but these are not safe for the fish as both substances can burn their gills thus can inhibit their ability to breathe properly. This is where the dechlorinator comes to bind both toxic substances as well as heavy metals that can damage your fish. Chlorine normally can be removed by aerating the water for at least 24 hours but chloramine is also added and as this is not a gas, this makes dechlorinator a far better option. You can use Prime as your preferable dechlorinator.
As for the swimming abnormalities, what did you use to feed your fish? Floating pellets allow the fish to ingest air as they eat. This in turn proceeds to their digestive systems and can inhibit their swimming balance or buoyancy. If possible, stick to sinking pellets and presoak before feeding them to your fish. A lot of goldfish have been bred that their body shape somehow compresses their internal organs thus, are incapable of taking in foods that allow them to ingest air as well without their buoyancy affected in the process. By presoaking the foods, you also avoid it from expanding inside their internal organs as goldfish eat their foods rather greedily and in the process, the foods expand inside causing bloat or constipation. Both are extremely dangerous for the fish and should be avoided. Peas do act as a laxative so I am sure you figured out the right treatment although it was probably too late and other reasons may have taken their toll on your fish, not just the diet.
Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any more questions. We are meant to help you with your problems.
Fweeshaa, please don't panic. It happens even to the best of us. Relax and you will find you are more prepared now than before as for every mistake, a valuable lesson is learned. I am sure you will figure out in no time your mistakes and we can help rectify it from there.
Could you please post the exact tank size? If in doubt, please measure the dimensions by length x width x height and we can calculate the water volume. You can try calculating for water volume by multiplying the length, width and height. Divide the answer by 1000 and the next answer will be in liters.
A lot of goldfish grow to at least 8 inches especially fancy ones and due to their size, they need plenty of space. Preferably, a guideline of 10-15g per fancy goldfish is set. As these are sociable fish, I would not advise keeping at least one. If possible, try keeping 2-3 as the minimum number. A 40g will be a preferable minimum assuming you want to keep the smallest strains such as pearlscales in a small number, not individually.
Do you have pictures of how your goldfish looks or do you know what it was? If in doubt, have a look over here and let us know what it is. Common goldfish, comets and shubunkins grow larger than the fancy strains such as ryukins, black moor and orandas. Guideline set is 20g per fish in this case.
Do you know your water parameters such as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? We need to know those so we will know what happened. Ammonia and nitrite are both toxic substances. If money is no object, buy a liquid test kit by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc. Test kits are extremely important for the well being of your fish. They are worth an investment in the long run and should last you at least a year or two. This is pretty much basic but which is not applied in general by hobbyists especially those new to the hobby as they fail to see the importance of its uses. Avoid the test strips which are grossly inaccurate.
If you are not aware of the nitrogen cycle process, you need to understand that learning this stage will allow you to understand better why it is important to cycle the filters and tanks. Here is an excellent reference for cycling tanks. If possible, stick to the first two options listed there and avoid using the fish to cycle the tank. Why? The fish is subjected to torture by the toxic effects of both ammonia and nitrite when both substances are dangerously high especially as the amount of wastes produced by goldfish is exceedingly higher than the standards for most community fish. The wastes in turn become ammonia and when certain kinds of bacteria are available, it willl be converted to another dangerous substance, nitrite and finally nitrate which is the least harmful substance as long as it is controlled at 40 ppm and below.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598
Do you use dechlorinator at all? Chlorine and chloramine are both toxic substances added for human hygienic reasons but these are not safe for the fish as both substances can burn their gills thus can inhibit their ability to breathe properly. This is where the dechlorinator comes to bind both toxic substances as well as heavy metals that can damage your fish. Chlorine normally can be removed by aerating the water for at least 24 hours but chloramine is also added and as this is not a gas, this makes dechlorinator a far better option. You can use Prime as your preferable dechlorinator.
As for the swimming abnormalities, what did you use to feed your fish? Floating pellets allow the fish to ingest air as they eat. This in turn proceeds to their digestive systems and can inhibit their swimming balance or buoyancy. If possible, stick to sinking pellets and presoak before feeding them to your fish. A lot of goldfish have been bred that their body shape somehow compresses their internal organs thus, are incapable of taking in foods that allow them to ingest air as well without their buoyancy affected in the process. By presoaking the foods, you also avoid it from expanding inside their internal organs as goldfish eat their foods rather greedily and in the process, the foods expand inside causing bloat or constipation. Both are extremely dangerous for the fish and should be avoided. Peas do act as a laxative so I am sure you figured out the right treatment although it was probably too late and other reasons may have taken their toll on your fish, not just the diet.
Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any more questions. We are meant to help you with your problems.
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aw Lupin thanks soo much for posting such a long reply. well the water volume's about 0.18 litres. its a small bowl ive go for him, as he is alone. i was planning to buy a companion but hey. and i had a flick through the breeds page, and i thinkk bailey's a common fantail..but he's rather thinner. way thinner, actually. and he's about a pinky's length.
about the cycle process, wow i didn't know anything about that. but that could be it..as well. but now i know. the dechlorinator, i have used it (i posted 'water ager' because that's what's written on the package so i thought that it's what it is but i think it's just the name. but it is a dechlorinator.)
the food! i think that's it! well..i used Marine Master. but i dont think that matters now. Bailey is much thinner in shape than the fantail, so i think he's the kind that you were talking about earlier. should have researched these before feeding bailey. D:
once again thanks soo much for the effort. i really appreciated it.
about the cycle process, wow i didn't know anything about that. but that could be it..as well. but now i know. the dechlorinator, i have used it (i posted 'water ager' because that's what's written on the package so i thought that it's what it is
but i think it's just the name. but it is a dechlorinator.)the food! i think that's it! well..i used Marine Master. but i dont think that matters now. Bailey is much thinner in shape than the fantail, so i think he's the kind that you were talking about earlier. should have researched these before feeding bailey. D:
once again thanks soo much for the effort. i really appreciated it.
Sweetie, please do not get another goldfish until you have a proper tank. A bowl is a deathtrap and cruel for fish to live in. You would have to change the water several times a day for a fish to be able to live in water not fouled with it's own filth, and they can never grow to their full potential.
You can't filter a bowl, and filtration is VERY important with goldies, they are very, very messy fish. Also they DO need air. You need to have a filter that agitates the surface or an airstone for them.
For two fantails, you are going to need a tank that is around 40 gallons.
Kristina
You can't filter a bowl, and filtration is VERY important with goldies, they are very, very messy fish. Also they DO need air. You need to have a filter that agitates the surface or an airstone for them.
For two fantails, you are going to need a tank that is around 40 gallons.
Kristina
Kyryah is correct. You will need a larger tank unfortunately rather than a bowl. There was something else I completely forgot to add last night. Do you have a filter already? If not, please try to invest in one but make tanks your priority first and research further on filtration in this section. There are many topics that cover filters.
Are you really motivated to keep fish for a long time? Do you have enough space to hold a tank at least four feet in length? Those are the questions that you need to ask yourself before you proceed. If you in USA, Craiglist has the tank bargains you may be looking for. Most of the tanks are secondhanded. Please be sure you can trust the sellers over the condition of the tank and if there are any fish in it you do not want, either ask him to hold those back or sell/give them to your store instead.
I guess we have this important topic covered now.about the cycle process, wow i didn't know anything about that. but that could be it..as well. but now i know. the dechlorinator, i have used it (i posted 'water ager' because that's what's written on the package so i thought that it's what it is
Could you please post the ingredients and guaranteed analysis (i.e. protein content, ash content) of this particular brand? What exactly is this? Floating or sinking food? Pellets or flakes? I am not familiar on this particular brand.
Boy, Fweesha! I'll bet your head is swimming right now with all of the information that my friends Lupin and Kyryah just gave you. Don't worry! You're in good hands with those two! They know just what to do with goldfish. I'm sorry that Bailey passed away. When you are ready for more fish, maybe you might want to consider a different kind to get started. There are a lot of really cool freshwater fish that are well suited to smaller tanks (Say 10 gallons, or so.)
People think that goldfish are easy to keep for beginners, but they really aren't all that easy, so don't beat yourself up over the fact that you had trouble, and try not to get discouraged. Hang out here for a while-- you can learn all kinds of interesting stuff. I know that I always do, and I've been keeping fish for almost 20 years. (Okay, K & L, if you're reading this, you know it's more than 20 years, but give a girl a break-)
People think that goldfish are easy to keep for beginners, but they really aren't all that easy, so don't beat yourself up over the fact that you had trouble, and try not to get discouraged. Hang out here for a while-- you can learn all kinds of interesting stuff. I know that I always do, and I've been keeping fish for almost 20 years. (Okay, K & L, if you're reading this, you know it's more than 20 years, but give a girl a break-
)
