worried about goldfish

[Lexi]

yesterday i bought two new fish one is a fancy chinese golfish while the other is a black moor. when i put them in the bowl the black moor has been swimming around the top af tha bowl and the chinese is sitting on the bottom. i've put in tap safe so the water is safe for them what am i doing wrong?? help

 

[rosita]

Did you cycle your fish house? Or is it just a bowl with water in it? Tap water has chlorine and chloramines, and the fish produce alot of waste, including ammonia, which altogether is going to be a slow death for your fish. Goldies need alot of space as they can grow quite large, depending on species, and fish need an aquarium with a filter filled with good bacteria and cycled water. I know others will join in here, but you just can't plop a couple of fish (any fish) into a bowl of water and expect them to thrive or survive. Good luck!!

 

[Lexi]

it is just a bowl with water in it as when i spoke to the guy in the petshop he told me that all i needed to do was add the tap safe and it would eliminate the chlorine etc. think i am getting a larger tank sometime next week 32" long i think. so i can get more fish how long do i need to leave the filter running till i can use it??
my tank at the mo is an 8litre from the pet shop will it be ok for my two litle babys for the short term??
is there anything i can do to help them become more lively??

 

[Shagmaster]

I agree. You should take the fish back until you are proprely set up for those fish. Black Moors get quite big I think.(corect me if I am wrong) Frequent water changes may help. Get some PRIME water conditioner. Detoxifies all the bad bacteria, and removes Chlorine and Chloromines and amonia.
Good Luck

 

[wataugachicken]

two fancy goldfish need a tank of at least 55 gallons. i think a very good and cheap thing for you to do would be go get a large plastic storage tub from a local hardware or household store (at least 10 gallons), rinse it, fill it with water, and put your goldies in there for now. 10g i think is somewhere around 30 liters, much better. goldfish (even the teeny babies) produce a lot of waste and ammonia, and will be harmed (if not killed) by being kept in a bowl. also, either do water changes every day of 50-75%, or get a filter running on the plastic tub.

This link will help you understand the 'cycle" and how to make water safe for any fish you keep.
Freshwater Cycling

 

[Omega]

Take those fish back and tell them that they lied to you about being able to keep them in a bowl.

 

[mostlycichlids]

cereal is for bowls not fish these fish will die in that bowl bottom line!!

 

[Lexi]

I agree. You should take the fish back until you are proprely set up for those fish. Black Moors get quite big I think.(corect me if I am wrong)

im not looking for someone to just tell me to take my fish back i want advice to help me make them as happy as possible as i want to start a proper aquarium.

wataugachicken: if i put them in a container like that will i not just have them same problem with the water or is it just lack of space that is making them miserable??
how long does filtering a tank take for it to be ready for my fish

 

[Lexi]

cereal is for bowls not fish these fish will die in that bowl bottom line!!

thanks for the constructive help i really hope someone gave you such help when you started out with your fish. it isn't the first fish i have had i've had one before in a bowl and it lived for around 7 years i am just worried about these as they dont seem happy and wanted some help not just un-useful comments

 

[Dangerdoll]

I have to agree. Eveen short term can lead to disastrous results for these guys to remain in a bowl. As I see it, you have 2 options to follow. Either you take the fish back until you can get something bigger (45 gallons will be fine), or get yourself a large bin from any hardware store and put them there. The problem you are facing right now is that the fish are in a bowl which becomes almost immediately toxic to them due to the amount of water in the tank. Goldfish produce more bio-waste than other common fishes and is one of the reasons (just one) that they need such large tanks for. The are also extremely quick growers and produce double the amount of hormones in the water, thus the need for more massive water changes than other tanks. They also need double the filtration and need the water plentiful of O2. I know it seems that with how common they are around these days, in magazines, storefronts, you name it, that they'd be more easy to care for... when they are really not. They are most often misunderstood and misinterpreted in the hobby.