Please help me! Wal-Mart fish!

alyssaa

alyssaa

AC Members
Mar 30, 2009
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So yesterday night, I was at Wal-Mart with my friend and we decided to save the 28 cent fish at Wal-Mart. I bought three common goldfish and a 1 gallon tank. We bought a small rainbow hollow rock with holes so they could hang out in there and some see-through "Jewel Rocks" for the tank. Well, we're both 13 and obviously the guy working there had no clue what he was doing, and so we didn't know to buy conditioner for the tank. As we drove home, I noticed one of them was acting strange and the other two were staying away from him. I got home and my mom thoroughly washed the rocks, tank, and the hollow rock out. We filled the tank halfway with tap water, and let the bag sit in the tank for a bit before we put the fish in there. We carefully put them in. I was stupid and sprinkled a flake or two of Goldfish Flakes in there, not knowing they wouldn't eat it. The third goldfish, the one both were staying away from in the bag, died. (He wasn't breathing, he was laying on his side at the bottom, ya know.) I put them under a little lamp, making sure that it wasn't shining directly on them. Today, they're still not actice. They just hide inside the rock and don't move. They don't even come up to eat. I know they're alive because i see their little mouths opening and closing, but I'm worried. I really want them to live a happier life than they were in the crappy uncleaned wal-mart tanks.​
 
If anyone could give me any advice to keep my fishies alive, please do!
 
Hi Honey... I'm sorry you're having problems. It's very sweet to want to help them. Goldfish are what we consider very messy fish. They need to have their water clean, very clean.

You said you have a 1 gallon. Is it a bowl? Did you get water conditioner? You have to use a conditioner that removes chlorine, and chloramine, and you need to keep their water pristine.

Please describe the tank as it will help us know how to help you.
 
I am not a Goldfish expert but I think a one gallon tank for the 2 is too small. And I think you need to condition the water with something that will at least remove the chlorine. PRIME works well. That is made by SEACHEM and it comes in a red and white bottle. Not sure if Walmart sells that but any conditioner should do. And then, just give them some time. Make sure you do water changes as that tank is way small and will dirty very fast. Maybe someone with a lot more Goldfish experience will chime in here soon.
 
First off, you need to get a bigger tank. I know you're only 13, but still.
Goldfish grow to be 6 inches in best cases. They require at the very LEAST somewhere around a 50 gallon tank.

You need water conditioner, go and buy some from walmart.

The water was probably either WAY too cold, or too hot, one or the other, I wouldn't imagine you guys matching the temp of the water to the room.

If you plan to keep them, get a way bigger tank, at LEAST 10 gallons for them to live properly, yeah I know, most of the people you know don't have these big tanks for goldfish, but they're doing it wrong. These stores don't really tell you the fish's needs, so they can sell you the fish and make money.

Things you need :

10 gallon tank
Water conditioner
Luck
Air bubbler
Filter

You can buy a tank-filter-water conditioner combo at walmart, probably. If not, then they definitely sell them seperate. It's only like 30 bucks.

They're probably scared crapless and are suffering from oxygen deprivation, as well as ammonia poisoning. I imagine this tank has no filter on it? It needs one. Since you probably won't find one, you'd need to get an air bubbler, thing that has clear tube and blows air through the tube. It lets the fish breather easier. That's just a temporary fix until you can get a 10 gallon tank.

My advice is the tank combo.
 
I can get a picture up.
It's a rectangle tank, 1 gallon, with a lid (it has a glass area so I can see in it, and slits so they can breathe because I have a cat.) I didn't use any conditioner. I have some, but I'm not sure how much to put in because it says one teaspoon for every ten gallons. Can I even put it in while the fish are in there?
 
My dad has two 48 gallon tanks, one with non-hostile fish, and one with cichlids. He said that once they grow, I can put them in the tank with the algae eaters and other freshwater fish.
 
Put about 3 drops per gallon, and yes put it in now. Chlorine is poison to fish, and unless you have well water you are on some kind of municipal water system and they usually put chlorine and/or chloramine in the water. You have to use conditioner to remove that. It will kill them.

The tank is way too small, and they have to have filtration and a bubbler.

The aggitation of the water surface is what puts oxygen in their water, that's why they need a bubbler. The still water in that tank will not have enough oxygen in it for them in no time at all.

You need to mix up more water and put conditioner in it. Make sure it is not too warm or too cold. Usually room temperature is right.

If you don't have a filter and bubbler you will have to do nearly 100 percent water changes every day, in a 1 gallon tank, with fresh dechlorintated, temperature matched water.

They have to get out of that small tank as soon as possible. If your dad has a 48 gallon tank that may be what you need to put them in.

However, if his tank is for tropical fish, they like warmer water than goldfish do. If the goldfish are very small and he has good size fish in his tank they may eat the goldfish.

I'm afraid you have a dilemma. You want to help them, but your situation for them is really pretty grim. I hope you can get at least a 10 gallon tank with filter and conditioner. The filter helps put oxygen in the water because the water spills out of it like a waterfall and stirs up the water putting oxygen in it.

The old notion that goldfish can live in basically a bowl is so not right. They will die if you can't make some of the changes that we've mentioned.

I'm sorry honey, no one wants to hurt your feelings but you need to do what's right for them. Ask your dad for help. 10 gallon tank setups are not expensive.

I hope you can help you fishies. They are depending on you, they have no other options.
 
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