jofford

Hello, i recently got 2 large goldfish one of them around 9 inches in length,
during the day when ever i enter the room the biggest one is always at the top breathing in air whilst the other one ocasionly swims around or is at the top or bottom also...

This morning i got concern when the largest one was on a small angle to its side at the top. . .

I feel this could be related to the oxygen levels in the water or the temprature of my tank. . .

Could someone help ASAP please, 8D
Thankyou

purple_phoenix

To increase oxygen levels, you could try adding an airstone or some plants. How high is the temperature? Can I also ask how many golden plecs you have? I think you could be overloading your tank slightly, which may also be a problem.

Gasping for air can be a symptom of ammonia poisoning, in which case you should do regular (daily) water changes, and keep an eye on the amount of ammonia in the water. If you have a test kit, it would be useful for us to know the results of it. If not, I recommend you buy one. They're very useful in letting you know how stable your water is, and healthy water usually means for healthy fish. It would be a good idea to add a few plants and an airstone anyway, even if it's not the oxygen levels which are affecting your fish.

Peterpiper

Hi and welcome to fishlore!
Lets get the fish feeling better first. Your fish are suffering from ammonia poisoning.
What you need to do is change the water, change 75% now, and 50% tommorow then 25% each day.
The tank may be to small for the fish you have, someone will post the size tank required for your fish.
Your tank has not been cycled and this is why your fish are sick.
Please read this link on how to cycle your tank.
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Are you using a filter and do you have a air stone?

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.

I would recommend doing 25-50% water changes daily, with at least 50% today. Also, use Prime for treating all the water. The substrate needs cleaned at least once a week and a flexible bubble wand would be my choice for aeration in that tank.

If you don't have an API master freshwater testing kit, that will be vital to tracking the progress of the cycle in the tank.

susitna-flower

I agree your tank is too small for the fish you have. It is hard to determine though just how crowded your fish are.

Reading your aquarium profile you say golden plecos...Do you have other fish than just the large goldfish you talk about in your post?

The profile for goldfish says you need 20 gallons for the first fish, and 10 gallons for each additional gold fish in the tank. THAT would be for the smaller fish you just bring home.....9" monster fish ....I would have to say should be in at least a 55 gallon tank, with NO other fish.

Since your tank has been up and running for several years, it is hard to determine if it is cycled now or not, or if it is going through a mini-cycle. The only way to tell is to do water tests, and let us know just what the results are...

I agree it sounds like lots of water changes are in order, and a bigger tank. Goldfish are tough, but can still die from poor tank conditions. Good Luck