wendilassiter

I have (had) 2 goldfish approximately 4 inches in length. One died this week. She was lethargic and sat on the bottom until she passed. Now the other is sluggish. I have a 5 gallon tank which has been fine for almost 2 years. I don't know what went wrong. There are live plants, the ammonia is good. What should I do to save Caesar? (the remaining fish)

susitna-flower

HI, WELCOME TO FISHLORE!

Contrary to what the local fish store will tell you goldfish need more room than a 5 gallon tank. The profile here says 10 gallons per fish. Others recommend 20 gallons for the first fish and 10 gallon for each additional fish.

Do you test your water for anything other than ammonia? If so what are the readings for nitrite and nitrate? How often and how much water do you change?

It just sounds to me like there could be a build up of nitrate in the water that requires several large water changes, and gravel vacuuming. It is always a good idea to add vita chem if a fish appears to be ailing....as well as prime, until you get the water quality worked out. Good Luck

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.

Goldies do need larger tanks, like sustina-flower mentioned. They produce heavy amounts of waste.

The other issue is cycling your tank. With 2 goldies in a 5 gallon tank, the cycle is almost certainly broken. Are you using a liquid testing kit? I would recommend the API master freshwater testing kit if you don't have one.

What you'll want to do is change 25-40% of the water daily and use Prime to treat all the water. A 20 gallon tank would be best, as soon as possible.