jessebelle

Hi there,
I have a goldfish in a 20litre tank. It's the only one in there because the others died. Recently I got a fighter fish and put it in a fish bowl next to my tank and ever since my goldfish has been laying on the bottom of the tank and rarely moving. It's alive but almost looks as if its just got no energy..
Should I move my fighter fish away or what could be effecting my goldfish?
I changed the water because I thought that might help and cleaned the filter but no change..
What do I do?

- Jess

Chrisson

I'm sorry your goldfish is in trouble. Sadly a 20 litre tank (5.3 gallons) is to small for a goldfish. A goldfish needs at least a 76 litre (20 gallon) tank and a 38 litre (10 gallon) additional for another goldfish. Gold fish can grow very big and it may be because it stopped growing because of small space and there organs however still grows causing your fish to feel bad and lay on the bottom resting but there could be many other reasons. I doubt your fighting fish has anything to do about it. I recommend buying a 76 litre aquarium for your goldfish and transfer your betta in what your goldfish is in now since a bowl is to small for a fish.

jessebelle

Really? I thought that a 20 litre tank was big enough for a goldfish because it isn't that big at all.. its only about 5 cm long.. And don't fighterfish like small areas?
If I'm wrong I have been told all the wrong information..
Sorry if I sound really stupid.. This is a surprise.

joy1125

right now the fish is little, but it'll grow quickly ! But I don't think that is whats causing your problem right now.

is this a new tank ? How long have you had it? Do you know about the nitrogen cycle ? If your tank is new, chances are the other fish died, and the surviving fish isn't doing well, because of toxic ammonia in the tank.

Fish waste produces ammonia in the aquarium water. Ammonia is toxic to fish, and needs to be removed. If you have a mature cycled tank, there is sufficient "good" bacteria in there that naturally processes the ammonia out, but in a new tank, that doesn't exist yet.

So if your tank is new (under 6 to 8 weeks old), then you'll need to remove the toxic ammonia, through daily water changes. Make sure you dechlorinate the new water going into the tank, and make sure it's very close to the same temperature of the water in the tank. Buy a thermometer at a pet shop, to make it easier. I'd replace 50 percent of the water in the morning, and again another 25 percent or so at night before you go to bed.

Also, you'll need test kits to test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. You can buy them at the shop also. I recommend API liquid testers. Hope they have them where you live.

Also, what is the filter you have on the tank?

here's a link for you to read, explaining the nitrogen cycle.

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

please post back wiith any questions !

jessebelle

I've had the tank since December.. So I don't think it could be that.
Could it possibly just be because he's bored?
He started acting this way a couple days after the other goldfish I had died..
Would that make sense?

joy1125

Hi Jess,

Whenever something like this happens with our fish, the first thing we look at is water conditions.


Do you test the water? How often do you change the water?

Also, do you have gravel in there, and do you regularly vacuum the debris off the bottom?

sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to help figure out what's going wrong. The more you can answer, the more help I can be !

jessebelle

No I don't test the water.. I don't have anything to test it with.. (Bad I know)
I change the water once a month, and the last time I changed it was Saturday, which didn't help my fish at all.
Yeah, I've got gravel, which I also vacuumed on Saturday. I vacuum it every time I clean the tank.

Hope that helps.

joy1125

changing the water only once a month is not enough Jess. You really need to do twice weekly water changes, especially with goldfish as they are big waste producers.

also, what type filter are you using, and do you have any air stone or bubbler going? The surface of the tank needs agitation, to provide oxygen for the water.

Again, sorry for asking so many questions, but without knowing what the water readings are, it's difficult to say what's going on....

but when in doubt, fresh water is always good for a fish, so i suggest doing a partial water change again.

Is there a local pet store nearby, where you can pick up some test kits?

Amanda

The goldfish really needs to be in a 20 gal. or larger tank. The betta needs to be in a 5 gal. or larger tank. Please read up on the Nitrogen Cycle.
A water change should be done once a week, along with a gravel vacuum.

joy1125

oops, didn't see your other question.

No, I don't think he's bored. Plus, the other goldfish died from a cause, so we have to determine what that was, to prevent it from happenign to this fish too.

jessebelle

The dvd that came with my tank said only to change it once a month with gold fish.
I use the filter that came inside my tank.. Not sure what type it is.
The filter bubbles heaps at the top, a lot of air bubbles are there too.

Yes there is a pet sore that I can go to.

Amanda

I think the other fish probably died from ammonia poisoning, which is what I think your current fish is also suffering from.

jessebelle

How do I fix it?

joy1125

well the dvd is wrong. Think about it Jess. Fish poop in the water every single day.
It accumulates. Even if some of it is picked up in the filter, the bacteria is still in the tank. How could that possibly be healthy for a fish, to be living in it's own waste for an entire month? The answer is >>>> it's not.

My suggestion is to get the test kits, so you will know whats happening with the water. And do a water change everyday. A 5 gallon tank is very small, water conditions can deteriorate very quickly.


I also urge you to read the link i provided, and we'll all be happy to anser any questions you may have.
.

Good luck with your fish, I hope things get better.

Hope to hear back from you when you get the test kits, and results.

Chrisson

A water change one a month can only be excused for the most heavily live planted and balanced aquarium. But for a gold fish it's still won't do it because they are very high waste producers as said before. Try going to one of your LFS and buy an API liquid test kit. Try to get at least ammonia, nitrite and nitrate test kits. The reason for this is that we can know the measurement of how toxic the aquarium water is and will be a really big help. With it we may be able to solve your problem.

EDIT: People post to quickly (points above)

jessebelle

But if it was because of the water, why is this only happening now and not 6 months ago when I got the tank?

joy1125

you remove ammonia by doing water changes. Do a 50 percent change in the morning, and I'd do another 25percent at night.


That is why the testers are so important. They test the toxic ammonia and nitrite level, which are harmful to fish.

the sooner you get the test kits, the soooner you'll know for sure if it is ammonia poisoning.

joy1125

in your original opening post, you said you only had one goldfish left, because the others have died. So something isn't right.

Poor water conditions cause stress in fish, and stress can easily bring on disease. But we can't determine if there's a disease unless we know the water readings and/or have a more detailed list of symptoms, aside from the fish sitting at the bottom of the tank lacking energy. Because those symptoms do seem to indicate a water condition, most probably ammonia and/or nitrite poisoning.

sorry to repeat myself, but the only way to solve this mystery, is to get the test kit.

jessebelle

I just vacuumed the rocks and replaced about 50% of the water. And there was no fish poo at all.
Could my fish be constipated?

joy1125

yes, it could possibly be that. What do you feed him? how often? And what kind of goldfish do you have?

jessebelle

I feed him marine master goldfish flake plus.. I feed him twice a day.. (Like I always have). I'm not sure what kind he is, but he is white with different colour spots all over him...

joy1125

some of the "fancy variety" of goldfish do tend to have digestive problems, and are prone to constipation on accassion. I suggest offering him some de-shelled peas, only a couple. You can use frozen peas, just cook them in boiling water a few minutes, then cool them totally! Peel the shell of the pea off, mush it up, then feed it to your fish. (same w/ fresh peas) Or you can use canned peas, just deshell it.

jessebelle

Do I just do this once ? Or do I repeat at feeding time until I see him going to the toilet?

joy1125

feeding only a diet of flake isn't good, because it introduces too much air into their system (they gulp it at the surface, along with air) , plus it's not very nutritional.

There's many articles on the internet about food for goldfish, there's even a few threads here about it on this forum, if you want to get some good tips.

But for now, try the peas. I've done the pea route many times. If it's constipation, this may help.

jessebelle

Thankyou everyone for all your help. I'll try the peas and also get down to the pet shop tomorrow to get a tester. I'll check back soon and let you know what happens.
Thankyou once again. =)

joy1125

sorry, we were both posting at the same time, I missed you last question.

Try a couple peas now, then wait till next feeding, and offer a couple more. I wouldn't give any more flake. And yes, see if he has a poop. (sorry! no tactful way of putting that

Between that, and the water change and gravel vac that you've done, I think he'll be more comfortable.

Please post back and let us know how he's doing !

gremlin

Just so you get an idea of how big your goldfish can grow, here is a picture of one of my males in a 2.5 gallon (roughly 9 litres). Goldfish are small when they are sold at the store, but they can grow very quickly. I have a couple of 1 year old goldies that are already between 4 and 5 inches long.

As your fish grow, they produce more waste. When you first got your tank in December with multiple small goldfish, the poop started building up. The fish were probably slightly smaller at that time. Ammonia poisoning can take a while to show if the fish are healthy to start with. The fact that you only have one goldfish left tells me that the others most likely died of ammonia poisoning simply because of the size of the tank. Sitting on the bottom of the tank and not swimming around could be a sign of loneliness, but more likely it is poor water quality.

As for the food - personally, I will not feed flakes at all. I prefer floating pellets. They float just below the surface of the water so the goldfish can suck them in without sucking in air. There are also sinking pellets if you have a fancy goldfish that is more likely to have digestive issues.

I agree that you need to get your goldfish in a larger tank. The tank the goldfish is in now would be great for the betta. Everything you have heard about goldies in small tanks and bettas in bowls is wrong. Yes, goldies can survive in small bowls/tanks - sometimes for years. But if you consider that the lifespan for goldfish is more like 20 + years, then the 1-3 years that most of them live is pretty sad. Some of mine I've had for at least 20 years. As for the betta, they like still water, not necessarily small water. They need to have room to swim around just like any other fish.

Do you have pics of your fishies?

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