Fish Have Ammonia Poisoning

HI I have 2 fancy goldfish in a 24L tank, I know it is too small but I didn't know when I got them. They both have ammonia poisoning, one is worse than the other. I have been doing a 50% water change everyday and they did improve a little but they are getting worse again. I have a large plastic container a lot bigger than the tank that I could put them in for a few days until I manage to get another tank. I have checked the bottom and it is a grade 5 container so I am not sure if it is safe or if I should just leave them in the 24L? Any help is appreciated thanks. They are both currently at the top of the tank for air so I'm wanting to do anything to help them.

 

Not sure what grade 5 means but a bigger container will definitely help! Do transfer them as soon as possible. Do you know how big the container is?
For 2 fancy goldfish I would aI'm for at least 100L of water, so you will eventually have to make the choice between investing in a bigger tank and rehoming your fish to someone who can give them the space they need.
Wishing you all the best with your fish.

 

I read online there are some grades that aren't safe for fish but not sure what it means either! not sure what size it is but its definitely way more than double the size. Its not clear though its blue, but it would only be for a couple days...
Ill get a new tank as soon as

 

I would suggest something closer to 120 ltr as 100ltr is only really suitable for 1 fancy goldfish

 

Good, that means they'd be getting upgraded to minimum 60L of water! That's a great start and an acceptable temporary home for young fancy goldfish, while you find their forever home

Do make sure to transfer their current filter over to insta-cycle the container, and probably invest in a bigger filter that you can also use once you have the 100L aquarium. Goldfish are super messy, so good filtration is a must.

I'm very happy that you're prepared to put the time and energy into upgrading their living conditions, your fishies will be eternally grateful

 

Sorry for all the questions but do I add the old stones to the container? or any of the old tank water?

 

Rehome only one of the fish ASAP, I would say, depending on the size of the container. Better to split them up than to have them both in a container slightly larger. Do daily 90% water changes and try to only feed the bare minimum, as Goldfish are huge waste producers.

For 2 Fancy Goldfish, in reality, I would recommend at least 150 Litres. 100-120 litres is very cramped for one, let alone two.

No, use newly treated water. Get rid of the old water, it is probably high in ammonia.

How many gallons or litres is the container?

 

I just checked and its a 50L container, if I transfer only 1 is it the most sick fish or the least?

 

I don't think 150L is necessary for 2 fancies, but I double-checked withjust to confirm.
With 2 fancies in a 120L aquarium, OP would be at which sounds fine to me, especially since the calculations ontend to be on the more conservative side.

 

I don't think 150L is necessary for 2 fancies, but I double-checked withjust to confirm.
With 2 fancies in a 120L aquarium, OP would be at which sounds fine to me, especially since the calculations ontend to be on the more conservative side.

AquaAdvisor is inaccurate. 150 litres is bare minimum if you want two fancies to live comfortably.

 

I will get the larger tank as soon as I can, in the mean time will I completely change the tank water, have one in the container and one in the tank? If so what fish will I put in the container? the really sick fish or the one just starting to show signs of poisoning?

 

I will get the larger tank as soon as I can, in the mean time will I completely change the tank water, have one in the container and one in the tank? If so what fish will I put in the container? the really sick fish or the one just starting to show signs of poisoning?

Well, how big is the container?

Do you have an extra filter for the container?

 

the container is 50L and yes I have a spare filter but it is a lot stronger than the one I currently use. I will be able to get the new tank by Friday but I don't know if the fish will last the night if I just leave them

 

Rehome only one of the fish ASAP, I would say, depending on the size of the container. Better to split them up than to have them both in a container slightly larger. Do daily 90% water changes and try to only feed the bare minimum, as Goldfish are huge waste producers.

For 2 Fancy Goldfish, in reality, I would recommend at least 150 Litres. 100-120 litres is very cramped for one, let alone two.

From what I have read in many forums and from my personal experience a 20G is adequate for one gold fish and 10 gallon additional for each of the additional.

As per that 120L is adequate for 2gold fishes.

No offence meant, I am sorry but IMHO we need to be pragmatic, when it comes giving advise, as people will stop asking questions, once we start suggesting 55G for dwarf gaurami, 20G for a single betta etc.

Here is my reference from fishlore itself. If this is wrong then please flag to moderators to update fishlore article. Because as per this 30Gallon which is 113liters is enough for 2 fancy goldfishes. And I am sure OPs goldfishes could be juvenile so may not even need so much right now.
https://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Goldfish.htm

 

From what I have read in many forums and my personal experience a 20G is adequate for one gold fish and 10 gallon additional for each of the additional.

As per that 120 is adequate for 2gold fishes. I am sorry but IMHO but we need to be pragmatic when it comes giving advice as people will stop asking questions once we start suggesting 55G for dwarf gaurami, 20G for a single betta etc.

Here is my reference from fishlore itself. If this is wrong then please flag to moderators to update fishlore article. Because as per this 30Gallon which is 113liters is enough for 2 fancy goldfishes. And I am sure OPs goldfishes could be juvenile so may not even need so much right now.
https://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Goldfish.htm

No offense to you , but just because it's written on paper doesn't mean it's true. I said 150 litres if you want your 2 goldfish to live a happy life.

You can shove an Oscar in a 55 Gallon. It doesn't mean it'll live a happy life.

 

No offense to you , but just because it's written on paper doesn't mean it's true. I said 150 litres if you want your 2 goldfish to live a happy life.

You can shove an Oscar in a 55 Gallon. It doesn't mean it'll live a happy life.

It is written in multiple credible sources including this very forum you are right now contributing. If you believe this information is erroneous, I urge you to contact Mike, Lucy or some highlevel moderator and get it corrected.

I have seen Spruce, Seriously fish etc also with similar recommendations. So this is my source. I hope your sources are not anecdotal.

 

It is written in multiple credible sources including this very forum you are right now contributing. If you believe this information is erroneous, I urge you to contact Mike, Lucy or some highlevel moderator and get it corrected.

I have seen Spruce, Seriously fish etc also with similar recommendations. So this is my source. I hope your sources are not anecdotal.

Ron, these sources are giving you the minimum required. Why would you get the bare minimum, when you can go just slightly bigger and ensure your fish's happiness.

Just because you CAN doesn't mean you should. I am fully aware of the limits written on paper, from your credible sources. I mean no disrespect.

 

Ron, these sources are giving you the minimum required. Why would you get the bare minimum, when you can go just slightly bigger and ensure your fish's happiness.

I agree on that one. It’s just that, when people are willing to upgrade, I believe we should at least get them to commit for adequate instead of the best. Because, in my personal experience people get turned off otherwise.

Here in Asia I see 19” Arowanas are kept in 4ft, 67G or so tanks. And people just do not listen. Even a suggestion of a 6ft, 120G is taken with a lot of resistance.

Try suggesting an 8footer to them (what a fish like Asian arowana need) and see how they run. I know a guy who has a 14” arowana, 8Oscars and 3sting rays in a 5foot tank. And he wanted one more Oscar from me. When I told him his tank already too small for the arowana alone, he took offense.

So, I believe in at least providing the fish adequate recommendation first without causing a turn off. Otherwise the one who asked help may end up not upgrading at all. Just my very sincere and personal opinion. Thanks

Edit: I wrote the original post (which has been since edited), when I was extremely sleepy post my lunch break. My apologies for total lack punctuation and horrible sentence structure. Some of which, I have already corrected. Anyway the message remain the same. Not to scare off people asking for questions by suggesting the best possible sizes there ever is.

 

I agree on that one. It’s just that when people are willing to upgrade I believe we should at least get them to commit for adequate instead of the best because, in my personal experience people get turned off. Here in Asia I will see 19” Arowana’s are kept in 4ft 67G or so tanks. And people just do not listen. Even a suggestion of a 6ft 120G is taken with a lot of resistance. Try suggesting an 8footer what a fish like Asian arowana need. I know a guy who has a 14” arowana and 8Oscars and 3sting rays in a 5foot tank. And he wanted one more Oscar from me.

So I believe in at least providing the fish adequate recommendation first without causing a turn off, as otherwise the one who asked help may end up not upgrading at all. Just my very sincere and personal opinion. Thanks

Great comment and duly noted!

 

Thanks Ron, you have very well expressed something that I've always had trouble putting into words.
It's much better to keep fish in the minimum that's recommended for them than to keep them in an environment that is like 10% of what it should be. Obviously, I agree that more is better and to go above and beyond is ideal, but when you want to convince another person to do better for their pet it's important not to overwhelm them into non-action out of a feeling of helplessness.

Anyways, I see OP very willing to do better for their fish and I have high hopes and a positive outlook for the future of these goldfish.

 

Thanks Ron, you have very well expressed something that I've always had trouble putting into words.
It's much better to keep fish in the minimum that's recommended for them than to keep them in an environment that is like 10% of what it should be. Obviously, I agree that more is better and to go above and beyond is ideal, but when you want to convince another person to do better for their pet it's important not to overwhelm them into non-action out of a feeling of helplessness.

Anyways, I see OP very willing to do better for their fish and I have high hopes and a positive outlook for the future of these goldfish.

I edited my reply to be more coherent. I wrote the original post (which has been since edited), when I was extremely sleepy post my lunch break. My apologies for total lack punctuation and horrible sentence structure. Some of which, I have already corrected. Anyway the message remain the same. Not to scare off people asking for questions by suggesting the best possible sizes there ever is.