Goldfish Go To Top Of Tank, Get Air Come Back Down

Little worried about them, I have the aqua one aqua start 320 kit and was told I can have two goldfish and should be fine. They have sand at the bttom, a few fake plants and a decoratioin.

They go to the top, get air and come back down. I bought the tank a week ago, let it run through and about 8 days later got two fish as he told me that would be fine for now. I have put the right amount of filter aid in and assumed everything should be good. The fish seem to be going to the top of the tank for air then come down. Is everything ok?

UPDATE ON MY TANK 50 DAYS LATER!!:

First of all, Thanks for all the advice and guidance about my tank, Much appreciated and it helped me out alot. After doing a lot of changes my goldfish settled in, stopped gasping for air and where exploring there tank! When I first got the fish this was my setup:




Around 4 weeks later I purchased an air stone and pump, changed it to gravel base and did a couple attempts at live plants, I did not quite understand what I was doing so I chucked them out and put the fake ones back in. Today (Around 1 week later) I went back to the shop and asked as much advice as possible. With my advice I purchased 1 new fish (That has been on my mind for a while now) and one live plant + another small air stone. This plant I bought is a anacharis, Here is a photo of the changed tank and the fish.







I have plans for a much larger aquarium that will be downstairs and ill be using this tank for quarantine as soon as I get that.

 

I'm not familiar with that kit. What size is the tank? Do you have a way to test the water?

 

What size tank? (I know someone else asked but that's important )

What is your temperature? Sometimes if they are stressed they go to the surface BUT if the water is too warm for them, they could be going to oxygen because with warmer letter= less oxygen.

Also, if they are stressed they will swim frantically around.

 

28 liters or almost 8 gallons.
Sorry to say the store lied to you, that tank is no were near big enough for a goldfish let alone 2. I suspect they are going to the top for air to try to get away from the ammonia they are producing. Since the tank is too small and not cycled you will need to do daily water changes till you can get this sorted out. No fear we will help .

 

I think that tank is 28 litres? It is 30 cm long which means that once your goldfish are fully grown they will be longer than your tank. The problem is your tank is way too small. Singletailed goldfish need 680 litres bare minimum. Fancy goldfish need around 150 litres minimum.

 

Ah 8 gallons that is way too small those goldfish are probably stressed and like David said- trying to get away from that ammonia. Id return the fish and house something more suitable to 8 gallons once you're done cycling your tank, maybe read up on cycling there's a super super helpful thread in the freshwater beginner section!

 

They probably are stressed and are going to the surface for air

They probably are stressed and are going to the surface for air

Because there isn’t enough in the water. Oops accidentally posted becfore I was done.

 

These are the fish, If that's the case then what is the next step?

 

They look like fantails which is a good thing since 2 fantails only need 150 litres. Please try to upgrade to a larger tank as soon as possible. When you do, move the filter over at the same time so you are not having to cycle from scratch.
If you cannot upgrade then it would be best to rehome the fish and get something more appropriate for your tank size.

 

They look like fantails which is a good thing since 2 fantails only need 150 litres. Please try to upgrade to a larger tank as soon as possible. When you do, move the filter over at the same time so you are not having to cycle from scratch.
If you cannot upgrade then it would be best to rehome the fish and get something more appropriate for your tank size.

Thank you, just googled and I your clearly correct. Is there anything that this tank would be ok for?

 

Stocking List For 5 Gallon Nano Aquariums
Yea we have a handy list. I'm sure you will find something you like on it.

 

Thank you, just googled and I your clearly correct. Is there anything that this tank would be ok for?

Check out the 5 gallon stocking list. A single betta and possibly a snail would be a great setup and quite easy to care for. Another option would be a shrimp tank.

 

I'm going to be taking a look at a very large second hand tank with all the equipment on monday, are there any questions I should ask when viewing. Its 4 foot x 1 x 1 foot. Will this be large enough?

 

Yeah that would be great for 2 fancies.

Make sure it holds water without leaking!
Also make sure the filter works.

Edit: here is a link to a good article on buying second hand tanks

 

That would be a 55 gallon or 208 liters so yea it would work.

 

Refreshing to see a new comer take the correct advice and upgrade.

Best of luck to you and your fish!

 

Refreshing to see a new comer take the correct advice and upgrade.

Best of luck to you and your fish!

Thanks, ill make sure to stick around.

Hello,

My fish are litterally just staying at the top gasping for air at this point. What do I do?

 

Hello,

My fish are litterally just staying at the top gasping for air at this point. What do I do?

What are your water parameters, ammonia nitrite etc? Gasping can be sign of ammonia/nitrite poisoning or oxygen deprivation. Do you have an air stone?

Gasping can also be goldfish looking for food, especially if they're used to flakes but I would rule out water quality first.

If I were you I would test the water and do a water change to see if that helps.

Are their fins clamped at all, any lethargy?

 

What are your water parameters, ammonia nitrite etc? Gasping can be sign of ammonia/nitrite poisoning or oxygen deprivation. Do you have an air stone?

Gasping can also be goldfish looking for food, especially if they're used to flakes but I would rule out water quality first.

If I were you I would test the water and do a water change to see if that helps.

Are their fins clamped at all, any lethargy?

The guy at the shop tested everything, said it was fine. Ive already done a water change yesturday and it didnt help. No I don't have a air stone don't you need to connect them to the pump though? My pump and filter came with the tank and all it does it take water from the bottom and pour it out on top via a nossle. I seriously think that my fish are going to die tonight. They are just sitting on top gasping for air at this point.

 

The guy at the shop tested everything, said it was fine. Ive already done a water change yesturday and it didnt help. No I don't have a air stone don't you need to connect them to the pump though? My pump and filter came with the tank and all it does it take water from the bottom and pour it out on top via a nossle. I seriously think that my fish are going to die tonight. They are just sitting on top gasping for air at this point.

Maybe not enough surface agitation? An air stone is usually connected to an air pump unless you have a sponge filter where the two are integrated.

Do you know what kit he used to test your water? Test strips cab be very inaccurate.

You mentioned you let your tank run for 8 days before adding fish which suggests it hasn't cycled yet (apologies if you already know this but its when beneficial bacteria convert toxic ammonia -- > nitrites--> nitrate as part of the nitrogen cycle). 8 days isn't really long enough for a tank to cycle property unless you seeded your filter media from an established aquarium.

I would

1 do a water change
2 get a testing kit, preferably the apI freshwater master liquid kit
3 get some tetra safe start or seachem stability to quickstart your nitrogen cycle
4 get some Seachem prime, very powerful water conditioner that will detoxify ammonia and nitrites

Hope this helps

 

Right.. Ive been completley screwed over by the shop then. Looks like they don't care about the fish and just wanted a quick buck.

 

Right.. Ive been completley screwed over by the shop then. Looks like they don't care about the fish and just wanted a quick buck.

Honestly they might not know better, as dumb as it sounds. A lot of terrible misinformation is still passed along as fact, so they regurgitate what they've been told. I would def recommend getting your own testing kit, and an airstone to help with oxygen exchange in the tank water.

 

Right.. Ive been completley screwed over by the shop then. Looks like they don't care about the fish and just wanted a quick buck.

Usually the case with fish shops! When I was younger I was sold a 20 litre hex tank as being suitable for 2 goldfish....learnt the hard they were wrong

You goldfish could be staying near the surface because they're looking/begging for food. My goldfish frequently 'gasp' at the surface, especially when I'm around but since my parameters are fine I know its nothing to worry about.

However since your set up is quite new I would make sure your water parameters are OK and as has been mentioned, consider upgrading your tank.

Hope this helps and let us know how your fish get on

 

I agree with Fawkes21 - my goldfish gasp like weirdo all the time. Maybe check their fins- do u see any signs of ammonia burn? How are they doing today

 

I agree with Fawkes21 - my goldfish gasp like weirdo all the time. Maybe check their fins- do u see any signs of ammonia burn? How are they doing today

Checkout the updated post