Why Does One Fish Hang Out Near The Filter?

I have two Oranda goldfish. One of them always seem to be near the filter and have its tail against the tube. The other fish would sometimes nudge it to get it to play with them but it wouldn't budge. if a person walks near the tank it gets out of the corner and near the other goldfish.I only had one idea why it stays at that corner, maybe it likes the vibration? Before anyone says that there is bullying involve, there isn't because I like to watch for long periods of time to cope with depression and they never fight. I'm just really concerned since it has never done this and it only started yesterday.

White and orange oranda: Male
Black and orange oranda: Female
20 Gallon Tank

 

It could be two reasons...one that it's being bullied and it's regulated to that corner or that it's not active cause the size of the tank. The tank is much too small for the two goldies.

 

What's your ammonia and Nitrite at? It could be that one fish is weaker and is starting to show symptoms of poisoning.

 

That tank is soo small man.. rehome them or get a bigger tank

 

From what I can see the fish are much to big for that tank. What size tank is it?

Fancy Goldfish are really messy fish and require 20 gallons just for one with an additional 10 gallons for every other fish, so to be safe you’d need a 40 gallon (long is better for fancies) to house these guys with a good filtered system or you’ll see ammonia spikes.

The quite fish might be showing signs of distress from water quality.

What’s your water readings and temperature?

 

I have similar with 1 black widow tetra parms are perfect same with temps no distress think he/she just likes that spot with the incoming current been like that for months showing no signs of Ill health so I've just dismissed it he or she still comes out to feed in my case but there is few more factors in yours as others have covered

 

Welcome to FishLore!

A little more info would go a long way in helping you out more.
How long have you had the fish?
What are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH levels?

I do see you have a 20 gallon tank. The minimum recommended tank size for fancy goldfish is 20 gallon for the first and an additional 10 gallons for each additional fancy goldfish. But in my opinion, minimum is the key word in that statement, and a larger tank would be better.

But I can't say for sure that being in too small of a tank is causing that behavior.

Wish I could have been more helpful.

Best of luck!

 

I’m not gonna tell you to get a bigger tank like the others but. They seem bored. Put a bubbler in there or some cheap ghost shrimp. Their bio load is next to nothing and it might interest your fish. Besides that you could upgrade filtration.

 

I got better filtration and a 50-gallon tank to just be safe but she still likes to be in a corner so I decided to buy some baby goldfish and she immediately became happy and swan with them never leaving them alone or anything. she likes to play with the little ones and gets tired really easy so she rests quite a lot since goldfish are really (REALLY) fast! My oranda goldfish was a gift and so was the tank and filter. Thanks for all the help guys she is now happy and loves her new adopted babies. The other fish is fine as well he likes to sleep next to her.......I'm really hoping I don't get fry

 

I got better filtration and a 50-gallon tank to just be safe but she still likes to be in a corner so I decided to buy some baby goldfish and she immediately became happy and swan with them never leaving them alone or anything. she likes to play with the little ones and gets tired really easy so she rests quite a lot since goldfish are really (REALLY) fast! My oranda goldfish was a gift and so was the tank and filter. Thanks for all the help guys she is now happy and loves her new adopted babies. The other fish is fine as well he likes to sleep next to her.......I'm really hoping I don't get fry

Wait, you cycled a 50 gallon tank in the span of 4 days? ...What's your secret? Also, now you'll have to get an even bigger tank because those babies won't be babies for long. Do you have pictures of the setup? Most fish go through a stress period when being moved to a different tank. And what are your water parameters?

 

I got better filtration and a 50-gallon tank to just be safe but she still likes to be in a corner so I decided to buy some baby goldfish and she immediately became happy and swan with them never leaving them alone or anything. she likes to play with the little ones and gets tired really easy so she rests quite a lot since goldfish are really (REALLY) fast! My oranda goldfish was a gift and so was the tank and filter. Thanks for all the help guys she is now happy and loves her new adopted babies. The other fish is fine as well he likes to sleep next to her.......I'm really hoping I don't get fry

Ok but you’ve just added more bioload to another tank. How many more goldfish have you got? Are they fancy or common?

 

I have two Oranda goldfish. One of them always seem to be near the filter and have its tail against the tube. The other fish would sometimes nudge it to get it to play with them but it wouldn't budge. if a person walks near the tank it gets out of the corner and near the other goldfish.I only had one idea why it stays at that corner, maybe it likes the vibration? Before anyone says that there is bullying involve, there isn't because I like to watch for long periods of time to cope with depression and they never fight. I'm just really concerned since it has never done this and it only started yesterday.

White and orange oranda: Male
Black and orange oranda: Female
20 Gallon Tank

View attachment 448328 View attachment 448329 View attachment 448330

I would say that this tank is too small and cluttered gold fish need a lot of room to swim around and it could be possible that he is not getting enough oxygen and it trying to compensate by sitting next to the filter where the fresh water comes in

 

I would say that this tank is too small and cluttered gold fish need a lot of room to swim around and it could be possible that he is not getting enough oxygen and it trying to compensate by sitting next to the filter where the fresh water comes in

As I understand it, OP has now moved them to a 50 or 55 gallon (I can’t recall which), but has added more goldfish and is probably now overstocked again.

 

I would really like to know your ammonia levels.....can you test them?
How did you cycle the new tank? did you move the filter from the old tank to the new one?

 

I would really like to know your ammonia levels.....can you test them?
How did you cycle the new tank? did you move the filter from the old tank to the new one?

They say they got “better filtration” so I’m assuming they didn’t and got a new filter.....

 

They say they got “better filtration” so I’m assuming they didn’t and got a new filter.....

Hmmm. Well that would be unfortunate. Goldfish are pretty darn hardy...they can survive through a lot of crud, but they still would be just as miserable as any other fish having to live through a cycle. So I hope the new filter was a 2nd filter and the old filter was used on the new tank as well (without washing it's media in tap water)

Personally I am going to guess water quality all the way. But the OP won't give us those readings. I am not surprised he perked up in a new tank with fresh water...but that isn't going to last. I bet he will be back in a corner in the near future if that tank was not cycled. :-(

 

Hmmm. Well that would be unfortunate. Goldfish are pretty darn hardy...they can survive through a lot of crud, but they still would be just as miserable as any other fish having to live through a cycle. So I hope the new filter was a 2nd filter and the old filter was used on the new tank as well (without washing it's media in tap water)

Personally I am going to guess water quality all the way. But the OP won't give us those readings. I am not surprised he perked up in a new tank with fresh water...but that isn't going to last. I bet he will be back in a corner in the near future if that tank was not cycled. :-(

Personally the whole situation feels a little sketchy to me. Fish usually go through the stress period I mentioned when moved to a new tank and adding more fish on top of it would lead to more stress, not a miraculous story of motherly love. I don’t know I could be reading too much into it but..

 

Personally the whole situation feels a little sketchy to me. Fish usually go through the stress period I mentioned when moved to a new tank and adding more fish on top of it would lead to more stress, not a miraculous story of motherly love. I don’t know I could be reading too much into it but..

Not necessarily! I mean....if the water quality was really bad in the previous tank....the fish essentially got a 100% water change that may have made him feel a little better temporarily. But like I said, I do not think that will last.

I bet we will never know the water quality in the first tank if it has been taken down. So it can never be proven....but if the OP is confident there was no bullying (despite the fish showing behavior of a fish that is being bullied) Then I am confident it was water quality. Which will only get worse if this new tank was not cycled.

BUT....we are making assumptions a little bit here. The OP has not responded about how they cycled the new tank.....

 

Ok but you’ve just added more bioload to another tank. How many more goldfish have you got? Are they fancy or common?

2 fancy and 2 commons I'm planning on getting ghost shrimp but I'm unsure whether the fancy fish will eat them.

 

2 fancy and 2 commons I'm planning on getting ghost shrimp but I'm unsure whether the fancy fish will eat them.

How did you cycle your new tank? And did you EVER test your water in the previous tank? How long has the new one been running?

Common goldfish belong in ponds. And I don't think people typically like to mix fancies with commons. But that I don't know for sure.

 

2 fancy and 2 commons I'm planning on getting ghost shrimp but I'm unsure whether the fancy fish will eat them.

Firstly you should not have fancy goldfish and common goldfish together.

Secondly common goldfish should be in ponds as they get to be a foot long.

Thirdly, if you don’t answer people’s questions no one can help you.

 

Commons will out compete the fancies for food and can even reach 2 feet long, so better left in ponds.
C'mon, we need some test results here... Anything like that?

Firstly you should not have fancy goldfish and common goldfish together.

Secondly common goldfish should be in ponds as they get to be a foot long.

Thirdly, if you don’t answer people’s questions no one can help you.

Not just a foot long, my friend, that would be a stunted common believe it or not...
Yeah, OP sorry but that set up won't last long. The commons may even harass the fancies to death

 

Not just a foot long, my friend, that would be a stunted common believe it or not...
Yeah, OP sorry but that set up won't last long. The commons may even harass the fancies to death

Actually the longest known goldfish measures 18.7 inches which is about 1 foot 7 inches give or take an inch or two.

 

Actually the longest known goldfish measures 18.7 inches which is about 1 foot 7 inches give or take an inch or two.

Huh, I always thought the average was 16-18 inches. Well, live and learn

 

Thirdly, if you don’t answer people’s questions no one can help you.

YUP!!!
I think the OP thinks their problems have been resolved since the goldfish perked up in a larger tank with 100% new water. So what more is there to discuss, right????

But I don't think it will last AND now there are even more issues that will cause more problems. But because all the fish are getting along for the moment, and the stressed fish is showing some energy, I get the impression the OP is satisfied with that. Despite the warnings of others with more experience.

Sadly, things are likely going to go downhill from here. I hope the new commons were not feeder goldfish, then we have even MORE problems. (potential illnesses)

 

Let’s wait for the Op to return before making any more speculations or assumptions

 

Okay, I have not tested the water and just kinda moved them without cycling the tank. It looks like I can't take care of fish and am considering to just give them away so they don't die in my hands. I tested the water and the ammonia is high but everything else is great. I'm planning on doing a 30% water change weekly until I find a proper person to take care of the fish.

 

Okay, I have not tested the water and just kinda moved them without cycling the tank. It looks like I can't take care of fish and am considering to just give them away so they don't die in my hands. I tested the water and the ammonia is high but everything else is great. I'm planning on doing a 30% water change weekly until I find a proper person to take care of the fish.

Oh come on! don't talk like that! We are only trying to help you. Not to put you down! And I am sorry if it made you feel that way. I personally just was frustrated that you were ignoring my questions because I really wanted to help you!

Just because you didn't research cycling a tank, it doesn't mean you can't keep fish.

You could do 3 fancies, maybe 4, in the 50g, but no commons. Return them for sure. And then do some reading about the nitrogen cycle.

And I would suggest you do a few water changes a week until your tank is full cycled. I do think your goldfish perked up due to the 100% water change, but that isn't going to last if you don't do a little research first and put in a little extra effort for the next few weeks. Eventually things will settle down and a weekly water change should be sufficient. And do NOT add more fish until the tank is fully cycled.

There are a lot of great people on here who only want to help. We can answer all your questions and help you be the best fish keeper you can be!

 

Okay, I have not tested the water and just kinda moved them without cycling the tank. It looks like I can't take care of fish and am considering to just give them away so they don't die in my hands. I tested the water and the ammonia is high but everything else is great. I'm planning on doing a 30% water change weekly until I find a proper person to take care of the fish.

Thank you for testing the water! Unfortunately, 30% weekly won't be enough for these guys, it'll have to be closer to 30-50% daily. Any ammonia is unfortunately toxic to them. You could consider only rehoming the common goldfish and once the tank cycles, you could get one or two more fancy goldfish. Registering ammonia and nothing else indicates you are at the beginning of the cycle. If you want to speed it up, you could invest in some Seachem stability or similar. What water conditioner do you use? Depending on what kind and bacterial boosters, yoy may not have to do as many water changes.

 

Thank you for testing the water! Unfortunately, 30% weekly won't be enough for these guys, it'll have to be closer to 30-50% daily. Any ammonia is unfortunately toxic to them. You could consider only rehoming the common goldfish and once the tank cycles, you could get one or two more fancy goldfish. Registering ammonia and nothing else indicates you are at the beginning of the cycle. If you want to speed it up, you could invest in some Seachem stability or similar. What water conditioner do you use? Depending on what kind and bacterial boosters, yoy may not have to do as many water changes.

thank you for the response. for now since the common goldfish look like they are only 1 month old I would put them in the old 20 gal tank and make sure to cycle that tan before putting them in there. i''ll definitely use the seachem stability. my water conditioner is the







API Tap Water Conditioner

Oh come on! don't talk like that! We are only trying to help you. Not to put you down! And I am sorry if it made you feel that way. I personally just was frustrated that you were ignoring my questions because I really wanted to help you!

Just because you didn't research cycling a tank, it doesn't mean you can't keep fish.

You could do 3 fancies, maybe 4, in the 50g, but no commons. Return them for sure. And then do some reading about the nitrogen cycle.

And I would suggest you do a few water changes a week until your tank is full cycled. I do think your goldfish perked up due to the 100% water change, but that isn't going to last if you don't do a little research first and put in a little extra effort for the next few weeks. Eventually things will settle down and a weekly water change should be sufficient. And do NOT add more fish until the tank is fully cycled.

There are a lot of great people on here who only want to help. We can answer all your questions and help you be the best fish keeper you can be!

ah thanks for the motivation I guess I'm just having beginners bad luck atm. I will surly not add any more fish..my wallet has already been abused enough with all the things I will be getting for these fishes.

 

I suggest you get seachem prime for your water conditioner. It detoxifies lower levels of both ammonia and nitrites for 24 hours. And it is the same brand as stability, and that brand encourages them to be used together.

Just don't use prime with any other kind of bacterial supplement. I learned today that it kills bottled bacteria. But not with stability because Seachem made those products so they can be used together.

I would still get rid of the commons if I were you.

 

thank you for the response. for now since the common goldfish look like they are only 1 month old I would put them in the old 20 gal tank and make sure to cycle that tan before putting them in there. i''ll definitely use the seachem stability. my water conditioner is the
View attachment 448984View attachment 448985View attachment 448986



API Tap Water Conditioner

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You can try and keep the commons with the fancies while they're small, but if you notice they're nipping the fancies, they should be moved. If you can still manage to feed the fancies, it should be okay.
Great water conditoner, but I'm going to recommend a different one. Seachem Prime detoxifies ammonia and nitrite up to 2ppm combined. As long as ammonia + nitrite is 2ppm or less, you can just dose Prime and the fish will be safe

I suggest you get seachem prime for your water conditioner. It detoxifies lower levels of both ammonia and nitrites for 24 hours. And it is the same brand as stability, and that brand encourages them to be used together.

Just don't use prime with any other kind of bacterial supplement. I learned today that it kills bottled bacteria. But not with stability because Seachem made those products so they can be used together.

I would still get rid of the commons if I were you.

Haha, oops we keep saying the same things, you're just a bit faster

 

Haha, oops we keep saying the same things, you're just a bit faster

Love it when that happens! I got to agree twice!

 

I suggest you get seachem prime for your water conditioner. It detoxifies lower levels of both ammonia and nitrites for 24 hours. And it is the same brand as stability, and that brand encourages them to be used together.

Just don't use prime with any other kind of bacterial supplement. I learned today that it kills bottled bacteria. But not with stability because Seachem made those products so they can be used together.

I would still get rid of the commons if I were you.

oh okay I will for sure get the seachem prime and save up money to make an indoor pond for the common goldfish, I don't want them to feel unwanted. I'll look into getting older common goldfish so they could possibly mother the babies

 

I know a lot of people have luck making a plywood frame and a pond liner for less than $100 for an indoor pond. Course the filter isn't free, but you can DIY stuff with a water pump, and there's a few of those for 800gph for $20. It's a wonderful idea

 

FlowDen, don't feel bad or get discouraged, you are far from being the first person to get off on the wrong foot. It is so difficult to get good advice about keeping fish from friends or even many fish stores.

I started keeping fish (after a long hiatus) when my daughter won two common goldfish at a school fair. So I went to PetSmart, told the salesgirl I had these two goldfish and needed something to put them in. So she sold me a 1.5g tank and said nothing about the nitrogen cycle. One of the commons died within a week or so and I replaced it with a fantail. To make a long story short, after several tank upgrades these two fish ended up in a 25 gallon tank. The common goldfish actually lived for just over five years and the fancy actually lived for over 8 years.

So the main reason I tell you this story is because not everyone does everything correctly, but you should strive to do the best you can. Do take the time to learn about the nitrogen cycle and do get that tank cycled and you will be taking a giant leap forward.

Best of luck!

 

what filter did you get? a 50 gallon you should imo get an aq110