Goldfish death and suggestions for other fish?
My daughter got three fish at a fair (not her school--I'd have asked why the * they be giving out live creatures as game prizes). Two were orange goldfish and the third be an entirely gray one (could this still be a goldfish?).
We got a small starter tank and a filter and gravel and goldfish flakes and water conditioner. All three fish in synch well for a couple of weeks.
Then the gray one's eye swelled up a lot and we figured it would die. I put conditioner contained by the water, and over time, the eye has come back to middle-of-the-road. This is now the sole survivor.
One of the orange goldfish died on Monday. On Sunday night I have put [the right amount of] water conditioner in the tank. The fish seem fine on Monday morning but was dead when I came domestic on Monday night.
This morning, the biggest fish was dead.
Any thinking or suggestions?
How many flakes per fish is enough if you're feed two times a day?
Does location possibly hurt fish? The fish are not near a window but may capture a little direct sunlight for short periods of the day.
Am I supposed to remove the fish when I use dampen conditioner? I don't. On the bad-fish-owner side, I have not changed the water since getting the tank give or take a few three weeks ago; the instructions say to replace one-quarter of the water when you affix the conditioner. I just add the conditioner each week.
Finally, what fish are unproblematic to care for, attractive, and might live a little while surrounded by a small starter tank?
Thanks for your answers.
The fish died of "new tank syndrome". In other words, they died of accumulative ammonia and/or nitrite poisoning. This isn't your shortcoming - you weren't expecting your daughter to come home with the fish, but it does mean you didn't enjoy time to cycle the tank. Sadly, the goldfish as prizes trade causes literally 1,000,000s of deaths surrounded by this manner.
However, there's still hope for the 3rd one. Carry out an emergency 50% water change ASAP, using dechloronator, followed by each day water changes of 15-25%. Reduce feeding to once every other daylight, being careful to remove any uneaten food after 3 minutes and DO NOT add any more fish of late yet, although, to be honest, there's not that many fish that are compatible with goldfish. Small fish such as White Cloud Mountain minnows will become mouth-watering snacks once the goldfish are big enough, and Hillstream loaches need a river set up, and are extremely difficult to care for. One prospect is the Weather Loach.
You need a test kit. I recommend the API juice based test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. You can acquire it cheaper on Ebay than on the highstreet. Once you get it, start testing the water for ammonia and nitrite on a on a daily basis basis before carrying out the water change. Of course, once ammonia and nitrite are 0 (indicating that the tank is fully cycled) you can reduce water change to 10-15% weekly.
What's the name of the water conditioner and how many times hold you been adding it? It's possible that it's dechloronator - which is what you need, but using too much or using it for bar treating tapwater for water changes could result in poisoning. If it's something that's supposed to drain or eliminate the need for water change - put it on the shelf and leave it to collect dust - it's worthless, and potentially dangerous.
The grey fish have Pop-eye. A common symptom of many underlying problems. In this case, I suspect marine quality.
If the grey fish survives (assuming it's a goldfish colour-morph) it will need a minimum of 30gal, with satisfactory filtration for upwards of 60gal. This increases if it's a common - they really need tank upwards of 55gal.
The fish died because the water was too dirty. You should have done dampen changes and followed the instructions. If you get more fish, they will also die whether you don't do any water changes. Your other concerns are minor, just adapt the water every week, and your fish will do better. If you can handle the water change, you need to find another hobby.
Answers: Well, kudos for caring and trying to take devout care of the fish that were thrust upon you. Most people simply toss them in an unfiltered bowl.
Goldies are one of the worst fish to be given out as prizes, but they are colorful, cheap, and draw in customers- so are still used. They are one of the messiest fish you can get. They produce a ton of ammonia and this is probably what kill the other 2 fish. The grey one is probably still a gold fish- they come in a variety of colors.
Feeding 2 times a light of day is too much. Feeding once a day, or even every other day is much better. A well feed fish will go 2 weeks or so without eating or showing any loss surrounded by mass. Flakes are all different sizes- so "how many" is hard to answer. A pious rule of theum is "Feed what the fish can eat within 1 minute." after that minute, use your net to win out what is left over to avoid excess waste both from over fed fish, as all right as uneaten, decaying food.
The sunlight may cause an algae issue for you- but is not harmful to the fish. Adding water conditioner to the marine while the fish are present is just fine. Most aquarists do it this way. It would probably cause the fish more stress by removing it nad replacing it than adding up the chemicals does.
Finally: Goldies are cold water fish, and can get very colossal. If you want a small tank with easy fish, I propose you trade your goldie in. He will most likely need a 30-45 gallon cistern by the time he reaches adulthood. Most small aquarium fish are tropical. If you trade in your goldie and receive a heater you could have a nice little community. What tank size do you hold? 10 gallons? If so, I would suggest a few neon tetras, a betta, and a handful of ghost shrimp for an easy, but engaged little community.
Why are you adding conditioner to the water like that? lol. You *** it contained by the bucket of water you're putting into the tank during a water silver :)
Your fish probably died from ammonia poisoning from an uncycled tank that was probably too small and underfiltered. Common goldfish found at fairs entail at least 20 gallons of water each as a minimum and are sickly to start with. You would have needed at least a 60 gallon reservoir that's double filtered to keep these guys until they got too big for THAT cistern and needed a pond ideally.
There are way too many answers to your questions to type here. I'll distribute you some links to get you started with fish and give you info on goldfish :)
The bigger your container, the easier to keep. Small tanks are not good for beginners :)
http://www.firsttankguide.net/
http://kokosgoldfish.com/
http://www.greataquarium.com/start_aquar...
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aquari...
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aquari...
http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-intro.html
TAKE CARE OF THE WATER AND IT WILL TAKE CARE OF THE FISH!
Fishkeeping is more of a hobby than similar to having a pet. read up as much as you can before getting any more fish!
