I am new to this website and I hope someone can help me. I think my daughter's goldfish is dying. I changed the water 2 days ago - and I don't know if I didn't leave him in the bag long enough to adjust for the temp. of water (did I shock him?) or if I hurt his fin with the net?? He is pressed against the bottom of the filter on his side and when I try to get him to move he goes back to the bottom of the filter on the same side and presses his fin against it. He won't eat and is breathing heavily. Any suggestions??
Thank you!
How long did you cycle the tank? If you suspect that it is ammonia or nitrite poisoning due to incomplete cycling of the tank, you can add some salt and aerate the tank. Do a partial water change.
Do you have conditioner like Seachem Stress Guard or Sera Aqutan? These products will help calm the fish.
BC
It was only an hour before I put him back in. I used ACE ammonia and chlorine eliminator and Algae destroyer because I had problems w/algae before... What kind of salt? How do I aerate? Sorry if I sound stupid but we are fairly new at this! Thank you so much for your reply!
Normal table salt will do the trick. 1/2 to 1 tsp should help alleviate nitrite poisoning.
Aerate the tank by introducing a airstone with air pump.
Do a search on nitrogen cycle or tank cycling. They should give you some valuable information in what to do to prepare the tank prior to introducing fishes.
Some algicides contains nasty stuff like copper. I try to stay away from such chemicals.
BC
Thanks so much!!!! I'll try what you said. : )
Goldfishes are easy to acclimatise, temp. shldn't be a problem. I think there could be something else that is causing your fish abnormal behaviour as Bclee said abt copper. If all else that you tried does not improve the fish condition. I suggest you take a new pail of tap water (best to aerate heavily for at least 6hrs so that chlorine is dissipitated). Then put your goldfish in it. Your fish will swim happily for the next 24 hrs without problem attributed to nitrite/nitrate buildup. Repeat process if necessary until you find out what's wrong with your tank.
Hi,Originally Posted by beasley1018
You said you changed the water, how much of water did you changed? Is your tank a new tank, specially set up for the fish? Did you notice any stress signs on the fish when you bought it? Eg, torn fins, swimming at the bottom of the tank with clamped fins, etc.
Please watch for these signs. Some of us have already suggested some corrective actions.
Hope it is well.
Regards
Thio
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