Re: Sick Goldfish

[Tom Randy]

On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 10:21:21 +0000, James Goodman wrote:

> At xmas we bought a large glass goldfish bowl to keep a couple of goldfish
> in. Its capacity is approx 20-21l. We also bought gravel & a small plastic
> plant.
>

How big is 20-211? Goldfish need at LEAST 10 gallons of water PER FISH. 2
fish means at least 20 gallons.

[James Goodman]

20-21litres. It was the biggest bowl in the aquarium shop...

--
Cheers,

James Goodman
"Tom Randy" > wrote in message
. ..
> On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 10:21:21 +0000, James Goodman wrote:
>
>> At xmas we bought a large glass goldfish bowl to keep a couple of
>> goldfish
>> in. Its capacity is approx 20-21l. We also bought gravel & a small
>> plastic
>> plant.
>>
>
> How big is 20-211? Goldfish need at LEAST 10 gallons of water PER FISH. 2
> fish means at least 20 gallons.
>
>
>
>

[John D. Goulden]

You need to find a better LFS. The traditional "goldfish bowl" is cruel and
unusual punishment, and it's disappointing that they sold you one.

If you've just started reading this group, you probably now know that "our"
opinion is that goldies need about ten gallons of water per inch, so two
small goldfish require at least a 20-gallon aquarium. You also have probably
found that a new aquarium needs to be "cycled," a process which establishes
colonies of bacteria that eliminate fish waste. There are several differing
opinions on how to cycle a new tank; google on "aquarium cycling" for lots
of info.

First priority: keep your remaining goldie alive. In that small bowl, this
will require 20% water changes EVERY DAY. I would recommend preparing the
water each morning (tap water with the appropriate treatment to remove
chlorine and / or chloramines) and let it stand all day. Then, in the
evening, remove 20% of the water from the fish bowl and slowly add your
treated water. Don't overfeed goldie during this time; it just fouls the
water more rapidly.

Second priority: get a proper home for your goldie. My preference is to keep
my goldies (well, all of my fish) in planted tanks, so I would get a 20- or
30-gallon aquarium and use an undergravel filter with a power head rather
than just airstones (goldies like a bit of current in their water) and
supplement that with a traditional hang-on cartridge filter or biowheel
filter. You don't need a heater. You may or may not want to add a little
aquarium salt; google on "aquarium salt" for various opinions on this (I use
about half the recommended amount of salt in my goldie tanks). Add your
decorations and plenty of live plants and let it sit for a day or so with
the filters running to make sure there are no leaks or other problems, then
add your goldie. This tank isn't yet cycled, so you will have to monitor
your water parameters (get a test kit for ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites;
any good LFS will have them) and do daily 20% water changes for a while.
After you no longer detect ammonia in the water you can fall back to weekly
20% water changes, which is what is recommended as regular maintenance, and
add a few more goldies (they enjoy the company of their own kind) but not
tropicals (which need a heater). I seldom see big spikes in ammonia,
nitrates, or nitrates in a brand-new uncycled tank if there are plenty of
plants to help out and if started with a light fish load.

Other posters will have different opinions on this. Many don't think goldies
and gravel mix, other will say that goldies are too hard on the plants. I've
never had a problem with either issue but of course YMMV.

Good luck and enjoy your fish!

--
John Goulden
mostly guppies, goldies, swordtails, and bettas

[Geezer From The Freezer]

James Goodman wrote:
>
> 20-21litres. It was the biggest bowl in the aquarium shop...
>

Bowl? :( You've been had! Goldfish should not live in bowls, they are not good
for water surface oxygenation and are too small to house goldfish. Goldfish
are messy and require a larger tank with a filter. They also grow upto and over
12"