two fish, one died; add a companion?

[mj]

Hi,

We have had two goldfish (Dottie and Goldie) doing swimmingly well for 4
years in a 10 gallon tank. Water changes regularly (probably not regularly
enough, but regularly). Recently, Goldie suddenly sickened and died within
24 hours. She went from normal to flopping on her side and upside down and
unable to swim to the surface and "breathing" rapidly. Put her in clean
water for an hour or two with absolutely no difference; two quick water and
filter changes to no avail. She was given burial in East River (New York)
with honors.

Dottie seemed distressed for a short while, now back to normal. The two of
them would often swim together for long periods of time. What are the
feelings about providing him (our daughter has dubbed Dottie a "he" despite
the name) with a new soulmate, now that he is a widower? Is it a necessity,
a mistake or neither?

And any thoughts on the sudden demise?

Thanks

[Gerry]

I'm no illness expert (fish wise anyway) but it sounds like it was a swimmbladder problem.

I think you could add another fish if you wanted, but is not a must.

[blove]

Your overstocked. 10 gallons per fancy goldfish, 20 gallons per long bodied
goldfish. Goldfish like other goldfish companions but you need a bigger
tank if your gonna get another one.


"mj" > wrote in message news:UlNQe.6929$cY.1388@trndny06...
> Hi,
>
> We have had two goldfish (Dottie and Goldie) doing swimmingly well for 4
> years in a 10 gallon tank. Water changes regularly (probably not
> regularly enough, but regularly). Recently, Goldie suddenly sickened and
> died within 24 hours. She went from normal to flopping on her side and
> upside down and unable to swim to the surface and "breathing" rapidly.
> Put her in clean water for an hour or two with absolutely no difference;
> two quick water and filter changes to no avail. She was given burial in
> East River (New York) with honors.
>
> Dottie seemed distressed for a short while, now back to normal. The two
> of them would often swim together for long periods of time. What are the
> feelings about providing him (our daughter has dubbed Dottie a "he"
> despite the name) with a new soulmate, now that he is a widower? Is it a
> necessity, a mistake or neither?
>
> And any thoughts on the sudden demise?
>
> Thanks
>

[Lilly]

The breathing rapidly would indicate some sort of water quality issue
or gill disease. The disease could be due to water quality issues,
particularly oxygen.

Two goldfish in a 10 gallon is a very tight squeeze. If you want to get
Dottie a companion, a 20 gallon or bigger tank would be best.
Personally, I like to give my fish as much space as possible and keep 3
in a 75 gallon. I know NYC living arrangements are at best tight, so do
the best you can. A longer, lower tank, like a 20 long, would be a
better choice over a normal 20 gallon. It gives more surface area, thus
better exchange of gasses.

Wait a while to get a companion. If it is illness, you want to make
sure that Dottie doesn't come down with it too, thus exposing the new
arrival to whatever it is. Likewise, quarrantine the new arrival for 4
to 6 weeks. If you get a new 20 gallon tank, you'll already have a nice
quarrantine setup.

[Michael Jacobson]

Thanks! We started out with 5 gallons for the two of them, then upped to 10
after being practically threatened with being reported to the ASPCA on this
newsgroup :)



"Lilly" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> The breathing rapidly would indicate some sort of water quality issue
> or gill disease. The disease could be due to water quality issues,
> particularly oxygen.
>
> Two goldfish in a 10 gallon is a very tight squeeze. If you want to get
> Dottie a companion, a 20 gallon or bigger tank would be best.
> Personally, I like to give my fish as much space as possible and keep 3
> in a 75 gallon. I know NYC living arrangements are at best tight, so do
> the best you can. A longer, lower tank, like a 20 long, would be a
> better choice over a normal 20 gallon. It gives more surface area, thus
> better exchange of gasses.
>
> Wait a while to get a companion. If it is illness, you want to make
> sure that Dottie doesn't come down with it too, thus exposing the new
> arrival to whatever it is. Likewise, quarrantine the new arrival for 4
> to 6 weeks. If you get a new 20 gallon tank, you'll already have a nice
> quarrantine setup.
>