New Sick goldfish

[rednkgrl84]

I got a gold fish and I was wondering what everyone thought... I got him
yesterday at a dirty pet shop(i know ...my 1st mistake), the water he came
in was blue (i later realized this is why thier light was off...) So I threw
in Aquari-sol, stress coat, and AquaSafe. HE/She is in a small 2 gallon penn
plax tank with one of those disposable filters w/ 2 ghost shrimp, 2 of the 3
shrimp seem to shed/molt overnite. I also thre in 1/2 a teaspoon of Doc
Welfishes Aq. Salt. He seems lathargic, his gills are hardly moving. His
back tail seems to have white spots (but not ich, ive seen that before on my
roomie's fish ) .... Should I throw in my roomies "Melafix" or "Quick
Cure".... Her and I dont seem to have much luck with fish....
Thanx
~Lace

[MartinOsirus]

try to put the goldfish in a larger tank like a 10 gallon( they are cheap -
about 7-8$)
Get an aquaclear 150 filter with a sponge - get an airstone with an
airpump(rena is quietest)

[luminos]

You have cannot keep a gold fish in your setting. Adding more chemicals is
making matters worse.

"rednkgrl84" > wrote in message
...
> I got a gold fish and I was wondering what everyone thought... I got him
> yesterday at a dirty pet shop(i know ...my 1st mistake), the water he came
> in was blue (i later realized this is why thier light was off...) So I
threw
> in Aquari-sol, stress coat, and AquaSafe. HE/She is in a small 2 gallon
penn
> plax tank with one of those disposable filters w/ 2 ghost shrimp, 2 of the
3
> shrimp seem to shed/molt overnite. I also thre in 1/2 a teaspoon of Doc
> Welfishes Aq. Salt. He seems lathargic, his gills are hardly moving. His
> back tail seems to have white spots (but not ich, ive seen that before on
my
> roomie's fish ) .... Should I throw in my roomies "Melafix" or "Quick
> Cure".... Her and I dont seem to have much luck with fish....
> Thanx
> ~Lace
>
>

[Elizabeth Naime]

Quoth "rednkgrl84" > on Tue, 4 May 2004 17:51:32
-0400,

How large is the goldfish? Your tank is too small for long-term housing,
but may be all right as a temporary measure if the fish is VERY small.
Unfortunately, the very small goldfish are also more delicate, being not
much more than fry.

You will need to test your water and find out what is going on. Most
likely you have an uncycled tank, and fish wastes (ammonia -- not just
visible poop!) will build up quickly and you will have to change water
quite often until your cycle is established. If the fish is under 2"
now, I would say testing your water DAILY and doing 50% water changes
each time you have detectable ammonia or nitrites (which will be DAILY
for at least a couple of weeks) is more important than getting a bigger
tank.

A bigger tank and, even more important, a better filter would make the
cycle easier on the fish (with more water to dilute them, wastes won't
build up quite as quickly). And bigger tanks really are easier to
maintain so it will be easier on you in the long run!

A ten gallon tank doesn't take up much space, and Wal-Mart sells
just-the-tank 10 gal. tanks for right around $11. A cover would be a
good idea, but if funds are tight you might be able to get by without
one for a while; you might also need to do more water changes or cobble
together a net cover to prevent jumping (goldfish aren't extreme escape
artists, but healthy goldies can get boisterous, and they sometimes jump
when water quality is very bad as yours will be while the tank cycles).
I think the cover I just bought for my 10 gal. (current quarantine, will
be permanent housing for a couple small plecos) cost me less than $15 at
PetCo. Long term I would suggest a heavy-duty filter -- my rule of thumb
is to get a filter rated for twice the tank you actually have, for
goldfish! Short term, one SMALL goldie and a few tiny shrimp, get the
largest hang-on-back sponge filter you can afford. Use treated
(decholrinated) water for water changes, and rinse the sponge weekly in
DECHLORINATED water so as not to disturb the biofilter. I really suggest
a bubbler as well -- a small airstone and the small pump that's all you
need for 10-20 gallons is not expensive.

Longer term, if your goldfish makes it (or if you decide to get back
into goldfish later -- they are really wonderful fish, just not a good
choice for tiny tanks like your 2 gallon) I would recommend a 20 gallon
long with a bio-wheel filter (I use an Emperor 280 for my 20) for up to
2 fancy goldfish. If you have a common or comet, which most "feeders"
are, I wouldn't recommend anything less than 50 gallons for long-term
housing. The long-bodied, single-tailed fish just need more swimming
room. Their filtration needs are the same, so you could keep 4 or maybe
even 5 single-tailed fishes in a 50 gallon. I know this sounds like a
lot, but actually the 50 or 55 gallon tanks are very reasonably priced
"per gallon", more so than 20s and 30s. You can get a 55 gallon tank,
hood, lights, filter (usually a Whisper or similar), and heater for
about $150 at Wal-Mart, which is not bad for a complete setup. Sudy the
tank stands; they're not that hard to build, and I have some tanks just
on the floor. They do fine if you place them where you won't trip on
them and don't have, say, bouncy dogs who will try to use them as a
stepstool! PetsMart sells 50 gallon tanks with hood and lights for under
$100. I recommend Big Al's (www.bigalsonline.com) for filters and most
other durable goods, at least for shoppers in the U.S. I can afford
their prices much better than the local pet stores', even taking
shipping into account, and have never had a problem with their products
or service.

Remember the priorites (at least for goldfish!) are, after the tank-- 1.
filter 2. bubbles 3. hood and 4. lights. If you need or want to be
frugal, you don't need the lights right off; they're more for you than
the fish. You can leave room lights on during the day.
-----------------------------------------
Only know that there is no spork.