"Gail Futoran" wrote in message
...
Hi Cindy S -

I'm not a goldfish expert but some of the
same principles apply to all hobby fish.
You mentioned turning the filter off. That's
not a good idea. The only thing you need to
do with a filter when using medications is
remove the carbon cartridge, which usually
isn't needed anyway.

Done.

You mentioned the tank being up only a
few weeks or a month. Partial water changes
need to be done weekly, especially with
"dirty" fish like goldfish.

Okay. We've done a partial water change today.

There are a number of small (not expensive)
books on goldfish care, available at pet
stores and bookstores. If you don't already
have one, I'd suggest getting one or two. I'm
a big fan of reference books for hobbies.

Got it!

I have cats and although litter boxes aren't in
the same room, there are five boxes scattered
about the house. I wouldn't worry if I were
you about the ammonia from litter boxes
ending up in your goldfish tank.

Okay.

As a wild guess, I would suggest that putting
two goldfish together into water that probably
was not cycled first stressed out your fish. It
happened your original fish was more sensitive
since it had been alone in its own water for so
long (possible old tank syndrome, as others
mentioned), whereas the new fish had come from
a tank with a bunch of other fish.

When you test the water you want nitrAtes but
not nitrItes or ammonia. Nitrates should range
around 20, I think, for goldfish. (I try to keep it
at that level or lower for tropical fish.)

I hope your fish will be ok. Let us know
what happens.

The water quality has now been tested, and it turned out to be fine. Now,
the woman at the pet shop has diagnosed a swim bladder problem. She advised
my husband to feed the fish the inside of a pea (they were all out of the
medication), saying it's not a magic cure-all, but it should make a big
difference. Would you agree with that?

My husband came home with $40 worth of stuff (the water test kit, new
filters, and the goldfish book), all in the hopes of saving the life of this
tiny little goldfish. I just hope we can save him. Thank you for you advice.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.