# Im brand new to keeping fish..and I am stumped..please help



## deputydawg_13 (Mar 17, 2006)

This is something I typed up last night and did not have enough time to actually post before bed so it is a little outdated...I apologize for the length.
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Ok this is the situation...monday of last weekend I purchased a red cap oranda and a calico fantail at my local Petsmart. After speaking with the employee I ended up picking out just a plain 2 gallon starter tank with what I guess is an aerator pump...with no filter. I bought the food they recommended...I got the rock/gravel for the bottom of it...I followed the girls instructions...I got them home...and they were fine for 6 days. On that sunday the red cap oranda died...we had noticed it had been hanging out at the bottom of the tank for a day or two earlier and we didn't know what to do. It eventually just stopped swimming and eventually stopped breathing. This entire time the Calico Fantail was doing great....absolutely no problems...it was very active...eating alot.

The next day I went back to Petsmart and got another Red Cap Oranda and brought it home thinking that maybe the first one was just sick. The very next day on Tuesday after we brought home Red Cap #2 it started hanging out at the bottom of the tank again. Just as before the Calico seemed to be doing fine and actually seemed like it was trying to bug the Red Cap...it kept biting at it and bumping it with its nose...like it was trying to get the Red Cap to swim more...to help it live. The Red Cap died shortly thereafter and yesterday (Wednesday) I once again took the second Red Cap to the store, but this time I got another Calico Fantail thinking that maybe they are just more hardy or something. 

From this point on lets refer to the original Calico as Number 1 and the newest Calico as Number 2 to avoid confusion. Calico #2 was actually a bit bigger than Calico #1. I thought this would be a good thing since I figured it would be healthy. And boy is it ever healthy. They seemed to be getting along just fine all last night and this morning...they were both very active and they ate very well last night. Finally this afternoon we noticed that Calico #2 the newest one..and the bigger of the two is now picking on Calico #1...continually biting at it and nudging it and bothering it constantly. 

It suddenly occured to me this afternoon that perhaps the tank might not be big enough for two of them and the more dominant fish is being more aggresive towards the other one...trying to kill it or something. I think Calico #1 is in shock now...he is hanging out at the bottom of the tank near the rocks and is not swimming around much. I tried separating them and I moved Calico #2 into a separate tank hoping that Calico #1 will recover if it is left alone. 

I would really appreciate it if somebody could tell me if I am doing something wrong that is causing this behavior because as far as I am concerned the people at Petsmart know absolutely nothing.
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Update since writing this last night: Calico #1 died shortly after I got done typing this up. As of tonight Calico #2 is swimming around quite active and looking to be doing just fine.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

You can't keep feeding a 2 gallon tank without removing any waste. You can get by without a filter only if you change water frequently. Put the goldfish in a bowl (or a glass or whatever) and change all the water in the tank twice a week. And don't forget to use dechorinator like Prime from seachem. With no filter, you don't need to know about cycling, but if you go a week without changing water the ammonia from the fish waste will *kill your fish*. If you manage to keep goldfish alive, they will keep growing. When mine got to 8 in. (in a 30 gallon tank) I put them in a friend's pond. Puting two in such a small tank may be like locking two toddlers in a bathroom, but they should live long enough for you to see aggressive behavior. Its more likely the water is killing the fish than that they are killing each other.


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## MaryPa (Jan 25, 2006)

Goldfish at any size are massive waste producers and need at LEAST 10 gal per fish. Do a couple water changes a day until you can get them a bigger tank.20 gal at the very LEAST for 2. Most chain pet store workers know nothing about keeping fish properly. It`s just a job for them.


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## x-Golden-Lucy-x (Jan 14, 2006)

yea, as said, the tank is wweeeeyyy too small, never listen to pet store workers 99% of the time they know nothing!
Have you got a filter on the tank? if you do, it will be cycling right now, this is when the bacteria in the filter, that eat up the fish waste, colonise. for a tank to be fully cycled it will take about 2-4 weeks. if you have no filter, you need to be changing all of the water at least once a day. and find a bigger tank 20 gallons + ASAP!


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## greyanemone (Mar 19, 2006)

What everyone said is correct. I just wanted to add that goldfish normally aren't very aggressive, so that's not the reason your fish are bottom-sitting and looking poor. The problem is the ammonia building up in the water and poisoning them. A tank with a filter with 10 gallons or more of water per fish is really the only way to go with goldfish.
Please keep in mind these fish can grow to be several inches long.

It would be nice if pet store employees actually cared about the fish instead of just trying to sell you stuff... :sad:


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

I totally agree with whats already been said. YOu need to be doing water changes everyday since you dont have a filter and you definately need larger tank


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## x-Golden-Lucy-x (Jan 14, 2006)

12 inches to be precise


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## sambi7878 (Dec 23, 2005)

Everything is well said! Tank is too small! 1 fancy goldfish needs at least 10 gal tank and 1 koi needs 20 gal. Small tank will lead to aggressiveness (eventhough goldfish are really peaceful) and poor water quality.

Your oranda may have died because of ammonia poisoning. Goldfish are really dirty fish. They produce lots of ammonia. When you have small tank, ammonia will accumulate both from the fish and the dirt from their poo and left over food.

It will be best for you and your fish to live in an appropriate tank size. They will live happily and youll have less problem. Just dont forget to do weekly water changes and have the tank cycle before transferring them to their new home.


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