# goldy tank mate?



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

what is a good tank mate for a stunted telescope eye?
I rescued it. it has really bad balance and when it puts it's head down to eat it does summer salts or ends up on it's back.I have tried cutting back on food, giving it greens. Nothing seems to help it's balance. It looks as if its tail has been broken at the spot where it joins the body so it has no counterbalance to the weight of its eyes.
It is currently in a 1 1/2 gal tank until its new tank gets cycled. It has some vision but not much. It crashes into things. However My other goldfish has a companion goldy. They are inseperable so i know they are sociable. Who can live with this little guy?


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

What size tank?


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## Niki2105 (Apr 12, 2005)

I wouldnt put anything else in with him untill you fix him.. Sounds like he might have a case of Swimbladder, try not feeding him for a few day then feed him shelled peas for 3 days. This should help, what kind of food are you feeding him, the best kind is a sinking pellet and you should soak the food before you feed it to the goldies that way they dont swell up in their bellys. What size tank are you cycling for him to live in cause that will determine what you can have in with him.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

he is going to get a very bare 5 gallon tank as he seems to be blind.He crashes into everything.
Yes I know all the 'rules ' about tank size for goldies but I am not allowed to have any more tanks and he is a very little fish although full grown!Only about 2 inches including the tail which appears broken at the base.
He does not have any fin or tail rot.

The people who had him had him in a 20 gallon with 2 big fish and he never really got to eat. He does get sinking pellets and duck weed but he is not interested in greens. perhaps he can't find them. fasting him for a few days has not made one bit of difference to his condition.
I also underfeed him so as not to irritate the problem.
He is such a sad looking critter!He prefers to stay under his live plant. he ddoes not even try to eat the roots on it which is odd as my other goldfish eat everything in site.


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## Niki2105 (Apr 12, 2005)

Well if he is just getting a 5 gallon I wouldnt add anymore fish in with him, you could possibly add a Apple Snail since he cant see he wouldnt pick at him like a normal Goldfish would. How old is the fish? You might think he is stunted but he could grow well in a tank by himself and get much bigger. Also just fasting your fish wont help. What kind of greens do you feed him? All my fish love when I give them peas so i cant understand yours not. As for him not finding his food Goldfish find food by smell not sight so he would have no trouble even though he cant see.


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## glitterfish (Nov 9, 2006)

5 gallons is way too small. A snail is a bad choice as they produce waste as much if not more than a goldie. I would leave the goldie alone and if you must keep him in a 5 gallon do water changes frequently. Hopefully you have a filter on the tank?


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

he actually is doing quite well in the 5 gallon. Yes hw has a filter and the graval is in a nylon so he doesn't injure himself.
He has a silk plant he sleeps under. he loves to lay in the sun when it hits the end of the tank. ( very weak sun- at least 6 feet from the window.
The eyes are now clear from the film that was over them when I got him. 
He will now take peas and I am working on him accepting duck weed. ( I keep a pan growing for my other goldfish.)
I have put his tank next to the betta tank so he can at least see other fish swimming about.
I notice his top fin is partly missing just from the abrasion of being on his back for so much of his swimming time. It is not rot!!
The grandkids insist on seeing him when they visit. he was originally thiers. They replaced him with a pleco! Go figure. Anyway I think he is doing ok. he does not swim much. I think because he is so clumsy. He is a bit more active than when he was in the 20 gallon he came from. Too much stuff in there for him to cope with. 
I wish I could fix up a little sling for him so he could be right side up when swimming.


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## Sable (Nov 6, 2006)

How do you "know" that he is full-grown? If he isn't and you are mistaken, his growth will be stunted in a 5gal - and that is not just a convenient act of nature. When his growth is stunted, his organs will keep growing but his outsides will stay the same size. This leads to a very gruesome and excruciating death. He may already be stunted; that could be where his health problems stem from. Try to join an aquarium society and see if anyone else, with a larger tank can take him.

Absolutely NO tank mates in a tank that size. It's already overcrowded.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

fish was previously owned for at least 2 years by grandkids, so he must be nearly fullgrown.
he has a broken area where his tail joins his body.
most of the time he is upside down. There are no fish clubs near me. he cannot compete for food with other goldfish and had to be put in a net to get any food.The kids did not have the ambition to catch and feed him every day. I will not take him to the petstore either to see if they will take him as he looks to have the broken back and they would likely kill him one way or another. I cannot have any other tanks. If I had left him with the grandkids he would have died. They originally kept their goldfish in a 1 1/2 gallon tank til I intervened.
I am doing the best I can with what I've got-- I just don't want him to be lonely. My other 2 goldfish are in a 20 and they are great pals. the baby swims between the front fins of the other. 
So that is the end of the discussion. I understand your concerns for the health of this fish, but he has improved immensly since i've had him. I think i have done rather well in improving his quality of life. If any of you are nearby and want to take him on as an only child in a 20 gallon tank bare tank feel free to email me.


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## igauresh (Nov 28, 2006)

Maybe he is too old or something. He does somer saults when reaching food? That's something I don't usually see, but maybe from the looks of it, it might really be due to the fish' age, he might be lacking the energy he has during his childhoos same as with humans, but I'm not a pro maybe you need to see a doctor to tell you what is wrong with him, maybe there is still hope.


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