# goldfish behaving odd



## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

hi i'm new. I have a question. One of my goldfish is breathing rather heavily, and it's not moving much. Any ideas on what i should do or what's going on?


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Several questions that will help us out. 

How big is the tank?
How big is the goldfish?
Are there other fish in the tank and if so how many?
How long has the tank been set up?
When was the last water change?

Sorry for the questions but It helps us help you and your fish.


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

tank is 55 gallons
fish is about 8 inches
there are a lot of other fish, the tank is a little crowded.
the tank has been set up for idk a year maybe (long enough time for the break in cycle)
last water change was today

oh yeah, the fish swims rather slowly, it seems like it's just hovering


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## Huugs (Apr 25, 2005)

I got a couple aswell.
How many is 'alot of other fish' and what are they? 
Have you tested the water for ammonia or nitrite?
Have you changed anything recently?


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

well, they're all goldfish and 4 koi. maybe 15 other fish. oh and 1 of them is a pleco and 4 are corydoras


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## Huugs (Apr 25, 2005)

Well to me that sounds like your tank is maxed out on its bio load. Do you test your water? If you do then test the water and post the results if you dont then get some test kits and post the results.


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

well, last time i checked (yesterday), the ph was ok, the water hardness was a little hard, the alkalinity is a little high, the nitrate level were a little high and nitrate somhow managed to show up.


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## blixem (Jun 13, 2005)

joeted20 said:


> well, last time i checked (yesterday), the ph was ok, the water hardness was a little hard, the alkalinity is a little high, the nitrate level were a little high and nitrate somhow managed to show up.


you said nitrate twice, which one was high?

Also what is your current water temp.?


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Try partial daily water changes with a gravel vac on 1/4 of the gravel a day. Do this for a few days. This will lower your nitrate, nitrite, and any ammonia levels that may be higher then they should be. Goldfish can get "lazy" and try to get oxygen from the surface of the tank if there are water issues. 
Also how is the temp of the water in the tank. Sometimes in the summer tanks can get a bit overheated. This will lower the oxygen levels in the tank.


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

blixem said:


> you said nitrate twice, which one was high?
> 
> Also what is your current water temp.?


both are high, i dont know how nitrite showed up. The fish isn't moving anymore, he just lies on the bottom. THe temperature is...idk. it doesn't show up on the thermometer, i dont think it's too hot that it doesn't show up.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Goldfish are a coldwater fish. Do you thing your water temps are off the high end of the thermometer? If so you need to figure out ways to cool your tank. Here is a link with several options.

http://www.aworldoffish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

i dont think it's too hot, if anything it's too cold.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

If the water is to cold they go into a hybernation mode. But I would suspect the other fish would be showing the same symptoms if that were the case.

Do you see any other symptoms other than listlisness? Is he getting fat, Does he have cloudy eyes, Clamped fins, red spots?


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

um, all the other fish appear to be fine, there are a few red spots, and his fins aren't spread out anymore, if that's considered clamped


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Red spots lead me to beleave it could have been high ammonia.

Clamped is compressed or held toward their body. Not flaired or showing off. A healthy fish should be showing its dorsal fin fairly regularly. 

Try another partial water change. Healthy water is really the key to healthy fish.


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

yeah, his dorsal and 2 ventral fins were clamped, i just did a partial change, his fins are showing more, and he looks a little better, but he still isn't swimming like he used to.


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## GaryTheGoldfish (Jul 8, 2005)

You seriously need to seperate some of the fish.
The pleco and the corys will need a tank, the goldfish will need a tank, and the koi will ideally need a pond.


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

fish doc, how often should i be doing these water changes? some more info on the fish, is that he's recovering from tail rot or something like that.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Since you have a fully stocked tank I would be doing about 20% every other day and maybe even every day for awhile. 

The water changes will help speed the recovery with the tail rot issue also.


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

k, thanks fish doc. The fish hasn't eaten in 2 days, and I've heard that you can feed goldfish peeled peas. Is this a good idea?


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Peas will help with any digestive problems the fish may have. He could be holding off eating if he is a bit constipated. Anything containing vegetable matter that he eats couldnt hurt.


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

is peeling the pea necessary, or can i just throw them in?


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

I would peel the shell off them. It usually works best if you do this before cooking them. This makes them easy for the fish to digest. That is what you need esp if he is constipated.


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

fish_doc said:


> I would peel the shell off them. It usually works best if you do this before cooking them. This makes them easy for the fish to digest. That is what you need *esp* if he is constipated.


what's esp?


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

sorry, I tend to do the internet thing and shorten words. 

I use esp instead of spelling out especially.


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## joeted20 (Jul 29, 2005)

okay, he looks a bit better now, but now i have another question on another fish. the other fish is about an inch smaller than the other one and has just developped this white stuff on his tail. it looks like you can see blood vessels by it.


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## Chazwick (Aug 24, 2005)

Joeted20 - I'd hate to the the one to tell you - but you're killing your fish. The reason for all these illnesses is because Goldfish get BIG, there designed for ponds really and unless you have a pond to transferr them, i'd consider getting one/selling SOME of your fish/getting a bigger tank. It's actually a fact that Goldfish don't stay small for small tanks, therefore it creates internal problems for them if they're forced to live in cramped conditions, so they will eventually all die. I suggest you take action fast.


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## Niki2105 (Apr 12, 2005)

You have *WAY* too many fish in that tank. 5 or 6 goldfish should be the most put into a 55 gallon. Your 4 Koi need a big pond they are meant to be pond fish not for aquariums and will grow to 14 inches or more each and can live up to 60 years. If you dont remove some of your fish so that they will have better water conditions your gonna end up killing all of your fish. Even with daily partial water cleanings i dont know if you could keep the water toxins down. 
When you feed them peas you have to take the outer shell off. You can also feed them other fruits and vegies.

Are your goldfish commons or are they fancy?


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

This post was started over a month ago. I think I recall we discussed the overstocking of their tank in another thread somewhere. But it is a good reminder for people to know how large not only goldfish but even more so Koi grow and how much space they need.


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