Hey all, was wondering if anyone had any ideas on why my goldfish might be dropping off one-by-one lately.. I started out with a 15 gal tank a little more than a year ago, I added 10 feeder fish and of those 10, only 2 survived, but they continued to live throughout the year and more than doubled in size. For Christmas this year I got a new 50 gal tank and got it all set up; clean new gravel (thouroughly washed), used the same live plants from the original tank, same decor, I even used the original water so it would mix in with the fresh water and cycle better. I added PondStart (for stress and slime coat) as well as some dechlor. I let the tank cycle a day, and put my fish in bags so that the temp would adjust before adding them directly to the water. For over a week they both did great, and all of a sudden, I awoke one morning to find the biggest of the 2 to be dead?? No prior signs of weakness or health, and he was eating fine. It was all of a sudden over night with no explanation! I felt bad that my other goldfish was alone in 50 gal so I added 2 from one of my ponds (another feeder and one Commet) The 3 did great together for more than a week, so I purchased 3 Ryukin to accompany them. When I added the Ryukin, they adjusted well except for the largest one. He remained at the top of the tank, gasping and sometimes floating upside down. I thought he would be dead for sure, but when I awoke the next morning he was fine and was swimming around with the original goldfish of the tank. A few days later, the smallest of the feeders (who ive had for 6 months before moving him) was dead. Again, no prior signs or sickness or visible health problems. He was feeding fine and swimming around with the others. Why are they suddenly dropping dead one-by-one over night? My temps fine, no ones flashing or gasping or scraping.. I cant figure it out...:grumble:
Goldfish Sudden Death?
- Thread starter danasaki
- Start date
Have you tested your water? Did you quarantine the new fish? Also what kiind or aeration and filtering system do you have? Do you do partial water changes?
Yea Ive tested my water for ammonia and for PH level, both tested fine. I added a Nitrate balancer too. I have an Air-Stone rod that runs across the back of the tank so theres plenty of dissolved oxygen, and I have the Emperor Bio-Wheel filter thats for 50+ gallons. Its funny, because in my two outdoor ponds, I have NO problems whatsoever with losing fish.. but inside, where I have a controlled environment in a 50 gal tank.. I cant seem to find a balance.
I dunno, weird... any possiblity that they were overfed? I say that because it sounds like the one gasping and floating at the top had a swim bladder issue that resolved itself. How often do you test the water, cause if it's a food issue, I would assume the ammonia would go up. I'm no expert tho, so hopefully you can get more input here. Good luck:twocents:
Well I feed them once a day, 6 days a week. I use a floating pellet, and sometimes i feed them a slice of orange and shelled pees for digestive health. I think youre right tho, I may cut back on the feeding a bit. I try to feed them all equally but its hard because the 2 bigger fish hog the food before the smaller ones find their way to the top of the tank to feed. Thanks for your input tho! Its good to get some feedback from a different point of view, I dont really know anyone else who knows much about fish.
Danasaki, good luck and keep us posted! I have a pond shubie who has a swim bladder problem and when I feed him, he has to float under my plastic alligator to stay upright. After a couple days with no food, he appears o.k. but then when I feed again, same thing. I guess it is maybe a permanent problem and several times I thought for sure he would die. He's still around tho. 
ooh:
ooh:CashB: You should try feeding them some thawed out, shelled green pees. It clears their digestive system and can help with a funky swim bladder and any constipation that might be affecting your shubie.
DrCase: Can adding new fish to my tank cause these problems even when both parties are healthy?
DrCase: Can adding new fish to my tank cause these problems even when both parties are healthy?
I have read about the peas on these forums but haven't tried them yet... worth a try since it doesn't seem to get any better. Thanx
I was suspicious about the peas when i first heard, but i tried them on one of my old goldfish when he kept uncontrollably floating to the top of the tank. Hed swim back down and as soon as he stopped moving he'd float right back up again. He ate the peas up and the next couple days he was fine again. Seemed to work pretty well.
So I lost one more fish to my tank.. I was worried and noticed 2 of my other fish were swimming listlessly so I moved them to a hospital tank Ive had running for a week. I put them in there 2 days ago. about 12 hours after I put them in, I checked back in after a night away from home and found my biggest goldfish on his side on the bottom of the tank. I thought he was dead, but I grabbed him in my hand and pushed him back and forth in the water, he started to respond, I immediately placed him back in the original tank, where he swam weakly and akwardly, and sometimes upsidedown for 20 minutes or so. He seemed to have gained his health back, but still weak. I did an 80% water change on the tank, added Tetra Goldfish water treatment, and hoped for the best. The next day they still seemed uncomfortable, hanging out in the bottom corner behind a log and plant, not very active and very shy. (they were never shy before, always came out when they saw me, and swam freely otherwise). I checked the PH and the ammonia. Ammonia levels were safe, PH seemed to be at 7.6 or 7.7 I know they prefer 7.2 to 7.6, so I tried a PH Down treatment. I dont know how much it worked, I havent tested the water again, but this morning, theyre like completely different fish. Appetites are back, theyre swimming freely, come up to the glass when Im near.. could this all have been affected by the PH??
danasaki a few years ago i had added some new fish . all seemed healthy a few days later i had white spots and anchor worms thats when i found that article on the net only lost a few fish
I was thinking that it sounds like you use a lot of chemical treatments to try to regulate things... could this be a problem?? I have read that the ph level is generally not critical but a drastic change in ph can be. Have you thought of letting your water sit for a couple of days to remove chlorine instead of using a remover before your water changes?
Adding fish together from different ponds/ tanks can cause underlying problems worse. Round bodied goldfish due tend to have more swim bladder problems. I have great luck with feeding thawed peas. Buy the small size of peas and thaw them completely in tank water, squeeze the shells off the peas. Feed 1-2 peas per fish. If they aren't interested eating add just a tiny amount of minced garlic. I used to mix shelled peas, garlic and koi clay together for new or sick fish. you can make up a batch and refrigerate it 2-3 days.
Are you using salt in the tank? 1 tbsp aquarium or non iodine salt per 10 gallons to start with you can go higher but let us know how they are doing before you add more salt.
Keep a eye on your test results. What temp are you keeping the tank at?
In general I would not use pond chemicals in a tank. Pond chemicals are stronger than tank chemicals and are not interchangeable. I'm happy to here you are having good luck with the pond. Tanks are a different beast. I always have better luck with my fish outside than when I have to bring the fancies in over the winter.
Good luck, Gail
Are you using salt in the tank? 1 tbsp aquarium or non iodine salt per 10 gallons to start with you can go higher but let us know how they are doing before you add more salt.
Keep a eye on your test results. What temp are you keeping the tank at?
In general I would not use pond chemicals in a tank. Pond chemicals are stronger than tank chemicals and are not interchangeable. I'm happy to here you are having good luck with the pond. Tanks are a different beast. I always have better luck with my fish outside than when I have to bring the fancies in over the winter.
Good luck, Gail