Posted by Michele on August 05, 2002 at 13:39:47:
In Reply to: Goldfish behavior posted by MilkMoney on August 05, 2002 at 11:08:06:
or container this goldfish is in?
Qhat are the water parameters?? ie: ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate level as well as temperature of the water??
How often are water changes done and how much water is changed out??
Filtration???
What variety of goldfish is this??
Basically, without knowing anymore than what you have given me to go on, I would make a guess that it is water quality related and a partial water change chould be done immediately. Anytime a goldfish hangs around the top of the water where the oxygen exchange takes place it is an indicator of low oxygen in the water. The warmer the water the lower the oxygen. The dirtier the water the lower the oxygen. Adding an airstone does not put o2 into the water, but it will move the water around an better facilitate the gas exchange at the surface.
Ammonia and nitrite levels should be Zero. Nitrate should be less than 10ppm ideally. If this is not the case with the water your girlfriend's GF is in then immediate partial water changes should commence.
Goldfish need a minimum of 10-15 gallons of water PER fish....if this fish is in any less than that, get it into a larger container ASAP...with excellant filtration. If you can't afford a larger tank at the moment, a very large Rubbermaid or Sterilite storage container will work for awhile. You can still add the filtration to the container and use part of the water the fish is currently in. Also use the gravel if it has any.
Water changes and gravel vacuuming needs to be done at least once per week...20-30% each week, in an established tank.
If this is a new tank and the nitrogen cycle has not yet been edtablished then daily partial water changes may be needed to keep the fish from becoming ill or dying due to ammonia or nitrite toxicity.
Hope this has helped you somewhat. If you could post the answers tot he questions asked I might be able to give a better answer...I will give it a try.
Take care.
:I know absolutely nothing about fish so I am going to sound like an idiot. Why does my girlfriend's goldfish swim along the top of the surface of water all day? He looks like he is sucking in air and he is making a helluva lot of little bubbles. Why does he do this? Is this normal or is he about to die?
