# Goldfish Help



## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

So I'm sure some of you know that I recently got a goldfish Thursday, but I've seen to have run into a problem?

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? 36/40 gal.
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? No
What temperature is your tank? 80F
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? Yes
Does your Goldfish have tank mates? What kind? None

Food:
What food brand do you use? Hikari
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Sinking pellets
Freeze-dried or frozen? I haven't feed any yet
Live? None
How often do you feed your Goldfish? How much? Only once a day so far

Maintenance:
Before your Goldfish became ill how often did you perform water changes? Done 1; I got him Thursday
What percentage of water did you change? ~90%
What additives do you use? Prime
What brand name of water conditioner? Prime

Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you.

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: ~1-2
pH: ~6.5-6.8
Hardness (GH): N/A
Alkalinity (KH): N/A

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? Thursday
How has your Goldfish’s appearance changed? No
How has your Goldfish’s behavior changed? I guess
Is your Goldfish still eating? Yes
Have you started treating your Goldfish? If so, how? None yet
Does your Goldfish have any history of being ill? Not that I know of
How long have you owned your Goldfish? Since Thursday
Was he or she a rescue? No
Was he or she ill when bought or given? No idea

Ok so I don't have any photos because I don't have a camera D: But I can tell you what he has been doing. So Thursday when I got him, he was stressed of course from shipping, but he was bottom sitting. Well after about 5-6 hours he started swimming around and everything was fine and dandy, or so I thought. Well yesterday he was swimming around till about 4-5pm and he was just bottom sitting again. He did this till about the time I went to bed, 11pm, and then he was back to swimming again. I woke up this morning and he was swimming again, and then about 4-5pm today he is back to bottom sitting. Any ideas on what is wrong? Or am I just a worried new fish owner? I've never owned goldfish so I'm not too sure what to expect. He has been feed, both on Friday and Today at lunch time and he ate vigorously.

Thanks for your help!


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

So update, I decided to see if he would eat or not, and the min. he smelled the food he started to look around and eat like crazy. Now he is swimming around fine. I swear this fish is going to stress me out, I love him so much already :roll:


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

Your temperature is a little high for a goldfish and might be causing some stress. I realize it's rough to get it down this time of year. But I would shoot for the low 70's if at all possible. PH is a little on the low side as well but it's best not to monkey with that too much, as long as it's stable. Goldfish prefer more alkaline water so it something that may need to be addressed in the future. You might want to test for GH/KH so you know where you stand.


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

MikeG14 said:


> Your temperature is a little high for a goldfish and might be causing some stress. I realize it's rough to get it down this time of year. But I would shoot for the low 70's if at all possible. PH is a little on the low side as well but it's best not to monkey with that too much, as long as it's stable. Goldfish prefer more alkaline water so it something that may need to be addressed in the future. You might want to test for GH/KH so you know where you stand.


Thanks for the response Mike! I realize that my temp is a little a high for the guy, but there isn't much I can do about it :| However it has come down some since yesterday after the water change. It's about 76-78F at the moment. My PH never changes. If I do decide to change it later on, what would you recommend? Also a good ideal GH: 5-12, and KH: 4-12? Did I get that right?


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

I'm sorry but I don't keep goldfish. Aside from bettas, I keep Amazon River & West African fish and I am on a constant quest to lower my PH and soften my water. So I really don't have any first hand experience in increasing hardness.

According to my API GH/KH test kit you are looking at 11-22 which is in African Rift Lake Cichlid territory. I don't necessarily agree with that. I think your numbers are in the ballpark. You are looking for medium hard water in the range of 8 to 12 DH or 140 to 210 ppm.	

You can raise your PH by aerating the water, which you already do. You can also by adding bicarbonate of soda or by filling a bag full of crushed coral and putting it in the media try of your filter.

Where do you get your water from? Are you using any filters to soften it out of the tap? I think maintaining good water quality is really more important than monkeying with the chemistry, especially if the fish is stressed by the higher temperatures they face this time of year. If you choose to make any changes keep them small. I think I would just roll with what you have for a while until he really settles in. Goldfish have been proven to be highly adaptable and your tank is big enough to support a single goldfish comfortably as long as you keep up on water changes. 

What kind of filtration are you using?


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

MikeG14 said:


> I'm sorry but I don't keep goldfish. Aside from bettas, I keep Amazon River & West African fish and I am on a constant quest to lower my PH and soften my water. So I really don't have any first hand experience in increasing hardness.
> 
> According to my API GH/KH test kit you are looking at 11-22 which is in African Rift Lake Cichlid territory. I don't necessarily agree with that. I think your numbers are in the ballpark. You are looking for medium hard water in the range of 8 to 12 DH or 140 to 210 ppm.
> 
> ...


Ahh ok. Not too sure, like you said, if I want to mess with my water chemistry or not. I guess I'm just a little paranoid because I've never kept goldfish and I love the little guy >.< 

I get my water straight out of my tap. I don't do anything to it except add Prime. I'm currently using an aquaclear 50 at the moment. I know that I need double filtration or at least 100x gph for the tank, and I don't think an aquaclear 50 quite does that? I'm not too sure since I didn't get the box that it came in. I do have a Marineland filter too that came with the tank, but I have no idea what the filtration is on it. Do you think I should upgrade? I was kind of thinking of upgrading but waiting a while to let the goldfish settle in. I don't mind doing extra water changes to keep the water clean.


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

Which Marineland filter is it? Is it a bio-wheel? Bio-wheels are great for removing Co2 and lowering your PH. I would recommend doubling up on the filtration. Or you could do one large filter. I would go with a Marineland Penguin 350 bio-wheel. It's rated at 350 gallons per hour has 2 bio-wheels. Just make sure it will work with your hood. I always buy filters locally at a chain store. They take anything back, no questions asked.


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

MikeG14 said:


> Which Marineland filter is it? Is it a bio-wheel? Bio-wheels are great for removing Co2 and lowering your PH. I would recommend doubling up on the filtration. Or you could do one large filter. I would go with a Marineland Penguin 350 bio-wheel. It's rated at 350 gallons per hour has 2 bio-wheels. Just make sure it will work with your hood. I always buy filters locally at a chain store. They take anything back, no questions asked.


It is only the one that does the 200gph, but a bio-wheel. So I guess it'll just sit in storage. If bio-wheels lower PH, wouldn't that be bad for me? I'm trying to keep it the same or increase it. Also I think, I have enough room for another filter in the back, I have my tank in a corner because it is a bowed corner aquarium, so I'm probably just going to buy a cheap top fin filter and stick it on there.

Edit: Scratch getting another filter, I just remembered that I have a top fin 30 gal. that I literally used only once but it was too strong so I just put it back xD Definitely going to use that!


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

blueridge said:


> If bio-wheels lower PH, wouldn't that be bad for me? I'm trying to keep it the same or increase it.


Sorry, that was a mistake. I meant increase  

If it was up to me, I'd pull the 200 out of storage and run that.


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

Sorry I'm late, I'm one of the many fancy goldfish keepers on this site, and I just came by to try and help you. First of all, 80 degrees, is fine. Goldfish can handle many different types of temperatures including up to the mid 80s and low 50s. But from what I've experienced, my goldfish agree with the colder water temperatures. You can simply place a table fan facing the surface of the water to cool the water. Goldfish can also handle a variety of Ph levels. But 7.0 is preferred. It is better to have the Ph more basic than acidic, if you were to choose one over the other. Crushed coral is a good source to buffer your Ph. In order to increase the Ph level. Otherwise it seems like your doing just fine with maintenance. May I ask, does the tank have any decorations or live plants? Some goldfish like to hide or take cover in those parts of the tank. 

Also, where did you get your goldfish!!?? He/She is absolutely gorgeous!


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## Watermelons (Jul 21, 2015)

litelboyblu said:


> Sorry I'm late, I'm one of the many fancy goldfish keepers on this site, and I just came by to try and help you. First of all, 80 degrees, is fine. Goldfish can handle many different types of temperatures including up to the mid 80s and low 50s. But from what I've experienced, my goldfish agree with the colder water temperatures. You can simply place a table fan facing the surface of the water to cool the water. Goldfish can also handle a variety of Ph levels. But 7.0 is preferred. It is better to have the Ph more basic than acidic, if you were to choose one over the other. Crushed coral is a good source to buffer your Ph. In order to increase the Ph level. Otherwise it seems like your doing just fine with maintenance. May I ask, does the tank have any decorations or live plants? Some goldfish like to hide or take cover in those parts of the tank.
> 
> Also, where did you get your goldfish!!?? He/She is absolutely gorgeous!



All this ^^^^
IMO you also will need a heater, while goldfish can handle warmer temps, they do best around the low 70 range, but its the temp swings that cause issues (like any other fish) So if you're unable to keep them around 70, you will want a heater in there so the night time drop isn't so big.

Even doing something as simple as allowing new water to sit in a bucket for a day with a large airstone in it to "age" your water. Higher oxygen levels = higher ph. Decay, carbon dioxide, driftwood, etc... = lower more acidic ph. 
I have suppppper soft water where my gold fish tank is, overnight I can see a .5 ph increase just from the water aging. 
I'm a fan of using just a pinch of Seachem Alkaline Buffer every 5gal bucket I put in the tank, more so as insurance that waste and anything else doesn't have a chance at dropping my ph. 

As well your filtration amount is lacking. 40 gallon tank means you need 400gph MINIMUM filtration. Keep in mind you will still want to do quite large and frequent water changes (twice weekly or so)

Another +1 to where did you get him... mainly because your typical pet store goldfish are packed with parasites and issues and need a good hearty quarantine regime. Salt + Prazipro are a pretty big staple in the goldfish world.


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

MikeG14 said:


> Sorry, that was a mistake. I meant increase
> 
> If it was up to me, I'd pull the 200 out of storage and run that.


Oh ok, I was kind of confused xD It seems that I have put myself into a corner, literally, so I might have to buy a new filter. I don't think I have the room on the outside of the tank to run two.


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

litelboyblu said:


> Sorry I'm late, I'm one of the many fancy goldfish keepers on this site, and I just came by to try and help you. First of all, 80 degrees, is fine. Goldfish can handle many different types of temperatures including up to the mid 80s and low 50s. But from what I've experienced, my goldfish agree with the colder water temperatures. You can simply place a table fan facing the surface of the water to cool the water. Goldfish can also handle a variety of Ph levels. But 7.0 is preferred. It is better to have the Ph more basic than acidic, if you were to choose one over the other. Crushed coral is a good source to buffer your Ph. In order to increase the Ph level. Otherwise it seems like your doing just fine with maintenance. May I ask, does the tank have any decorations or live plants? Some goldfish like to hide or take cover in those parts of the tank.
> 
> Also, where did you get your goldfish!!?? He/She is absolutely gorgeous!


It is totally fine! He seems to be doing a whole lot better today. *knock on wood* He was only sitting this morning and then after I feed him he was been swimming all day long. Yeah I know that goldfish like lower temps but unfortunately my water doesn't get too much lower than that in the summer, and that is without a heater. :roll: I think I am going to wait to see about rising my PH at the moment. I know they do better at 7 and slightly higher, but I don't really want to mess with too much, chemically, if he can thrive in what already exists. I only have one fake plant in with him, because I have read that goldfish prefer more swimming room than a cluttered tank.

Thank you! I love him, and he has already become my little baby  I got him at Dandy Orandas, online.


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

Watermelons said:


> All this ^^^^
> IMO you also will need a heater, while goldfish can handle warmer temps, they do best around the low 70 range, but its the temp swings that cause issues (like any other fish) So if you're unable to keep them around 70, you will want a heater in there so the night time drop isn't so big.
> 
> Even doing something as simple as allowing new water to sit in a bucket for a day with a large airstone in it to "age" your water. Higher oxygen levels = higher ph. Decay, carbon dioxide, driftwood, etc... = lower more acidic ph.
> ...


Thanks for suggesting a heater and I already know ;-) I'm going to wait to get one since it won't be getting cold around here for awhile.

I might have to look into the Seachem Alkaline Buffer, and see what that does for me.

Yes I know my filtration is lacking  I thought that the aquaclear would be fine, but I guess that is what I get for not looking into it before I set it up. 

I got him from Dandy Orandas, online. As far as I know they quarantine their fish for 4 weeks before selling them, and during this process they treat them for parasites and other nasty things.


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

Yes, they do like swimming space  

I'm glad he's in much better condition now!


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## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

litelboyblu said:


> Yes, they do like swimming space
> 
> I'm glad he's in much better condition now!


Me too! 

Now just to look into a better filtration system for the little guy.


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## yogosans14 (Jul 14, 2014)

Hello!Im from NC as well, small world 

I LOVE Goldfish. All my tanks are now fancy goldfish tanks lol. But I have done so much reasarch on them. 80 degrees is fine for goldfish, they are very temperature tolerat fish. They prefer room temperature around 68-74 degrees but as long as you have proper aeration its fine. Goldfish like comets are usually kept in Ponds and adapt to as temps as high as 90 degrees in the summer. Goldfish grow faster and also will show signs of spawning behovaior at warmer tempers. 

Fancy goldfish because of the way they have been bred to have egg shaped bodys are more prone to swim bladder isues since there intestines are constantly pushing up against there swim bladder so keeping them at a warmer temp is actually a good thing because it keeps there digestive tract moving, and Fancy goldfish have a very sensitive digestive tract.

This video explains it a bit more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k326_yiQG1s


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