Goldfish Dying Off Fast

[FBTgirl]

My 20 new Goldfish are dying fast, There is only about 8 of them left. Should I try to separate them?

 

[mommyof2bettas]

What size tank are they in?
Did you add them all at once?
What are the water stats?

 

[FBTgirl]

First they are in small holding tanks because I have a feeling they are sick...
and then I do not have a test kit!
I bought them as feeders for my friends fish but I am scared because I do not want to feed sick fish to other fish!

 

[black angel]

*twitches*

There is no need to feed goldfish to other fish unless its a fish that cant be fed any other way. Goldfish must be the most unhealthy thing to feed another anyway as it would be the equivalent of you feeding yourself big macs every day.

What kind of fish has your friend got?

Feeder fish are generally really low quality and die anyway so maybe try something for parasites.

 

[FBTgirl]

She has Oscars. She only feeds them feeders, not very often but this was a gift from me. I went to her house with a few of them and they got stuck in the filter before the Oscars could eat them. So I am not going to bring the rest over there. I now understand not to feed them feeders and will tell her the same.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

If you put them in tanks which had no fish in them before for at least a day, then the tanks you put the goldfish in would not have been cycled. If these "holding" tanks are also small (how many gallons do they hold?), then the sudden impact from the bad water quality conditions which will be taking place in the tank will be particularly devasting on the goldfish, which is probably what is killing them right now.

You should always have your own water quality testing kits which can accurately test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and ph, having such test kit/s is like having a basic first aid kit for yourself. Most deaths or diseases/parasites which happen in aquariums are often caused by stressful water quality conditions, the only way to know exactly what is going on in your water quality is to test it as stuff like ammonia is not visable to the naked eye etc.


Oscars do not need feeder fish to survive and thrive, and either way, if one chooses to feed feeder fish to oscars it is strongly advised that you do not buy store bought feeders (which more than often tend to be riddled with diseases and parasites, which can then be passed onto the predatory fish in question) or feed goldfish in general (which are rather unhealthy for tropical fish like oscars, since goldfish are very slimey and fatty fish which are not very nutritionally fullfilling etc).
Oscars are omnivores, so veg in their diet is also just as important for them as more protein orientated foods- to learn more on feeding oscars and keeping them in general, see the forums very own very helpful/informative profile on oscars;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=47035