Help, Think My Pearlscale Is Dying!

[aphrodite_bw]

I've had a Pearlscale goldfish for about a month now. He was petstore bought, and he looked rather healthy. Now I fear that something's wrong with him. He's been acting strange this morning, lying on his back against the aquarium sides, and lying upside down on the gravel. He is still breathing, and moves when I tap the aquarium, but he just returns to those afformentioned positions. The water has not been changed in the tank since I got him as it has stayed miraculously clean, and his fishmate, a Fantail, is doing well. Both were eating yesterday, but now he isn't eating. There are no signs of fungus on his gills, fins, or scales. He looks like a perfectly healthy fish, but his actions seem to derail this. Somebody help?
Thankyou!
Morgan

 

[dixaisy930]

What are your water stats? What size tank are these fish in?

I'm a little concerned about the water quality, since you haven't done a water change in a month. Partial weekly water changes are necessary.

 

[aphrodite_bw]

What are your water stats? What size tank are these fish in?

I'm a little concerned about the water quality, since you haven't done a water change in a month. Partial weekly water changes are necessary.

They're in a one gallon tank which has an air stone as well as filter. No heater, but does have a light which I keep on for about half of the day time. They're fed twice daily. Just did a water change, hoping this helps, w/ roomtemp purified water. Can't tell you the water stats, as I don't have the materials and can't afford them right now. This is my first time owning fish without help. I picked goldfish because they were hardier than other tropical freshwater fish. Only two fish are housed in this aquarium, and they don't squabble much.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[dixaisy930]

Ok, my guess is that your stats are out of control. Unfortunately, goldfish are very messy fish, and get way too big for a one gallon tank. Ideally, you should have a thirty gallon tank for just those two fish. As soon as possible, you need to get atleast a ten gallon tank, bigger if you can afford it. It would be helpful for you to read the pinned articles about cycling, and a few of the other pinned articles here.

 

[aphrodite_bw]

Ok, my guess is that your stats are out of control. Unfortunately, goldfish are very messy fish, and get way too big for a one gallon tank. Ideally, you should have a thirty gallon tank for just those two fish. As soon as possible, you need to get atleast a ten gallon tank, bigger if you can afford it. It would be helpful for you to read the pinned articles about cycling, and a few of the other pinned articles here.

Wow, I'm glad you weren't like some who responded and said, you know absolutely NOTHING. At the moment, can't afford a larger tank. i did clean out the tank today, and was quite shocked at all the nastiness under the gravel. You woulnd't have been able to tell how dirty it was until you actually shook things up! So I'm moving cleanings up to once a week. The water looked great, but apparently that wasn't really what I should have been looking for. My next pay check(in about a week and a half) I will be looking into a larger tank. Would you recommend buying used tanks?
My uncle was talking about a tablet he puts into the water of his fish tanks that takes care of all water problems. Is there really such a thing, and is it really as efficient as it sounds?
This is actually the first time I've cared for fish on my own. My mum used to help me out years ago, and I'm much more experienced at taking care of the furry animals. So I'm pretty much just learning. My other fish, the fantail, seems real healthy. And surprisingly my pearscale hasn't keeled over yet. I'm thinking, or rather, hoping, that he gets better now that I've changed the water. I hope that didn't cause him too much stress. Poor baby. And it turns out he's my favorite fish, too. Beautiful colors, cute little face, long finnage. The tankmate is actually a mix of some sort, I know that there's fantail in there. At least, that's what the petstore told me.
Anyways, if and when I do invest in a much larger tank, what are some tropical fresh water fish that do well with slower-moving goldfish? I'm thinking fish with brighter colors, not tetras or plecostamus or anything like that. And not cichlids either, as I've heard they can be more fish-aggressive. What about the Parrotface fish? What are they like?
Thanks again!
Morgan

 

[aphrodite_bw]

Jimi Hendrix just passed on to the rainbow bridge. He was my favorite fish. I will miss him. I guess you live and you learn and you make plenty of stupid mistakes. I'm sorry baby. I'll miss you.

 

[dixaisy930]

I would recommend taking the fish you still have to a lfs or seeing if there is anyone that can take it for you. Eventhough it is not showing signs now, I don't believe it will do well in a one gallon tank for even a few more days. If you are insistant on keeping it until you get a bigger tank, you'll need to change 100% of the water a couple of times a day. These are extremely messy fish, in the fact that they produce alot of waste.

There is no magical tablet that will make a tank healthy. Good water quality, proper stocking, and a good maintence routine is the best thing you can do for your tank.

If you keep the goldfish, you won't be able to have ANY tropical fish in the tank with it. Goldfish need to be kept at lower temps than tropicals, and the issue of their waste production comes into play again.

Sorry for the loss of your other fish.

 

[aphrodite_bw]

I would recommend taking the fish you still have to a lfs or seeing if there is anyone that can take it for you. Eventhough it is not showing signs now, I don't believe it will do well in a one gallon tank for even a few more days. If you are insistant on keeping it until you get a bigger tank, you'll need to change 100% of the water a couple of times a day. These are extremely messy fish, in the fact that they produce alot of waste.

There is no magical tablet that will make a tank healthy. Good water quality, proper stocking, and a good maintence routine is the best thing you can do for your tank.

If you keep the goldfish, you won't be able to have ANY tropical fish in the tank with it. Goldfish need to be kept at lower temps than tropicals, and the issue of their waste production comes into play again.

Sorry for the loss of your other fish.

I'm sorry, what is an lfs? The only other person I know here with fish is my uncle, and his tanks are nasty and overpopulated. I wouldn't trust to leave Nirvana there.
Morgan

 

[dixaisy930]

Local Fish Store - I have a feeling you're not going to want to give up this fish, so you better have lots of water conditioner on hand to do the big water changes.

The only other person I know here with fish is my uncle, and his tanks are nasty and overpopulated

Then I wouldn't take any of his advise.

 

[aphrodite_bw]

Local Fish Store - I have a feeling you're not going to want to give up this fish, so you better have lots of water conditioner on hand to do the big water changes.

The only other person I know here with fish is my uncle, and his tanks are nasty and overpopulated

Then I wouldn't take any of his advise.

What kind of products would you reccommend for balancing pH, keeping the tank clean, conditioning the water, and balancing the nitrates and nitrites? And do you think that 5 small goldfish would do alright in a 20 gallon tank? Or is this way too small? What are some smaller breeds of goldfish with fancier finnage? I prefer the veil-tailed, fan-tailed types, not just your regular goldfish.

And I don't want to give Nirvana up, course not! He's such a cutie, with little black spots, and he has two different colored eyes.
Thanks again.
Morgan

 

[dixaisy930]

The rule for stocking goldfish is 20 gallons for the first one, and 10 gallons for each additonal one. So you would only be able to keep your orginal fish in a 20 gallon, and would need about a 55 gallon tank for all five. This might sound off, but remember these goldfish can grow fairly good size, and (again) they are mass waste producers. As far as I know, there are no "small goldfish". If goldfish are kept in proper conditions, I think they can grow fairly quickly.

For a water conditioner, I would recommend something like Aquasafe or NovAqua. Those are the two I've used, anyway.

As for keeping things like pH, nitrites, etc in check, your weekly partial water changes are going to do that. IMO, a steady pH is often more important than a "perfect" pH. The only time you should have any nitrites is when you first have the tank and it is cycling. If you have it other times than that, something is wrong in the tank (i.e. overstocked). To keep the tank clean, use a gravel cleaner with water changes and a aquarium scrubber to clean the sides. No short-cuts.

Something you might want to keep on hand would be an ich medication, and probably Melafix. You also need a test kit to measure things like ammonia, pH, nitrites, and nitrates. Read the pinned topics in the beginner section, too. That will give you lots of good advice as well.

 

[aphrodite_bw]

The rule for stocking goldfish is 20 gallons for the first one, and 10 gallons for each additonal one. So you would only be able to keep your orginal fish in a 20 gallon, and would need about a 55 gallon tank for all five. This might sound off, but remember these goldfish can grow fairly good size, and (again) they are mass waste producers. As far as I know, there are no "small goldfish". If goldfish are kept in proper conditions, I think they can grow fairly quickly.

For a water conditioner, I would recommend something like Aquasafe or NovAqua. Those are the two I've used, anyway.

As for keeping things like pH, nitrites, etc in check, your weekly partial water changes are going to do that. IMO, a steady pH is often more important than a "perfect" pH. The only time you should have any nitrites is when you first have the tank and it is cycling. If you have it other times than that, something is wrong in the tank (i.e. overstocked). To keep the tank clean, use a gravel cleaner with water changes and a aquarium scrubber to clean the sides. No short-cuts.

Something you might want to keep on hand would be an ich medication, and probably Melafix. You also need a test kit to measure things like ammonia, pH, nitrites, and nitrates. Read the pinned topics in the beginner section, too. That will give you lots of good advice as well.

This is alot of good information, thankyou! And I've got some good news. I've found a 55-gallon aquarium with a solid oak stand, and it's going to cost me only $250. I'm very excited about getting it. I've been reorganizing my house in order to make room for it.
I went by Walmart today and picked up some Stress Zyme. So hopefully this will help keep my Nirvana around. If he doesn't last though, I may transfer to keeping cichlids. I love the Blood Parrots. They're so funny looking and bright.
Thanks again!
Morgan