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Pet Forum / Aquaria / Goldfish / April 2007fish seem to gulp underwater all the time - is it normal
Hi, My girlfriend is new to keeping fish and has recently brought a 35 litre tank. She set it all up except the fish and one week later added 2 goldfish, maybe 1.5 inches in length. Then one week later still she added the final two fish which are about 1inch. So she thinks she has done everything correct. The only thing she is not sure is right with the fish is that their mouth constantly gulp. This is underwater and not at the surface. They all swim around and look for food near the bottom (she uses sinkng food) and in the evenings they seem to get more active and swim around mind tank and also near the surface sometimes. They seem pretty active. Their mouths open and shut all the time. From memory she doesnt think her friends fish mouths move so much and I have no idea myself. The ones in the shop dont but then they are pumping oxygen into the water all the time, whereas my girfriend just has about 4 plants and a pump to move the water around (plus the filter etc). So is is normal for the fishes mouth to move this much. Sorry if this is a really stupid question. Regards, Scott http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/care/care1.htm#buying%20a%20new%20goldfish it isnt normal. However, keeping goldfish requires around 40 liters per goldfish, a minimum of 80 liters, for 2 goldfish. they need good filtration, aeration, and a heater to keep the tank temp constant. GF are not cold water fish. they like it warm. the mouthing is probably due to a lack of oxygen. Ingrid >Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >Regards, >Scott ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/ sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?hl=en&q=puregold&qt_s=Group+lookup www.drsolo.com Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website. I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan Lack of oxygen or even ammonia in the water will often get your fish gasping near the surface. Myself I would hazzard a guess that your water contains too much nitrite. This enters the fish and poisons it. I imagine the tank is about due for a nitrite spike. Please google the phrase 'new tank syndrome' to see what your dealing with here. > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > Regards, > Scott > Lack of oxygen or even ammonia in the water will often get your fish gasping > near the surface. [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Hi, The 'new tank syndrome' was a real helper. One question though. Should I refrain from cleaning the sponge filter (in the tank water I have removed while water changing) while the tank is cycling. Is it best to just leave it alone. Same for gravel. Seems like everything should be left alone except doing lots of water changes (and maybe adding something to bring down the ammonia/nitrite levels if thats possible, ie another chemical??) TIA Scott > The 'new tank syndrome' was a real helper. One question though. > Should I refrain from cleaning the sponge filter (in the tank water I [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > adding something to bring down the ammonia/nitrite levels if thats > possible, ie another chemical??) ========================== When cycling a new tank I don't bother the filter or gravel unless there is uneaten food sitting there turning into ammonia. But that doesn't happen anymore since I feed very, very lightly while a tank cycles. I keep doing partial water changes faithfully though so the fish don't sicken or suffer.  SignatureRM.... Frugal ponding since 1995. rec.ponder since late 1996. My Pond & Aquarium Pages: http://tinyurl.com/9do58 Zone 6. Middle TN USA ISP: Hughes.net ~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> yes, dont clean the sponge right now. there is biospira trade name for bacteria that is added to the water to help colonize the filter. you can add chemicals that will bind to the ammonia. forget the name. Ingrid >The 'new tank syndrome' was a real helper. One question though. >Should I refrain from cleaning the sponge filter (in the tank water I [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >TIA >Scott ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/ sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?hl=en&q=puregold&qt_s=Group+lookup www.drsolo.com Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website. I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan >yes, dont clean the sponge right now. there is biospira trade name for bacteria that >is added to the water to help colonize the filter. >you can add chemicals that will bind to the ammonia. forget the name. Ingrid ChlorAm-X or Amquel are a couple brand names to bind ammonia, yet still provide it for the bacteria to grow on. Use salt to detox the nitrite. Easy on the water changes, not too much or you'll defeat the cycle. ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us hey hjey..look, its one of the CArol Gulley hate forum members tip toeing outside her protected moderated environment....Nice to see the outside world huh Jan? Sure smells better outside that room full of assmongers I bet! Next time don;t stay away so long.....What happened to your co-hort Gill, looks like she flew the coop big time for damage control huh? Unlike you I guess you do not have any morals to worry about then huh? <<>>On Thu, 05 Apr 2007 02:30:15 GMT, dr-solo@wi.rr.xx.com wrote: <<>> <<>>>yes, dont clean the sponge right now. there is biospira trade name for bacteria that <<>>>is added to the water to help colonize the filter. <<>>>you can add chemicals that will bind to the ammonia. forget the name. Ingrid <<>>> <<>>ChlorAm-X or Amquel are a couple brand names to bind ammonia, yet still <<>>provide it for the bacteria to grow on. Use salt to detox the nitrite. Easy <<>>on the water changes, not too much or you'll defeat the cycle. ~ jan <<>>------------ <<>>Zone 7a, SE Washington State <<>>Ponds: www.jjspond.us ------- I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know! > hey hjey..look, its one of the CArol Gulley hate forum members tip > toeing outside her protected moderated environment....Nice to see the user added to bozo bin. SignatureDuncan >> Lack of oxygen or even ammonia in the water will often get your fish >> gasping [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > TIA > Scott DO you know someone with a setup aquarium? If you do and there tank is healthy try and grab some filter material from their filter (sponge etc) and attach it too your filter (slot it in or elastic band it to it) This act of 'seeding' a tank with bacteria from another tank is by far the quickest way to cycle a tank. I try grab a bit of water, bit of gravle (or sand) and a bit of filter gunk. That way ya get 3 types of organism to process your fish waste. This first month is as hard as fishkeeping usually gets. make it thru the cycle and its alll easy! > >> Lack of oxygen or even ammonia in the water will often get your fish > >> gasping [quoted text clipped - 68 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Thanks to everyone who helped. We lost one fish out of four which was a shame. Felt really bad that we had poisoned him. We tested the water and it was high nitrite. We basically just kept doing water changes and fed less often and sucked out all the old gunk (food and waste) with a gravel suction pump thingy. The other three fish seem much happier now. They still are gulping a bit too much but it has slowed right down and sometimes they dont gulp at all. Im assuming the tank is getting near the end of its cycle as each day I can see them breathing easier. We are going to just leave the tank with three fiosh in it as well after reading posts from Ingrid that said we had too many fish. Now we just gotta buy some more plants coz they dont stop eating them!! But at least they seem happy. Thanks again. Scott >> >> Lack of oxygen or even ammonia in the water will often get your fish >> >> gasping [quoted text clipped - 95 lines] > Thanks again. > Scott good to hear situation is under control! many aquariums chokepoint during the cycle at the nitrite eaters. they grow slower and are more delicate than ammonia eaters. Bet you'll be glad when ya can ease off the water changes! :) |
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