I unintentionally kill goldfish. Lots and lots of goldfish.?

Question

I'm pretty sure it's me and not them. I've checked the temperature, pre-treated the water, fed different food, different size bowls, and talked to the pet store.

a lot for a goldfish, i know. but now i'm just very determined to keep one alive.

please help guys. i'm running out of names.

Answer 1

Stop using fish bowls. Use a proper tank with a filter.

After the tank cycles (google "cycling a tank" sometime to find out about that), you should have no problems keeping a goldfish alive.

Answer 2

They are in bowl. That is what killed them, the ammonia poisioning.

3 goldfish can live together, but not in a bowl! They can get 6 inches (If they are fancies, I reccomend fancies over commons or comets cuz they get so big) with proper care. For the fancy goldfish you need a 30 gallon tank with a strong filter. For the commons or comets, you need a 70 gallon tank with a strong filter! Goldfish are so messy, and if they survive the cycling process of a small bowl, they will only live 2-3 years instead of 10-20 years. This is because they live in such a small place and there growth becomes stunted and they stay small. BUT their internal organs don't get the message and keep growing!! The ends in 1 of these 2 versions of a slow painfull death

1. The goldfishes organs stops working and they die -or-

2. 1 Of there organs ruptures and they die. A goldfish needs a lot of room, it is a complete lie they can live happily in a bowl, made up by the economys love of money and complete disrespect for living creatures! Please do not get a goldfish for a bowl. Here is a very informative artical of why not to.

http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/inf...

Now I will give you some info on how to properly take care of goldfish!

Fancy goldfish witch get 6-8 inches are the smallest variety of goldfish. Many people think feeder goldfish (which are usually cmmons or comet goldfish) stay small, like under 3 inches! That is NOT true!! Those types of goldfish are the largest, getting a foot or longer!

Fancy goldfish pic (fancys come in many diffrent varietys including orandas or fantails. At the pet store they will be labled fancy goldfish variety so it is hard to tell thediffrent types) http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/gold...

This also shows wheather the type of goldfish is common, umcommon less rare or rare. in the uk, far east and in the usa. That also shows you single tail goldfish, which get about a foot long.

Ok, now onto goldfish care.

The tank: Depending on your goldfish the tank needs to be 30 gallons for 3 fancy goldfish. The rule is 10 gallons of water per fish. or 75 gallons for 3 singletail goldfish. The rule in 2 per 50 gallons, that is 1 every 25 gallons. Goldfish love to eat live plants. So it is good to use fake plants in a goldfish tank. Goldfish love places to hide and get away from other ting or other fish, so lots of fake plants and rock and drift wood is important. Goldfish are one of the...if not THE messiest fish! Another reason the ammonia poisoning would probably kill them before the growth stunt did! Goldfish need a STRONG filter, a filter made for a tank with more gallons! That is how messy they are! So if you got 3 fancys in a 30 gallon tank, it is best to have a filter made for a 50 gallon or larger tank. If you have 3 singletail goldfish in a 75 gallon tank, you will need to have a filter for a 100+ gallon tank! ok, once you have your tank set up ontop of your stand, with a good filter and proper decorations and such, it is time to add an airstone! You can buy and size airstone at almost any pet store. Airstones blow out bubbles and add oxygen to the water, which is VERY good for the fish. Goldfish need lots of oxygen!

ok, so your tank is all set up. Time to stick in some fish. right? Wrong. Time to cycle your tank. For cycling a tank, you can cycle it with fish of without fish. I cycle with fish and have not had a casualty yet!lol! Here is how to cycle with fish- http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

And here is how to without fish- http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fi...

Either way, you need to cycle your tank! Ok, so before you run out and buy your fisheys, you need to learn how to care for them!

Transfering your fish-

Ok, so your home, tank is cycled...or you are holding the fish you are going to used to cycle the tank! But how do you put them in the new tank?!?! Well, once your tank is filled with dechlorinated water(You can buy dechlorinator at any pet store) put your goldfish that is inthe bad inside the tank and let it float for 30 minutes. Then pour water from your tank into your goldfishes bag. then wait another 30 minutes. once that is done you can use your net to fish out the fish and place him in your new tank!

Feeding: Goldfish are omnivores and love variety in there diet. Their base diet should be a high quality pellet food. I say pellet instead of flake because when a goldfish eats flake food off the surface of the water, they also swallow air. That can either cause or worsen swim bladder disorder. It can be treated, but the treatment does not always work! If you feed them sinking pellets it lowers the chance of your fish getting swim bladder disorder...by a lot. To be on the safe side, I am going to give you the symptoms and how to treat it. The symptoms are : Goldfish having trouble keeping balance.

Fish having trouble swimming strait and

Fish swimming upside down

Here is how to treat it-

Feed your fish one pea a day. Thaw the pea out and take the shell off. Then mash it up and feed it to the fish with the problem. Ok back to what to feed your fish!

You would'nt want to eat the same thing everyday, would you? Neither does your fish. Goldfish love variety!! twice a week you should feed your goldfish a treat. since they are omnivors you should give them one meaty trey, like thawed out bloowroms or brineshrimp. You can buy these at almost any pet store. For the plant matter of a treat, you can feed them boiled lettuce or zuchinni slices. or those algea wafers you buy at the pet store. Ok, done with feeding! The only thing I can think of is to remember to change the water once a week! Now, that is all you need to know about goldfish!

Answer 3

get a very big tank .  the goldfish need a lot of space.

Answer 4

Try an outdoor pond, even a kid's wading pool would work.  Place some water hyacynths in it and enjoy.

Answer 5

if you are running out of names, stop buying them to kill them

Answer 6

first, are the goldfish from walmart?  i got 3 of them from there and they all died the next day.  if there not from walmart maybe you overfed them or there in too small of a bowl...every light bulb eventually burns out.

Answer 7

Are then in tanks or bowls?  If they're in bowls without filters, it's going to be tough to keep your wtaer quality stable enough to even keep hardy-goldfish happy.  It can be done but it's tough.

Also if you're just etablishing a tank, it'll take time for your bacterial balance to establish itself, so dumping a ton of fish into the tank will probably resullt in mass disease and death.  Try just putting a few (two?) in the tank to start, getting the community established, and move up from there gradually.

The reasons for your fish death are going to depend on the kind of enclosure you had them in, how old the enclosure is, etc.

Answer 8

It's because you kept them in a bowl.

Fancy Goldfish grow up to a foot long and require a 20+ gallon tank with a filter. Common Goldfish grow up to a foot and a half long and require a 55+ gallon tank with a canister filter. Check out these pictures: http://cellar.org/2002/recordgoldfish.jp...

http://pic.ccn.mofcom.gov.cn/ccne/14852/...

Does this image look right to you: http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/d...

Another reason is because you didn't cycle the tank first. cycling is establishing the beneficial bacteria to consume the ammonia and nitrites before it can harm your fish. Take a look at these pages about cycling:

http://www.fishlesscycling.com/articles/...

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.htm...

http://fish.orbust.net/cycling.html

http://www.bestfish.com/breakin.html

http://www.worldcichlids.com/faqs/cyclin...

http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/articles/5...

E-mail me for any questions!

Answer 9

Probably feeding too much, they require very little food, a few specks a couple times a day.  Any more than that and you start to effect water quality leading to toxins in the water.