# Goldfish Troubles :(



## the_limit (Jul 24, 2008)

Hi, i have 3 goldfish and one loach in a 45g aquarium. I have had them for 3 months now, and had no problems. I have two aquaclear filters running - a 70 and a 50, and I do partial water changes (about 20%) every 2 or 3 weeks, depending on ammonia/nitrate/acidity levels. 

One of my goldfish has been swimming at the surface, gaspign ofr air for about 2 days now. It still eats fine (although less than others), and occasionally does a loop aroud nthe bottom of the tank...but most of the time its stuck in a corner with its beak (mouth?) above the water, gasping.

There are no signs of ich, or other gowth, and there is no tearing of the fins or tail. So, is there something I should do for this?


----------



## jewel-stavroula (Jan 11, 2008)

Hey the_limit,

The thing with goldfish is that they produce A LOT of waste; keeping up with water changes (doing 25% a week) is necessary or else ammonia and nitrite levels will increase and get to a dangerous level.. The pH will of course also decrease during this time. When you do infrequent water changes, you will be putting your fish through stress (and even shock) with the jump in pH. Your problem is water quality related...

Gasping at the surface is usually due to a high level of ammonia... I would definitely do a 10%water change (not too large as you don't want your pH to sky rocket). I would do the same size water change again in a few days.


----------



## By-The-Lake (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi The-Limit, I think JS was right with this/her suggestion. Another thing that will cause surface gasping is low disolved oxygen content in the water. Something else to consider if your ammonia and nitrite levels are OK.

I would suggest doing a water change ASAP. I would probably be inclined to to a 50% change right off - try to keep water temp the same as the tank water and add a water conditioner/dechlorinator to remove chlorine from the tap water. If you notice a spike in your ammonia/nitrite levels this is your first line of defence. In addition you could also add aquarium salt to reduce effects of nitrite/nitrate toxicity (somewhere in the range of 0.1 - 0.3%). You could also add a water conditioner called Prime by Seachem to convert nitrite to a form non-harmful to your fish. By the way, Prime can also be used as your dechlorinator so it would probably be a good investment. Once your water parameters are looking good I would try to maintain 25% weekly changes.

I added a link to a very good site with goldfish care information below. Hope it helps.
http://thegab.org/Articles/GoldfishBasics.html


----------



## duffgrot (Jul 4, 2008)

I definately concur. Gasping and laying on the substrate are pretty good signs of high ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and/or low dissolved oxygen in the water. Water changes will definately help. I always encourage more frequency, with less amount changed as you stress the fish less. You mentioned a 46G tank so I'm inclined to ask if it is a relatively deep tank. Many deep tanks are difficult to setup with proper water circulation throughout the tank, as most filters out-of-the-box only come with intakes so long. Make sure your intake can get close to the bottom so that you don't get any dead spots. Next time you put your water conditioner, food, etc in the tank see if it follows a pattern and if you notice anywhere the flow doesn't go. That might be the key to solving your issue. Setting up a power head or additional filter or even an airstone good improve your water circulation and aeration, which will help reduce the toxic substances in the water by helping the bacteria to get to them to break them down and also increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water.


----------



## the_limit (Jul 24, 2008)

Thanks guys, I did the water changes suggested and thefish seem to be better....i dont see any gasping anymore, and Prime does help - nitrates and ammonia went down after i used it. so thanks again!

Also, I have another question (here we go again )

Anyways, I'm not really sure how to maintain my aquaclear filter, especially how to cycle through the ceramic rings. I've read the manual, but the filter looks fine to me now after about two months of use. Here's a short video of my filters:




(P.S. Watch in high quality if you can)


----------



## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Nice Vid! 

Me personally I didnt think you change them. Normally when I think they are too dirty I just give them a rinse in some old tank water.

Hopefully some of the other guys can help too.


----------



## the_limit (Jul 24, 2008)

thanks! thats what i thought;

after reading the instructions on the box, it seemed to me that these companies just want you to buy more of their stuff. 

Thanks for the itmely reply!


----------



## jewel-stavroula (Jan 11, 2008)

Hey the_limit,

The only filter media I would replace regularly (a monthly basis) would be the carbon ... A lot of people don't use it because it is not necessary and only removes impurities (chemicals, metals, etc)... I would replace the carbon with either another foam insert or biomax... You never really need to replace the two.


.. On a monthly basis I would rinse out the biomax and foam in aquarium water.


----------



## duffgrot (Jul 4, 2008)

I second that motion. I use either an extra sponge or an extra pack of either ceramic rings or biochem stars (polymer based). I'm not a huge fan of the Hagen ceramic stones, as they have much less surface area than either a bio-max hollow ring or the biochem stars.

By replacing the biomedia and sponges you are essentially removing your bacteria colony in your filter. I would just rinse in dechlorinated water to remove any gunk preventing water flow and then your set.

The ceramic rings may need to be replaced every few years, as the ceramic breaks down over time, albeit a long time.The polymer based rings last indefinately.


----------



## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

The ceramic rings will outlast your aquarium. No need to replace, IMO.

Also good are Seachem Matrix and Eheim efi- line of filtration media too, albeit more expensive.

For your ammonia problem, run another filter with loads of biomedia, and do more frequent larger water changes.

For the DO, run an airstone, or canister filter and have the spray bar constantly agitating the surface.


----------

