newbie needs goldfish help. thank you

[postshawn]

I don't know about the feeders being stunted to a limit of about 2 inches over a year's time. I have a few feeder fish from 3 different stores including walmart, petco, and an LFS. They all are growing pretty big. The oldest, about 15 months is around 7 inches and the smallest/youngest currently around 4 inches. Maybe I just got them from good stock but as the OP stated, the walmart and petco ones did come from tanks with a few bad fish. I quarantined them for a couple weeks first though. That's when I noticed a hole in the fish that I cured with salt.

Anyway, good luck to the OP. I really hope it all works out for you. If you get the chance get a bigger tank but if it works out for you then go for it.

Just when you ask for help about the fishes health that's always going to be comments you're going to get that they need more room. It helps the water quality for them to live in a bigger tank since they are messy fish, goldfish in nature are messy fish that is. And even with a filter the water can be dirty in other things we can't see and that will only change with more water, aka, bigger tank. I'm not preaching based on false knowledge. I have way too many goldfish in my 55g tank. They are going into an outdoor pond in a year though.

 

[crucial09]

UPDATE:

After not changing the water for 2 days straight, and feeding flakes in the morning and shrimp and peas at night, the ammonia registered, NONE.

So from that I can assume that the ammonia decomposing bacteria are established, and are turning that ammonia into nitrAte. (the tank bacteria stater obv worked, for those who think it doesn't work)
I do not have a nitrAte tester because they do not sell that at Walmart by me, and I'm not ordering that online.

So I will continue to do frequent water changes so the nitrAte levels don't build up too high, but let the tank cycle still.


Side note:
the one fish still has a red spot. I'm thinking of treating him with melafix, Walmart does not have those jungle tabs. As for now I have aquarium salt in the tank.

And the fish are still showing strong signs of attraction in a mating manner.
The male chases the female pushing his head on her rectal area. Also they go in a circle with each fish nudging the other in the rectal area. This goes on for quiet some time too.

 

[Laticauda]

Can you order the tests online and have it sent "site-to-store." That is how I get a lot of things that Walmart by me normally doesn't carry, and there's no shipping charges.

Since you are showing no ammonia, you should salt the tank at 1tsp per gallon, just in case there is nitrItes showing up, as the salt will out-compete the nitrItes and prevent blood poisoning/death due to lack of oxygen.

 

[crucial09]

Can you order the tests online and have it sent "site-to-store." That is how I get a lot of things that Walmart by me normally doesn't carry, and there's no shipping charges.

Since you are showing no ammonia, you should salt the tank at 1tsp per gallon, just in case there is nitrItes showing up, as the salt will out-compete the nitrItes and prevent blood poisoning/death due to lack of oxygen.

I will check into the shipping to walmart and pick up in store for sure!

I have about 1/2 tblspn per gallon of aquarium salt in the tank right now.

With the daily water changes of 20% or so, its hard to keep track of the amount of salt in it.
The fish sure are happy tho. They are showing their mating signs, and they are eating plenty of food.
Also they are now swimming up to the top of the tank, which they did not do before.

 

[Laticauda]

Everything seems to be going well. Continue to watch that red spot closely. See if there is any red streaking or growth of the spot.

Try to discourage them gulping air from the surface, but watch them if they continue to do so.

This could also be a sign of gill irritation: nitrIte poisoning, ick in the gills, or gill flukes.

 

[crucial09]

Everything seems to be going well. Continue to watch that red spot closely. See if there is any red streaking or growth of the spot.

Try to discourage them gulping air from the surface, but watch them if they continue to do so.

This could also be a sign of gill irritation: nitrIte poisoning, ick in the gills, or gill flukes.

They don't really gulp air, every once in a while they swim to the surface, the dart back down. They don't even eat food off the surface lol I have put the flakes underwater so they float down.

The red spot has not gotten worse. It has no streaking at all. It does seem a little bit lighter in color though.

Thank you.

 

[Laticauda]

I would do a water change, adding Prime. Any time I see that my fish are unhappy, I do an automatic water change. Since you don't have a test kit, this is the best course of action for your fish.

Be sure to temperature match the water. When I just had a small tank, I would put the water in a bucket, using a thermometer, and check the temperature of the water in the bucket, while filling and adjust with more hot or more cold water as needed.

Oh..I just re-read what you said and you said it "has not" gotten worse, I thought you said "has." OOPS!
Keep us posted, hopefully you can get those other two tests so you can have a better handle on when water changes are required.

I would recommend buying a good quality pellet food instead of flakes. Flakes cause constipation in fancy goldfish. Omega One makes a good sinking pellet, as does Hikari and NLS. Make sure it's sinking and not floating. Sometimes you have to look really hard at the container to find if it's sinking or floating, I wish they would make those parts BIGGER.

 

[crucial09]

Well I only use flakes in the morning when I feed them.

At night I give them cut up very small, shrimp and peas.