Ask Goldfish Care

Smelly goldfish tank water and black spots on goldfish

2011-08-02T18:39:00.000-04:00

Kelly asks:

My son just won 2 goldfish at our local fair. I bought a fishbowl, bowl buddies water conditioner, gravel. I got up this morning to 1 dead fish, and cloudy, foul smelling water.

The water actually smells like eggs or sulfur. I took the one remaining fish out of the bowl and put him in a mason jar with some of his original bowl water, but now am unsure about how to procede.

I also see that the 1 remaining fish has a few little dark spots on him. I don't honestly know if they were there before or not.

My 7 yr. old is frantic about trying to save his fish. Can you please help us out? I've never owned fish before. Thanks.

Kelly it sounds like you may have simply added too much conditioner, this is a common mistake as to the black spots they could be related also. We would suggest simply setting up the tank again "paying special attention to the amount of conditioner you add" Less is better

Good Luck

Best Goldfish for Children

2011-08-01T22:58:00.000-04:00

Rachel has been busy and has a lot of questions:

1: Where do I buy my goldfish?

Your Local pet shop is probably best or if your lucky to have a shop that specializes in fish were you live.

2: Is a black Moor or a Fantail goldfish better for children?

Both Black Moor Goldfish and Fantail Goldfish are a little more difficult to look after than the more popular single tailed goldfish.

3: Can a grown fantail goldfish live in a 10-gallon tank and be happy?

Goldfish Tanks come in many sizes a 10-gallon tank would be more than large enough for a single fantail goldfish fully grown.

4: What type of goldfish is the best for children?

Goldfish that are of the single tailed type are best as starter goldfish.

Do I get a goldfish or betta fish?

What is cheaper?

Which one is easier to take care of?

A simple goldfish would be best to start with and is also cheaper than a betta fish and much easier to take care of.

Comet Goldfish can grow up to 18" and 5-6lbs in weight.

2010-12-11T01:59:00.004-05:00

Karann in Colorado wrote to us the other day with some amazing info on Comet Goldfish.

I just wanted to let you know I have had comet goldfish for 18 yrs living in a pond I built them in my backyard. One of my goldffish just died and was 18 yrs old and well over 18 inches and about 5-6 lbs. They do grow to very large sizes if given the room. My goldfish pond is 225 gallons and the fish stay outside year round here in Colorado.

I do use a pond heater in winters to prevent the pond from freezing. It keeps the water at 40 degrees F. Just thought you might want to know they do get bigger than 9 inches. I also have a large one that is all black and many small ones that are mostly orange.

Karann thanks for taking the time to write to us, we will be sure to update our webpage Comet Goldfish

We will be closed for 10 days, and the fish will not be fed.

2010-12-09T20:01:00.006-05:00

I work at a place, which has apx a 30 gallon tank with 2 large koi goldfish and 4 smaller ones. We will be closed for 10 days, and the fish will not be fed. Will this be harmful to them, if we feed them extra a few days beforehand?

It is possible to buy a product which dissolves slowly over a period of time like this one in our shop
Tetra Vacation Gel Feeder Block 14 days

This would be a better choice than simply not feeding the fish...

Thai Goldfish

2010-12-08T22:08:00.002-05:00

Holidaying in Asia at present and I keep running in to goldfish.

How cold can goldfish water be?

2010-12-08T21:43:00.001-05:00

It really depends on the type goldfish, common goldfish, Comets & Shubunkins will survive a light icing on top of the pond during the winter months, as long as the water still contains sufficient oxygen. Twin tailed goldfish sometimes referred to as fancy gold fish need normal room temperature water, except for fantail goldfish which are a lot hardier and seem to do well outside.

Black moor with lump on it's head

2009-10-02T08:37:00.000-04:00

A friend Asks....

I have a black moor that has a lump on it's head that just appeared today, can you help me? the fish has been laying on the bottom and swimming upside down for a little while, I have tried two different tank treatments to no avail.

Ask Goldfish Care

Unfortunately It sounds like your fish has contracted something that is probably terminal, occasionally fish are born with lumps and other defects in these cases it is not abnormal for the fish to live a long healthy life. In your case the fact the fish is swimming upside down & acting in an unhealthy manner suggests it may have a tumor or another disease possibly Lymphocystis or Nodular Disease both are very serious.

Older goldfish

2009-09-19T20:04:00.001-04:00

Jude asks.....

We have had 2 goldfish for over 6 years. they have grown and been fun pets to have. recently, one of them has lost his/her color, went from bright orange to whiteish. has not lost scales, just seems to have fadded. these fish have never had any special water treatment, just good ole tap water has worked fine. could this be a sign of old age?

Ask Goldfish Care

Jude 6 plus years for common goldfish
is allready a great life span, they sound like
they are just showing signs of old age.

My Goldfish is getting black fins.

2009-09-02T08:07:00.001-04:00

Samuel wrote and asked...

My gold fish is getting black on its fins. what could be wrong with it?

Goldfish Care

Samuel in most cases their is nothing to worry about goldfish will change colors, you may want to check the water and make sure you ammonia levels are correct.

See more here http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061029101355AA813hG

and here http://www.goldfishcareinformation.com/2008/04/black-spots-on-goldfish.html

How to tell if a goldfish is pregnant?

2009-08-28T08:23:00.002-04:00

Jordon wrote and asked...

Need help telling if fish is pregnent or sick ?

Goldfish Care

If you are sure it is a female and she has a swollen tummy their is a good chance she is pregnant :-) Keep a lookout for eggs then small fry........

Lethargic Goldfish

2009-08-27T08:38:00.001-04:00

Sue wrote and asked...

Hope you can help, we have some goldfish at work who seem very lethargic, they just lie on the bottom of the tank. We've had the water checked, there's plenty of oxygen and they're being fed correctly. Any ideas

Goldfish Care

My first guess would be water temperature, goldfish like cooler water and are considered cold water fish,

the temperature should be 64-74 degrees Fahrenheit

Changing the water

2009-08-25T13:45:00.001-04:00

Becky wrote and asked...

Can you please tell me if I need to add more conditioner to the water each time I take out and replace 25% of the water even if it's not the normal weekly time to put more conditioner in?

Thanks so much!

Goldfish Care

Probably best if you change the water and add condition on the same day, changing the water first then adding conditioner.

Learn more abot Changing the water at goldfiscare.org

Another day in the goldfish bowl

2009-08-25T08:31:00.001-04:00

Todays the day! Over at goldfish care we receive questions daily on how to care for your goldfish rather than just file them we will now be posting them here as they arrive.