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Goldfish

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2005 Mar. ~ 2005 May: Hariball Haven (ARCHIVES): Goldfish users admin

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Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Monday, July 26, 2004 - 2:30 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
DS won a goldfish at a carnival. So we got a 2.5 gallon tank w/filter and some rocks and a companion goldfish. then the companion died. We replaced it and the 2nd one died. And now the carnival one doesn't look so good.

Any suggestions? He won the goldfish Friday night. I thought goldfish were hardy. We followed (limited) directions on aquarium box. And the aquarium came with everything-food, de-chlor drops, etc...

Bandit
Member

07-29-2001

Monday, July 26, 2004 - 3:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Unfortunately, those fish won at carnivals aren't taken care of very well, and they tend to die within days.

I don't really have any suggestions for goldfish. I had a few growing up, but I didn't like how they died so quickly.

If DS has his heart set on a fish, maybe a betta would be better for him. They are very easy to take care of, and can live a long time. But don't get the betta a buddy--they eat each other!

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Monday, July 26, 2004 - 3:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Well what I don't get is that the carnival fish is still alive but 2 of teh pet store fish died!

Maybe we will try a betta if the goldfish doesn't make it. Maybe we will try one more goldfish before we give up... plus we'll see how long the carnival fish lasts.... Our neighbor has one that is still alove that they won last year and we know someone who has one that they won two years ago who is still alive!!!

Jmm
Member

08-16-2002

Monday, July 26, 2004 - 4:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Julieboo, Any chance that the store you got your goldfish from has one of those security devices at the door that beeps if you try to steal something? I've always been told to be sure and hold the fish above the level of it or it can kill them.

Froggiegirl621
Member

02-14-2003

Monday, July 26, 2004 - 5:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Julie...I have a goldfish for more than a year now. I don't have him in any fancy tank, just a big glass fishbowl. No air-rator, no chemicals. I change the water frequently and try my hardest to keep his water cool. He's still kicking! It just depends on the fish sometimes.

Bandit - I know you may think that carnival fish aren't taken care of, but I beg to differ. My parents own and run a goldfish game during the summer months at many local carnivals and fairs. My mom is now a goldfish expert! LOL She takes better care of those fish than she does herself during the summer! So not all carnival goldfish aren't taken care of. As a matter of fact, the goldfish that I have now is from my mom. She also gave me a betta fish which lasted almost a year.

I just think it depends on the fish, Julieboo. I'm sure you'll find a keeper sooner or later!


Bandit
Member

07-29-2001

Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 8:08 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Froggie, I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad they aren't mistreated. I just remember my dad telling me when I was little that they weren't taken care of well. Maybe he was just telling me that so I wouldn't be too sad if it died.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, July 30, 2004 - 3:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
ANyone know of a "Goldfish for dummies" type website? We had 3 goldfish and they all died! (One was from the carnival and 2 from Walmart) So we just got 2 more from PetCo. They are much bigger (almost too big for a 2.5 gal. tank) and they were almost $12 each!!! SO I hope they don't die.
I used about half the water from the other fish and half new spring water and dropped one of those tablets that make tap water okay for fish. What else should I be doing? The tank has a filter. (How often do I change that?)

How much should I feed these guys--they are big! Maybe 3 inches long.

Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Friday, August 13, 2004 - 5:43 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Ok, I need help with BIG goldfish in an outdoor fish pond. The water is looking murky and the waterfall pump isn't pumping as much as it was a couple of days ago.

I have 7 goldfish...2 are Japanese koi. The previous owner said that there is one black ugly bottom feeder fish that eats algae. I haven't seen it. Is water supposed to evaporate out of the pond? I put some "algae destroyer" in the pond the other day and it cleared up a little.

Can you just put water from the hose in the pond?

At least I know how much to feed the fish.....the standoffish cat that came with the house, well that is another matter.

HELP!

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 12:41 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Marm, if I were you, I would concentrate RIGHT NOW, or as soon as possible, on getting new homes for those fish. Not that you couldn't learn how to take care of them, but your lifestyle is just not conducive to that sort of upkeep. They will surely die and then you will feel bad. I mean, it FREEZES there, doesn't it?

Find somebody who knows how to take care of those babies and give them away (unless you can sell them) and make a nice flower bed out of that pond. Or just have a fishless pond. Little ice skating pond in the winter. There you go.

Kaili
Member

08-31-2000

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 12:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Goldfish are...well...big poopers. I have tropical fish- haven't had goldfish in years. Basically, while goldfish can survive in smaller tanks with no aeration, they don't thrive in those conditions. And they dirty their tanks, which raises the ammonia levels in the water and the whole cycle process- then they die.

Adding additional fish- too many for too small of a tank- can also cause a cycle to happen. The water balance adjusts and the size of a tank and size of a filter can only handle too much. I made the mistake of adding too many fish at once and they all ended up getting stressed, the water levels were all messed up, then all but one ended up dying. It's very, very important to have the right sized tank. Generally, it's supposed to be one inch of fish per gallon of water. Rule of thumb.

When you clean tank, never do a complete water change. They need that bacteria in the water. That's why tanks have to cycle is to build that up. That's the stuff also that builds up on your filter. My filter has a few inserts (carbon and sponge) because it's a bigger tank but you should never replace all of them at once because you're basically then tossing away the bacteria that the fish need to live. Usually I pull half out and rinse them but only a few at a time.



Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 6:48 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I'm going to the fish store tomorrow. The yard care people said that I need a new algae eater, since mine is missing. They said that the previous owner didn't have to do much to the pond.

The fish go in a big plastic tub for the winter. But it doesn't really freeze in the winter so I could leave them out. However, the pond "chokes" in the winter due to leaves.

I'm going to have my eyes out next week for a broke students who can house and pet-sit for when I'm gone.

Kaili...I've cleaned the sponge filters twice by just spraying them with the hose. I would be much better with a tank than a pond. I'm actually pretty proud of myself for figuring the filter thing out! I put some drops in the pond to kill algae and it was working last week....so I'm hopeful for next week, too. Maybe I should try some new water. I'll check with the fish store people tomorrow.



Kaili
Member

08-31-2000

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 7:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
My grandparents had a pond with large goldfish and bluegills in Arizona. It was (is) concrete and built into their deck with a little waterfall thing to circulate the water and they had a big rock balanced on smaller ones to give the fish a place to hide. Now and then a snake would get the fish, but they really didn't have to do anything with them but feed them. My grampa would drain half and refill it with a hose. I loved walking around and helping because I always got a kick out of the fish biting at my feet. My grandma doesn't have any fish in it anymore, but goldfish, being basically just carp, are pretty hardy and can take outdoor conditions pretty well. My biggest concern in winter would be lower oxygen levels in the water. Their elevation in AZ is high enough where they get snow in winter and frosts, but it's not too cold and warms up generally during the day.

I have to laugh about fish being in the "Hairball" area of the board.

Good luck with the fish!

Schoolmarm
Member

02-18-2001

Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 4:55 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Ok, I went to the fish store and got some barley pellets to clean up the fish pond. I also found out that I was feeding them too much and that I should be changing one fourth of the water every week.

Did the first water change today and things are looking up!

Roxip
Member

01-29-2004

Friday, February 04, 2005 - 2:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I too became the proud grandmother of a carnival goldfish Halloween before last - Goldie has now survived for over a year. I got her a buddy at first but the buddy died, and the next buddy, so I decided that our 2.5 gallon tank was too small for two goldfish. Goldie has grown at an alarming rate so DD received a 10 gallon tank from Santa this year. Goldie was then joined in the new tank by four of the ugliest fish ever to swim the face of the earth - two black bug-eyed "gold" fish and two fish who were gold but had these huge bubbles on either side of their face. Bubble-faced fish #1 (DD knows their names but I've given up) has always been sickly and passed away and then this Monday morning bubble-faced fish #2 was found with its cheek stuck in the suction part of the filter (the part that sucks water up and into the filter)! I finally managed to free it but I fear that bubble-face #2 might be permanently damaged (it looks like the bubble might be going away). I told DD that we were not getting any more dumb fish that get their faces stuck in the pump!

Why do children do these things to their parents?

Kristylovesbb
Member

09-14-2000

Monday, April 18, 2005 - 10:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I have an outdoor goldfish pond. We have 4 BIG Goldfish and 3 pretty large koi. It is hard work keeping one going. The worst part is cleaning the filters, yukkk, nasty job. The fish are easy to take care of, just have to feed them. In the winter it gets pretty cold here also but the fish do well. The top of the pond can freeze solid but the fish will be ok. The big danger is feeding them in the cold months, big NO NO. They become lethargic and need no food at all. Feeding them in the winter will kill them. We love our pond and get great pleasure from it. I dug the ground out and built it all by myself.

pond

Kristylovesbb
Member

09-14-2000

Monday, April 18, 2005 - 10:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Trying again:

Pond

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 - 9:57 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Pretty and serene.