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If you have a fish pond, fish tank or are seeking advice about keeping tropical fish, you can find advice on our Fish forum.

Fishnet

Help!! My fish is laying on the bottom of the tank!

12 replies

Katebryan1995 · 30/10/2014 19:25

Can anyone help! I've had my fish for 10 month now and this morning I looked in the tank and one of my fish were laying on the bottom but still breathing can anyone help?!

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EauRouge · 30/10/2014 19:26

What sort of fish is it? Have you got a water test kit? When is the last time you did a water change and cleaner the filter, and what exactly did you do? How big is the tank? Fish have recovered from this state, have hope :)

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jbee1979 · 30/10/2014 19:31

I had a goldfish with a swim bladder infection and the pet shop recommended a teaspoon of salt disolved in a mug of warm water, pour it into the tank and hope for the best. It cured my goldfish - might not be advisable for "fancy" fish

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Katebryan1995 · 30/10/2014 19:34

Just a regular goldfish! And no water test kit! And last time I changed the water was about a week ago! I've never had a water filter or anything just a regular starter tank! And when I found the fish I put it in clean water and left it in since he seemed to be abit more lively a swan about but then went back to lying on the bottom again!

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EauRouge · 30/10/2014 19:41

There's no filter at all? Oh dear :( You do need a filter- they provide the ideal environment for all the good bacteria that are needed to process fish waste. Otherwise the ammonia level gradually builds up and the fish gets sicker and sicker and then it's curtains for the poor thing.

Aquarium salt (or rock salt but not table salt) can help with the symptoms of nitrIte poisoning, but you really, really need to get a filter as soon as possible. How big is the tank? Goldfish get very large; they do not grow to the size of their tank. Don't put the fish in water straight from the tap, the chlorine can burn their gills and make things even worse.

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Katebryan1995 · 30/10/2014 19:45

How much salt shall I use? And do I put it in a cup with water then put it in the tank?

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Katebryan1995 · 30/10/2014 19:49

Oh I've had then for nearly a year without a filter and I have only ever used tap water and nothing has happened went wrong with the fish till now only one had become I'll and not sure on the size it's just a starter tank enough space for 2 fish

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acrabadabra · 30/10/2014 19:52

My 2 goldfish growing up lived to be 11 & 13.
If they wrre ever a bit poorly my dad used to put a wee drop of whisky in the tank.

Probably not what you should do.

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EauRouge · 30/10/2014 20:31

A common goldfish can easily live to be 20 and they grow to about 8 inches long (sometimes bigger). They used to be a lot tougher but now they are farmed on such a massive scale that they are weaker. It's also more profitable if they have shorter lives :(

A starter tank is guaranteed to not be big enough for goldfish, or probably any fish- there are no rules about what can be sold as a fish tank so some tanks on the market are woefully inadequate. This will give you an idea of what a goldfish needs.

I wouldn't add any salt. You need to sort out the water quality first. I'd get some dechlorinator (Tapsafe, Aquasafe, Prime etc- you can get it in some big supermarkets or any aquatic store) and do a large water change. You need to get a filter as soon as possible and probably a bigger tank too. If you can't/don't want to then it's still warm enough to transfer them to a pond. Do you know anyone with a pond? If not then try one of those Facebook groups for pets or gardeners, there's bound to be someone locally that can help.

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Katebryan1995 · 31/10/2014 08:09

Thanks for all the help it's taught me what to do next time if I ever get another goldfish but my fish died

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CatKisser · 31/10/2014 08:12

That's a shame, Kate. It's so unfair how irresponsible pet shops can be when it comes to fish, particularly the ones that need masses of space but typically get cramped into 20 litre tubs.
If you decide to keep fish again, 60-80 litres is a good starter size, IMO and you can get great deals on Gumtree.

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EauRouge · 31/10/2014 10:18

Really sorry about your fish :( Most shops give out really crappy advice and info so you're not alone- I started out exactly the same way (4 gallons, 2 goldfish, no filter!).

I agree with the tank size CatKisser suggested, you could keep a little shoal of minnows in there quite happily. Smaller tanks are often sold as beginner tanks but they are a total nightmare to maintain. A slightly bigger one would actually be less work.