Our goldfish has died

[alwaysprepare]

Just now really, we have three in the tank that I regularly clean.

DS went to feed them as he usually does and said his one is just lying listlessly at the bottom. I had pre emptied this when we bought them almost a year ago by saying their lifespan is usually a year or less, and we'd be lucky to get more. We had ours just under a year, so I said he may have been already older when we brought him.
Just went to have a look and he ox definitely dead, I think I feel worse than the kids as I just can't handle these kind of situations (death etc, ) anyway.

On the internet,they said to take him out asap so othe fish don't feed on him and get infected by dead flesh bacteria. Will also wash and change the water.

I kept the kids occupied on something else for now, and there have been no questions, what do we do here? A funeral in the toilet like the movies? Bury him in the morning? What did you guys do in this case? Don't want to make too much of a big deal, while having closure. It's not like we lost a dog/ cat, but he did feed it almost daily.

No reputable fish shop should ever sell you a tank at the same time as he fish you were going to put in it because you would not have time to properly cycle the the tank prior to adding the tank (cycling the tank can take up to 6 weeks to get right).

Prior to adding the FISH!

YABU. it's a goldfish

A garden burial, a few words, that's what I'd recommend. Not a long drawn-out 'funeral'.

I had received two fancy goldfish in 1986 for my 7th birthday, I think they died when I was 25-or-so. I'd long left home by then.

I found that once they were established in their tank we hardly had to clean or feed them, their tank started to self regulate, the water was always clear, sometimes some green algae would grow, and they'd eat it... idk if that was horribly cruel, but they were happy and healthy (bright and shiny) for 16 or so years, then their colours started to fade, and they died aged 18ish.

I don't have fish but never knew most of the info about fish above

I don't blame you OP for not knowing either. You'd expect that "experts" selling you the stuff would be able to give good advice.

My cousins had two goldfish that they won at the shows, were kept in a large glass bowl in water that was often so green you'd struggle to see the fish, and lived till they were about 14 or 15 years old.

We went to a fair at the weekend where they were giving goldfish as prizes. My friends dd won one and took it home in a little bag. They filled a tank with water and bought some purification stuff the next day. As far as I know it's still there, swimming around on its lonesome, being watched by the cat.

It was your responsibility to do your own research before getting the fish so you knew what care they needed. By not doing that you have helped prop up a crap pet shop, and probably caused suffering to the poor fish. Please, if you ever get another living creature research research research BEFORE you get them!

So glad to see so many other people who actually know about how to keep fish- I hate how the norm is to keep them in small tanks and assume that one or two years is a 'good innings'!

As said above- please do the necessary research and improve conditions for your remaining fish. They should reach 15-20 years with correct care (and grow to at least 6 inches or more). Some have been known to live 40+ years.

I can 100% guarantee they were new little babies when you bought them- that's all most shops sell unless selling to owners with huge tanks and more 'professional' set-ups. They are exactly the same as the big things you see in ponds.

You're right that it is appalling that pet shops sell them like that- unfortunately the same can be said for the 'care requirements' they claim for most animals. Fish and small pets are almost universally maltreated and the blame lies largely with pet shops putting profit before welfare. That doesn't mean people shouldn't be doing their own research though- most people take other sellers with a pinch of salt (estate agents, car salesmen etc- we check what they say, same goes for pet shops).

Another problem is because pet shops are quite happy to perpetuate the myths of how they can be kept, a lot of advice online is also terrible. Our understanding of fish husbandry and welfare has moved on enormously in the last 100 years (even 30 years), and yet a huge proportion of the population refuses to catch up because they seem to think they know better (when in reality it is just an excuse to justify their poor care).

Here's some reputable links to get you started:

puregoldfish.com/beginners-care-guide/
puregoldfish.com/what-size-tank-do-goldfish-need/
www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles_12/keeping-goldfish.htm
www.fishforums.net/threads/goldfish-for-beginners.417799/

Good luck!

(just to clarify an important point that has cropped up- clear water does not mean clean water. Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are all clear and colourless- and yet they are what kill fish, not algae)

Where did you bring him from?

Kept properly a goldfish can live for 25 years or more, contrary to what rubbish pet shops have you believe they should not be kept in tanks (unless they are very large) and do much better in ponds.

'Goldfish' tanks for children should be banned.

My goldfish had babies in our pond, I was so unbelievably proud. This is just after I'd spotted them for the first time, they're all boringly gold now.
(And the water looks minging cause we'd just done a treatment for blanket weed, its lovely and clear now)