Caryl

Going from 6.0 to 7.0 is a big jump (remember it is a logarithmic scale) so it is quite possible as I believe these fish are sensitive to pH (don't have them myself so can't comment on experience :-? )

Hi and welcome. I too wonder how much sunlight your aquarium is getting as you mention small dots on the glass. Where are you? (It would help if you added your location to your profile - click on the User Control Panel at the top right of the page and find where to add it there). Where does your water suply come from? Mine is artesian and I find algae can be a problem over the summer months when the water table is lower. I suspect a higher concentration of nutrients for the algae to consume. What size is the tank, how long has it been running and what species, and how many, fish do you have? What is the pH? Have you tried cutting back on the feeding? What sort of lights do you have and have you changed one of the tubes/bulbs lately?

Hi from overcast and windy (but warm) Blenheim. I have goldfish in ponds outside too. Not a fan of shubunkins though, I like the solid red forms.

I have 3 hoplos but have not tried to sex them. The males have thicker pectoral fins when they mature. Spawning is triggered by large water changes, using cool water, and thereby quickly lowering the temperature. Males that are in breeding condition have a blue/purple sheen on the under belly. The parents should be removed from the aquarium after spawning or they will eat their own eggs and fry. I remember a Dunedin club member spawning these a number of years ago. They build big bubble nests!

I have always liked them but they do not stand out in the tank. This is why I didn't put them in the bathroom display tank in the end as they are so well camouflaged against the dark substrate and plants etc that they are too hard to see.

I have kept BNs in with goldfish over summer months. I think if you kept them at 22C or above they ought to be fine. They will survive at lower temperatures but there is a difference between surviving and thriving.

I realise that is probably the case smidey but that hotel one is better 8)

and fools never differ Stunning with or without the discus but... if I was building a tank that long I would make it higher.

No idea as test kits are all different. :-?

You say there is no nitrate which doesn't sound right. An established tank should have 0 readings for ammonia and nitrIte but 25ppm or lower nitrAte. Goldfish produce a lot of waste, even the small ones! Tank looks lovely though.

I agree with ryanjury, with those small fish and numbers you would barely notice a spike. Just make sure you continue to add the rest of the fish slowly so the bacteria in the filter can keep up with the increasing bioload.

Very true 8)

It is certainly admirable to try and save a sick fish but there is a point when you are actually prolonging their pain and/or discomfort without a fully satisfactory outcome. To be so ill, for so long, at that age I doubt they will ever recover. As said, they appear to be stunted already and they will never grow into fully healthy fish. They will also be more prone to illnesses, assuming they survive for any great length of time. If they do they will never be saleable either. Medications are expensive and, in this case, probably wasted from a practical point of view (leaving emotions out of it). Ron was certainly not having a dig at you, he was giving a valid opinion, one which I agree with. He is looking at it from a business point of view too, which you have to do in these situations.

Fancy goldfish can have all sorts of problems due to their odd body shape but fantails are usually OK. The other ones can have problems digesting food, especially pellets. If it was food though I would more expect it to develop swim bladder-like symptoms and be unable to stay upright, not just rest. Sounds like it was just one of those things that we will never know without a full autopsy I have never seen my goldfish laying eggs specifically (or tell which one was doing the laying) as they spawned in a big pond and in a group so I can't tell you whether goldfish usually spawn over a couple of weeks. I remember mine spawning for 2 days then again later but can't remember the time interval. Surely someone here can tell us?? :-?

They probably all have good hiding spots - just like yours :lol:

According to a site I looked at, as low as 0.1ppm can be harmful if prolonged. Symptoms of nitrite poisoning are gasping and rapid gill movements, which can be mistaken for a shortage of oxygen. This does not sound like your fish's behaviour. I wonder if she had a problem in the egg laying department :-? What were you feeding?

My daughter is also a primary school teacher, loves the job, but really looks forward to the holidays!

Anyone got a cross dressing beardie? :lol:

What about cherry barbs?

What else is in the tank - decor-wise? I want to know why your pH dropped suddenly. Apart from that, I wonder about some sort of internal infection that has come in with a fish as everything else appears OK. Reading back I see you set the tank up, with fish, the last week on November and used matured media so all should have been fine, assuming you added the same amount of stock as was in the tank from which you took the media. This last lot of fish dying are all more "delicate" so it would not take much of anything to kill them.

I just hope those who rely on this calculator also use common sense and do their research before they start :-?

Well I found the pearl gouramis, added my fish (as many as I could count anyway, I missed some) and it informs me I should be doing a 76% water change weekly split into 2, 51% and my stocking level is 202%. Having run this tank for a number of years now with no problems whatsoever, despite it only getting a water change once every 3 months or so and the filter has been cleaned twice in 2 years so far, I am not sure what to think :-? It also tells me my temperature requirements are not fully compatible. Since all my species are happy between 22 - 25C I am not sure which ones are not fully compatible. I was warned the pearls could get too aggressive when breeding. When they were building bubble nests I did not see any aggression anywhere. I have ancistrus and odessas breeding in there too so something must be OK :roll:

Any nitrate? How many goldfish are in the tank? Seems odd. Is there any decor or rocks in the tank on which the fish may be catching their tails?

I believe they were $5 here but dearer in other places.

Thought I would give this a go but it does not list any of the Jebo filters (and mine is a Jebo 819), nor does it have pearl gouramis.