goldiegirl

So even if my fish was missing its dorsal fin, it might have been all right? Now I feel really bad.

Hi, this morning I woke to a horrifying sight, my 1-inch calico fantail stuck to the filter intake of my AquaClear 300. I had to shut off the filter to release the fantail. When I did, he started swimming away, but I noticed that his dorsal fin and one of his pelvic fins were gone, and he was listing very badly. Then he sank to the bottom, but every once in a while he'd swim sideways. I finally scooped him up and put him in a container of tank water, then put the container in the freezer to euthanize him. Did I do right? I didn't think he had any hope. I'm going to put a piece of foam over the intake to prevent future accidents (luckily my fish was alone in his tank). He was always a slow-swimming fish and the intake was just above the gravel. I feel awful. He was with me for only 2.5 months. This was preventable.

Hi Rob! This hobby has taught me patience, that's for sure. There was so much contradictory information that I was overwhelmed at first. For example, it seemed no one could agree on the ideal temperature to keep goldfish at. My brother had kept goldfish at 64 degree F; other sites recommended 74 F, while still others 68-72 F. I observed that my goldfish were sluggish at 64 F but quite happy at 68-70 F, which is the temp I maintain in their tanks now. Then there was the tank vs goldfish bowl. There were scores of friends telling me of their grandmother who kept a goldfish in a bowl for years. And so on and so on. In the end, I concluded that because the fish can be so adaptable, people draw the wrong conclusions about their ideal living conditions. If I had done research ahead of time I probably would not have gone into fishkeeping (nor bought my first car, which was way beyond my means, but drove like a dream!)

Hi Pegasus: Forgot to mention I am using a power filter on each tank plus a sponge filter. This provides extra aeration and backup filtration in case the power filter gets clogged (it has already done so several times). So, not to worry about aeration. The current is not too swift as to upset my goldies but it does increase the surface tension. Keep on posting!

Hi Caryl, Hi Pegasus (didn't mean to spill the beans about your nocturnal activities) - I can honestly say that I am not normally impulsive when it comes to purchasing things (it took me 6 months of research before I bought a new car), but my hasty decision cost the lives of some innocent fish. I am now the proud owner of at least 8 books on goldfish/fishkeeping, and have read them all. I have joined my local aquarium society. I read FAMA and Aquarium Fish magazine. I have read all the articles on goldfish & fishkeeping on at least 30 websites. I have joined fishkeeping forums and read most of the posts there. I weigh the information I collect against my experience and common sense. I change 20-25% of the water in each tank weekly and vacuum the gravel. I feed my fish sparingly, in spite of their begging. I test the water weekly with all my test kits (pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, alkalinity, hardness). I have kept a log since I first got the fish. This is to prove that I am serious about this hobby!

Hi - I started reading Pegasus's posts at Tom's place http://boards.aaquaria.com and he seemed so wise and knowledgeable that I followed him here! As a rank beginner (only 4+ months in the hobby) I don't have many fish, just a 1.5 in gold fantail in a 10gal (38 liters) and a baby calico fantail in another 10gal. I started this hobby for a peculiar reason, because I had read this feng shui book that having 8 goldfish in a tank was good luck. Needless to say, the 8 goldfish in a 10gal quickly turned into 1 goldfish in a 10gal. So, sadder but a lot wiser, I am continuing still, hang the feng shui, because I get much joy in seeing my remaining fish thrive. I am currently preparing another tank for tropical fish because I'd like to see fish interact with each other. I am using the "fishless" cycling method which is using pure ammonia to start a tank. With all the fish deaths I've experienced, I want to spare any more fish from that kind of suffering. Hope to learn from you all!