zoezealand Posted October 21, 2005 Report Share Posted October 21, 2005 i have 6 goldfish in a paddling pool (there tank started to leak) they have been in there for a month with no problems but today i found the biggest one (called pricey because he was 50c more expensive then the rest) floating on the top He wasnt floating yesterday but he looks as though he might have been dead for a while (there was a bit of white stuff growing on him) i had a funeral for him in the garden and buried him he had no visible signs of disease but his belly was a little boated (maybe i have been over feeding them) does anyone have any ideas why he died or know what i should do with the others (we were planning on going away for the weekend and so should i seperate them to prevent coming home to more dead fish? ) i though maybe he got traped on something at the bottom which is why he wasnt floating yesterday (in the paddleing pool there are a few scraps of leather on the bottom, 2 types of floating plants and a small home made filter run by and air pump) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustcooktea Posted October 22, 2005 Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 Hi zoezealand Sorry to hear about your fish. Are you using the same filter on the pool as you did on your tank? I am just asking because if it was a new filter your fish may have got into problems from the pool cycling. Do you have any test kits for ammonia or nitrite as these can get to dangerous levels during cycling. It could be a good idea to do a water change before you go away but if the other fish don't look sick then there is no reason to try to separate them all. How big is the pool? Is it set up outside or inside? How big are all the goldfish? Hope your other fish stay well MCT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted October 22, 2005 Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 Hi zoezealand One thing you "mustn't" do if you are going away is "Do not dump a load of food in there to tide them over your absense" If the pool is outside, they will be perfectly happy for a week or ten days, so just give them a "normal" feed prior to leaving and they will be fine. As MCT said... A decent water change might be a good idea.. especially if you had a floater in the tank or pool. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoezealand Posted October 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 the paddling pool is about 70litres and in my garage (i had a small heater going so i lowered the temp slowly to the garage temp), the fish are only 5-6cm it is the same filter as before, but their tank was about half the size, the filter is just a roll of stiff selefane (or celefane?) with filter wool and charcol (i was trying to mimic the corner filters) i know that the filter isnt very good (but power/canaster ones are so expensive (im 14 and trying to conserve cash)) so i have been doing 20% water changes every day/2nd day I have no test kits (i was hoping the water changes would keep ammonia levels down) im starting to think that maybe over feeding was the problem, i did a big clean after pricey died and there was uneaten food under the shells and stuff, on the topic off feeding, everywhere says to feed the fish enough for them to eat in 10mins, but my fish are scared of me and stay under a shell and never eat when im around, (if i wait for a while and watch them through a mirror they do come out and eat the food) so im only quessing with the 10 mins thing, is there a more reliable method? maybe my fish are stressed if they dont eat while im there i also have some 'oxy weed' in there and it seems to drop leaves, will it pollute the tank? thanks for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustcooktea Posted October 22, 2005 Report Share Posted October 22, 2005 Hi zoezealand Thanks for getting back to us with that information. It sounds like you are trying hard to look after your fish. Water changes every second day are a good idea and can make up for not having a fancy filter. What kind of shells do you have in the pool? If they are beach shells they can upset the ph of the tank so it might be good to remove them. You might also find that you don't have enough light in your garage for your oxygen weed. Rotting leaves will pollute your tank. Perhaps you could keep it in another container in the sun and give a small amount to your fish for a treat occasionally. I have fake plants with my goldfish so I don't have to worry about the light or the fish eating them! I am surprised that your fish hide when you try to feed them. Mine are very excited to see me and more importantly the food I provide. Perhaps because they are in a pool and you are looking at them from above they think you are a predator. I only give my goldfish what they can eat in a few minutes so you might be giving them too much - especially if you found lots uneaten when you were cleaning up. Try to give them only a little bit, they won't starve. One rule-of-thumb is that a fish only needs to eat food about the size of its eye so that should give you some idea. Good luck with them. MCT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickey-tropical-fish-mad Posted December 18, 2005 Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 a simular thing happened to my goldfish when i was on holiday in florida. all my fish died from it. If i were you i would completely clean the pool out and the filter and try and maintain a feeding of once a day and in the winter feed them nothing as they dont eat in winter. i hope no more die Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoezealand Posted December 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2005 update: i still dont know what it was, but no more died :bounce: as we are moving, i gave them to my physics teacher a couple of weeks ago, as she had a big tank and will look after them, (ok i know it is sad to be friends will my teachers, but i am the ultimate geek ) at last check all was fine, and pool is drained and packed, shells removed thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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