Why are my new goldfish swimming at the bottom and not moving much?
Hi there. A Week ago I bought a starter kit which was a 20l tank, gravel, fake plant and a filter. I left it on for 5 days and then added some ph neatraliser. 2 hours later I went out and bought 2 small goldfish and three tiny Dano’s. All three fish places said they would all be fine together and fine in my 20l tank as long as i kept the filter running.
At first it was fine, but about 3 hours later they are all not moving much at all, and the goldfish are constantly opening and closing their mouths very fast. They are all also swimming on the tank bed.
Doing some research told me either A) The tank didnt have enough oxygen, or B) the PH levels were incorrect.
I had the water tested before i bought the fish and all tests showed the water was perfect for the fish so It coudlnt be that could it?
Secondly, I have now moved the filter further up out of the water so lots of bubbles are being created and sent into the water.
An hour later and one of the tiny ones is resting on top of the filter, lifeless. After a little nudge he floated to the bottom and is hardly moving and pretty much just rolling about 
I’ve now notised the other small ones are also starting to decline in movment and control of their bodies.
All of the fish are continuing to show veyr little movment and are swimming at the bottom and all still opening and closing their mouths fast and constantly.
NOTE: Once i bought the fish i followed the instructions (Putting bag in water first etc) And added all 5 of the fish.
In the store they were not gasping like their our now so I know this is abnormal.
Finally, The water levels were tested and there are lots of bubbles being created in the water.
I have one ornament and one fake plant in there.
Please Please help me… I don’t want my Birthday Fish to die
Thank you.
I can’t understand why a store like petsathome/petsmart would give us advise that was so far from the truth?
Is there anything I can do right now to help them, as I can’t return them as its a bank holiday weekend?
What should I do with either species, I know people with ponds who have goldfish, would they survive in with theirs?
And the Danios I don’t know what I can do to help them. Is it worth trying to save them, or get rid of them to save the goldfish.
Thank you for the help, already but please keep up the advise, I only wanted what was best for them, and took the advise I was given….
How do goldfish survive with no filters? Their even on the box picture? They’re only about an inch or two long…
Will the little guys last a few days….?
We have one comet, and one betta both about two inches in length.
The goldfish look a lot better than the Danios so we have hope that they’ll last through the bank holiday untill we can return them to the store.
Do you think the smaller Danios will last, they are on their sides and hardly move, they are just getting washed about by the filter, would they be better off separate from the filter?
~All three pet stores lied to you.
The main issues are:
1. YOU DIDN’T RESEARCH
2. You did not cycle the aquarium.
3. The aquarium is too small for the fish you added.
4. You chose goldfish.
The tank is overstocked and so excess ammonia is being produced (lethal to fish) and because the tank is not cycled, there is no bacteria to break this waste down. They are suffering from ammonia poisoning.
-As juveniles goldfish should never be kept in anything less than 20 gallons.
-Three fancy goldfish require no less than 40 gallons.
-Three common goldfish require no less than 95 gallons.
-Goldfish should have double the filtration because they produce more waste than most other fish.
-Goldfish should only be kept with other goldfish.
You need to return all the fish. At this point it is the best option. Only a single male betta is suited for a five gallon/20 liter aquarium.
~EDIT~I work for Petsmart, but I am also somewhat knowledgeable when it comes to fish- many associates are not.
-I have seen a box that showed two male bettas in one tank. The manufacturers don’t care about what impression they are giving. At my Petsmart location we laugh about the boxes because they really don’t make sense in most cases.
How do goldfish survive without filters? They just barely survive- they’ll never thrive which means they’ll never grow to potential or live as long as they ought to.
For now perform daily partial water changes of about 50% until you can get them back to the store.
my answer is the exact same as the other person who answered.
that tank is wayyyy to small.
goldfish arent good fish to get if you ant to see some movement. they are very boring fish. i would recommend getting schooling fish such as neon tetras. in your tank you can get up to 15 neon tetras and then you can get 5 tigerbarb tetras. they are all friendly to eachother and it is interesting to watch them swim together in schools.
you should have gotten no less than a 10 gallon tank.the larger the tank, the better.I have put fish in after just a few minutes of setting up a tank. I made sure that the filter was running right, that the water temp was right for my fish:65 to 75 for golds, 70 to 80 for tropical.I made sure that water conditioners were added properly, fish tank salt was added properly.you must never mix tropical fish with coldwater fish. also make sure that u have plenty of oxygen in the water from a airstone and a air pump. I use bubblebars. they give the fish lots of oxygen.toxic ammonia will build up and kill the fish, proper filtration and the right water conditioners will stop this. Stress will also cause the symptoms you describe.If all is right, leave them alone, they must adjust to thier new home. do not overcrowd. I have 2 fantail golds in a 14 gallon, well filtered, well oxygenated tank. going to get them a 23 gallon in a few weeks.
The problem with your tank is it isn’t cycled. It being a very small tank and adding 5 fish all at one time is your problem here. Remove the goldfish and put him in a bowl for now. Remember to add conditioner to the water. This may give your other fish a chance (Don’t worry he will be fine in his own bowl) Depending on the type of goldfish yes your goldfish will do well in a pond
The goldfish are hearty fish and can withstand a lot when it comes to cycling and water quality. If you remove the goldfish your danios have a chance. I would also suggest a 25% water change as well.
Here is a link for cycling and what happens when you add too many fish too soon and at the same time. PH has no effect on these fish. If you floated them that is fine.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm
And NEVER add salt to a goldfish tank.