Hi,
I am posting because I have some fish that I bought on 3/12/06. They are all goldfish. I have a Oranda, Gold Fantail, Black Moor, and a Shubunkin. On Sunday, 3/19/06 I fed them at 7:30 a.m. when I got back home at 2:30p.m. all of them were in the bottom of the aquarium. I tapped the glass and they tried to swim but looked like they were weak. The Oranda did not move very much.
My fish tank is a starter and it is 10 gallons. I set it up 3/10/06 and used Tetra Water Conditioner that came with the tank. The directions called for 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons. I followed the directions on the package. I also set up the filter and pump that came with the kit. It was all Tetra products. I did not add any other additives to the water. I feed them Wedley's Goldfish Flakes, but they eat the shrimp pellets for my African Frog that is in the tank with them, too. I feed them 2 times a day. Yesterday (3/19/06) I was told I should only feed them once a day. The Oranda looks like it has a bloody streak on it tail, but I am not sure because it is white and orange. These are my first fish and I am very concerned about them.

Please help! Is there any thing I can do for them? Are they sick, dying, or ok? I do not know if they are not eating because I have not feed them since Sunday ( 3/19/06 at 7:30 a.m.

I don't have levels if I receive a response today this will help me decided if I am taking some water to the pet store to be tested.

Sorry you are having problems with your fish. I can tell you right away that you are very overstocked with all those fish in a 10 gal. tank.

Someone with more experience will be along to help you. In the meantime try to answer as many of the questions in the above red box.

I'm thinking water quality is causing a problem with your fish so try to test your water. Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites all need to be checked. When did you do a water change and how much.

Help will be here soon.

It seems like your tank has started to cycle and your fish are suffering from toxic levels of ammonia and nitrIte in the water. I suggest changing 50% of their water immediately and each day until the cycle is finished. It would also be of great help if you purchased some water test kits for ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte and pH.

Also 4 goldfish and a frog is way overstocked for a 10g tank, at the most you could keep 2 small golfish in there but they would soon outgrow it, so preferrabley only one. As long as your tank is overstocked you will have water quality problems and therefore health problems with your fish.

There is an article on the home page here all about cycling. I suggest that you read that first to understand the water chemistry of your tank.

Thanks a lot. I am going to take a water sample to the pet store today for testing. Meanwhile, I am debating whether or not I should take the fish back to the pet store. I purchased them from nnnnnn. The store said I only have a 10 day warrenty. This way I can start again and not lose my money while learning from my mistakes. Should I change the water since it has only been set up for a short period of time?

Yep, please take 3 of the fish back to the store and keep only one. And yes, change at least 50% the water, which you will need to do daily, unless you can test the water daily and know that it's safe.

I can almost guarantee you that it's toxic at this point, that's the way the nitrification cycle works.

nb. with only one fish in the tank, after an initial change of 50% of the water it probably would only be necessary to do daily changes of 25% but the only way to know for sure if your water is safe is to test it.

Thank you so much, Annette. I just read the article on Cycling Tanks and I have seen the cloudiness and everything. I am going to try my best to buy a testing kit today. Do you think it is wise to keep the Oranda? I like that one the most. Do you think the frog will be affected?

I would keep the fish you like the most, as long as it doesn't look too sick.

Hmmn, not sure about frogs but I can't imagine it is doing him much good.

Is it ok to just return all the fish and start over by cycling my tank before I buy the fish? I just read the article about the fishless cycling. I would like to try it to avoid all this from happening again.

HI, how are things going?

I took the fish back when I got home one was dead. I did a 50% water change Tuesday night and 25% water change today. I still have my frog I am not sure about him. He is not eating, but he is not dead.

Sorry to hear about your fish. I don't know about frogs.........sorry. Maybe someone else does. Hopefully he makes it.