hello to everyone, i am new. 2 months ago my girlfriend bought 2 comets and had them in a fish bowl. she wanted to give them away but didnt have time and so i got fed up and bought her a 10 gallon tank 2 weeks ago because i knew the bowl was not good for them. i didnt know what i was getting myself into. if i did i would have convince her to find them another home.since then i have read stuff on sites like this and there is so much you need to know.the pet shop which sold the tank sold me 5 more gold fish. but that is not my immediate concern. one of them got stuck in a spiral shell over night and the next morning i got him out, but all his fins are damaged badly and now he is bloated. i think for the last couple weeks i have been to the pet shop buying stuff everyday and today i got antibiotics for him. we are both already attached to them amotionally and its funny how a small creature like that can mess you up , especially when the are not healthy. just want to know if she will make it. would appreciate any advice you can give. the 5 new ones include 2 black moors, 2 calicos and 1algi cleaner. the calico got stuck in the shell. thanks.

Hiya..

You say that your calico is bloated? Could you please take a close look at it's scales. Are they raised all around it's body like a pinecone? Sometimes it's hard to see. The best way to look is from above like if you look down onto the fish. Do the fishes eyes look like they are bulging? Is the fish distressed and hiding in places still?

My old goldfish had a bloated 'pineconed' body and was hiding in places. It's not common that a goldfish will hide in oranments. Mine was sick and hid because he was distressed. He had a disease called Dropsy which required a lot of treatment. However he didn't make it. Hopefully this isn't the case for you.

I don't mean to scare you... but fin damage to a fish is common if you have ornaments. Bloating however we need to look at a bit more. Could you take a moment to answer these questions (from the top of this section). Hopefully you have test kits at home with your new tank set up.

And yeah... fish tanks are a lot more work than you know... I was in the exact same boat as you. Eventually you will love the hobby and the upkeep isn't that bad at all.

Ammonia Level?
Nitrite Level?
Nitrate level?
Ph Level, (If possible,KH and GH and chloramines)?
Ph Level out of the Tap?
Tank size (How many Gals) and How long has it been running?
What is the name and size of the filter/s?
How often do you change the water and how much?
How many fish in the tank and their size?
What kind of water additives or conditioners?
Any medications added to the tank?
Add any new fish to the tank?
What do you feed your fish?
Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt",
bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus?
Any unusual behavior like staying
at the bottom, not eating, ect..?

hi barbra

thanks for your response, unfortunately mine didn`t make it too.
she looked bad at 8 am on Wednesday and by the time i got the
antibiotics at 10 am she was already bloated with her scales sticking
out from her sides which tells me she had dropsy.
I found her dead 6 hours later. do you think she died from too
much antibiotics because i had to guess how much to put in.

whats worst one of the comets has septicemia now , i just received
the medi-gold which arrived too late for the calico, but hope fully in
time for the comet, even though he isn't eating much.

I did a complete wash of the tank and took out most of the gravel
and ornament. i figured since the tank was new it wouldn`t hurt anything.
i have to buy the testing kits to give you more of the information you
asked for. I just have the ph tester as of now.

i do a partial water change everyday to get them good water and the tank
came with a hang on carbon filter.
thanks again for your time
rami

U probably already know this, but just wanna let u know that while the immediate concern is now to save your remaining fishes, keep in mind that ur gonna need a bigger tank & better filtration very soon. The comet alone would need at least 20 gallons.

How are they doing now?

PS: Have u take a look at tank cycling? Here's a link:http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/cycle.html

hi qolem
the 4 seem to be healthy, and the comet is hanging in there.
i know i will need to get them more room, thank god i picked the smallest ones. you would think the people in the aquariam shops would tell you these things them selves.
thanks
rami

Unfortunately, most of the pet store staff only care about selling u more fish rather than ensuring that the fish has got proper care.
Plus goldfish are not the hassle-free pet most of us led to believe. They need lots of room and are messy fish, hence the need for an efficient filtration system.

But take heart! Most of us arrived here at koko's exactly the same way as u do now. Members here are very helpful, and ur fish will (hopefully) be ok in no time.

d_golem
yes, in the last 2 weeks i have surfed the internet a lot looking for
information on goldfish and aquariums and koko`s has been the best
that i found and the members the most helpful, just want to say thanks.
and the comet seems to be pulling through.
thanks
rami