I have three small goldfish in a 20 gallon aquarium -- a ryukin, an oranda, and a moor. I am still in the midst of cycling, but I have been doing daily water changes and using AmQuel+ and my water quality is good.

I am feeding ProGold in the morning and Spirulina Flakes in the pm. My ryukin seems to be significantly greedier and significantly faster than the other two fish and despite all my efforts, he ends up with more than his fair share at most meals. I have taught the moor to take food from my fingers (to compensate for his sight limitations), but the oranda is still too shy to handfeed. Most of the food that I intend for the oranda ends up down the ryukin's gullet.

Anyway, I have been noticing the past few evenings that the ryukin is having trouble controlling his bouyancy at the end of the day -- although he is upright, he floats to the top of the tank. By the next morning he is back to normal. I am concerned that this is an indication that he is getting too much to eat. He seems to be pooping normally, so I don't think constipation is the issue.

Can you offer any suggestions to make sure that my moor and oranda get enough to eat and the ryukin doesn't get so much that it makes him sick?

Thanks!

do you feed at two ends of the tank?

i know that some of my aquababies are significantly faster and have HUGE mouths, so i feed the food at opposite ends of the tank. =)

I feed at both ends of the tank as well ...I also feed once a day ..also it would be better for your cycle to feed once a day ..if your fish is floaty he is overeating and may be constipated, feed your fish peas without the skins .I use thawed out frozen peas (no salt)and after a feeding of peas I fast them for a day. make sure you break up the pea in small peices so your fish don't choke ..good luck with your fish and your cycle even though your fish may be pooping watch for long poop that trails and dosn't break off sign of overfeeding and potential constipation but I give peas once a week and fast once a week gives there digestive track a break

If you are still cycling, I would cut back on the food to feeding once every other day for a while - at least if you have ANY ammonia or nitrite problems right now.

If, when the tank is finished cycling, you have problems with nitrates over 20ppm between changes, I would suggest feeding less or changing more water and more often.

Except for fry and an occasional fish that I am doing something specific with, I only feed ONCE a day - and a relatively small amount at that. Too much food and some fish can get floaty. Too high nitrates and some fish can get floaty. Do them both and you have a double whammy.

I have never, personally, heard of a goldfish that starved to death. They live and grow amazingly large, amazingly quickly on a remarkably small amount of food. They say to feed food that is the equivilant size of the fish's eyeball each day. For most that is 1-2 pellets. I am ALWAYS stopping and halving the amount of food I have set out for each fish/tank. I like to overfeed - but it does not do the fish any favors. Less is usually better.

If, after cutting back on the food, cutting back on the protien, solidifying your cycle, lowering your nitrates, etc, the fish is still unstable, you may wish to go to all gel food. That helps a LOT of unstable fish become stable again.

Thanks, Daryl, for the advice about feeding about the size of the eyeball. That helps to give me a better sense of what is reasonable. My fish keep telling me that they need more, pretty please!

My fishies are having a fast day today, much as they tried to tug at my heartstrings this morning at breakfast. It is easier to give them a fast day on a weekday when I am at work all day. Facing them all day long on the weekend is too hard!

I made some gel food last week with baby food peas and crushed brine shrimp and blood worms. Maybe they can break their fast tomorrow with some of that.

LOL it is hard to face them !!!with their wiggly little butts and faces smooshed up against the glass!!!!