My wife and I are trying to keep some fish in our apartment. We have a 1 gallon tank that aerates with a pump and a tube that goes into a stone (small blue cylindrical thing at end of tube). We've already lost 2 black moors, but one calico fantail has survived for about a week through both of the black moor deaths. Yesterday we bought another gold fantail and it's still doing fine, but the calico is staying toward the top of the water. Also the calico had a string of something hanging from its rear. At first the two fish got along, but today the gold one started chasing the calico when I tried to feed them. It seemed as though maybe the gold fantail was being territorial about the food. Also, after I put food in the tank the gold one was chasing the calico around the tank nipping at its fins. And the long string of whatever it was...the gold one ate it...is that normal?

We haven't tested the pH of the water, but we have treated it with something called Stress Coat and something that removes chlorine and nitrites and nitrates from the water. We put a thermometer on the outside of the tank, but what temperature is it supposed to be?

Oh yeah, the weirdest thing I've noticed is that the calico (the sick one) can't keep any of its food down. When it eats some food it will start shaking and then the food comes back out his mouth. I've never seen a fish vomit before now.

Any help and advice would be very much appreciated. We are attached to spot (the calico).

Thanks,

Brad May

you really need to test the water for ammonia and nitrites. Gold fish are VERY dirty (poop alot) 1 gallon tank is not large enough to my knowledge. I maybe wrong but I think the ratio for gold fish is 1 for every ten-fifteen gallons. If the fish are staying at the top that is a sign that the oxygen levels are low, maybe do to bad water (ie. high levels). Is there a filter on the tank or just a airstone? The stone only pushes air in not filter the toxins out of the water. How long has the tank been up? A bigger tank will help greatly.

AS far as the the thing hanging off I am leaving that one for Robyn she is the resident fishy vet and is great...... is there any other white things hangin off the fish? or just that one? was it like he was going the the bathroom or attached to his scales?

i agree. I never and will never put a fish in a tank under 10 gal, I don't want to be mean but its like being stuck in a small bathroom to them... :(

Why does walmart sell fish and small fish tanks? I had no idea it needed a bigger tank. What about the "vomiting" I saw the fish doing? He would eat some of a flake and then he looked like he would kinda spaz out and then the food would fly out of his mouth. Any ideas there?

Oh and the thing coming out of his rear may have been poop but it was almost an inch long (just as long as he is).

Goldfish like to chase each other; that is normal. Since goldfish can grow to over a foot long and the fancy ones at least 8 inches long, a 1 gallon tank is not large enough long term for even one goldfish. I suggest getting at least a 20 gallon tank for two goldfish. You can keep them in a 10 gallon tank for a few years but they'll eventually need a larger tank. A 1 gallon tank not only lacks swimming room but the water chemistry will be impossible to control. As the fish grow, the ammonia and nitrite will go up until they're deadly. You should test the water for pH, hardness, ammonia, and nitrite. I would bet the ammonia is already registerable. It will go up while the tank cycles but a 1 gallon tank with goldfish can never complete the cycle; there's simply not enough water or filter material. So, the best thing you can do is get a larger tank.

Stores sell small tanks because they are only interested in selling and not in the well being of animals. It makes me furious to see little 1 or 2 gallon tanks for sale with photos of goldfish on the box. Unsuspecting patrons such as yourself don't know that those tanks aren't fit for even goldfish fry in my mind.

If they are coming out of the vent/anus, then the strings are probably feces that include pockets of gas. This happens due to stress and/or diet issues. You can feed cooked, peeled peas to help with gas. Goldfish poo strings can be pretty long before they break off, sometimes longer than the fish. Fish rarely can have intestinal worms coming out of their vent. White "strings" hanging off the sides of the fish (not out of the vent) are anchor worm.

Adding Stress Coat was good. Goldfish do best with temperatures from 60-75 degrees F but can take as low as 34 degrees F and up into the 90's degrees F short term. Over 80 degrees F really stresses them as the oxygen levels go way down.

Fish don't vomit but will spit out their food. They can do this because they're already full, it tastes bad or stale, or they don't feel good. Spitting out food is pretty common for goldfish and not too worrisome.

Goldfish are no more dirty or poopy than other fish but they have more body mass for the same length that makes it seem so. They are similar to other fish in their waste output if you compare relative to their weight.

Being at the surface can indicate low oxygen, high ammonia, high nitrite, dirty water, stress, illness, etc. It can mean a lot of things.

I am not a vet.

My page on goldfish is at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/gfish.htm
My fish page with links to water chemistry, tank setup, etc. is at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/fish.htm
I wish I had time to update my old site but I hope you have time to read some of the information I wrote. It's not perfect but should get you started.

Good luck!

DOnt get me started on Walmart OMG I always go look at the fishes and well there was a tank of 3 koi all looked like the had fish lice I informed the person on duty and that would infect a buyers pond/aquarium also there were 2 dead dragon eels(?) in another tank mentioned those. Went back 3 days later found the koi tank only had 2 fish in it the one was dead and getting eaten by a huge snail allll over the tank two other tanks had snails eating dead fish and the two eels were STILL dead in the tank. Bunch of kids looking in I was HOT! I called the 800 number said I would get a call back and never did. Also a year ago we too bought the sml sml tank with just the stone and put 2 goldfish in it man they died every day finally I told my daughter that Nemo 4 went to visit his family and will be staying there for a while. I swore I would not mess with it again. Then I got a garden pond and I am addicted now I also have and aquarium. This forum has been a HUGE plus to learn from and ask questions. read read read all you can. To set up a 20 gal tank would cost very little I got my tank from caigslist used filter at petsmart and all the entertaining thing on the bottom and I was up and running it could run you about 50-60$$$ but well worth the investment if you can find a nice used on even better deal. I have gold fish inside and a sml pleco and 3 feeder gold fish .29/fish at wallyworld. I also won 3 fair fish (which are all still alive). OUtside I have a 10 in koi (not counting his tail) 8in koi, 3in koi, 8in comet and a LARGE shubumkin that I all got as babies this year alone which I bought them all at 3in long (cheaper) they groy FAST and are a blast. I hope you get a bigger tank and enjoy them. for a very long time. If you have questions ask here or go to Aquarium Adventure or Petco and they are VERY knowledgeable as to what you need while you are buying