We bought an oranda goldfish yesterday and it hides in the bottom of the tank behind a castle decoration. It is a ten gallon tank with a filter and a bubble air stone. She (or he) is the only fish in the tank and we have been VERY careful to only feed the fish six flakes per day as instructed by the pet store. Is this normal behavior? The lady at the pet store said if we don't overfeed and don't add any other fish to the tank the fish should be okay, but it just doesn't seem quite right...

Thanks for any help. My seven year old daughter is already in love with the little fish and it would be tough on her if the fish didn't make it.

I can't say for sure without looking at it but chances are, it is doing this because of unfamiliar surroundings. I have had many fish over my life so far and quite often, they will hide for a few days. I have seen goldfish do this as well as Piranha... It is possible that there is something wrong with your fish but even if there is, you can't do anything about it right now. Wait it out and see what happens.

Good luck

Thanks for your response! Our plan is to wait it out and hope the fish is just getting used to its new home.