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baker08 · Apr 1, 2008, 02:01 PM

Hi, if anyone can help please do! I bought 2 goldfish today and I have a 95 litre tank with all the right chemicals in. The fish are gulping at the top of the water surface. The filter has a long tube running along the back of the tank producing loads of oxygen bubbles and I also have real plants. Any ideas what could be wrong? Thanks!

twinkiedooter · Apr 1, 2008, 02:06 PM

Do you have an air stone inside the tank? If not, then you need to get one ASAP as the goldfish are literally gulping for air.

baker08 · Apr 1, 2008, 02:11 PM

But does it not matter that there's all the oxygen bubbles in the water ?and I've been told the real plants give off oxygen

AKaeTrue · Apr 1, 2008, 02:30 PM

If your filter is producing lots of great bubbles inside the tank, then that should be good.
Is it producing the bubbles when the water flows back into the tank?
If so, this should be good. If not can you tell me what type filter or set up you have so I can look it up?

Have you looked at the fish to see if they have any signs of disease?

It could also be due to new tank syndrome where it has not yet cycled and the water has a high ammonia level in it.

If it's due to high ammonia levels in the water then you could help them out by changing 10% of the water and replacing it with fresh conditioned water until the cycle is complete (which will take a few weeks).

Look for signs of disease and get back to me.
Clamped fins, white spots, trouble swimming, anything unusual?
Do they swim at all or do they stay at the surface gulping at all times?
Are you feeding them floating food or sinking food?

debbie2 · Apr 6, 2008, 07:22 AM

You're right

kateuk · Jun 4, 2008, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by baker08

hi, if anyone can help please do! i bought 2 goldfish today and i have a 95 litre tank with all the right chemicals in. The fish are gulping at the top of the water surface. The filter has a long tube running along the back of the tank producing loads of oxygen bubbles and i also have real plants. any ideas what could be wrong? thanks!

I had this problem as well. Basically they just need loads and loads of air being pumped through, an air stone isn't necessary but if you move the filter up the wall of the tank so it creates bubbles when the water flows back in, that's great. Make sure the top of the filter is above the water's surface. Having an air pump is great, and yes the plants do release oxygen. The fish are probably just not used to the water in this tank because of their recent change, and the balance of bacteria etc is not fully settled yet as it is a new tank. Try changing some of the water as well, but not too much, as this'll unsettle them. Hope that helps!
Xox

MEDIstaff4u · Jun 5, 2008, 01:07 AM

Gold fish are hardy fish. Even without any of the air being physically pumped into the tank they should be fine.

They are probably acting this way out of anxiety. Or they need to be fed.

You should look up the exact type of fish that you have, and find out what the environment should be for them. If the water is being moved around too much it could stress them out.