Why did my goldfish die?

[franny_cky]

Can anyone help me?
A couple of days ago my litte goldfish kept staying in a plant in his tank, gasping for air more frequently than before. Then yesterday he died. When i bought him from the fish shop one of his eyes was black and the other normal so i called him patchy. Now on closer inspection his eye looks more like it was blacker and filled with blood, and his head was more red inside than the rest of him. I've tried reading about diseases as to why Patchy might have died but can't find anything. I am also worried because there is one more fish in the tank, he seems perfectly healthy but i dont want him to catch the same disease.
Thanks in advance
Fran x

[Hez]

Hi Fran. I'm new here too. Sorry to hear about your little fish. You don't say how long you've had him, but if he was a new addition, could he have been damaged in some way? Shop assistants in a hurry and some dealers are not always very careful in handling fish, and from your description, it sounds as if Patchy may have had an injury to his head. Symptoms may have developed as the pressure built up from the bleeding.

Are you new to fish-keeping? When I kept and bred fish (many years ago) I used to read Aquarist magazine and found it very helpful. There is so much to learn! I'm probably a bit out of touch now, but I've never heard of a fish disease such as you describe. Best of luck with your other little fish - I hope he soon has a new friend!

Hez

[franny_cky]

Thank you for such a great response, Patchy was new i only had him a couple of weeks and the pet shop wasn't of the highest standard so it could of been that! I am new to fish keeping and appreciate your help!

[Gill Catton]

Don't forget that a fish's gills are in its head and these appear very red even when healthy.

Once you'd filled the tank up with water did you wait a week before putting the fish in? A new tank generally needs a week or so before the water is ready for fish.

Next time you get a fish get it from a really good aquatics centre, one with lots of different types of fish, and ask them for advice on setting up a new tank they should be able to tell you everything you need to know Good luck next time Fish keeping is great fun once you get the hang of it

[SparklySarah]

Originally Posted by Hez

Hi Fran. I'm new here too. Sorry to hear about your little fish. You don't say how long you've had him, but if he was a new addition, could he have been damaged in some way? Shop assistants in a hurry and some dealers are not always very careful in handling fish, and from your description, it sounds as if Patchy may have had an injury to his head. Symptoms may have developed as the pressure built up from the bleeding.

Sounds like the right answer to me. If so, the other fish sould be perfectly safe. Good luck with your fish keeping! :P

Sarah

[jessie101]

Hi my name Jessica. I live in Australia and bought 3 fish about 3 months ago to replace my 8 yo fish fatso who died. I got a comet, a fantail and a expensive spotty fantail fish. the spotty one had one black eye and lots of spots and quite speedy, Jetstar became his name. Well just recently Jetstar died with an unknown explanation. when i found him he was on the bottom of the tank, when i pulled him out he had a yellow belly and turned clear. i could see his insides.
Please help cause if it is infectious i dont want my other fish to die as well!

[DawnW11]

Hi Jessica
I have just lost my goldfish which is the same type as yours and suffered the same illness and symptoms and as a result sadly died last night. I had her for 3 years and also have a fantail goldfish which was bought at the same time. I had the water in the tank tested at my local aquatic centre and all was well on that front. However, she died and I do not know why. I have been told by my local aquatic centre that it could just be that she had a weakness in her internal organs and it may have been like this from birth. Sorry to hear about your goldfish but it looks like it could just be genetic and that like humans, they have internal organs that do not function as they should. I am off out at the weekend to get another companion for my fantail who is pacing around like a polar bear in a confined space! Good luck.

[Kayleigh]

It sounds like a water quality problem to me..
Did you use tap water to top up the tank..
Did you check the nitrite and nitrate levels also the ammonia levels you can get dip sticks to check these ask your local aquatic centre..

[werdnal]

Goldfish are not easy to keep in tanks. You must test the water regularly as they produce a lot of waste and can contaminate the water so much it can poison them. Test the pH, nitrate and ammonia levels every day in a new tank - you must also let the tank stand empty for atleast 2 weeks if it is new.

Thereafter, I'd recommend testing water every 1-2 weeks. The test kits are available from good pet shops.

If the chemicals in the water are not right for the fish, it can stress them which can lead to all sorts of diseases which can prove fatal very quickly. High ammonia levels caused by the fish's own urine, can also cause gill damage meaning they "drown" as they cannot get oxygen out of the water.

Do you have a filter in the tank? Do you do partial water changes? Are you careful how much you feed them, so that old food doesn't pollute the water? Do you have a pump and air stone to keep the water oxygenated?

[Kayleigh]

Goldfish do better outside in a pond with lots of oxygenators but this is not always possible and if you do have a pond its best to have one just for wildlife but that's up to you.
The water stays more stable in a garden pond.