Dead Goldfish in tub pond..Please help!

[MrsTrebus]

We have had a 50 litre Rhino Tub gathering rain water at the end of our garden for the past 6 ish months and as we have had just re-landscaped out garden we wanted to make it into a water feature. We filled it with marginal plants and house bricks to raise the plants up.
We then really wanted to get 2 goldfish...so we sought advice to make sure it would be ok (at an aquatic centre) and they said it would be fine for a couple of hardy goldfish, which we bought (4 weeks ago).
When we first introduced the fish to the pond the water wasn't treated and was very murky so we introduced them in the correct way and also put lots of oxegenated weed in the water.
After a couple of weeks, having not seen the fish because of the murky water, we noticed them coming to the top more and last weekend we topped the water up but put some 'tap safe' in it. It cleared the water perfectly.
I noticed that one goldfish (Siegfried) had what looked like a little tag or thread which shot out of his mouth when he breathed but just thought he might have scraped himself.
Yesterday we couldn't see this goldfish but could seee the other (who appeared to be hiding) and this morning I have woken up to find Siegfried dead floating ontop of the water. He has gone quite white.
Obviously we are concerned for the other fish. What could have killed it? Is it a disease? Should I get the other fish out? Any help gretly recieved.

[Lancashire Lad]

Hi there,

If the water plants are healthy and growing, (and there are enough of them), the water should have been gradually clearing without the need for tap safe etc.

I assume that the water was not (having been in there for six months) stagnant, when you added the plants? - If there is any unpleasant smell from the water then I would try to replace all of it asap. (NB Although rain water is best, tap water will be perfectly fine for goldfish if you give it a few hours for any dissolved chlorine to dissipate before putting the fish back in). Also, is there any possibility of chemical poisoning from anything that might have been on the bricks or anything else used in the water - plant soil etc.?

Fish coming to the surface and gulping air, (if they were doing that), suggests lack of dissolved oxygen or other water quality issues.

However, from your mention of the "thread" in the fish's mouth. I would think that it had suffered some sort of injury or that it was the result of an infection.

Goldfish are quite hardy, so apart from the possibility of water quality issues, I wouldn't be too concerned for your other fish.

Regards,
Mike.

[~T~]

50 litres of water is roughly ten UK gallons(minus what has been displaced by the plants and bricks) and is certainly not enough to sustain 2 goldfish for any length of time no matter how many plants are added. As the poster above me has said it does sound like lack or oxygen or something added to the tub has caused some sort of poisoning. Plus the other dead fish would have added to this. My advice would be if you want to keep goldfish then you should dig an appropriately sized pond or keep them inside in a large tank. I disagree that your other fish will be ok. If it does not succumb to what killed the other then it will be severely stunted due to having to live in such a small body of water.

[MrsTrebus]

Thank you for your replies. With regards to the amount of water for 2 goldfish, I totally understand your concern as it was ours, but the aquatic centre lady said no more than 2 would be fine.

I think I will take out other fish and put them into another container whilst we change the water etc....do you think this will be ok?

[Hedera]

Just a thought - were the bricks clean or was there any cement or mortar on them which contain chemicals?

[Naturenutz]

It sounds to me that your fish may have been oxygen starved as stated above.There is more oxygen in water in cold temperatures and less oxygen in warm temeperatures.If you cannot add an airstone i would remove some of the plants .Plants give oxygen to water in daytime but at night time they use up oxygen.The humid conditions of late will also add to the depleted oxygen at night.I have 2 goldfish in a wooden half barrel with one lily .The lily gives the fish shade on hot days,they often hide under the leaves.I did add another goldfish last year but it died a few months back andi believe the volume of water was not large enough to sustain 3 fish..I think a tub your size may hold 2 small goldfish with a few potted plants.The problem i have had is that the water can freeze in winter.My fish survived in less than a few inches of water as the rest completely froze over.Also there is no need to feed goldfish in these set ups.You may add a very small amount when your tank is settling down from new but once your set up is a few months old they will find enough food to live happily. uneaten food can be harmful to the water quality so if you do use fish food only tiny amounts a few times a week.Also in a new set up you would if possible leave it at least a few weeks before adding fish.
regards
vic.

[~T~]

Originally Posted by MrsTrebus

Thank you for your replies. With regards to the amount of water for 2 goldfish, I totally understand your concern as it was ours, but the aquatic centre lady said no more than 2 would be fine.

I think I will take out other fish and put them into another container whilst we change the water etc....do you think this will be ok?

Most shops don't really care as long as they get a sale. The bare minimum size tank for one standard goldfish is recommended to be 15 gallons (about 70 liters) although that is with a filter. Goldfish are tough little things and can survive in less than perfect conditions but survive is all they will do, their growth will be severely stunted . A healthy well fed goldfish can easily grow 8"+ in a year. If you really wanted small fish that could live in your tub you should try half a dozen white cloud minnows (though they would need to be kept indoors over winter).

Btw sorry if I sound harsh but I just hate the way shops give out blatently incorrect info to people.

[tom00_uk]

if using tap water you will ahve to use a "tap Safe" style product other wise you will harm the microorganisums that are needed to clean up after the fish

plus 50 litres is the tub with out any thing added like plants and stones, this is all ready pusing the limits for one goldfish, so two would be a much higher stress load

[Brocakat]

It's quite amazing than one COULD ( well I hope no-one on here actually does) buy those "traditional' Goldfish bowls that used to be popular. But the fish or 2 fishes used to actually survive....for years! Now I'm NOT ever condoning that - but it is
then self-evidential that the fish did survive. Might not have prospered;- but did actually survive. Even - get larger ! That without any pumped aeration, too.

That proves that a lot of Goldfish are/were - tough.

Yes - all fish swim on the surface - 'gulping' when the water is holding insufficient
oxygen. And the smaller the body of water - the warmer will be that water & so less ble to hold as much oxygen.

In relation to the Tub - I certainly think ~T~'s advice to be folllowed - but - was the
Tub Really clean beforehand? (The volume given - 50 litres, equates to 11 gallons )
I ask that because I have a 50 GALLON water-butt at home & I decided to give it an empty-out and at the bottom found 2 soggy carcases of drowned mice that hadn't been able to climb out. There may have been something else in there that poisoned the fish.
And what IS a 'Rhino' tub? - (very) Tough plastic for example? Well -you know when youget into a NewCar - that New Car smell is actually the smell of New Plastic that is still ' curing ' - curing or releasing gases in to either the air - OR ( in this case? ) - the water. These gases are toxic. NASA astronauts have to travel in their Space Capsules only when those levels of gases dwindle to acceptable levels.

[MrsTrebus]

Thanks very much for all your replies. Lots to think about and act on.
Unfortunately I went out this afternoon to find the 2nd goldfish also dead! Not my lucky day.
We have decided never to do this again...and if we go ahead again, we will be making a proper dug out pond which is large enough.

I have really appreciated all your advice.

Thanks again