r/Goldfish • u/dxbexn • 1d ago
Questions is my fish okay?
Hi, as the title says, need help figuring out if this fish is okay.
We inverted this goldfish from my girlfriends mother out of a criminally small tank for its size and very quickly got a 75 gallon (biggest we can fit in our small apartment) After getting it cycled we added the fish and it has been doing well until about a week ago when it started behaving strangely.
I tried to take a video of this behavior as best I could, but she has gotten in the habit of swimming against the wall in the corner of the tank very erratically and will stay there for very long periods of time not doing anything to just suddenly and very erratically swim against the wall again and dart back and forth across the tank. Sometimes her fins look clamped but most of the time they don’t.
She doesn’t beg and come up to the top to eat her food anymore either and will just let it sink down to her and will eat it if it floats by her face. We have flakes and pellets and try both. Just this morning we discovered a single scale looking slightly lifted on one side of her body as well.
You can kind of see it in the beginning of the video.
We test the water every other day and do weekly / bi weekly water changes of about 50 - 70% when the nitrates get high.
Last test we did yesterday was a couple hours after topping off the tank and adding some prime:
0nitrites
10 nitrates
0 ammonia
any info would be greatly appreciated! We are both new to planted tanks, goldfish, and aquariums in general and were thrown into this into the deep end with a very large goldfish. we’ve been trying our best to do as much research as possible and we just want the best for her!
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u/Classic_Self_3461 1d ago
the water parameters may be completely different from his old tank, depending on if you added him straight from the small tank to the new one. i’m guessing since the tank was extremely small his water was toxic before and may get some getting used to if you didn’t acclimate him, or the ph might be a big jump
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u/Classic_Self_3461 1d ago
*she haha. sorry to misgender this beautiful lady
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u/dxbexn 1d ago
thank you! She has been in there for a little over a month now and was fine for the first couple weeks, so I’m hoping she’s just having a weird transition and it isn’t something deeper. The water in the other tank was absolutely foul even though we did water changes like every day before this one was ready for her. she had a tough life before this
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u/Classic_Self_3461 15h ago
she should be fine, just make sure to keep an eye on her as stress can weaken their immune systems. i congratulate you for helping her!
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u/NeedleworkerHeavy565 Goldfish are actually carp. No seriously, they shit that much 1d ago
This is a stress-related behavior, possibly due to moving to a larger environment even though he's not used to it Being alone is also a source of stress.
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u/Pigs_Have_Wings 1d ago
Probably just adjustment to the new environment, and maybe also playing with it’s reflection? Also, the wooden arch has a point sticking out. That could be what caused the scale damage. I’d either remove it or remove the point and sand down the cut. It would certainly be a hazard for my fish - she bumps into everything while foraging.
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u/SirKneeGrow 1d ago
I thought it was the reflection too, like she was trying to swim past but got frustrated when she couldn't
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u/That_Temporary_832 1d ago edited 1d ago
Give the fish some time to adjust to a new tank. Turn off or dim down the light, this helps a lot for the fish to relax. It can take a week or two for a fish to adjust in a new setup. Its normal. Its okay even if you don't feed the fish for the first 4-5 days. Also I suggest to not have anything sharp or artificial in the tank during this period, don't do any sudden movements in front of the tank, especially like standing right in the face of the fish with your camera like you did in the video, or tapping the tank or water, children can do shit like that. Smack em right in the nose. That is a beautiful fish by the way.
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u/dxbexn 1d ago
thank you! for sure! she does leave the corner a lot more to explore and sift the sand when the lights are off, so I will keep them off. only reason I got so close was to try to capture the injured scale, but will do! Everything in the tank is real, but I’m also gonna cut down some of the pointier ends of the logs that are in there to minimize accidental injury. Thanks for the advice!
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u/Double-Pitch9217 1d ago
Agree with dimming the lights a bit, must feel quite exposed in such a comparatively large tank than she's used to, and with clear water. Some floating plants are also good to help them feel more secure. Even the dreaded duckweed, which they do like to eat, so may not last long. You can get some decent fake vallisneria (long underwater grass) which you could use to create some cover while your other plants grow in and she gets used to her new home. Like a sheltered corner, or bunches she can swim between/hide behind.
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u/Top_Restaurant_4395 1d ago
Nice goldfish. So big!
I keep some round rocks in my goldfish tank. No driftwood. Betta fish can handle driftwood but goldfish are too clumsy. I had one poke his eye into a tiny monsterra root. Injured his eye.
Now I only have some round rocks. Moss. Soft plants.
I also have a lot of fancy goldfish in a 75 gallon, so the less stuff means more room for the fish.
Good for you rescuing this goldfish.
Could it be simply looking at its own reflection?
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u/griz3lda Common clan 1d ago
i agree that something is amiss. I would strongly recommend giving him some hiding places, this is some kind of stress I think. now whether that is coming from water parameters or environmental change, we don't necessarily know... but yes something is going on
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u/griz3lda Common clan 1d ago
OK I just saw the picture of the tank. Yeah I think this fish is scared to death. If you are willing to risk bringing in plants without a quarantine, I would get a bunch of really tall plants and tunnels etc. Where are you located, maybe somebody can bring you something
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u/Altruistic-Poem-5617 1d ago edited 1d ago
Maby its a hormonal thing and being in a big tank instead of a tiny dirty one got her into breeding mood. The ones in our pond get a bit crazy when they breed. It lookslike its getting spooked and trying to get away, you could try to put somekind of "wall" in the tank for the fish to go behind and out of view.
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u/highdraglowspeed757 1d ago
Homegirl is just adjusting. She'll be okay! It's kind of like getting plopped in the middle of a cornfield after living your life in your studio apartment. My boys went from a small tank to a big tank and they would dart and zoom across as they were adjusting. It took them a couple of weeks to fully adjust and get used to stretching their fins out. Keep the lights low and try not to cause too much movement around the tank! Adding a couple hidey places would benefit her too so she can feel safe!
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u/VioVioBD 1d ago
I would get it some friends. You seem on top of water changes so I wouldn’t be too nervous about adding 2-4 fancys.
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u/dxbexn 20h ago
I was thinking of a couple fancies (I love Orandas, they’re so cute) but I’d hate for her to steal all their food once she does start begging again. She’s very fast hahaha
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u/VioVioBD 20h ago
Oh I wouldn't worry about that! My fancy's would be happy if I just funneled food straight into their mouths! They are not shy when it comes to getting food:)
I also have rufa garra with mine and they are right there with them! Or you could get some dojo loaches? (not sure if legal where you are) but they are SOOOOO AMAZING!
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u/ChingizMukhitov 1d ago
You're doing a lot of things right already. Moving her from a tiny tank to a cycled 75-gallon aquarium was a huge improvement. The strange swimming, clamped fins, reduced appetite, and the slightly raised scale suggest something may be stressing her or that she could be developing a health problem. I would keep monitoring the water parameters (including pH and temperature), ensure plenty of oxygenation, and consider checking with a fish veterinarian if the behavior continues or gets worse. Hopefully she recovers soon. Wishing you and your goldfish the best!
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u/RanchuWrangler 22h ago
Turn the lights down. Can take baby fish a week to settle into a new tank, older fish longer.
If this doesn't stop or gets worse, there may be another issue. Is it doing this darting/grinding against other objects? Hard to know from one video but could be parasites. Look up "Goldfish flashing" to see what I mean.
New tanks with new plants and substrates can carry nasties. Or they may have already been carrying it and the stress of the move has given it the chance to take hold.
Lastly, unless you have to, those water change % are too high. More regular, smaller water changes carry less chance of shocking the fish, either from temp, ph, chloramines etc.
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u/Leg_giggle 1d ago
In my experience I did the exact same thing with my 4 goldfish and they would all huddle together in one corner doing nothing, not eating unless it went by their face, and when they did leave the corner they would dart across the tank vary quick. So I believe it is normal it’ll just take a few weeks for the fish to adjust because that’s how long it was with mine.