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Goldfish - please help!

Subject: Goldfish - please help!
by Elz on 21/9/2012 21:08:18

Hi,

I've had two goldfish for about 18 months. In a nutshell, this is how I'm keeping them:
- 180 litre/1.2metre tank
- juwell daylight bulbs on for 5 hrs per day
- air stone on for 5 hrs per day
- Fluval 305 external filter with ceramic, carbon, two grades of sponge and filter wool.
- partial (1/3) water change once per fortnight. I allow the new water to stand for 24 hours before cleaning them out, and treat it with the chloramine removal stuff. I swish the media out in tank water and I only discard half of it at any one time (except the filter wool which I chuck entirely and replace with fresh).
- dose of 'good bacteria' once per week
- a pinch of flake food once per day

Earlier this weeek one of the fish was sitting right on the bottom of the tank. I added some fresh water as the tank wasn't overly full and she perked up; however this evening when I got home from work she's doing it again. The other fish is fine. She's sat the right way up, her breathing doesn't look particularly laboured, and I can't see any marks/spots/damage etc on her fins or scales.

If the other fish swims past her she gets up off the bottom and does a lap round the tank, but she keeps returning to the same spot (hidden behind some bogwood, sitting right on the bottom of the tank).

The only thing I can think of is maybe she's been overfed (we've been away so they've been fed by neighbours)- she has a poo dangling from her back end if that's relevent.

Does anybody know what's wrong with her and how I can fix it?

Please help - I love these fish!
Thanks in advance
Elz