goldfish, new tank, 2 died one survived, I need help and advice please.
#1
Hiya, I am very new to this forum. Just joined to get advice and talk about fish!
I had an orange goldfish for 2 1/2 years in a very small tank with no filter. His 2 friends passed away during that time and he was alone for 8 months until 3 weeks ago I purchased 2 more goldfish. One silver, one orange, black and silver mottled. All three were about 2-3 inches long.
Due to the small tank they were in and wanting them to have a better life I purchased a new tank, 60 litres with a stand, light and filter on ebay. The seller brought it round and set it up complete with 30 litres of his treated water. He told me to fill up the other 30 litres and then add daily water from my current tank into the new tank and vice versa so that in just over a week the waters would be the same and I could add my fish to their new home.
I did as advised and then I went to ask for a second opinion from a specialist fish store. Everyone said I could transfer the fish. By then I had my new fish approx. 10 days. Everyone was healthy.
The first few days my fish were so happy, they were swimming so fast and seeming to be eating better, playing in the bubbles and then I noticed the speckled one was lethargic and just hiding behind the filter box, not coming for food and not swimming. The original orange goldfish was fine and so was the new silver one. Both eating well and swimming happily. after 3 day I noticed my orange fish was turning red! I googled it and stupidly thought he was just changing colour due to his new environment causing him to change colour, as I read they can.
After 5 days my daughter ran in to tell me horrified that Goldie (the orange fish) scales looked like they were stripping off and turning white, the other two fish seemed to be nibbling at them. Scared I googled this and found that they may have had ammonia poisoning.
The next day I took water samples to the specialist shop for testing (This is all new to me and I never knew I could do this before) I showed him photos and a video of my poorly fish, especially Goldie who looked awful. He tested the water and found the levels were almost normal and he was surprised as he had expected them to be the darkest, and they were barely abnormal. He said maybe it had been worse and had righted its-self.
He advised me to do a 50% water change, use the solution he sold me to reduce ammonia, and not feed for 4 days then bring more samples in for testing on Thursday 31st May.
That night Goldie and the silver coloured fish died. The speckled fish was listless for two more days and now has begun to swim again at intervals but he still seems to be behaving oddly, he is not moving quickly as he did before this happened and he still hides for long periods behind the filter.
I don't know if he is ill or what the problem is, was it even ammonia poisoning to start with?
Could the speckled fish have been a host for an illness even though he has survived it killed the other two?
Could the person I bought the new tank off had bad water?
Did I do something wrong in the set up process?
How will I know when it is safe to introduce new fish?
My new mermaid ornament came today, but is it a good idea to put it in the tank? if not when?
Is there anything else that could have killed my fish I have not mentioned?
I really am sad about it. I loved Goldie, he was around for 2 1/2 years, and used to come to the side of the tank when you came in the room. He looked like he was in so much pain at the end and he looked so shrivelled up it was horrible. I felt awful thinking that if I had left him in his small tank that I thought had rubbish water quality due to size and no filter, he might still be alive and not suffered.
I can't believe that by trying to give him a better life and company he died.
Thank you for reading and I hope for help and advise? I do not want this to happen again!
photo of Goldie 2 to 3 days after he got ill, and Tillie the silver goldfish listless in the corner. Both died later the same day.
sorry I cannot upload the photo, it says the file is too large. that is the only photo I have. Other than that there is just a video.
They died on Saturday, the mottled goldfish was listless on the bottom of tank all of Sunday and Monday, it is today (Tuesday) that he has been swimming a bit but very slowly and he looks odd.