Well, my son and his girlfirend moved back from college with 3 fancy goldfish crammed into a tank way too small for them. These poor neglected fish had no filter, no air pump, a green tank, way too many 'toys' and plants, and would go who knows how long before someone remembered to feed them.
So, the kids moved out after a week and promised to take the fish but it's been a month and the fish still live here. Being the animal sucker that I am, I told them that I will not tolerate 'fish abuse' on my property and they wouldnt' get the fish back until they could care for them right. I got the fish a filter, remembered to feed them and have read all I can about fancy goldfish on the internet. The fish have gotten a lot bigger and happier. I took away most of the toys in the tank so they could move and I'm on Craigs list every day trying to find a cheap, bigger tank for them.
But, one of them is sick now. Apparently it's from cheap food with too much grain in it (haha- really!) and lack of oxygen in the small tank. . I had to go out and get him better food and I"m suppose to make him a fresh diet of fresh veggies, fruit, and cocktail shrimp! I got him an air pump, too, and changed half the water in the tank. He can live with it, or recover from it possibly, but he is a $4 fish after all and wasn't mine to start with. My husband and I spent hours yesterday doing fancy goldfish rescue! . The other two fish are fine so far.
I'm starting to think I have gotten in over my head here! I have given these things names (Curly, Larry, Moe), they have little personalities, they are about 5inches big and growing so it's not like they are the tiny fish you had as kids. If Moe doesn't get better, do we have to take him to the vets? It's not like we can flush him....he's pretty big and that would be cruel! What do you do with fish like this when they are sick? Does anyone here have fish experience? I have never had an aquarium in my life.
So, the kids moved out after a week and promised to take the fish but it's been a month and the fish still live here. Being the animal sucker that I am, I told them that I will not tolerate 'fish abuse' on my property and they wouldnt' get the fish back until they could care for them right. I got the fish a filter, remembered to feed them and have read all I can about fancy goldfish on the internet. The fish have gotten a lot bigger and happier. I took away most of the toys in the tank so they could move and I'm on Craigs list every day trying to find a cheap, bigger tank for them.
But, one of them is sick now. Apparently it's from cheap food with too much grain in it (haha- really!) and lack of oxygen in the small tank. . I had to go out and get him better food and I"m suppose to make him a fresh diet of fresh veggies, fruit, and cocktail shrimp! I got him an air pump, too, and changed half the water in the tank. He can live with it, or recover from it possibly, but he is a $4 fish after all and wasn't mine to start with. My husband and I spent hours yesterday doing fancy goldfish rescue! . The other two fish are fine so far.
I'm starting to think I have gotten in over my head here! I have given these things names (Curly, Larry, Moe), they have little personalities, they are about 5inches big and growing so it's not like they are the tiny fish you had as kids. If Moe doesn't get better, do we have to take him to the vets? It's not like we can flush him....he's pretty big and that would be cruel! What do you do with fish like this when they are sick? Does anyone here have fish experience? I have never had an aquarium in my life.