Filter too strong???

Question
QUESTION: Hi Ron,

I realise you are not an expert on goldfish but really this is more about their
living conditions.

A while ago i decided to buy some goldfish, which i kept in a large goldfish
bowl with filter etc. I recently decided it was time to upgrade their home.  So i
bought a 13lt tank that came with a filter and a attached light.  I have already
discovered that my fish do not like the light at all, so have kept it on the
moonlight option as they do not seem to mind this.

I am however very concerned that the filter may be too strong.  They seem to
be struggling to swim around their tank and no longer chase each other like
they used to. I am confused as to why this filter came with a tank that it
seems to be too strong for!

I have turned the filter around so that it is facing the corner to try and direct
the current away from my fish but they still do not seem very happy and arn't
eating like they used too.

Do you have any suggestions as to what i can do?  I really would hate my fish
to die because they are stressed.  Could you recommend a good filter that is
good for this small tank?


ANSWER: Hi Kate,
  Could you use the filter from the goldfish bowl?  

  It is highly unusual for a filter to be "too strong".  I am concerned that the fact that the fish are getting blown around suggests that they are not terribly healthy. Sadly, that is the norm for most goldfish.  Keep a close eye on them.  

  Personally, I use sponge filters. They are inexpensive, last for a decade or more and are simple to clean.  I use them in almost all of my tanks (and I have 140 tanks).  

-- Ron C.
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your reply Ron.  

Last night my filter decided to break down completly and to be honest, i think you may be right.  My fish still do not look very happy at all.

They spend most of the time either at the top of the tank gasping for air or sulking around down the bottom.  I did a partial water change last night after reading that it could be a build up of ammonia but that doesn't seem to have helped.

Unfortunatly i threw away my old filter but i could always re-purchase.  As you say, it certainly wasn't the most expensive item!  

I'm really confused as to what has made my fishies so misrable. They were perfectly fine a few days ago in the old tank and other then the tank and filter nothing else has changed! I used about 50% of their old water in this tank so it shouldn't be water quality.

I am seriously confuzzled.  Is it just a case of, wait and see what happens?  Could it be the stress of moving?

Thanks alot,

Kate

Answer
Hi Katie,
 Hmmm... that is really hard to say.  Like I said before, goldfish are often not healthy to begin with. They frequently carry and transmit all sorts of diseases.  That makes it challenging to figure out if you are doing anything wrong -- you might not be doing anything wrong at all.  

 As a general practice, I strongly recommend that you change 25% of the water in the tank, once a week, every week to keep the fish as happy and healthy as possible.  

 Moving can cause stress, but it is highly unlikely given that you only moved them within a room.  Moving a fish across the continent can be much more stressful.  

-- Ron C.
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>