sucker fish emergency!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Question
Hello!
I hope that you get this soon....My sucker fish has been doing fine and now he is barely moving. His color is fine. I tried moving him with the net and he doesn't move. He is still breathing. I have no idea what is wrong. He is in a 10 gallon tank with two goldfish and a black moor. I don't know what I did wrong. Please respond fast!!!!!!!

Answer
Hi Kayla;

Poor guy. Once they become unresponsive there really isn't much you can do for them I'm afraid. There are many different types of sucker fish and many possible problems too. Here are some thoughts;

Check the water temperature first. Most sucker fish are tropical fish but goldfish are cold water. If there is no heater or the temperature is below 73f, it needs to be warmer for one to survive.

Look at his belly to see if it's reddish, bloated or sunken in. Bottom feeders can develop intestinal problems sometimes. Especially if the gravel is dirty. Goldfish are very messy guys that get big, over 6 inches each, and with three in there it's just too much once they grow to be over a couple of inches long each. So actually, only one goldfish can live in a ten gallon tank. It must also have weekly gravel vacuumings with a 25% water change, every week and goldfish need good filtration too. Black Moors are a fancy goldfish so they are cared for the same way as your regular ones. Here is a link to a web page about goldfish to help you know more;

http://www.firsttankguide.net/goldfish.php

Check the water chemistry to see what's going on in there. Have your fish store test it for you if you don't have kits at home. If Ammonia or Nitrite are elevated, you will have to make partial water changes to correct it. If your tank is fairly new there will be toxins rising as part of "New Tank Syndrome". Here is my own page about that;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins