Sick Quimby

Question
QUESTION: Hi, my name is Ciara and i am 12 years old.
About 3 weeks ago i bought 4 fish in a tank of 16 litres. There is a plant, ornament for them to swim through, gravel and a filter. About a week and a half ago, Quimby, my smallest goldfish got stuck in the filter (twice) and i had to unplug it to save him. About 3 days ago he started sinking to the bottom and curling up into a ball. His friends sometimes nudge him to get up (They're only trying to help). He hasn't eaten at all the past 2-3 days...
I'm really worried, he's not dead because sometimes he gets up and swims off to another corner of the tank. I don't want to lose him, i love him very much and would hate to see him go... I've been surfing loads of sites and i don't know whether i should leave him, separate him, feed him chunks of food that sink to the bottom etc.
Nobody in my family knows what to do...
From Ciara and Quimby

ANSWER: Hi Ciara,
  If possible, you should try to separate him.  He may have been injured when he got stuck in the filter and he needs a place to go where he won't be bothered.  You must also keep in mind that it might not be that he got injured after he got stuck in the filter, but rather that he might not have been all that healthy and so the filter was able to pull him in and he couldn't get away.   In either case, if you can possibly separate him, that will give him a chance to recover.  

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


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

QUESTION: Hey, Ciara again. Thankyou for your answer but its too late. He died on Tuesday. Thankyou very much for your help but i didn't get to use it. I only got the message today and well, he's dead now. Thankyou very much and if he were here i would have taken your advice. I buried him with my family in my garden and we made him a cross and all. I cried non stop for ages.. Thankyou SO much. I wish i could have used the advice but its too late. He's safely in his 'coffin' in my garden. I'm sure he's in fishy heaven.
Thankyou!!! Ciara and my family.
PS: Sharky, Betty-Snowball and Patches miss him terribly.

ANSWER: Hi Ciara,
 I'm sorry to hear that he died.  Take care.

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


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

QUESTION: Okay, well, this is really annoying me, i'm sorry for asking lots of annoying questions but none of my family/friends know. Quimby died because he was at the bottom of the tank on the gravel, and now, Pathces is doing the same thing, it started straight after i cleaned the fish tank. I put him in (with a net) and he swam really slowly and began resting on the bottom, on the gravel. It started 15 minutes ago but i'm not losing him too so i got straight onto the computer. I tried feeding him peas and he ate a little. Can you give me tips on:
1. How to help Patches
2. How to clean my tank & water properly
3. How much/often to feed them.

Would i be wrong to get another fish?   
Thanks a MILLION!!!

Answer
Hi Ciara,
  Sorry for not answering sooner -- I am actually in Costa Rica right now working in the rainforest.  

  The key to keeping fish is to make sure that they have clean water.  You do this by changing about 1/4 of their water once a week, every week.   Never put any soap anywhere near a fish tank -- soap is poisonous to all fish.  

 When you add water to a fish tank, it should be about the same temperature as the water in the tank, not noticeably warmer or colder or it will shock the fish.

  Personally I would not keep goldfish.  Goldfish often are sick when you get them and they are not the easiest fish to keep alive.  

  I feed my fish once a day and sometimes I skip a day (about once a week).  Keep in mind how small they are and only feed them food that they will eat right away.  Never give them food "to eat later" because it will rot and make their water poisonous.  If you put in food that your fish does not eat, take out the uneaten food.  

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