Dying Fish?

Question
Hi,

I have a goldfish that I just got at Walmart back in July.  It is currently in a 6
gallon tank and I have had no problems with that in the past, even though I
know it's a bit small.  I've noticed the past day or so though that the fish has
been acting really strange.  I think he's probably dying.  He is losing his
orange color and is looking quite sickly.  He stays at the bottom of the tank
in the corner by the air pump and doesn't swim around a lot anymore.  His
tail is also looking like it's starting to fall apart.  Is this a result of too much
ammonia in the water?  I've been feeding him flakes and I read somewhere
that pellets are better though so I might start doing that.  I'm definitely no
fish expert--quite the opposite actually--so any advice would be much
appreciated.  Thanks! :)

Answer
Hi Caitlin;

Poor guy. It sounds pretty bad I'm afraid. Change his water and see if that helps, using a water conditioner to treat the new water. His tank is pretty small and if you don't have a filter already he needs one badly. Goldfish are very messy guys and without good filtration and enough room ammonia will build up and make them very sick. Change his water at least once a week and test the water for ammonia. You can get a kit for it at your local fish store. Change 25% of his water every time there is any presence of ammonia, and keep doing them until there is none. Daily if needed.

Flake food is just fine for small goldfish and so are pellets as they get bigger but goldfish need something more. Fish food has a lot of protein and goldfish are mostly vegetarian so they need additional fiber in their diet. Give him a couple of cooked peeled green peas two or three times a week. Other good ones are romaine lettuce, cucumber slices, cooked green beans, and cooked shredded carrots. Just rinse and drop in for him to nibble on for a few hours. Cut back on flakes or pellets so he isn't overeating. Flakes and pellets should be laying around at all. All traces should be eaten completely within 5 minutes of adding them to the tank. Unlike veggies, they are not meant to be nibbled over several hours, rotting quickly and making your fish sick.

I hope he feels better very soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins