dying fish!!

Question
QUESTION: hey Chris
i just came back from a 10 day holiday... i have 2 goldfish and while i was away, my fish were in the care of neighbour. i put one of those food-that-lasts-10-days thing in just before i left and i asked the neighbour to put another one in on Sunday (7 days later). my fish sat in a large bucket (as i don't have a big enough tank for them to last properly for that long) while i was gone.
i got back this morning, and found them in a condition that looks like they're going to die.. i took them out the bucket, cleaned their original tank and put them back in there. i put a tiny bit of food in incase they hadn't really eaten while i was away. however, they didn't eat anything and haven't really been swimming much... they look depressed (top fin down, just in one position)...
i was wondering if you have any ideas of me being bale to prevent them from dying?? please??
tess

ANSWER: Hi Tess;

I think you've pretty much done everything possible to help them at this point. They just need time to recover. Change their water every couple of days to keep it fresh. You could also add aquarium salt to give them back electrolytes lost during this stressful time.

Goldfish are very messy fish that need very good filtration all the time. If they didn't have filtration or air bubbles in the bucket, lack of oxygen and high ammonia was probably what caused their trouble. The vacation feeders just added to the waste load. If there was a filter or air bubbles in there, the vacation feeders simply polluted the water anyway. The fish may not have liked them. It happens. Vacation feeders really aren't good to use in a tank smaller than 10 gallons or so anyway. They just put too much organic matter into the water. It is best to have someone come to your house every other day and put a little bit of food in the tank. Fish really do not need to be fed daily unless you are breeding them or you have very small babies. You can also put a piece of romaine lettuce, 1/2 inch chunk of cucumber or squash, or a cooked green bean in for them to nibble on between feedings. Goldfish should have veggies several times a week anyway.

I am a bit concerned that a large bucket is bigger than their regular tank. Here is a web page that tells about the basic minimum requirements of goldfish so you can provide the best home possible for them;

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

I hope they feel better soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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

QUESTION: thanks so much for your help!! really appreciate it.
i woke up this morning and one of my fish it laying at the top on it's side in the "dead" position but still breathing.... he won't last much longer will he... can i revive him somehow? neither of my two fish will eat either.. i'm going to the shops soon so is there anything i can buy? sorry for asking so many sill questions... :s
thanks heaps chris :o)

Answer
Hi Tessa;

The only thing I can think of you can try is aggressive airation. Get an air pump and hook it to an airstone to provide lots of bubbles. Their gills have probably been burned by the ammonia that was in there while you were gone. It would be harder for them to absorb oxygen now until they heal, if that can happen. I just really don't know what else to suggest. I wish I could be more helpful...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins