Goldfish help

Question
I just bought two fish, a comet goldfish and a fantail goldfish. I have them in
a 5 gallon tank. I don't know their sexes but the fantail looks a little puffed
up. Does this mean I have a fat fish or that it has eggs in it?


Answer
Hi Steve;

He may be sick but it may just be part of his normal body shape. Do his scales stick out? Does he seem to have trouble swimming? If so, he may have an internal problem or the water quality is not good right now and it's making him sick. Look at the following site on goldfish illnesses to know what other symptoms to look for;

http://www.goldfishinfo.com/identify.htm

A 5 gallon is far too small for two goldfish so there will be high levels of waste toxins in there soon if not already. Your tank is also going to go through the break-in period which can be very difficult for your fish too. Here is a good page on goldfish care you might want to read and a link to my own page on new tanks;

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

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

I hope your fish do okay...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins