why do my gold fish keep dying

Question
We are not experts by no stretch.

we have a one gallon tank with tiny white rocks, filter, and a few marbles.

the longest we have kept a fish was about a year. it was (1) 1 inch gold fish.

This past Christmas we bought 2 half inch gold fishes that died a week later.

What are we doing wrong?

Answer
Hi Daryl;

Goldfish just can't live in bowls. I'm so sorry that you have been misled about the needs of goldfish. It's a common occurence I'm afraid. Even with a filter their waste load is just too much for it. They need 10 gallons per fish to grow to adulthood, and a good filter on their tank. Goldfish get to be about 8 inches long just in body size, not counting fins. They are messy fish that create huge amounts of waste without even trying. If your other goldfish never really grew and died after a year, he was just barely surviving in there until the waste toxins killed the poor thing.  

Here is a list of links to more info on goldfish and what they need so you can be successful in keeping them healthy in the future;

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art3503.asp
http://www.fishpalace.org/BowlMyth.html
http://www.netpets.org/fish/reference/freshref/goldfaq.html
http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/fishcare.htm
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/care.html

Here also is a link to my own article on new tanks so you know what do to when you get a bigger one;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help


Good Luck and don't give up!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins