Is my fish dying?

Question
Well to start off I had got a new fish at the store and I bought it some rocks and everything, but the next day or two I saw that it looked weak and it didn't move at all! I mean I gave it food and everything but the fish didin't eat that much! Since then it still hasen't moved a bit! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME!  PS: my fish's name is bubbles and he is a black moor fish.

Answer
Hi Marianne,
I hope its not too late for Bubbles. :( :(

Its very difficult to make a straight forward diagnoses for the fish because there is lots to go through to solve the mystery of why the fish is acting weak and listless.

Water quality is very much the problem here. Ammonia build up produced by the fish will build up to toxic levels in just a short time, especially in an un-cycled/unestablished aquarium. If you're not sure what that is-

"A cycled tank or Established tank means that colonies of good bacteria have settled and colonized the gravel and other surfaces in the aquarium. They convert ammonia over to a harmless chemical and keep the water safe for our fish. They do this in these steps-
1.) Bacteria develop and convert ammonia over into "nitrite" which is still dangerous
2.) Later, more bacteria develop and convert "Nitrite" into  "Nitrate" which is not toxic unless in sky-rocket concentrations and it is simply kept in check with your regular partial water changes.

*You can easily test your water for all three levels; ammonia, nitrite, nitrate with aquarium test kits or even have your water tested at petstores.*

All aquariums go through cycling and the good bacteria or your "biofilter" takes time to get fully established enough for your fish to be in ammonia-free water. Usually most aquariums cycled in 4-6 weeks.

Testing your water is the most reliable way to determine if it has cycled. When ammonia and nitrite levels have dropped to zero completely and nitrate has built up, the bacteria have established.

Getting through this risky time means testing your water on a regular basis at least everyday and when your fish seem stressed and doing 30-50% water changes whenever the fish seem "listless" or the tests show too high an ammonia level during cycling. You have to keep in at a moderation amount until the bacteria kick in."
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I'd advise you to do a 50% water change ASAP. Always make sure the replacement water is equal in temp or just a bit warmer than your aquarium's and -always- use water conditioner added to the new water.

The black moor sounds stressed definitely. I'm not sure what size environment he is living in, but if its 10 gallons or less he is likely suffering from poor water quality. Water changes and using a water conditioner like amquel+ or prime will really help relieve him from the stress of ammonia and nitrites.

Keep a close eye on him and I hope this info helped you decipher what may be ailing him.

Best of luck!
Karen~

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