Comments on: Mold in my fish fish tank?

By: David

David — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:12:37 +0000

Did you cycle the tank before putting any fish in?
what size is the tank?
These two question is what the other answers failed to ask.
If the tank hasn’t been cycled this called be the cause as the tank would have going through one of the stages of cycling.

As for the size of the tank it need to be at least a 60g tank for the fish you have listed.

I hope this helps.

By: Devyn

Devyn — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:12:37 +0000

Was the tank used for salt water fish before?

By: eat my pudding

eat my pudding — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:12:37 +0000

All fish tanks get mold in them from time to time, more likely would be that it is possible that you are overfeeding them. Or, you could perhaps have a disease in your aquarium. If you do have a disease in your aquarium, there is only 1 way to get rid of it, and you cannot have any fish in it for a while, while you do it. First, add bleach to the water that is in it, chlorine will kill fish, so no fish in it if you are going to do this, let it soak. Drain all of the water, rinse with tap water entire aquarium out, let it sit for a couple of days so all chlorine will evaporate, refill with tap water, and let set for a couple of days again to allow chlorine from tap water to evaporate, then get new fish and try again.

By: Gsimswim27

Gsimswim27 — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:12:37 +0000

You either forgot to feed your fish or your fish just randomly died. Fish Don’t have very long lifespans, Or you forgot to change it’s water. It needs to be changed every couple days

By: equine32766

equine32766 — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:12:37 +0000

Probably not mold… since it’s in water… but it sounds like Dropsy… or Bloat…the fish anyway…
They may have come to you with the virus… no way to tell…
When you start up a new tank, buy aquarium salt and follow the instructions to treat the tank before you put fish in it… you can use it in fresh water… and buy your fish from a reputable store, with people who can answer your questions…

By: m&m 1999

m&m 1999 — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:12:37 +0000

all fish tanks can get mold in them. you probaly have to clean out the tank more often.

By: Jessica M

Jessica M — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:12:37 +0000

Mold is a natural occurrence in many fish tanks and I can assure you that this did not cause the issues with your fish. I also don’t think fish can have mental instability, but my sympathy goes out to you.

Firstly, you should not be keeping Algae eaters with Goldfish since they need different ideal water temperatures. What sized tank is it? Goldfish needs a lot of room (20 gallons for the 1st fish and 10 gallons for every additional fish) with double filtration.

To me it sounds like your fish have/had a case of Dropsy, but there really isn’t a way to know unless you saw pine-coning (scales sticking out) especially around the stomach area. Give the fish a very close look to see. Swim bladder issues usually cause imbalance in a fish, but it’s usually not fatal. Dropsy on the other hand is fatal unless caught before pine-coning and even then it’s hard to cure.

Definitely check your water parameters for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate and hopefully the tank is cycled. If it isn’t and your seeing Ammonia or Nitrite this could be the initial cause of your fish deaths and illness. Fishless Cycling is always the way to go. Good luck and check out the links.

EDIT: Plecos shouldn’t be kept with Goldfish considering they can get a taste for Goldfish slime coat and kill them. If there is no pine-coning, I still recommend you check your water parameters.