Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

OK, I'm going with fish-quality issues.

The pinched belly can be a sign of bacterial or other parasite. Usually when you have something like that, it's accompanied by gulping at the surface or flashing.

nitrite zero too?

if so then neglected fish from store.

180 gh kh are fine in my book

so i am gonna get some green sand what should i do with it? just dump it in the res?

I dropped my greensand into the standpipe of my growbeds. You could mix it right in with the gravel if you can do it without disturbing too many roots. You could drop it in the bottom of your fish tank. Put it anywhere that it will be wet .

found another dead fish today, my no3 levels are 0 no2 is between 0 and .5 ammonia is 0 or "safe" kh went down a lil from 180 to 120, ph is the same gh is 180. i was thinkin maby i am feeding them too much? they always seem hungry and all the food seems to get eaten no matter how much i put in "within reason"

Goldfish are notorious gluttons, but given your water chemistry, I think you are fine to feed the amount that you are. I'm still sticking with poor fish quality. I'm assuming that you would have mentioned any signs of disease or wounds. Flashing, sulking, funny white stuff on the fish, those sorts of things.

yea the fish look ok a couple of fish have like white spots on them but i looked at them close and it seems that they are just colored like that, i am new to the whole fish keeping thing so i don't really know how to judge if they are swimming funny, they look like fish to me i guess. anyway guess ill have to just wait it out and see

Picture of the white spots please...

Could be an internal parasite can you autopsy the next death and see if the liver is clean.

no camera, and autopsy? i dunno man

Well, if you wish....

The liver is obviously a liver like and liver you've seen but obviously very small, slice it through and see if it is solid or has wee holes or critters in it.

the main thing i don't understand is how to determine if the fish are swimming normal, like some swim slow and then dart off for a min and then stop, some swim fast some slow but on a whole they act the same, some of the fish have gotten noticeably bigger, and are alot more golden colored then when i got them, it also seems like its the smaller fish that have died so maby they arn't getting food cause the biggerones get it all?

The size differential in fish is noticeable quickly. I've some kokopu that never seem to grow at all in comparison to others but they must get a feed as I've had them well over a year now.

With swimming, bad signs are

- all stay in the same part of the tank. They will school a bit but spread out for a bit of space as well, a noticeably knotty bunch, that stays together, is a sign of problems.
- flashing, they show their bellies turning them up as they corner. The odd flash is normal, a lot is a bad sign.
- rubbing, a bit of a scratch is normal, constant rubbing on objects is a sign of various parasites.
- repetitive behaviour - swimming up and down the same side of the tank for hours on end, type behaviour.
- Jumping, a sure sign they don't like the water, with your readings this would denote something leaching that is bad for fish.

Losing a few feeders is quite normal. I think a pH shock would take out the young ones first too. Any idea what the shop pH was?

When buying fish, do some serious gazing at the tank before making a purchase, look for the above signs as well as cottony growth, salt type growth, anything ulcerous. Always be picky, make them get you the biggest, they stand a better chance.

what do u mean by with your readings this would denote something leaching that is bad for fish.

Well the water seems fine. If it's not pH ammonia or nitrite.....

It's something else.