Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

The little ones I added recently have been dying by twos and threes every day this week. Their scales have been largely stripped off. The older goldfish are much larger than the new ones, and I am wondering if the larger ones are killing the small ones/bullying them to death? None of the recent dead ones have been the larger kind (except one which is medium-sized), they have all been the little ones I added recently.

Are there sharp objects in the tank. So when they run they may scrape their scales. I got a goldie here - HUGE - lost a line of scales yesterday. It had wedged itself where i have a planter and had to reverse past a 1 mm lip tearing scales off.

So I widened the gap and made a mental note how poorly goldies function in reverse.

I've had huge and small in one tank, never a problem together.

But baby sized can get eaten. My small ones introduced were 50mm.

Thanks AD:
I read a little bit and goldfish are described as "friendly" in that they aren't aggressive toward each other. I am wondering if it is temperature-related, as these fish started out in a pet store with <70 degree water and went into mine which I'm sure is 80+. I tried to let them acclimate by putting the bag in the bucket I had in my car for them to transport in, but they had to get out of the bag or suffocate before I got home (1 1/2 hr commute).

Will keep my eyes on them, although most of the new batch are wiped out now. Rest seem OK, first batch is a good size and healthy-looking. The next batch will be the bigger ones - AF mentioned the bigger ones are sturdier.

p.s. Nothing fun in the tank at all, a cylindrical planter and the pump. Some gravel on the bottom, bo-ring!

dead fish are not boring if you slap people monty python style with them.

LOL

I have 10 little goldies and one big mumma and they live in perfect harmony

My bigger barra chase the smaller one... but have neve 'see' larger goldies do the same to smaller ones - thought they were too lazy for that sort of thing

I am now down to thinking it is either the pleco attacking them, or a disease. Today I was lucky enough to find one that wasn't quite dead yet. The last two have looked almost bloody under their scales or on the tail. The one today was like that - his tail was like it was somewhat bloody inside. The one before that looked bloody underneath. I had read that they can eat too much to where their intestines burst, so that next to last one was interesting. Going to try to google about it.

sounds odd - my plecos never attached anything - far too layed back for that

mine too

i've seen "algae eaters" sucking on feeders, but not a pleco. do ya give him any wafers?

I don't give him anything, which may be the problem. :rabbit: I read they like lettuce so I put some in last night. Don't know if the pleco ate some, but the goldfish were.

None have died today (yet). Maybe the lettuce cured them!

I don't own the book/CD/DVD, but does EB state:

"When in doubt, add more fish."

?

I bought two dozen of the bigger feeder goldfish, and some algae tabs for the pleco. The little batch may have been hurt by the temperature change - apparently they keep the feeder goldfish in water about the temperature of a refrigerator. The little ones went from like ice-cold water to really warm water in one day. :coffee2: These might do better...

I don't think I've said that..... But then again..

Temperature change is something fish don't like, though I have also had goldfish die from what seems like no reason at all.. Then at other times I've had old sludgy pots with a bit of water left in it, and when you tip it out there have been beautiful goldies in amongst the crap.

Sometimes keeping fish can be better than a game of cluedo....

Now that's stretching it...