Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all.

I've been having a few dead goldies issues. Like one or two a day, getting progressively worse.

There is no problems with them physically, no cotton wool, the gills look healthy, no scales missing, just like the live fish, only dead. I cut one open, but buggered if I know what I was looking at, looked like fish guts to me. And none really seem to be acting abnormally, but I've got 100 of them in there, and it's tricky to spot one or two acting weirdly

I've salted to 2ppt as a precaution, but I have a feeling that's not it.

Some of them are new fish, but I've been religious with treating them with some of the medication in their bags before they go in (they aren't for eating, so I see no problem with this, just to knock any parasite, or fungus on the head).

The only change is in the diet. I've got 6mm floating pellets for another fish, I hadn't used it because it was too big, and I had the sinking types to use up first. I'd been crushing them up first (but some of the larger get through), and mixing them with the sinking type to try and get them used to it, and now that I'm introducing more of the floating, and less of the sinking, I end up with more dying.

I stopped feeding them on saturday, and since then I've had no dead fish (granted too small of a time to tell).

I did some googling on goldfish, and it says to avoid the floating type because it can mess with the insestinal track which follows on to the boyancy of the fish, and cause issues (I'm guessing death).

I've just ordered some more feed, sinking 2mm, silver perch type pellets, and will arrive hopefully tomorrow or wednesday, so they'll be on a diet until then, will see if I get any more floaters.

Let me know if I'm right off the track here, but I thought this might be a help to somebody else, and I'll report back in if others die. And another learning experience for me

Ive read you shouldnt feed goldfish protien levels above 20% as a maximum. It can cause constipation, diseases and dropsy. This is why standard flakes have much lower protein levels and are made up of other products like fish and/or shrimp meal.

The flake are usually a starvation diet for them, keeps the colour pretty, but they won't poop much, so it keeps the tank cleaner for longer, but this isn't an issue for us.

http://www.fishchannel.com/freshwater-a ... dfish.aspx

Most of what I found said they like 30% protein for goldfish, 40% for koi, lowering it as they get older. This is one of the better goldfish food (way too pricey for me though):
http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-suppli ... 75-lb.html

It has 33%+ protein.

The goldies I had in there originally, although I just lost one of them :'(, they were on 40% sinking pellets, and grew happily and healthly, even survived what knocked many of my Murray Cod on the head.

Ive not had a problem using silver perch feed, i am now using trout feed (as my goldies are in with my trout for now), i havent had any deaths. It is a floating type feed, however they wouldnt be eating much of it untill it is well softened and about to sink / sunk.

I have noticed that they certainly do get fat quickly on high protien food, i usually suppliment with duckweed and starvation days/ weeks.

Have you used the feed before? Could it be rancid or something?

What size feed are you using (for the size of the goldies?)?

I've been crushing up most of mine because it was a little big, but a few large pieces kept on getting through.



I haven't really used it before, tried it on my Murray Cod, but they wouldn't venture high enough to eat it, and they wouldn't touch it. So I bought a 4kg box of sinking, which just ran out, had it probably 7 months? It doesn't smell funky or anything. How long does the feed usually last for? I might have a hunt for a used by date tonight.

no probs column, I read a conflicting article some time ago but having trouble finding it. Like you say you have fed them on higher protein pellets previously without issues so that good enough for me.

Hope ya figure it out.

I hope like hell that's the problem. Otherwise I have fish dying without any physical signs or problems.

It's a kick in the feels when you see one floating.

..
I would think that Godies were more like Koi..



This would make me thing that Ox-Heart or Kidneys would be rather bad..

Just wondering how relevant this stuff is..
..
.

I had a floater today

could not see any external damage except for a small mark on side of belly on left side.

I use the 3mm floating feed, usually I put it in hot water and leave it till it cools (unless I am in a real hurry). Also a little greens in their diet is good, duckweed shelled frozen baby peas etc.

And don't overfeed them they will eat far too much for their own good if they get a chance.

sorry i havent been on for a bit.
the feed i was giving them is 5mm (7mm?) skretting.
i havent had deaths from high protein but i use much caution when using anything higher than perch feed.
i hope your deaths have stopped.

its hard to give you a size, the largest ones would be roughly adult male hand sized, smallest - 1/3 of same hand.

I am using flakes / crisps / 2mm pellets indoors, flakes and 3mm pellets from the aquaponics store down the road when they were outside with the silvers. I don’t know what’s in the 3mm floating pellets? But the cats love them! Lost what I had left this morning its disappeared. Although the fish feed is cheaper than cat food. I don’t think my daughter will let me change their feed. There her cats.