Goldfish Care Tips

A Free Monthly Resource For Goldfish Enthusiasts
April 2025
Issue #136

In This Issue
Forgotten Water Conditioner

Goldfish love water changes. They become quite active, looking for morsels of food that would usually follow from an inflow of water into their environment.
If your fish aren't behaving this way, it is possibly because you have forgotten to add water conditioner to the water before refilling.

Forgotten Water Conditioner

Popular water conditioners

We have all done it; I recently did so, hence the subject of this e-Zine.

My weak excuse for forgetting is because of the number of chemicals I have to add to my very soft water to bring it up to the hardness that Goldfish prefer.

I have now added water conditioner to the top of the chemicals checklist I use during water changes.

A maintenance checklist isn’t a bad idea. I used an 18-point checklist when maintaining hired aquariums, even though I did the same job several times a day. You only have to get distracted momentarily to lose your train of thought.

Fish Behavior

As I do large water changes, around 90%, I observe my fish while refilling their aquarium to check that they are actively seeking food. This confirms the water conditions are safe.

Fish in untreated water behave differently. They are lethargic and usually breathing heavily due to gill damage.

If some time has passed since the water change (30 minutes), they will be very lethargic and gathered at the surface.

Immediate Action

As soon as you realize your mistake, immediately dose the aquarium with double the specified amount of water conditioner and use something like a net to spread it.

Next Steps

If a heater is installed, turn it off. Cooler water increases the oxygen level and lowers metabolism.
Add salt, about a tablespoon per 10 liters. Salt helps decrease electrolyte osmosis from the damaged skin and gills.
Add more aeration if possible. Don't cause a current the fish have to swim against, as this takes energy and increases oxygen requirements.
Don't feed the fish. Only feed them once they are seen actively looking for food. My fish took half a day to start looking for food again, and they were exposed to untreated water for only a few minutes.
If the filter has had untreated water circulating through it, assume the filter’s bacterial colony has been compromised. It may need to go through the nitrogen cycle again, so test for ammonia after about a week and for the following week daily.

Chlorine Side Effects

Chlorine or chloramine is added to city drinking water to kill pathogens; both are toxic to aquatic life. They burn the skin and gill filaments of Goldfish and cause death through asphyxia.

Once the fish stop breathing heavily and have resumed looking for food, you can assume they have passed the crisis stage.

Expect to see black patches appearing as the skin heals. These will fade away after a few weeks.

Prime or Stress Coat?

I use both, but Seachem Prime is better value if you just need a chlorine/chloramine remover. The claim that it detoxifies ammonia and nitrite seems redundant if you have a properly cycled filter where none should be present.

Prime (500 mils) treats 20,000 liters (4,405 imp gallons, 5,263 US gallons)

API Stress Coat has aloe vera, which is useful for treating skin damage.

Stress Coat (473mils) treats 3,593 liters (792 imp gallons, 946 US gallons).

Prime is usually more expensive, but not when compared to the liters treated.

For more information about water conditioners click here...

Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this e-zine and tell me what you think, or what topics you want to be covered.

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