HELP! WAY over-fed.

F

FishSitter

Small Fish
#1
Feb 28, 2008
11
0
0
#1
I'm sitting for my friend's 2 beloved goldfish.
I have a little brother who has a fixation with the fish.
When I came home today, I went into my room and saw pellets all over my dresser and in a lot in the fish bowl. I'm not mad at my little brother, the little guy just wanted to be helpful, but now the two fish are very lethargic, their bellies look very full, and they're almost resting on the floor of their bowl.
Now, I've never had fish, so I'm not sure if this is really bad or if it doesn't matter. PLEASE HELP. My friend will KILL me if they die! She loves her fish!
(And I've grown quite attached to them too :()
 

I

iapetus

Large Fish
#2
Jan 15, 2008
572
0
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34:09:39N, 118:08:19W
#2
Do you have somewhere else you can put them for a while? A clean fishbowl with conditioned water? Hopefully, you have some water conditioner on hand.

The first thing to do is to start cleaning out the tank. If you can do this without the fish in the tank, so much the better. Siphon up as much of the food from the floor of the tank as you can. Start changing out the water to remove the food. If you don't, it'll rot and the waste products will kill the fish.

Unfortunately, I don't know of much that you can actually do for the fish themselves. But, the tank must be cleaned as well as you can manage and as much of the food removed as possible. Good luck!
 

F

FishSitter

Small Fish
#3
Feb 28, 2008
11
0
0
#3
Thank you very much!
I actually don't have any water conditioner :eek:
I guess my friend didn't think I'd have to wash the tank because she would only be gone a couple of days. But I've cleaned it out, thank you.
Does anyone know if I should keep them off food for a while or something?
 

TabMorte

TabMorte

Superstar Fish
#4
Jan 17, 2008
1,470
0
0
#4
I would not feed them again until they're back to their normal behavior personally. Fish can live a long time with out food especially after gorging themselves.
 

I

iapetus

Large Fish
#7
Jan 15, 2008
572
0
0
34:09:39N, 118:08:19W
#7
I had this happen to me once a long time ago when a young cousin of mine visited. Not everyone survived that incident.

What does the water look like? Is it cloudy? If so, I'd recommend that you go to a pet store and purchase something to de-chlorinate water, if possible. With that, you can start replacing the water in the tank.
 

TabMorte

TabMorte

Superstar Fish
#12
Jan 17, 2008
1,470
0
0
#12
You need to go to a pet store asap and get some dechlorinization drops it sounds like. You can get tiny bottles for like $2.00 of prime or AquaPlus and that will do the trick.
 

F

FishSitter

Small Fish
#13
Feb 28, 2008
11
0
0
#13
Yes, I did! Is that bad?
What water am I supposed to use? Ugh! She really should have given me MORE information.
Okay, dechlorinization drops? Thanks!
Just curious, why is it bad for them to be in regular water?
 

d3sc3n7

d3sc3n7

Superstar Fish
#16
Nov 21, 2007
1,455
0
0
44
Ft. Campbell, Ky
www.d3sc3n7.com
#16
Is there a pet store close? Walmart? I'd make a mad dash there, get some startright (sold at walmart) or something along the lines of aquasafe (sold at pet stores) Get a bucket or something with water around 70 degrees F, or a bit cooler. Try to match the temp of their water now. Treat it according to the bottle, and put the goldies in there.

Well, on 2nd thought...how long was the food in the tank? If not to long, and your sure you have it all out...I'd leave them alone...if they are struggling now, the added stress of moving, could be lethal.

However, it's looking like they are both in a bad way. Laying on the side isnt good. Either is spastic swimming.

Edit: Wow, I guess I missed alot while making my post. I kinda left it sit for a while
 

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