White Cloud Minnows - all gone!

[Les_251181]

Right, i originally started off with 10 white cloud minnows, and some goldfish.

I checked various sources including 3 different pet shops (specialising in fish) and was told that i can happily keep them together in the same aquarium.

They'd been together for about 6/7 weeks. and then all of a sudden i have no minnows left....and have ONE extremely fat little goldfish. (he's that fat his eyes are bulging and his scales stick out). so i assume he's eaten all 10 minnows.

so i know now, not to keep them together. but i did monitor them closely and none of the goldfish bothered with the minnows, as they minnows stayed at the top of the tank and the goldfish fed mid/bottom of the tank.

So, will the extremely fat goldfish be ok after eating that many fish? cos he can't swim properly now, and looks really sorry for himself. what should i do with him?

 

[Breene]

I don't quite know how to treat an extreemly overfed fish like that... maby just go on a diet? feed him once every 2 days for a week or something?

 

[Seleya]

Are you sure the goldfish isn't just sick? It sounds like dropsy. If a bacterial or other type of infection swept your tank, the minnows would have been the first to go. Goldfish can get along with wcmm but also occasionally aren't above slurping one up. WHat size tank are they in? How are the other fish?

 

[Les_251181]

Thanks for your replies. sadly the fat fish in question died this afternoon. All the other fish are really healthy, glowing actually. I am 100% sure now that he ate all the wcmm's. there were no remains of the minnows in the tank despite doing an entire sweep of the tank to check. looks like he slurped them all up.

poor minnows. and now poor fat goldfish.

the tank is well over 92lts in size.

 

[Seleya]

That's only a 24 gallon (US) tank -- quite small for a number of goldfish, to what degree would depend on footprint and exact stocking levels.

Bodies do disappear, especially with such small fish. Don't account their disappearance with their being eaten alive. They could have been eaten after death, sucked into the filter or simply degraded. This happens in tanks with only small fish as well. I would watch the remaining fish closely for any signs of illness -- it still sounds more suspect of dropsy than overeating. Goldfish certainly can eat themselves silly given half a chance and aren't above supplementing their diet witha little protein if the opportunity presented itself but in this case I wold be more suspicious that something else was involved.

BTW, have you tested your water?

 

[Les_251181]

yeah i've tested the water. readings came back fine.

i have monitored the other goldfish and loaches for the past week and they all appear to be fine in both their feeding and behaviour.