The acid is generated by the fish itself. Extra food and waste decay. If there's enough water, the tank cycles itself, with bacteria breaking down the waste and cleaning the water, but this requires a very, very large tank. Plants help, but you need a filter and water changes. There's also no telling what the PH of the water in there is, and that could have started out acidic.
It sounds like a regular goldfish. My feeder goldfish were that size when I got them. They're currently seven inches.
Check to see if the bottled water is distilled. Fish can't survive in pure water for too long, so distilled water shouldn't be used. Since it isn't dead, the water probably wasn't chlorinated, but bottled water sometimes is. I'd suggest buying water conditioner to be prepared, it's very cheap.
The surface area of that sounds okay for a fish that size, but the volume is the real issue. How deep is it? Goldfish require more space than most tropicals. I think it's ten gallons an inch, and that's with a filter running. Goldfish also require more oxygen than many fish, and without a filter, powerhead or airstone running, they need more room
A good way to find out what animals need is to find a source that isn't trying to sell you anything. http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/fishcare.htm is a decent resource. Basically, goldfish need space. They dirty the water more than other fish because they have more body mass. They need a certain minimum not be stressed, and they need room to grow. They also don't like very cold water, or temperature fluctuations.
My beta tank is just a small one, fifteen gallons (He was in a two gallon bowl-like tank with almost no surface area before). My baby goldfish are in there waiting for the thirty-gallon tank to be set up, where they'll wait for the pond to be built this summer.
I'd really advise that whatever you do, do it quickly. Even if the goldfish is still technically alive by the time it's transferred, permanent acid damage may kill it afterward. Fish often live a few weeks before dying from internal damage.
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Date: 2004-06-07 07:52 pm (UTC)It sounds like a regular goldfish. My feeder goldfish were that size when I got them. They're currently seven inches.
Check to see if the bottled water is distilled. Fish can't survive in pure water for too long, so distilled water shouldn't be used. Since it isn't dead, the water probably wasn't chlorinated, but bottled water sometimes is. I'd suggest buying water conditioner to be prepared, it's very cheap.
The surface area of that sounds okay for a fish that size, but the volume is the real issue. How deep is it? Goldfish require more space than most tropicals. I think it's ten gallons an inch, and that's with a filter running. Goldfish also require more oxygen than many fish, and without a filter, powerhead or airstone running, they need more room
A good way to find out what animals need is to find a source that isn't trying to sell you anything. http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/fishcare.htm is a decent resource. Basically, goldfish need space. They dirty the water more than other fish because they have more body mass. They need a certain minimum not be stressed, and they need room to grow. They also don't like very cold water, or temperature fluctuations.
My beta tank is just a small one, fifteen gallons (He was in a two gallon bowl-like tank with almost no surface area before). My baby goldfish are in there waiting for the thirty-gallon tank to be set up, where they'll wait for the pond to be built this summer.
I'd really advise that whatever you do, do it quickly. Even if the goldfish is still technically alive by the time it's transferred, permanent acid damage may kill it afterward. Fish often live a few weeks before dying from internal damage.