My Healthy Goldfish Are Dying

Although a popular pet, goldfish require more than a simple fish bowl and a diet of fish flakes to thrive. Given the bare minimum to survive, goldfish will not live to their full potential. Fish that appear to die for no apparent reason warrant an immediate inspection of their care and environment.

  1. Water Parameters

    • Conduct a water test immediately if your healthy goldfish die. Poor water quality kills goldfish with very little warning, and you cannot detect it by visually inspecting the water. Check the level of ammonia and nitrite in the water with a water test kit, and look for a rapid fluctuation in PH since the last water test. Although goldfish excrete ammonia into the water by way of their waste products, it still kills them.

    Diet

    • Goldfish flakes do not contain the full range of essential nutrients that a goldfish requires. Make sure you provide your goldfish a diverse offering of roughage, like fresh vegetables, and protein, like blood worms, to ensure they receive a healthy diet. You can incorporate goldfish flakes into the diet, but they should not make up the bulk of the meal. Goldfish fed only flakes will not show immediate signs of distress, but their health will slowly decline until they either become too weak to fight of disease, or die from malnourishment.

    Tank Size

    • Goldfish need large fish tanks.

      Goldfish kept in bowls and small tanks may appear outwardly healthy, but they suffer internally. Fancy goldfish require at least 10 gallons of water each. However, larger volumes of water dilute toxins more efficiently. Toxins in the water become deadly at a faster rate in small fish tanks, and leave little to no warning before killing goldfish.

    Tank Mates

    • If your healthy goldfish keep dying while provided with a large enough fish tank, diverse diet and good water quality, then check the compatibility of all tank mates. Keep goldfish separate from tropical species of fish because the care requirements differ between the two groups; tropical species of plecostomus and other algae eaters do not belong in a goldfish tank. Remove aggressive or highly competitive breeds of goldfish from tanks that house delicate breeds. As a rule, keep double-tail goldfish separate from single-tail goldfish.