So i have noticed that in the recent couple months my goldfish has started hiding alot. It comes out around meal times to eat and swim about a little, then will disappear for a couple hours. It's about 2yrs old now or so and is in a 29gal tank with a tiny CAE that we got 2 weeks ago (I know tank is a tad small and i will be upgrading to a 60gal in a few months but figured the CAE is still small and will be fine for a bit) the water params are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and about 20ish nitrates and i do weekly 25% water changes. The CAE seems to be fine, just swims around sucking on gravel. Just think it's odd because the goldfish used to never hide.
Goldfish hiding
- Thread starter Fortrezz
- Start date
Welcome.
What type of goldfish is this? Fancy or common/comet variety? It's good to hear you do WWCs and test water parameters!
Assuming CAE is Chinese algae eater, they can be nasty towards other fish I've read and can get very large. It's possible there's some compatibility issues going on there, stressing out the goldfish.
What type of goldfish is this? Fancy or common/comet variety? It's good to hear you do WWCs and test water parameters!
Assuming CAE is Chinese algae eater, they can be nasty towards other fish I've read and can get very large. It's possible there's some compatibility issues going on there, stressing out the goldfish.
The goldfish is a comet, and yeah i read that they get temperamental when they get bigger, but i just got the CAE about a week or 2 ago, the goldfish started hiding more like 3 months or so ago. I just thought it was a little odd.
myswtsins
Global Moderator
Is the tank in a high activity area? Any recent changes in or around the tank? Notice any other differences like bloating, changes in appearance or feces etc? Do you have any floating plants or decor? Bright lights? Goldfish are rather social fish. Kept singly they usual are pretty interactive with their owners so it is unusual for them to hide a lot. They tend to hide more when sick or stressed. Or it could be bored/depressed even. You can try rearranging the tank, putting in different decor, hand feeding, adding toys or mirrors to the outside of the tank etc. Look up entertaining goldfish.
How big is it? It may just be comfortable in such a small tank as comets can get 12".
How big is it? It may just be comfortable in such a small tank as comets can get 12".
The tank is in my bedroom so the only people around it are me and my wife, and yeah when it's out is pretty interactive (kinda like a dog, its weird lol). It's physical appearance seems fine, it just keeps growing. I would say it's probably around 3 or 4 inches long but its hard to tell because I can't measure it. There's no floating decor and i recently bought new decor to spice up the tank but it didn't help. It has no problem coming out to eat and be a jerk with the seaweed I put in for th he algae eater (it shreds it n spits it all over the tank.) I will look into getting a mirror or something to entertain it.
The goldfish is hiding in the big mountain looking toy so you can't see it, but that's what my setup is.
Sorry if I missed it, but what type of foods do you feed the comet? Is there a heater in the tank?
3-4" seems a bit on the small side for 2yrs/old, but much of that can depend on available food, space and water conditions and temp.
Wish I could lead to you an answer!
3-4" seems a bit on the small side for 2yrs/old, but much of that can depend on available food, space and water conditions and temp.
Wish I could lead to you an answer!
I feed it 2 times a day Tetra goldfish pellets and occasionally Tetra sundried baby shrimp. I feed it a good pinch or 2 before I leave for work and again before bed. I believe it is small because we won it at a strawberry festival and i didn't know at the time it needed a big tank so it was in a 3gal tank for the first 8months of its life, so im pretty sure it's stunted (it grows very fast whenever I buy it a bigger tank, hoping to get a 60 or 75gal in the coming months to accommodate for the CAE that has moved in). There is no heater but the water is on the warm side at 75 degrees Fahrenheit and thats because I live in California and its just warm here. On another note I think i figured out what's wrong, i think its the amount of time the light is on. I usually turn the light on at 6am and turn it off at 11pm so its probably hiding from that because it seems to come out at night.
Sounds good. If you feed more than once per day, I'd feed extremely lightly each time. That is warm water for a goldie, but I'm thinking as long as you keep up on water changes, all is well.
In regards to fish foods, I like to read the labels. Just like people foods, the first 2-3 ingredients should be all good stuff. If the number 1 or 2 ingredient is wheat, corn, etc, I tend to avoid those foods.
In regards to fish foods, I like to read the labels. Just like people foods, the first 2-3 ingredients should be all good stuff. If the number 1 or 2 ingredient is wheat, corn, etc, I tend to avoid those foods.
myswtsins
Global Moderator
That's a lot of light and goldfish aren't big light fans. Reducing the lights might help lower the temp too. If you add an aerator or small fan that will help lower the temp as well. Pickup a cheap timer from Home Depot and you can even set 2 rounds of light per day so you can see him in the am and pm. 8 hours of light is more than sufficient. Adding some floating decor could be beneficially too.
Tetra foods are not great foods. Do like Freshy said and check out the ingredients. Stay away from "meals" and corns, aim for "wholes" and make sure the protein isn't too high (although in your higher temps more protein is OK).
Yes, sounds like he is stunted. Unfortunately if that is the case it will never reach full size and will probably have a reduced life expectancy. But considering how long goldfish actually live for you will still have many years of enjoyment left.
Tetra foods are not great foods. Do like Freshy said and check out the ingredients. Stay away from "meals" and corns, aim for "wholes" and make sure the protein isn't too high (although in your higher temps more protein is OK).
Yes, sounds like he is stunted. Unfortunately if that is the case it will never reach full size and will probably have a reduced life expectancy. But considering how long goldfish actually live for you will still have many years of enjoyment left.