goldfish sitting on bottom of tank
 

1. Size of aquarium (# of gallons) 10
2. Is your aquarium setup freshwater or brackish water? freshwater
3. How long the aquarium has been set up? Since May 18th
4. What fish and how many are in the aquarium (species are important to know) 1 goldfish
5. Are there live plants in the aquarium? No
6. What temperature is the tank water currently? 72
7. What make/model filter are you using? Tetra Whisper Filter, Medium
8. Are you using a CO2 unit? No
9. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? Not really
10. When did you perform your last water exchange, and how much water was changed? 25%, ten minutes ago
11. How often do you perform water changes? 3 days
12. How often and what foods do you feed your fish? 2x a day, flakes
13. What type of lighting are you using and how long is it kept on? No lighting
14. What specific concerns bring you here at this time? read below
15. What are your water parameters? Test your pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
pH: 7.4
ammonia: 0ppm
nitrite: 0 ppm
nitrate: no higher than 10 ppm
16. What test kit are you using and is it liquid or test strips? API Liquid
17. When was the last time you bought a fish and how did they behave while in the pet store tank? Bought him Jan 17-don't remember how he behaved in tank


Alright, this summer I've had a slew of water problems--ranging from high ammonia levels to high pH levels to high nitrite and nitrate levels. Somehow, miraculously, all of them seemed to have vanished.
But this is a constant thing-I frequently find Odie sitting at the bottom of the tank. Most times I go over to him and he starts swimming normally, but last night I went over and it seemed like he was struggling to keep himself swimming (instead of on the bottom). Then, today, he spends most of the night sitting on the bottom, swimming a little then sitting again, despite my being right there.
Normal fish behavior? Overfeeding? I only fed once today and I'm worried :(

it could very well be over feeding (id personally do a pinch of flakes once a day and fast one day once a week)

gold fish are good hardy fish but the only problem is they will eat themselves to death, so resist the temptation of over feeding - its just going to cause more problems in the long run as well as cloudy water and a dirty tank.

i'm not conviced that overfeeding is the reason that your fish is acting weird. you only feed twice a day? unless you're feeding him half a bottle twice a day, i don't think would be enough to harm him.

you said that he only does this at NIGHT? or during the day too? because fish have sleep cycles just like other animals. they will "rest" on the bottom of the tank. normally at night, when it's darkest.

have you noticed any other oddities? is he eating? are the water parameters you posted up to date? has he pooped?

no, he does it during the day now, too. this is new. he's doing it now, even when I walk over. I'm so worried. he swims for a little then stays at the bottom opening and closing his mouth frequently, almost looks like he's panting (like a dog type thing)

Water params are perfect except for Nitrates which are 10ppm.

do a water change. 10 ppm for nitrates is high, and he could be feeling the effects. i would pay attention and see if he is pooping. he could be constipated. you can feed him a shelled pea for that, if that's the case...

I just did a water change...I haven't seen him poop yet. I have, however, seen him cough up food? And then eat it again. I'll ltry the shelled pea.


---edit--
we have no peas right now.

Got some peas, added half of one into the tank. He ignored it for a bit but is eating it on and off alternating with just resting on the bottom.

make sure its shelled...and i hope that he improves. keep us posted!

Yep, I shelled it and smushed it a little so it would be easier for him to get at. He's swimming around a bit more and seems to be better but I'm hoping I didn't speak too soon.