Wiggo Is Dead!! :(

[Mad Doug Biker]

Don't get me wrong, the comments were vaguely amusing at first, but now its wearing decidedly thin.

 

[Fnaar]

This will help:

To the fish out there who die in bowls

Who ever knew, that the next time I saw you, youd be floating and breathing no more
I wish I would have told you how much I did love you, but now youre in fish heaven galore

I think that if you were alive, my fish
Youd tell me that this was your final wish

That you
Would rather have a large tank
And a few ext-tra-large flakes
With a scenic view of out-side
And how you hate the noise my camra makes
Your other fish friends
How they loved you very much
I know you hated mirky water
And didnt like when I touched
Your little beety eyes
How they opened so clearly
Im so glad that that other fish
Never came near me
And I wish you could be here now
But Petco told me strait
That you probly wouldnt make it
Even after that first date
I know that, you have suffered
In that small bowl you were in
But I pray that one day
I may see you once again
Little fish, I love you
And I know you loved me too
And I hope that you know
That Im going to miss you
So heres to the fish
All the fish of the sea
Pray you never get caught
By a fish-lover like me

 

[Crackle]

You have my sympathy MDB. I won a goldfish at a fair once (remember those days?). He was great, a real character, moving his gravel and re-arranging his tank, seriously. Then I went away and when I came back he'd turned into a dull old goldfish who just swam.

Years later I learnt he'd died while I was away and in panic they'd nipped down the pet shop and bought a look-a-like, no that one, no not that one, that one. I can see the petshop owner with his net chasing the likely goldfish around the tank even now.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Lilo is tame in comparison, but maybe he'll liven up over time. With Wiggo you could almost always guarantee that he was watching you and waiting for you to say hello to him (I found that if I waved at him he'd get all excited and then flap back at me! )

I'll miss his little face peering out at me, waiting for me to do something so he could dance about at me (I have to explain that the tank is next to where I sit to watch the telly, so he'd spend hours just watching me watch the T.V.).

 

[classic33]

He was acting out of character and being lethargic, also he was sat on the bottom constantly gasping for air (when all other fish were ok), and later started to sit at a 45 degree angle (quarter of the way to belly up) with Lilo now trying to get him to move.... in other words, after 5 years you just know something is up.

I changed the water that night (admittedly it was due a change anyway) in the hope it would help, waiting until the morning before doing anything else, but no. Lilo and the other fish, a Plec (actually a Loach) named.... wait for it..... Plectrum, and also the Minnows ('Plectrum And The Minnows', it sounds like a band or something) were all ok, so it clearly was just Wiggo who was having problems.

By the morning he was sat on his side barely breathing and finally died at 1ish. Quite what I could have done other than got him into a bucket and used the clove oil to kill him humanely*, I don't know.


* - It acts as an anasthetic, and when overdosed, its like when a dog or similar is put down. Apparently its the least stressful way to euthanise a fish if you really need too.

"Could be several issues. The water is usually a bit cooler and denser at the bottom, thus it holds more oxygen. Make sure your air pump is large enough for the tank, and that whatever type of filtration you are using is working properly. If its an under-gravel filter system, it takes a few days for it to begin functioning. Goldfish are pretty hardy, but it still could be the pH (acid/base) of the water in your area. You can get an inexpensive kit to check this, and additives to correct any imbalance.
Only other thing I can think of is that the fish was probably in with others before you bought it. You may want to get another fish to keep it company. Dont get anything aggressive (nothing from the cichlid family), or goldy will end up being lunch. Good luck.
Source(s):

Aquarium hobbyist for 20 yrs."
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120112142433AAkEr2O

 

[slowmotion]

My thoughts are with the Dear Departed Sole.