Hi Joshua,

I’m so sorry you had such a terrible experience! Some medications can be really harsh on fish, especially when your goldfish is already so stressed out and sick from disease. It’s likely your goldfish was just too far gone for the medication to work or the medication was too harsh on your fish’s weakened immune system. In many cases (unless you’re facing parasites or really tough bacterial/fungal infections), you don’t need to treat the aquarium with medication at all – just daily water changes, a little aquarium salt, and a healthy environment with fresh water and oxygen is enough to get your goldfish feeling better.

Still, I’m really sad to hear how things turned out for your fish. It’s never easy to lose a pet. But it sounds like your goldfish lived a happy 4 years, right?

I couldn’t agree more, Valerie!

It’s important to make sure your goldfish is healthy before leaving the pet shop. Sometimes pet owners will buy fish that look sick because they want to give them another chance at life, helping them heal and recover. But sometimes, that same fish will be too far gone to recover – and no matter how you treat the aquarium and how clean the water is, the fish ends up dying anyway. After a long battle with the infection, it can be heartbreaking to lose a pet – especially after everything you’ve done to try to save him. And in other cases, that same sick pet can make all of your other fish sick if you don’t quarantine beforehand.

Thanks for sharing! I’m so happy to hear you’re passionate about your goldfish.

Fish are the best pets! <3

Hi Mallory – I’m so happy I was able to help! Bubble eye goldfish can be tricky to find. There’s a chance that these fish in the pet store could have went out of stock – you might want to call Petco or Petsmart and ask them when they’ll be back in stock. Or you can ask for referrals to a good goldfish breeder that sells them. You could also try finding a goldfish auction online. Goldfish Connection sometimes hosts auctions, though I don’t think they’re hosting one right now. You may also sometimes find sellers on eBay, though I looked and couldn’t find any live bubble eye goldfish listings at the moment.

That’s a cute name, Nessie! I’m sure Taco will live a long, healthy life, as long as you take care of him. Good luck with your goldfish!

Hi Hannah,

Glad to hear your fish are doing well! I shop at Petsmart from time to time. In fact, my pair of fish are doing just fine to this day. 🙂

I have ordered fish online from Petco though (five neon tetras and a betta, along with some aquatic plants). The neon tetras are still doing fine, but the betta had arrived with a fungal infection. Sadly, the medication I gave him didn’t have time to work and he died a few days later. It can be tough ordering fish online, since most of the time you’re not sure what you’re going to get (or in what condition the fish will come in).

By the way, I’ve been eyeing that R2 fish school kit for a while now. It does look fun, though I’ve never tried it yet. Maybe one day I’ll go out and get one. 🙂

Hi Bob – I’m so sorry to hear that! It’s really sad when a beloved pet dies. Pet stores have been known to overcrowd, mainly because most of the fish they sell are young and they sell their fish in such large numbers. Unfortunately, this can lead to problems. I’ve walked by tanks overflowing with fish eaten alive by ich, small parasites that attack in multitudes. There’s always a handful of fish floating around dead at the top of the tank. It’s really a sad sight to see.

It seems to be more common in chain stores, I’ve noticed, but I have no doubt that it happens in small businesses as well. We have a Walmart nearby that sells fish and, let me tell you, that experience was the worst by far! Almost all of the tanks had some kind of outbreak going on. It was simply depressing. I’m not sure how other Walmarts are, but that is the last time I shop for fish there. It was years ago though.