" George" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
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I find GF more touchy about water quality and aeration than koi. Ingrid

Really? I don't understand why. Maybe I am mistaken, but aren't they
natural
air gulpers. It has always been my understanding that goldfish can
tolerate
less than ideal conditions, while koi cannot.

My mother was baby sitting her neighbor's goldfish for a week last year. The
neighbor just told them to feed 'em once a day. We showed up to the house,
and their kitchen had a distinctive diaper odor. We thought nothing of it,
because our nephew had been there, and we figured the garbage can was to
blame. I took it out. The smell persisted. At one point I went over to fish
bowl to say hello, and the smell from the gallon or so of water nearly
knocked me off my feet. I've smelled toilets in bars that were cleaner then
this.

I had no dechlor, and didn't know of a pet shop, so we set some water out
all night, and did partial water changes over two days. By the end of the
weekend, the fish was no longer gulping, and the odor was gone.

I can't speak for all goldies, but this guy was surviving in absolute filth.

BV.