Has anyone seen this behavior in goldfish?

[Ricky Flickenger]

I'm seeing something I can't understand about my goldfish.

I have a ten gallon aquaponics tank.  About a week ago, maybe a little more, I noticed my goldfish were gulping at the surface a bit, and my water was a bit thick & very foamy.  I deduced low O2.  I added some bits of twine to my main filter to divert water so it streams out onto the surface and agitates to help with O2 levels (see my pics on profile to understand what I mean).  Saw a change by the next morning.  Water didn't seem as thick, foam all gone, plants & fish seemed very happy.  

Now I still notice my fish (who don't look stressed otherwise) still coming to the top and "drinking" from the surface water.  I don't see them forcing air bubbles through their gills, unless they try to "eat" a big bubble on the water.  I was worried, and confused, that it was O2 again, but there are no other signs.  

I just tested my water - I should add I do have another 2 weeks until my tank can be considered fully cycled - everything is literally perfect.  Total harness, alkalinity, and pH are right where I want them, no trace of nitrites or nitrates, as I expected from the system. Do you think my goldfish just want to eat when they see me?  They are voracious little buggers, ate all my azolla in less than a week. Maybe they think there will be food whenever I'm around? The tank is in my room, and they do follow me as I walk by and crowd in the corner where I'm standing (actually a little creepy, LOL) Just curious if anyone has seen this before when there are no O2 issues.  Like I said, every other behavior/aspect of fish/tank/plants seems normal to me.

Thanks everyone.

Rick

[Richard Wyman]

Goldfish will beg, wag their tail, gulp or whatever they can to get you to drop in more food. It can be hard to resist their tactics at times.

[Ricky Flickenger]

Thanks! I'm glad I was just over worrying, but didn't want the greedy buggers to suffocate,LOL! Also glad because was REALLY confused when my water was spot on.  Appreciate the replies  guys :-)

Richard Wyman said:

Goldfish will beg, wag their tail, gulp or whatever they can to get you to drop in more food. It can be hard to resist their tactics at times.

[TCLynx]

If you are certain the water has plenty of aeration (do you have an air stone and bubbler as well?) When you talk about the conditions the first time and only adding some string to fix it, I fear that you might need a little more than that if the water became thick before. Types of fish that can't gulp at the surface can easily die in water far more aerated than that so you are lucky that gold fish are tough buggers.

Anyway, if you are certain that the water has plenty of aeration, then the fish could well be trying to train you. Don't let them fool you, keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels as you finish cycling and slowly up the food.

[Ricky Flickenger]

Saying that I added string probably sounds soooo funny, LOL...but the twine was what I happened to have around that could provide enough capilary action to redirect the water. In terms of thickness, the redirect of the water seemed to do the trick, it formed 4 streams of water emptying directly onto the top of the tank at 4 different points. I felt like it did the trick because I had those plus the current of the main filter dropping down the sides of the vase into the water - and that creates quit ethe current for my tank. I do not have an airstone, but after my tank cycles completely, I would like to purchase some more fish, so I will continue my tests to see whats happening. Having said that, because my tests literally turned out perfect and there are no other signs of stress in the fish/plants/tank...I think they are being greedy! LOL

Thank you for the advice though, I will keep it in mind as the tank continues to mature.

TCLynx said:

If you are certain the water has plenty of aeration (do you have an air stone and bubbler as well?) When you talk about the conditions the first time and only adding some string to fix it, I fear that you might need a little more than that if the water became thick before. Types of fish that can't gulp at the surface can easily die in water far more aerated than that so you are lucky that gold fish are tough buggers.

Anyway, if you are certain that the water has plenty of aeration, then the fish could well be trying to train you. Don't let them fool you, keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels as you finish cycling and slowly up the food.