Goldfish was one of the most popular fish in the aquarium, When a goldfish breathing slow, you will think it may die. Many freshwater fishes need a good aquatic environment with an air pump to supply oxygen to the aquarium. The well-oxygenated fish tanks will increase the lifespan of goldfish. The different ways to reduce breathing problems in goldfish are below.

Goldfish will breathe slowly due to a lack of oxygen. Freshwater fishes need oxygen for breathing in their aquariums. Without agitation, carbon dioxide will not leave from water. So oxygen can not enter the fish tank.

Freshwater fishes need well-oxygenated fish tanks to reduce their breathing problems. Goldfish will breathe slowly due to the low oxygen content inside the fish tank. In this article, we are going to solve goldfish breathing slowly and increasing the oxygen inside the goldfish tank.

Why is my goldfish barely breathing?

Goldfish Breathing Slow
Goldfish movement with bubbles & water pumps in the tank on darkness background

Goldfish have many problems related to breathing, In my aquarium, I have lost goldfish due to non-sense things. I didn’t clean or maintain my aquarium, this affected the health of each fish that started to die. Every fishkeeper needs to maintain the aquarium once a week.

Goldfish will breathe slowly due to low oxygen inside the fish tank. Without agitation, the carbon dioxide will not leave the fish tank and it will block the oxygen from entering the fish tank. Goldfishes are cute fish that need a good aquatic environment.

Goldfish need oxygen for normal respiration. So you need to provide a good air pump connection inside the goldfish aquariums.


How do you increase oxygen in the fish tanks?

Goldfish Breathing Slow

There are different ways to increase the oxygen in fish tanks. In this section, I’ll be showing some of the different methods to generate oxygen for the fish tank. Some of them are expensive, However, You can choose the method.

Pouring water from a height

The easiest method for increasing the oxygen in your tank is by instantly and slowly pouring water into the fish tank from height. Don’t pour water directly into the fish’s head because it will affect the fish’s body damages.

When you pour water from a height, it will make water flow which will increase the oxygen level in the aquarium.

Water Change

Goldfish Breathing Slow
Man hand pumping out water to clean up the substrate in his aquarium. Cleaning and tiding a fish tank.

Another free-cost method for increasing the oxygen level in the fish tank is water changes.

You need to change 50% of the water in the fish tank because freshwater has more oxygen content. This will help to increase the oxygen level in the fish tank by introducing fresh water.

Decrease the Water Temperature

If the oxygen level in your tank decreased due to the high-temperature water. Don’t worry, you can cool down the water using an ice cube. You need to maintain the water temperature and make sure air was circulated around the fish tank.

Keep the fish tank in the air circulation room for maintaining the water temperature.

Sometimes decrease in the water temperature make goldfish breathe fast for getting oxygen, So they will start coming up to gasp air.

Using Air Pump

Goldfish Breathing Slow

One of the best methods for increasing the oxygen level in your aquarium is using an air pump. The aquarium air pump will help to push air and release it inside the aquarium tank through an air stone or some decorative air dropper.

Air pumps are used by fishkeepers, but I recommend installing air pump for every aquarium. Freshwater fishes need good oxygen levels for increasing the growth of goldfish, Not only goldfish, every freshwater fishes need oxygen content inside the aquarium.

Use a Fountain

Goldfish Breathing Slow
The fountain is made in the form of a bowl on a granite pedestal, from which strikes a jet of water flows into the pool.

You can use a fountain for your pond or fish tank for increasing the oxygen level. The water flow from the fountain will make movement in the fish tank water.

The water flow from the fountain will release carbon dioxide in the tank and will help the oxygen content inside the fish tank.

Use a Spray Bar

You can use a Spray bar for filtering water from the aquarium to increase the oxygen level. If you’re using a canister filter for the filtration then you can get a spray bar with it.

The spray bar will distribute the water through the surface of the tank which will provide more exposure to water, Which will ultimately increase the oxygen level.

Use a HOB filter

Using HOB Filter will increase the oxygen level of the fish tank, they are very small and easy to use.

The HOB-filtered water will fall down from a particular height and that will help to increase the oxygen level in the fish tank.

You check the installation process of the filter.

How do I make sure my goldfish has enough oxygen?

Goldfish Breathing Slow
Goldfish in aquarium

The goldfish need a good oxygen level inside the tank. You can use the above method for increasing the oxygen level.

If the oxygen level inside the tank was too low, the goldfish will repeatedly swim to the surface of the water for gulping air. The healthy goldfish will swim continuously and you can plan live plants inside the fish tank.

Goldfish need oxygenated water to survive, so you need to make sure that oxygen levels and temperature levels are maintained correctly, Otherwise, the goldfish will get stressed and have health problems.

Why would fish be gasping for air?

Goldfish gasping means the fish come to the water surface for breathing oxygen rapidly. It was due to the fish not getting enough oxygen inside the fish tank.

You need to provide a good air pump for increasing the oxygen level in the fish tank. The filter will pump air into the fish tank through an air stone. The water flow will release the carbon dioxide content from the water.

Can fish recover from a lack of oxygen?

There is no guarantee that fish will survive from a lack of oxygen. Freshwater fishes need good oxygen levels for respiration.

If the fish do not get enough oxygen to breathe, then they will die. Provide an air pump for increasing the oxygen inside the fish tank. Otherwise, you can change the 50% of water after every two days for increasing the oxygen in the fish tank.

How long can fish survive without an oxygen pump?

Goldfish or fresh water will only survive with oxygen. So you need to maintain the oxygen level and temperature in the tank.

Goldfish will survive only two days without an oxygen pump.

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