my 5 inch white and orange koi was floating on its side after looking so well after me changing it to another tank. i panniced so i put it in a bowl of fresh water and after 5 minutes or so it was fine, what was it doing? im very confused and botherd about this.

What kind of filtration do you have setup?

hi what size tank are you putting the koi into and do you have any other fish in the tank and as peter says what filtration do you have.
it sounds like it could just be shock from moving but we need more info.

heres what happend..,i got a tank of my uncle,he brought it round in his car only less than half full of water, the fish were at top of water like they were gulping, plus the water wasnt that clean,plus it had colured gravel in it, anyway i then placed the fish-one 4/5 inch red and white koi and one 4/5 inch very orange gold fish plus a one inch shubunkin in a pretty large round bowl whilst i cleaned the glass tank out which measures 45cms across the back, 35cms deep, and 30cms width, they are not yet in the glass tank as i am letting the water stand for a short while, anyway i have the fish in seperat bowls now as the big uns were floating on there side like nearly lifless, so i panniced and put them in there own little bowl wiyh fresh tap water and they mirraculosly are now looking very well indeed, plus the glass tank has a filteration system that you stick to the inside of the tank with a sponge inside of it, and the gravvel i washed with hot water 4 times and had abit of it in the bowl when the fish started being funny, the gravvel i am not putting back in the glass tank as it is still dis-colouring the water, i have not kept fish for along time but would really like to do so again and any help would be very greatfull indeed,thankyou.

Mate there gulping for air at the top, cos theres no oxygen in the water..

The filter that sticks to the side of your tank, get that hooked up and running and you should be fine.

Next time... If your going to add water to your tank then it's best to take the water out your tap, leave it sitting in a bucket or big bowl overnight. Then after 24 hours or more add it to your fish tank, this gives the water a chance to lose all the Chlorine thats in it (very harmful for your fish..)

Also do koi or goldfish sleep, what are they doing when they look like they are gasping for air, and why do they eat their flake food then spit it all back out again, please answer these questions as i really want them to survive as i feel very responcible for them now and i want the best for them.

Fish aren't so different from humans in some ways...

When they look like their gasping for air, there trying to breath...

If there spitting their flake out maybe they don't like the taste, try feeding them with a different brand of flake (Tetramin is a good food)

Don't worry you'll be ok, your showing good signs by asking for advice and trying to learn more to care for your new fish.

Get your filter going and keep it on 24/7.

Only feed your fish every other day.

Don't feed too much, better to feed to less then too much. (Too much waste food laying about isn't good for your water quality.)

I'll have a dig over here and see if I can find any fishkeeping books so you can read up on the basics. It's worth going onto ebay and looking for fish keeping/fish care books, get one for beginners, read it a few times, you'll know your fish inside out in no time mate

Your tank is too small for fish of that size. The ammonia will be sky high in a 45cm tank. Its really only suitable for 2-3 small goldfish, with a filter. We are talking a 3-4ft tank, the koi especially can grow very quickly, they should really be in a large tank or pond.
Check the classifieds section, usually cheap tanks going there

sorry to repeat but the tank is very small for those fish i have a 3ft tank with only four goldfish in it and three filters. you really do need a much bigger tank i would suggest at least a 3ft and you will also need massive amounts of filtration, as goldfish are very messy fish.
koi can grow very large and even your comet goldfish can and will get to 12"
when you feed flake food to goldfish it can cause problems with the swim bladder so soak the flakes in some tank water before putting it into the tank.

THANKYOU ALL.., I really value your advice and i will do everything you all said, ''more questions'' .....how much of a gap should there be at the top of the tank to the top of the water? also i read some where as im waiting 24hrs before i put the fish into the new tank water that i should squeeze the sponge out of the filter into the water to give it some't or other.., is that true?...also ive gone with having NO gravel what so ever at the bottom of the tank as it was dis-colouring the water , what else can i use that wont dis-colour the water in any way at all? Can i use them different coloured glass small pebble'y things? SORRY to ask so many questions but i dont want my fish to suffer or die. Also here are the exact measurements of the glass tank,which is a funny shape..:- Length=18 inches,or one and a half ft..Height,or Depth=15 inches and Width=12 inches with a 3 inch roof space. Surely thats adequate for the fish i have? The fish that are going in this tank is ''1'' 4inch gold fish...''1'' red and white koi..and ''1'' 1inch shubunkin.