Goldfish tank filtration

[twoodrough]

What exactly is accomplished by the increased overturn in water in a goldfish tank?

The solid waste will sink to the bottom and be syphoned. The liquid waste will pass through the filtration system and convert to nitrate no matter how many times is it turned over. What does double filtration do?

I am being picky here. But I want to know the "why's" before I get a tank.

 

[Terrance]

It makes water changes a lot easier. Anything caught in the filter also goes through faster ammonia to nitrAte conversion. Thus less exposure of ammonia or nitrIte. Also its unsightly to see poop on the substrate. Goldfish poop a lot.

Minimum 50% water changes required. I'm no expert, but goldfish grow too big for a home aquarium. They below in a pond.

 

[Chiroptera]

It makes water changes a lot easier. Anything caught in the filter also goes through faster ammonia to nitrAte conversion. Thus less exposure of ammonia or nitrIte. Also its unsightly to see poop on the substrate. Goldfish poop a lot.

Minimum 50% water changes required. I'm no expert, but goldfish grow too big for a home aquarium. They below in a pond.

Fancy goldfish are fine in aquaria. Black moor, pandas, etc. comets and koi is where it starts to get too big.

 

[RussellC]

What exactly is accomplished by the increased overturn in water in a goldfish tank?

The solid waste will sink to the bottom and be syphoned. The liquid waste will pass through the filtration system and convert to nitrate no matter how many times is it turned over. What does double filtration do?

I am being picky here. But I want to know the "why's" before I get a tank.

I think it has less to do with turnover than it has to do with overall biofiltration capacity. Goldfish produce a lot of ammonia. They are quite 'chunky', require more food and oxygen as a result, which in turn means more ammonia from both their feces and their gills.

A canister filter that turns over a given tank's volume 5 times per hour will generally have a certain amount of media space. A canister that turns over 10 times per hour (or two separate ones that turn over 5 times) will have much more media space for the beneficial bacteria.

It's the media space, and ultimately the bacteria colony size, I think, that matters.

That's my opinion, at any rate, though like you if someone knows more, I'm willing and happy to learn.

Best!

 

[jlk]

I have to agree a lot of the filtration recommendations come down to water changes. Hefty filtration does not eliminate the need for big water changes but it does help to keep a goldfish tank healthier. Goldie's have a huge bioload and produce ALOT of waste. Serious breeders may only run simple filtration for their fish BUT they change 50-100% of their water daily. I don't believe most hobbiests would find this practical or even possible thus heavy filtration is recommended. And the filters do remove more than 90% of the waste on the bottom of a sand or bare bottom tank. Minimum of 50% wcs a week on normally stocked goldfish tank though bigger & more frequent changes are recommended.

 

[twoodrough]

How does a filter remove solid waste from the bottom of a tank? Waste is on the bottom, the intake is inches above the bottom.

This is my true dilemma:

The tank I would like to get is only a 16 gallon. Because it is an odd sized tank it is more expensive. I like this tank because it fits on a stand I have for a 10 gallon and the footprints are the same. I would buy a 20-40 filter for this tank.

I could also try to find a full 20 gallon set up used. But if the filter wasn't rated higher I might have to look at buying another filter on top of this set up. It would also be a used tank. Used tanks aren't terrible, but new is better. And finding a 20 with a stand I like is going to be hard. I am picky.

I only want one fish in this tank since two would eventually overload the tank. So, do I go with the 16 and new filter of my choice, or find a used 20 with filter that might not be big enough?

That is why I really need to understand what the double filtration does for the goldy tanks. I might be able to get away with the 20 gallon with a 20 gallon filter if I only have one fish.

 

[jlk]

Ultimately, it will be your choice and what you find that you like/is affordable though a 20g would be a better choice. I would still recommend atleast a 200gph filter on a 16 or a 20g. To give you an idea, on my qt (which is 20g), I run a 250gph filter, two 100gph filters & three sponge filters. This is obviously overkill but I use the cycled media/filters when I need it for other reasons. The minimum I run on it at anytime is the 250gph filter. You should look at a filters 'gph' and not what it 'claims' its rated for (ie, for a 20g or 40g or whatever). The 250gph filter is an Aqueon which I purchased off of amazon for $23. Good luck with whatever you decide to do & dont hesitate to ask more questions!

 

[twoodrough]

I looked at the baby goldies at the store yesterday and think how little one would be in a 20 gallon tank. These ones were only about an inch to an inch and a half. Will be fun to watch one grow.

I will look for the 250 gph on amazon. The Tetra 20-40 I was going to get was $32, but I don't know the gph on that one. Will check on it.

As long as I have you: At my LFS the little fancy goldfish were in a "mutt" tank because they are too young to be able to tell for sure what kind they are. Because they are little and unknown they are cheap. They do have some larger ones for more money, but I thought the babies were soo cute! Is there any reason I should be leary of the "mutts" as long as I don't mind what they grow up to be?

 

[jlk]

Thats actually funny that they have a 'mutt' tank! No reason to be leary of these guys- they are possibly crossbreds or just simply too small to id yet. I would just look for a double tailed goldie- a single tail can possibly indicate its a fancy crossed with a common/comet (or it just may be a genetic defect) which as a cross, may grow substantially larger than a typical fancy. And keep in mind, any goldie with black markings (except calico) will likely lose the black coloring as they mature. Same can be said for most reds (vs true orange which is the default color) as well but the color change will take alot longer. Babies are alot of fun to raise & watch grow & mature!!! Those babies will eventually be quite large so dont worry about how 'small' they look when you first purchase one!

 

[Terrance]

How does a filter remove solid waste from the bottom of a tank? Waste is on the bottom, the intake is inches above the bottom.

The stronger the flow, the more likely the heavier waste will be picked up by the current. If you have ever expelled your own waste, you will notice some of them sink and some of them float. The less current you have in your tank, the more waste you will see settling onto the bottom of the tank.