help, this is new and having problems

[shrake]

i have a small 10 gallon tank with a black moor in there. i have 2 bubble thingys going and also have 2 snails to help with waste mgmt and algae. the tank is on its 2nd week and has been crystal clear and i come in today and it has a tint of green. the ph was high so i added some ph chemicals last nite and today its tinted green. can i take my fish out, clean tank, rocks and bubble thingys with something for algae and add all new water? i know i started w/new water when i brought him home from pet store.... cant i just do that again instead of doing the small precentage change? i want my little buddy to have a nice home

 

[KatieJ]

A single goldfish requires 20 gallons at the very minimum. Your tank is severely overstocked and uncycled, which causes an unsafe ammonia and nitrite buildup - your fish is essentially breathing in its own poop. There are several articles on this forum for how to properly cycle a tank - that is, allowing bacteria to grow enough to be able to convert all of that ammonia to a safer form. If I were you, I'd try to rehome the goldfish as soon as possible until you can upgrade and cycle at least a 20-gallon tank (which takes several weeks to a month) or let your current tank finish cycling, then add smaller and more appropriate fish.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

i have a small 10 gallon tank with a black moor in there. i have 2 bubble thingys going and also have 2 snails to help with waste mgmt and algae. the tank is on its 2nd week and has been crystal clear and i come in today and it has a tint of green. the ph was high so i added some ph chemicals last nite and today its tinted green. can i take my fish out, clean tank, rocks and bubble thingys with something for algae and add all new water? i know i started w/new water when i brought him home from pet store.... cant i just do that again instead of doing the small precentage change? i want my little buddy to have a nice home

Hi and welcome to AA!
You can most definitely do a large water change. I would advise one to remove the chemicals you have just added to your tank. There is no need to alter the pH in your tank unless it is in the extreme ranges (5s or 9+). Do you have a dechlorinator/conditioner? Do you have a test kit at all?
Do you know what cycling a tank is?

 

[shrake]

i have the ph reader and its off the chart red. it goes into the 8s. declorinator/conditioner is the water conditioner you add immediately when adding new water, correct? yes, we added that to the tank when we set it up and my "lil blacky" adjusted well. he swam around happy as a lil lark. i dont have test strips with i do have the sticky things in the water that tells me what my ammonia and ph is. cycling a tank? no can you please help me? this is my new hobby and i love this lil guy (i dont know if its male or female) but i refer to it as him.....

 

[sodemann58]

I personally wouldn't take everything out. A small amount of algae is beneficial to your fish and snails. I would get a common pleco and he should clean up youth sides and a slight layer of algae on your plants and decor in a matter of days. However with the size of tank you have, a pleco will grow out of and you may need to replace him with a smaller one later on. If you don't want to buy another fish though you can scrub the sides of the tank, the decor, and plants inside the tank while it still contains your original water and fishes (it is very stressful on your fish to remove them everytime, however if it is excessively dirty This time i would remove them but in the future its not ideal). Siphon around 30-50% water out of the tank and brush through the rocks with the siphon tube. I would then take a bucket and fill it up with water equivalent to what you just removed. Then add your chemicals (aquasafe, algae control formula, salt, etc.) and be sure to add the specific amount only for how many gallons you have just removed, stir it well. Id let that sit for a couple minutes (10-15) then slowly add it to your tank.

Your tank will be a little foggy for maybe a few days at the most if your tank was quite dirty.

If you do this once a week with around 20-30% water change your tank will progressively become clearer and cleaner. However the first couple of times will be a bit nasty if you haven't been doing PWC's (partial water changes) frequently in the past.

 

[sodemann58]

I personally wouldn't take everything out. A small amount of algae is beneficial to your fish and snails. I would get a common pleco and he should clean up youth sides and a slight layer of algae on your plants and decor in a matter of days. However with the size of tank you have, a pleco will grow out of and you may need to replace him with a smaller one later on. If you don't want to buy another fish though you can scrub the sides of the tank, the decor, and plants inside the tank while it still contains your original water and fishes (it is very stressful on your fish to remove them everytime, however if it is excessively dirty This time i would remove them but in the future its not ideal). Siphon around 30-50% water out of the tank and brush through the rocks with the siphon tube. I would then take a bucket and fill it up with water equivalent to what you just removed. Then add your chemicals (aquasafe, algae control formula, salt, etc.) and be sure to add the specific amount only for how many gallons you have just removed, stir it well. Id let that sit for a couple minutes (10-15) then slowly add it to your tank.

Your tank will be a little foggy for maybe a few days at the most if your tank was quite dirty.

If you do this once a week with around 20-30% water change your tank will progressively become clearer and cleaner. However the first couple of times will be a bit nasty if you haven't been doing PWC's (partial water changes) frequently in the past.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

i have the ph reader and its off the chart red. it goes into the 8s. DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS EXACTLY? IM SURE HE WILL BE FINE WITH IT. FISH CAN USUALLY AJDUST TO PH. MY TANKS SIT AT 7.6-7.8. declorinator/conditioner is the water conditioner you add immediately when adding new water, correct?YES, DECHLORINATOR IS WHAT NUTRALIZES THE CHLORINE AND CHLORAMINE IN YOUR TANK WATER. A VERY IMPORTANT THING TO HAVE. yes, we added that to the tank when we set it up and my "lil blacky" adjusted well. he swam around happy as a lil lark. i dont have test strips with i do have the sticky things in the water that tells me what my ammonia and ph is. YOU WILL NEED TO BUY A LIQUID TEST KIT TO KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR PARAMETERS IN YOUR TANK DURING THE CYCLING PERIOD. THE API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT IS THE MOST WIDELY RECOMMENDED. cycling a tank? I WILL POST SOME LINKS FOR YOU TO HAVE A READ THROUGH. THEY WILL EXPLAIN WHAT CYCLING IS. no can you please help me? this is my new hobby and i love this lil guy (i dont know if its male or female) but i refer to it as him.....

I wrote in capitals.
As stated above unfortunately a 10gallon isn't large enough to sustain a gold fish for the long term. He will be fine for now but a larger tank 20g+ will be needed in the near future.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I personally wouldn't take everything out. A small amount of algae is beneficial to your fish and snails. I would get a common pleco and he should clean up youth sides and a slight layer of algae on your plants and decor in a matter of days. However with the size of tank you have, a pleco will grow out of and you may need to replace him with a smaller one later on. If you don't want to buy another fish though you can scrub the sides of the tank, the decor, and plants inside the tank while it still contains your original water and fishes (it is very stressful on your fish to remove them everytime, however if it is excessively dirty This time i would remove them but in the future its not ideal). Siphon around 30-50% water out of the tank and brush through the rocks with the siphon tube. I would then take a bucket and fill it up with water equivalent to what you just removed. Then add your chemicals (aquasafe, algae control formula, salt, etc.) and be sure to add the specific amount only for how many gallons you have just removed, stir it well. Id let that sit for a couple minutes (10-15) then slowly add it to your tank.

Your tank will be a little foggy for maybe a few days at the most if your tank was quite dirty.

If you do this once a week with around 20-30% water change your tank will progressively become clearer and cleaner. However the first couple of times will be a bit nasty if you haven't been doing PWC's (partial water changes) frequently in the past.

Do not add another fish! The tank is over stocked as it is and is still cycling. No chemicals are needed except dechlorinator.
I would NEVER suggest adding a common pleco to a 10g no matter how small it is.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fish-in-cycling-step-over-into-the-dark-side-176446.html

Here are the links.

 

[shrake]

petsmart here i come for a bigger tank. this lil guy has won my heart and can have whatever he wants and needs.......... i also have an 80 gallon tank (no goldfish in it) oscars and etc and its doing great....knock on wood

 

[Mumma.of.two]

petsmart here i come for a bigger tank. this lil guy has won my heart and can have whatever he wants and needs.......... i also have an 80 gallon tank (no goldfish in it) oscars and etc and its doing great....knock on wood

A bigger tank is a great idea! How long ago did you get the oscar tank? If it was less than 2 months ago it is probably still cycling too. What fish do you have in it?

 

[shrake]

it has an oscar, jack dempsey, some lil light blue fish w/yellow fins and a bright yellow lab(something)all babies (tiny lil fellows...inch long...dempsey is the biggest, hes about 2.5 and 4 snails. we set it up 2 weeks ago tomorrow. its an 80 gallon tank and has the top of the line filter and plenty of bubbles. it is crystal clear. the snails seem to be eating the poop as i have searced for it and cant find any.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

it has an oscar, jack dempsey, some lil light blue fish w/yellow fins and a bright yellow lab(something)all babies (tiny lil fellows...inch long...dempsey is the biggest, hes about 2.5 and 4 snails. we set it up 2 weeks ago tomorrow. its an 80 gallon tank and has the top of the line filter and plenty of bubbles. it is crystal clear. the snails seem to be eating the poop as i have searced for it and cant find any.

Ok the first thing you need to do on both tanks is a 50% PWC(partial water change) with temperature matched water on both tanks. The ammonia and maybe nitrite levels will be too high for your fish. Don't forget to add dechlorinator. The second you have a chance have a read of those links. They will explain everything.

Once those 4 fish mature they most likely won't get along any more. I don't know about the blue fish and I don't have any experience with yellow labs. Sorry. The oscar and the jd may get along when they mature but I'm not sure, someone else with more experience than me will chime in soon.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Crystal clear water isn't a very good indicator of water quality. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are clear but can be very harmful or deadly in high enough doses.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Oh and I forgot to add that there is no such thing as a silly question! If you are unsure about anything at all feel free to ask. That's what we are here for.