Help with New Tank: Milky Water, Needs to Cycle!

[Nordic]

hi all... please help... i love fish tanks had a big tropical tank when i was younger... now i bought a bigger tank from an old lady with back problems. This tank now is a coldwater tank with BIG goldfish and koi fish that came with the tank, i have added more fish,aswel as more plants(fake) and bubbles and rocks,a new filter aswel as the old one wasnt sufficient. It looks very nice now and i do a weekly water change with anti-chlorine. The water turns milky at about the 4rth day, and Yesterday i read on the net about "cycle" Now What do i do? how do i Cycle the tank without loosing the fish?

 

[LyndaB]

Welcome to the forum.

Do you know what size this tank is?

You're going to have issues with this tank, even when it's cycled because the fish are way too big for the tank size. The first goldfish requires 20 gallons, each one thereafter requires an additional 10 gallons. Koi just do not belong in tanks and need ponds.

Read up on the cycling process here: I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

You'll need to get yourself an API master kit (liquid) to be able to monitor your water parameters. You can get it for less than $20 on-line. Until you get the kit, do 50% water changes daily.

 

[Nordic]

OK i converted my 200ltr tank, its about 52gallons. in other words i am only able to keep 4 fish in this tank? Currently i've got 4 goldfish of about 15cm long and 2 of 5cm. I've got one koi of 15cm and 5 between 5cm and 8cm. then i've got 5 commets between 5cm and 8cm, and 3 Plecostomus,one is about 20cm and the others are 3cm. The variety in our town for fish is very limited, and the petshops sell the koi as tank fish. I will make a plan with the koi, maybe give it to someone with a pond. How long do i need to do 50% water change?

 

[LyndaB]

With the 13 fish you have, you'll be doing daily water changes for the rest of your life. You really need to rehome more. What species of pleco do you have?

 

[jlk]

+1
The koi, the comets and the plecos need to be rehomed. The koi realistically need @250g per fish- they grow to be over 3ft. The comets can grow to be 18inches and need atleast 50g per fish. Are the other 4 goldfish fancies with double tails? 4 fancies in a 52g are fine with NO other fish. The plecos & the fancies do not mix- the plecos will snack on the slow fancies at night and you will wind up with a host of problems. Do as Lynda suggested- get yourself a good test kit & continue to daily water changes until you can rehome the majority of the fish. Please ask if you have any questions!

 

[Nordic]

Thanks... The pleco is the common black one. I know the koi can become large,the ones i have are still small. 2 of the goldfish has got the double tail, they still very small ,the others are normal. I cant get the API test in SA, the one that is available here is priced at half my salary R1100 (140 USD). The only reason i bought this tank is because i loved having a fishtank previously, and this one is double the size i had. I had a 100lt tank with tropical fish, and about 25 fish.....i had no problems. When i got this one i thought that coldwater fish are easier than tropicalfish, and well the tank is way bigger.... now..... i've spent moremoney on this tank than i ever did on the smaller tank.

 

[LyndaB]

That tank is very cramped. It's really not healthy for the fish and I doubt they're very happy.

It's great that you're so excited about having a tank, but to have the best experience possible, you really need to rehome the vast majority of these fish or, rehome all of them, and then restock with appropriate species for the tank size.

 

[Nordic]

What spiecies are appropriate for this tank?

 

[LyndaB]

You could have LOTS of species in this tank. Angelfish, other species of pleco, just about any schooling fish, shrimp, snails. Really, it's a great size community tank. If you enjoy the larger fish and having lots of fish, you might look into turning it into a cichlid tank.

 

[Coursair]

Goldfish need room to grow. Cut back to 3 Fancy (Orandas, Ryukin, etc...) GF and nothing else or start over.

Your tank is a death trap right now

Read about your fish, read some more, watch some videos. Keep learning. Do your best for your fish

 

[Smcoyle87]

I hate when this kind of stuff happens. Someone is really excited about getting fish and then finds out that it can't workout. : (
Good luck to ya!