Goldfish Rescue

[Stefernini]

I will be rescuing some goldfish this weekend and am getting their entire set up in the process, and I need some advice. I have a 50 gallon tropical tank, but I've never moved an active tank before. The tank I'm getting is a 55 gallon (That's the only thing she's gotten right) with four fancy goldfish in it. Their current owner has no idea what she's doing and just wants to get rid of them rather than learn about proper care for them.

This is my plan and I would appreciate any tips or advice on it:

I'm going to fill buckets with tank water and put the fish in those. I will also be putting the gravel in some buckets with just enough water to keep it wet, and putting the media from the HOB in a bag with tank water. Then just finish emptying the remaining water and move it.

Once I get it to my house I'm not sure how to proceed properly. I would like to try and keep as much of the tank water as I can, but these guys are in terrible water conditions right now and I don't like the idea of keeping any of their gross water. Would it be best to put their water back in the tank for the sake of saving as much bacteria as possible, or to just ditch it and put in all fresh? It will be topped off with fresh either way obviously, but I also know it's really not good to replace 100% of the water. I also have a brand new canister filter to put on it in addition to the HOB, but it isn't seeded. So I need ideas for the best way to set it back up once I get them home.

Here is a pic of them in their current conditions (the internal filter will be tossed, not it's media tho) The fourth fancy isn't in this pic and she says she no longer has the little one you can barely see in the middle.

Thanks

EDIT: I'm fully expecting a mini, or full on cycle and will be doing daily tests with my API kit and water changes as needed.

 

[Sharpchick]

I'd acclimate them in the buckets to your new (good) tank water. I'd also use air stones in the buckets to keep some water moving during the acclimation process. Don't know how long your drive will be, but be aware that ammonia will continue to build in the buckets as you travel.

Set the tank up - quickly - and start filling it with new, conditioned tank water. I'd aim for 70-72 deg for the temp in the tank. I would not put any of the old water into the tank - you've got the filter media and the substrate.

Reduce the water in the buckets to leave room for new water to be added to them. Use something like a solo cup, and put a couple of cups of new water into the buckets with the old water. This should also help acclimate them to any difference in the temp between the bucket and the tank. Keep on doing that as you fill the tank, and until the buckets are almost full.

I'd aim to be getting them out of the buckets and into the tank when the tank is full. If the larger fish are as big as the palm of your hand, I'd gently use my hands to take them from the buckets into the tank, as opposed to using a net.

That's my two cents. It's also very similar to the way I acclimated my ryukins to the pond earlier this spring - only the pond was already full and filter running.

 

[jlk]

+1

Great advice offered by Sharpchick! Do not keep their present tank water- water contains very little good bacteria. The filter media transported in water is the most important thing. Transporting fish (even a short distance) in buckets of sloshing, splashing water does not work very well and has the potential for disaster is you need to stop or turn suddenly. Two easier ideas for transport would be either use large Ziploc bags (they make 5 & 10g ones) filled with tank water/fish and placed in a 5g bucket or if you have a large food/beverage cooler or two, this would work as well. I have three large ones (on wheels) that are probably 20-30g that I have used in the past to transport fish/crustaceans as they can be filled easily with water and secured in a vehicle. If its a long drive, walmart/sporting goods type stores have battery powered air pumps.

Just make sure you take the time to acclimate them to your water. Their present water likely has horrible numbers and chances are your tap has different numbers for things such as ph/kh/gh. They will need some time to adjust to new, clean water. If you have questions about anything (including feeding or wcs), just ask! Good luck with the move!!!

 

[Stefernini]

Thank you so much! This is the third forum I've posted on and this is the first good advice I've gotten. One of the other forums, I had two people tell me to just take the fish to the lfs and start from scratch! How is that going to be better for them?

Anyway, I love the bag idea rather than straight buckets, and thank you for confirming my concerns about using their dirty water. I'm sure their ammonia is off the charts. My tap water is 0-ammonia, 0-nitrites, 0-nitrates, but it is 8.0 pH. The pH is my only worry there. The car ride will be about 20, maybe 30 minutes. Hopefully, they'll be okay for that long. Hopefully the set up will only take me about that long as well, but I have air pumps for when they get to my house.

Would drip acclimation be a good way to go?

 

[Sharpchick]

Thank you so much! This is the third forum I've posted on and this is the first good advice I've gotten. One of the other forums, I had two people tell me to just take the fish to the lfs and start from scratch! How is that going to be better for them?

Anyway, I love the bag idea rather than straight buckets, and thank you for confirming my concerns about using their dirty water. I'm sure their ammonia is off the charts. My tap water is 0-ammonia, 0-nitrites, 0-nitrates, but it is 8.0 pH. The pH is my only worry there. The car ride will be about 20, maybe 30 minutes. Hopefully, they'll be okay for that long. Hopefully the set up will only take me about that long as well, but I have air pumps for when they get to my house.

Would drip acclimation be a good way to go?

I wouldn't mess with drip acclimation. It takes quite a while, and you need to get them into some (changing) good water ASAP. That's why I suggested the use of solo cups. I used the 20 ounce ones because that's what I keep around the house.

 

[Stefernini]

I have the same size solo cups as well, I'll go that route then.

 

[germanyt]

I'd take some of the water they are in and add conditioned water to it. Maybe a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot would be fine. I know the water they are in is dirty but such a sudden change might be too much for them to handle. I'd get the tank home and remove the gravel. Rinse it in conditioned water and scrub the tank. Place the old gravel back in it and fill with new water. If you other tank has 2 filters on it I'd stick one of those on the new tank and then, after the filter runs for a few hours put the fish in the tank. I wouldn't put any of the bucket water in the tank.

 

[Stefernini]

Here's the update. When I got there to pick them up, she only had three left. The water and tank were so awful, I couldn't see the black moor at all. The whole thing just made me sick and angry. The tank and everything in it were so caked in grime and fungus I had to throw everything in it out and basically start from scratch. The smell from the tank stunk up my car and gagged me the whole way home and it took me three hours to clean the tank.

The poor black moor has the worse case of velvet I have ever seen and the big silver one has a big sore on it's side and the gold one is missing scales. I'm surprised any of them are alive. I may still lose the moor. I had to buy new filters (the second one will arrive tomorrow, and I seeded the one filter from my tropical tank and treated their tank with salt and pimafix. It's a 55 gallon tank.

 

[Shanny]

Those poor fish! They are so lucky you came along. I hope they survive.

 

[jlk]

The moor does NOT have velvet. He likely has a combination of toxin burns along with an infection. Can you post pics of your other new guys so we can see what kind of issues they are dealing with so we can advise on the best of treatment for everyone?

 

[Stefernini]

Can burns show up as white and fuzzy? I've treated with salt, pimafix, garlic infusion, and garlic soaked peas. The moor finally ate a pea last night and again tonight and is doing slightly better tonight.

Here is a better pic of the moor

The other two are doing really well, and you can hardly tell they had a problem at all at this point. The silver one had a sore spot that is pretty well cleared up, and the gold one had slightly fuzzy sides making it look like it was missing scales, but even that is pretty much gone.

Here's one with all three

 

[Stefernini]

The moor does NOT have velvet. He likely has a combination of toxin burns along with an infection. Can you post pics of your other new guys so we can see what kind of issues they are dealing with so we can advise on the best of treatment for everyone?

You're right! It's ammonia burns, not velvet! I assumed velvet because it was white, but was confused that their fins weren't rotten too. I didn't even think about it being burns, but now that I've googled that, that's exactly what it is.

Would treatment be the same?

This information just adds to my disgust at their prior caretaker.

 

[Sharpchick]

Ammonia burns heal with pristine water. It takes a while for the visible signs of the burns to go away.

So glad you have these fish now.

 

[jlk]

+1

Lots and lots of healthy water is all they need along with a nutritious diet is all they need. No meds necessary.

 

[Stefernini]

Okay, I'll stop the pimafix then, and just continue to monitor their water and keep up on my water change schedule.

What food does everyone recommend? I have been feeding them peas the last couple days and they came with some sinking goldfish granules, but I want to know the best thing to feed them.

Edit: I also threw some cabomba stocks in there for them to munch on.

 

[Sharpchick]

For a staple diet, I feed Repashy gel food - either super green or soilent green, or a combo of both.

And they get their daily veggies or fruits - blanched zucchini, kale, spinach, peas, (dark green) lettuce, oranges washed and quartered (so they can get at the pulp) and bananas. I usually feed fruit on days I will do a water change.

Veggie clips always broke on the third or fourth use, so I use stainless steel kabob skewers to make the food sink and keep it from getting shoved all over the tank.

 

[germanyt]

Man that's awesome that you were able to save them. I like it even more because I have a silver (actually calico) ryukin, orange oranda, and black moor. And my initial tank setup was nothing but tan gravel and an airstone.

 

[Stefernini]

Man that's awesome that you were able to save them. I like it even more because I have a silver (actually calico) ryukin, orange oranda, and black moor. And my initial tank setup was nothing but tan gravel and an airstone.

Thanks!

Too funny about the set up! I don't even have an airstone in with these guys yet. I just have the water down enough for the filters to splash.

I'm actually not entirely sure on what the other two are. Are the ryukins? Veiltails? Fantails? And I've never seen a silver goldfish before this, I really like his color.

 

[Shanny]

Thanks!

Too funny about the set up! I don't even have an airstone in with these guys yet. I just have the water down enough for the filters to splash.

I'm actually not entirely sure on what the other two are. Are the ryukins? Veiltails? Fantails? And I've never seen a silver goldfish before this, I really like his color.

Your silver looks very much like my Blue Oranda. Mine never developed the wen either.

 

[Stefernini]

New question - since this is a case of burns, not fungus, I shouldn't have to worry about infecting my tropical tanks by using the same maintenance equipment, right?

I've been very careful to not cross contaminate, but I need to do a water change on my planted tank, and I realized I used my python with the goldies.