7G Small Aquarium -- DESPERATELY NEED ADVICE

[vinnicotra]

OK.. so I am very new to the hobby. It all started on Friday when I won a goldfish at a fair. I came home and put it in a bowl with small rocks/ large pebbles. It didn't look too good and probably didn't stand a chance. On Saturday, i bought a used 7gallon tank with light and filter. I bought a new activated carbon cartridge and some tap water neutralizer. I cleaned the new tank out with a small amount of dish soap(which was prob a bad idea?) and then rinsed it out really really well. I then rinsed off the rocks from the bowl and put them in the new tank along with water from a brita filter and a few drops of the water chlorine neutralizer. i put the goldfish in a bag and put it in the new tank to acclimate.

In both tanks he just stayed at the bottom and he had white dots all over him so I got API super ich cure, removed the activated carbon filter cartridge and put 5 mL in today...

needless to say the goldfish is dead now. He is still in the tank. Now I want to move on and get smaller tropical fish.
What is my best bet? should i let it cycle now or should i start from scratch?
should i finish the ich treatment by adding another 5mL in 2 days?
i have a small aquatic plant in the tank as well.

I know i messed up but I am willing to learn and am extremely new to the hobby.

 

[Angelaa122]

I would let it cycle, however, you can start from scratch, just make SURE that you never ever use any kind of soap again when cleaning your tank.

If you decide not to start over I would definately finish the ich treatment, just to be safe.

The fish from the fair are never in good condition-- they are just feeder comets and they aren't bred to be pets. They move them around a lot and they often get injured or sick in the process.

Make sure you get an air pump and some sort of airstone/bubble bar for the tank as well.

Don't give up! And if you do start over, be sure to let your tank cycle for at least 2-5 days.

 

[vinnicotra]

sooo this sounds harsh.. but should i leave the dead goldfish in the tank?? like is that good for cycling?
also should i leave the filter cartridge out until after the ich treatment is done as it says in the directions? does this affect the cycling process?

 

[Angelaa122]

Take the dead fish out.

Leave the filter cartridge out until after the ich treatment because it will just filter the medication and the medication would be useless. Finish up the ich treatment as the directions say and then after you are finished put the cartridge back in and then wait a few days before getting new fish. I would start with just a couple of new fish to help the cycle.

 

[rich311k]

I would do a fishless cycle now that the tank is empty. Dont worry about the ich meds as there are no fish so the ich has nothing to host on. Get a heater and you could keep a betta and a few small tetras in your new tank.

 

[vinnicotra]

what to get

so.. if my dad has a 29 gallon tank with 2 fish and three florida softshell turtles in it, can I take some of his water and gravel then put it in my tank to help speed up cycling?? he lives like an hour away from where my tank is.

also for this small tank can i keep two small fish that will stay under 4" as adults, 3" adult catfish, and 1 or 2 invertebrates?

can i just keep putting fish food in for cycling?... for the ammonia to build or should i go buy ammonia from the store?

 

[Mogurako]

This is Just My Opion "JMO" on what I would do in your situation:

-Break down and clean out the tank again with either a vinegar and water solution or a water and bleach solution. Scrub/ rinse very well. If a bleach solution was used fill with water and use a dechlorinator ( I recommend Prime by Seachem) to neutralize and left over bleach.

- Next I would go out and buy a new filter such as an Aqua clear ( something that will turn over the total volume in the tank x10 an hour) 50-100w heater, new rocks/ sand for the bottom and a floating thermometer.

- Fishless cycle takes awhile but it worth it, Ace hardware sells janitorial strength ammonia that is the stuff to use. Make sure when buying ammonia that when shaken it doesn't form little bubbles. There are many good threads on here for fishless cycling I suggest doing some reading.

-If you happen to go to your dads I would ask for some of the media from his filter and put it in yours to help seed your tank and speed up the cyle. The amount of beneficial bacteria in substrate and water is fairly low.

- While your tank is cycling browse this forum and online to see what other people have put in their smaller aquariums. I suggest a Betta and some shrimp or nano fish community tank.

Good luck and most of all have fun!

 

[eco23]

This is Just My Opion "JMO" on what I would do in your situation:

-Break down and clean out the tank again with either a vinegar and water solution or a water and bleach solution. Scrub/ rinse very well. If a bleach solution was used fill with water and use a dechlorinator ( I recommend Prime by Seachem) to neutralize and left over bleach.

- Next I would go out and buy a new filter such as an Aqua clear ( something that will turn over the total volume in the tank x10 an hour) 50-100w heater, new rocks/ sand for the bottom and a floating thermometer.

- Fishless cycle takes awhile but it worth it, Ace hardware sells janitorial strength ammonia that is the stuff to use. Make sure when buying ammonia that when shaken it doesn't form little bubbles. There are many good threads on here for fishless cycling I suggest doing some reading.

-If you happen to go to your dads I would ask for some of the media from his filter and put it in yours to help seed your tank and speed up the cyle. The amount of beneficial bacteria in substrate and water is fairly low.

- While your tank is cycling browse this forum and online to see what other people have put in their smaller aquariums. I suggest a Betta and some shrimp or nano fish community tank.

Good luck and most of all have fun!

I'm not sure I could agree any more. Exactly what I'd do. There's a link in my signature about fishless cycling, and there's also some good stickys in the getting started forum. Good luck!

 

[vinnicotra]

ok Mogurako.. im going to do everything you say..

except why do i need a new filter? i think my current filter can do at least 5 times my tanks capacity per hour.

also i checked my dads tank and theres like white mold everywhere in his filter.. idk if i want that in my small tank

 

[Mogurako]

ok Mogurako.. im going to do everything you say..

except why do i need a new filter? i think my current filter can do at least 5 times my tanks capacity per hour.

also i checked my dads tank and theres like white mold everywhere in his filter.. idk if i want that in my small tank

I am not saying you need a new filter, it's just what I would do. I don't care for the filters with the carbon built into the cartridge. Probably a good call on you dads tank if it has fungus in it I wouldn't want any of that in my tank. See if a local pet store would be willing to give/sell you some media from their tanks.

 

[hippy guy]

What you coould do is go to walmart, drop 30 bucks on a ten gal (they have them that come with new filter, and light hood, u just need a heater, 15 bucks, and sand or gravel, id do sand..) get your new tank setup, start cycling (fish or fishless) and then make a mini comm. Tank. I have a betta, and 6 neons and a bristlenose pleco, and its more than enough to watch all day. Also, shrimp (ghost...) have very little bioload and can help keep your substrate clean, snail also are fun to watch. , even if you keep the 7gal, you could have a betta and some neons, and maybe even get a live plants setup going

 

[vinnicotra]

step one

I think I'll keep this little tank because im setting it up in my girlfriends room and I think she would be overwhelmed and angry if i went bigger. ive just been trying to explain to her that she needs to keep really tiny fish... could a dwarf puffer make it in this tank. and maybe one other tiny fish?? and some shrimp..

today i bought a 78degree heater.. 10 pounds of gravel, 130 ammonia liquid test kit, a thermometer, i stole some nitrate/nitrite test strips from my dad that seem to have expired in 2009.(anyone know if this is moderately acceptable?)

i just cleaned the tank out with some saltwater solution and then a hydrogen peroxide solution cause i heard that was acceptable... im prepared to take some risks cause i didnt have undyed bleach or vinegar.. we'll see.

anyway im about to start the cycling process wish me luck ill keep it posted...

p.s. should i start a new thread to document this tanks progress or should i just keep it in this one? this is my first forum experience so i want to be proper

 

[Cdepriest6009]

I think I'll keep this little tank because im setting it up in my girlfriends room and I think she would be overwhelmed and angry if i went bigger. ive just been trying to explain to her that she needs to keep really tiny fish... could a dwarf puffer make it in this tank. and maybe one other tiny fish?? and some shrimp..

today i bought a 78degree heater.. 10 pounds of gravel, 130 ammonia liquid test kit, a thermometer, i stole some nitrate/nitrite test strips from my dad that seem to have expired in 2009.(anyone know if this is moderately acceptable?)

i just cleaned the tank out with some saltwater solution and then a hydrogen peroxide solution cause i heard that was acceptable... im prepared to take some risks cause i didnt have undyed bleach or vinegar.. we'll see.

anyway im about to start the cycling process wish me luck ill keep it posted...

p.s. should i start a new thread to document this tanks progress or should i just keep it in this one? this is my first forum experience so i want to be proper

I wouldn't trust the strips wether they're expired or not they are not accurate get some liquid test kits you can get an API Freshwater master kit that has everything you need for anywhere from 20 to 30 I would go with that one instead of the strips

 

[Mogurako]

Agreed about the API master kit, it's expensive but worth it weight in gold. So return the ammonia test and get the API. Keep an eye on those preset heaters they are notorious for not holding a stable temp.

Show your girlfriend pictures of nano fish I'm pretty sure she'll like them allot. http://www.azgardens.com/ has a section for nano fish that will give you a good idea. Dwarf puffer is also an option but you would only really be able to have 1 in there each puffer needs roughly 5 gallons per fish. They also normally need to be by themselves or with only other puffers, I have read people kept larger shrimp and Ottos in the same tank with mixed results.

 

[vinnicotra]

very cool. i started cycling yesterday. got the ammonia to abount 4ppm ....

can i return something to petco thats been opened and used once such as the ammonia tester??

if not, do they make seperate nitrate and nitrite testers?

 

[Mogurako]

very cool. i started cycling yesterday. got the ammonia to abount 4ppm ....

can i return something to petco thats been opened and used once such as the ammonia tester??

if not, do they make seperate nitrate and nitrite testers?

I believe you can buy them separately.

 

[vinnicotra]

i traded the ammonia tester in for the full kit.. nice... ammonia levels still between 2 and 4 ppm.. nitrite levels at 0.

i got a small plant to put in the aquarium.. it looks soo cool. cant wait to get fish in there lol.