worst case scenario?

[islandfish]

Help! I did a total change of my 10 gal tank last week and the foul water is stinking up the house! Last fall I adopted four baby goldfish from a coworker's outdoor pond, figuring I could handle a goldfish bowl! I received a 10 gal tank system for Xmas and set it up with large rocks instead of gravel, with some cover. Kept partial water changes w/ NovAqua water conditioner as instructed and siphoned some debris from bottom, but much remains beneath the stones. I once did a total water change with no adverse affect (just cloudy water for about a week before stabilizing). Added a bottom feeder this summer who really cleaned up a serious algea growth. All five fish are now BIG (biggest goldfish is more than 4" and the bottom feeder more than 5" (lfs said it could grow to 12")). I did a total water change five days ago and the tank is growing more murky each day, which wouldn't have concerned me too much. But the smell tells me something is wrong so I've stumbled upon you fine people. Can these fish survive me?

 

[Menagerie]

[center:7942fcafe2] Welcome to AA, islandfish! [/center:7942fcafe2]
To help these fish, you need a BIG tank. Most goldie keepers recommend a minimum of 10 gals per fish since they create so much waste.
What kind of filter do you have?
Do you vacuum the gravel?
What are the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate readings?

 

[poppab02]

Menagerie is right. These fish need a big tank. I'm actually surprised they've grown as big as they are without problems. Basically, those fish are too big for the tank. Aside from the crowding issues with the fish, it simply is extremely unhealthy. The fish are producing too much waste for the filter and thus the excess stays in the water making the water more and more unhealthy for the fish every day.
Your situation is a very common occurrence. They simply need more room. The common misconception is that Goldfish can live in those little bowls. However, Goldfish are extremely messy fish and need alot of room. Don't worry about it, you certainly are not the first to have this problem and certainly will not be the last.

Welcome to AA

 

[islandfish]

nitrates? huh?

So "they'll only grow as big as the tank will let them" isn't a truism for healthy goldies, eh? Vacuuming probably doesn't get half the waste due to the large stones (1/2" - 4") and large crevices. I like the more natural look than the gravel, but is that doable? I have activated charcoal filter that's changed every two weeks but more frequently as of late. I have never tested the water. What should I do now? #1 priority is remedying the smell. The calculator says the tank should handle 10" of fish. Do I need to remove 2 or 3. What do people do with extra fish? Oh...THATS how some of you get 6 tanks or 250 gal tanks! Sounds like I need to consider smaller fish that won't grow. Signing off till tomorrow.

 

[Menagerie]

So "they'll only grow as big as the tank will let them" isn't a truism for healthy goldies, eh?

Correct. It's not a truism for any HEALTHY fish.

What should I do now? #1 priority is remedying the smell.... Oh...THATS how some of you get 6 tanks or 250 gal tanks!

I would get a liquid master test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Then I would pick my favorite goldie and give the rest back to the pond person, or a LFS that takes larger goldies.

The calculator says the tank should handle 10" of fish

That only works on peaceful, community fish that are not huge waste producers and that are full grown. Any scale that gives 1" per gallon is talking about the ADULT size of the fish. What bottom feeder do you have in there??
To get rid of the smell asap, I would do 50% water changes everyday until you find those fish new homes.
The best solution is a 400 gallon room divider tank Or what I said earlier

 

[TankGirl]

Large rocks or stones are problematic in a tank because too much debris can get down there and send your water quality down with it. This is combined with your huge fish load so it will be difficult, nay, impossible to get this tank under control. A regular pea gravel in natural colors is a good basic way to go, but a tank upgrade is very much in order, as mentioned.

 

[rubysoho]

what about using something similar to a turky baster (but thin enough to fit in the space between the rocks) to get all that nasty stuff out of there? That will improve you water while you decide on what to do.

 

[Luke Anderson]

The thing with goldfish, is that normal pea gravel can be extremelly dangerous, since they so very often will choke to death on it. It is true that larger stones can be a place for detrius to gather, however to get rid of this factor, just use less rocks, with bare space on the tank bottom, and have plenty of filtration, with that you should have zero problems.
Bare bottomed tanks for goldfish are preferable, however if you dont like the look, the stones are a good compromise. Don't use very small gravel or sand of any kind, as it causes gill problems in goldfish because of the abrasion to the gills when they suck it in and it coming out the gills. If it is very small it has been noticed to cause internal damage via the sand going through their system.

 

[chasgood]

The 1 inch rule doesnt apply to cold water fish. 3 gal per inch for goldies.
You could be over feeding as well.
A coworker keeps 4 goldies in a 75gal and is starting to have problems now that they are getting big. He is under filtering too but thats another story.