Planted 2.5 gallon tank and goldfish trouble

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linsbins7

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
8
Hey everyone. About six months ago my friend moved and gave me her goldfish with a 2.5 gallon tank. I read up and discovered goldfish need about 10 gallons at a minimum, so I bought a 10 gallon tank for him (I unfortunately don't have room for anything larger right now), leaving me an empty 2.5 gallon. I've been thinking about planting it and putting a couple shrimp in (probably amano, as I don't want any breeding right now). Does anybody know how many amano shrimp could thrive and what type of plants would be suitable for a 2.5 gallon tank?

Also, this involves the goldfish. I notice he's opening his mouth at the surface of the water quite frequently. The pH level is about 7.4, and I do weekly water changes of 25-30%, so I know nitrate/nitrite isn't an issue. I read that the filter creates enough surface movement in the water to create plenty of oxygen for the tank. Is this true? The tank is wider than it is taller, so it has a larger surface area. Does anybody have any other ideas about what could be causing him to be at the top of the tank almost constantly?
 
What are the water parameters? a 25-30% weekly change might be insufficient, especially if you did not cycle the tank before adding the fish.

NH4, NO2, NO3?

As for the 2.5, 4-5 amanos would be fine. As for plants, I would stick with compact plants like tenellum, lilaeopsis, anbuias nana petite, and the like. If you go to PlantGeek.net - Your Aquatic Plant Resource, you can sort their plant guide by aquascaping placement. Check out the plants labeled as foreground - it will give you some ideas. Be advised many of these plants will require some intense lighting to grow.
 
I don't know the exact levels of nitrate, nitrite and ammonia are D: I know at my last water check (I use the paper strips, which I know are less accurate, but I just don't have the money to buy the liquid water test for now) they were in the safe zone. I keep an ammonia measure thing that hangs from the side of the aquarium, and it's remained in the safe zone (is this accurate?).

I knew very little about cycling when I set up the aquarium. I put in about a handful of rocks from his old aquarium and let the tank run for two days and then I put him in. I'm realizing now that was probably a really poor decision. At the time, I just thought anything would be better than the tiny tank he was in. Is there any way to reverse—or at least alleviate—my poor decision to not fully cycle the tank?

Thanks for the advice about the 2.5 gallon planted aquarium!
 
Large water changes are about the only thing you can do to make sure the levels stay low until the tank fully cycles. I would recommend getting a proper test kit when able - it really is necessary, especially when having issues. If you don't know the exact levels, we are really just shooting in the dark at possible problems and solutions.
 
I'll make sure to pick one up soon then. How long does it take a tank to fully cycle though? I've had mine going for at least six months and would have thought it would have been cycled by now.
 
The 10 gallon has been running 6 months with the goldfish? It ought to be cycled by now.

Again, without knowing the parameters though, it is tough to tell.

What kind of filter is on the tank, and how do you maintain it?
 
Have you changed the filter cartridge recently? You should always leave an old cartridge in place for a few weeks with a new one, to get the beneficial bacteria going on the new one, before you remove the old one.
 
Sorry I can't respond about the 2.5g plan. Goldfish have a HUGE bio load & 1 in a 10g tank requires more water changes per week to keep the water safe. If you can't go with a bigger tank, 20g min depending on the type of goldfish, I would rehome him/her or do at least 2 50% water changes per week. The liquid test kit is a little pricey up front but will save you money in the long run, tons more tests than the strips & much more accurate than the hang in "meters" & strips.
 
Sorry I can't respond about the 2.5g plan. Goldfish have a HUGE bio load & 1 in a 10g tank requires more water changes per week to keep the water safe. If you can't go with a bigger tank, 20g min depending on the type of goldfish, I would rehome him/her or do at least 2 50% water changes per week. The liquid test kit is a little pricey up front but will save you money in the long run, tons more tests than the strips & much more accurate than the hang in "meters" & strips.

It is really dependent on the size of the fish as it currently exists. A 20g minimum would be optimum long term as most goldfish species can grow to almost a foot or even more, but for a small-ish goldfish, 20-35% a week with a single fish ought to be fine, unless there are other issues at play such as cleaning the filter/killing off the biofilter in the tank.
 
Thanks so much, guys! I'm definitely going to invest in the water test kit as soon as possible. I had seen the master test kit at Petsmart for 35 dollars and just wasn't willing to pay that price—I'll be buying from Amazon for sure :)
And I actually just read for the first time the other day that you should keep the same filter in the tank and just "rinse" it in a bucket of dechlorinated water—up until then I had been throwing it away, not giving it a second thought :nono: I'll start keeping the old filter in with the new until the new has a chance to get all that good bacteria in it! I'll also try to change the tank water more frequently. It's tough because I'm living on campus at college during the week and so only really have a chance to change the water on the weekend— I'll see if I can get my sister to help me out during the week (she's already doing most of his feeding!)
 
Sounds like you're on the right track. It's a learning curve for sure. Make sure your sister isn't over feeding because that will also make the water dirty more quickly. Good luck!
 
Sounds like you're on the right track. It's a learning curve for sure. Make sure your sister isn't over feeding because that will also make the water dirty more quickly. Good luck!

Good call - a major source of water quality issues is overfeeding. It adds PO4 and NO3 to the water.
 
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