new and in need of major help =D

[Jai]

hello everyone. i got a tank for my gf about a month ago as a gift. its a small 10 gallon and we learned that sticking to many goldfish in such a small tank is not a good idea. we had 4 different kinds of fancy goldfish and a betta.

we lost 2 of the gold fish so now its just the betta, a lionhead goldfish and a black moor goldfish. around the time the other gold fish died i had an outbreak of green algea and the water was getting really cloudy. they died after i lost power and the water was not filtering for about 24hours. we had a really bad storm.

i recently replaced almost all the water but from what i read up tonight that was not the best idea since i lost most of the bacteria that breaks down waste. i cleaned all the algea in the tank but a day later it was already growing back. the water is cloudy and yellow again but not as bad but before. im wondering if the water will continue to get cloudy and what should i do to control the yellow color while building up the stuff that breaks down waste.

now im limiting the amount of direct light it will be getting to get the algae undercontrol. but im wondering if getting some kind of algea eater is a smart choice and if so what kind, or is it best just to try to get rid of the algea and keep just the 3 fish in that tank.
i hav also removed the decorations i had in the tank because i found that they were not safe for the fish. i hav a few smooth rocks in the bottom of the tank but no hidding places. i want to introduce live plants into the tank. i was wondering if you guys have any suggesting on the kind of planst to get, if plants are good for the fish that are in there now. i really dont want to lose anymore fish due to my negligence and inexperience so im tryin to set everything up properly so i can raise our fish to be healthy.
i do plan that once fish get to big to move them to a 30 gallon at the least.

also my main goal through all this is to setup a salt water aquarium. my girlfriend is in love with puffers so we are planning to set one up but we are trying our hand at maintaining this tank before we make any more mistakes. we are most definitely going to take a more educated and researched way from now one.

lastly, we did acquire a large tank. the only thing we are worried about is that we got it used (for free) and it was being used a terrarium. now its 48L x 12W x 20H i believe its a 55 gallon but im honestly guessing. and the glass seems to be a 1/4 inch thick

i am trying to determine if this creally was an aquarium, i live on a second floor apartment and i really dont want 55 gallons of water bursting seeping through the floor while im not home =/

thnx in advance for the advice.

-Jai

 

[BigJim]

Welcome to AA!

Sticking any goldfish in a 10g is a BAD idea. Goldfish are very messy and grow very large. Even a feeder goldfish will reach 12"+ in length. Keeping goldfish in a small tank will stunt their growth and most likely kill them. I would try to rehome the goldfish immediately.

Replacing your water (Doing a partial water change (PWC)) will not get rid of many bacteria. The good nitrifying bacteria live on surfaces in your filter and tank. PWCs are a good thing.

Your water is cloudy and yellow because the fish are swimming in a high concentration of their own urine. If you do a PWC daily or twice a day, your water should start clearing up. Getting rid of the goldfish will cure your problem.

Good job on limiting the direct sunlight. You're having algae problems because you have a lot of fertilizer (nitrates from fish waste) in the tank. More PWCs would help. Otocinclus are good algae eaters for a small tank, but they'd die from the poor water quality.

Plants are very good for fish to hide in, but many plants commonly sold aren't fully aquatic or they need fairly intense lighting. If you're set on live plants, start with anacharis. It's a low-light plant that grows nicely.

I'd hold off on trying a puffer tank until you've had some more experience. Puffers are aggressive little beasts that really need brackish water to do well. Get your 10g established and running well.

Nice score on the 55g. Off the top of my head, I'd say the glass is thick enough to be an aquarium. Generally terrariums are shorter and wider. Take a look at the silicone seams on the inside of the tank. If they're not shrunken, shriveled, or yellowed, I'd test fill the aquarium and keep a close eye on it. If the silicone isn't in great shape, take a razorblade and remove all the silicone inside the tank. Reseal it with aquarium-safe silicone. Look for clear 100% silicone without any fungicides. I believe GE-I is a commonly used brand. The stuff at your local fish stores (LFS) is hideously expensive. Go to Home Depot, etc.

Sorry for a bunch of negativity in response to your first post. Don't get discouraged. It's a common misconception that goldfish can be kept in small tanks. Keep at it and you'll find your way.

 

[Jai]

thans for all the advice BigJim, dont worry about the negative comments, i didnt know what i was doing so im trying to save the fish i have now. what do you think of housing the gold fish and betta in a 30 gallon? also can i introduce the plants into the tank now or will it die with the poor quality water, its bare right now since the decorations were not safe and i dont want to stress the fish since they have no where to hide. im trying to get a larger tank just trying to budget stuff out since ill be leaving to florida in the next week =)

also yea the 55g tank's seals are all holding strong and are not discolored or torn in anyway. im gonna stick it in the tub and fill it with water to check for leeks but it does seem like a legit aquarium.

 

[BigJim]

The betta would be fine in the 10g. The goldfish, unfortunately, really need a tank in the 90g+ range to do well.

Plants would be fine. They'll actually help somewhat with water quality.

Be careful with putting the tank in the tub. If the tank isn't supported evenly, it can crack. Make sure the entire plastic frame is sitting on the bottom of the tub with no gaps.

 

[melosu58]

Welcome to AA

 

[mgamer20o0]

welcome to AA.

 

[Andrewz00]

Dont have much to add... BigJim pretty much covered all the basics...

so Welcome!!! and keep us posted on your progress!

 

[Mitchell0605]

Welcome.

 

[Freshie In Disguise]

I'm a new member too, and I'm having some very similar problems. I'm learning alot from the responses on your thread, because I just visited a website where someone claimed to have been breeding goldfish successfully in a 3-5 gallon tank. I have two fantails in my tank, and I think it's around 10-12 gallons, and the water is very cloudy. However, in the past, I have had four or five goldfish at a time in a 15 gallon tank and encountered no problems until my plecos died. A friend of mine also has a fantail in a 2 gallon tank. The water is clear and the fish is happy. I don't know why we both struck out with our goldfish, but I'm sure there is some underlying cause.

 

[BigJim]

Gold fish are very hardy. That's why they'll survive in tank that's much too small. Try testing your water for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. I think you'll be shocked.

 

[meegosh]

BigJim nailed it. Its like a cat could fit in a copier box but you don't see people keeping them in them for extended periods of time. No room to exercise, let a lone even move around. Same thing goes for fish.

 

[indjo]

I agree with most of BigJim's views. It is not a good idea keep goldfish in small tanks, but it is possible. I once placed 4 goldfish (10-12 cm) in a 8g tank for 3 months (isolation purpose) without any problems .... it even laid eggs in the third month. Perhaps you should check your filters or you may be over feeding them.

Goldfish will feed on practically anything, including plants. I would not suggest live plants in goldfish tank. But if you want, I suggest that you put in "hard leaf" plants not the soft types (I don't know their names)

 

[Jai]

welcome fresh. just a little update. i came back from a week long vacation. i had my mom going to my home and feeding my fish everyday white i was gone. when i left the water was a little cloudy and slightly discolored. to my suprise when i got back from vacation the tank water was suprisingly clean. with only a small amount of algea but it was the same amount i noticed before i left. =)

 

[Greenmaster]

maybe she fed them way less then you...

 

[josiahjohn]

welcome buddy.

 

[fj109]

You might consider using your 10 gallon tank as a filtration sump set up with a 200 to 500 gallon per hour submersible pump which pumps water from the 10 gallon sump via 1/2" PVC pipe up into your 55 gallon tank. By using a 1 1/4" PVC DIY overflow for the return from your 55 gallon fish tank back to the sump you'll have outstanding water circulation and filtration with quiet operation. I keep only goldfish and Koi and with this set up including under-gravel filtration, a wet-dry drip or trickle filter in a 10 gallon sump with a 500 gallon per hour submersible pump as well as a large aqua-tec external filter, my tanks are doing very well. My fish are healthy and plump and the water in my tanks is clean, sweet smelling and clear. I do religious 10 gallon water changes every 7 days and add aquarium salt in the amount of one and a half rounded teaspoons to every 5 gallons of water. It helps with the general overall health of the fish and tank and I highly recommend it for Koi and goldfish. I never allow direct sunlight to fall on the tanks. I vacuum the gravel at the bottom of the tank and remove 10 gallons of this dirty water into two 5 gallon jugs. I keep two 5 gallon jugs of fresh treated water with aquarium salt added on hand to refill the tank after clean-up. This way there is no issue in possibly upsetting the bio-balance of the wet-dry drip filter. In past I've only had problems when I neglected to follow the rules of cleanliness. I never feed live food and I always feed three times a day with a variety of flake and pellets. The use of a sump tank for biological filtration, water circulation, temperature control and airation is probably the best idea for stopping most of the problems with fish tanks. Even so, I've found that water changes on a regular basis are key to problem free fish keeping. I also check the PH in my tanks every week keeping my eye on nitrate levels at the same time. I use multi-purpose test strips for this and they let me know exactly what's up with water chemistry so I can adjust it as needed. I also use a large air stone in all of my tanks and also insure that I have strong air flow to the small air stones in the under-gravel filter system. There is also a large air stone in the sump. To achieve this I use two dual air pumps for a total of four feed lines per 55 gallon tank including the sump. One line goes to the sump, one the the large stone in the tank and two lines split to feed the four stones in the undergravel filter. I have three inches of gravel at the back of the tank tapering down to one inch at the front of the tank. Again, I vacuum all of this gravel every 7 days when I do the water changes. See my Post entitled "Greetings from Roseville, CA" to read more about my set-up. I only keep goldfish and Koi because I love them. I take pride in my fish and try to always improve the art of fish-keeping by implementing the latest ideas.
Best and warmest of regards, Frank / fj109