First Time, First Mistakes

[Zenobia]

Hi everyone.

Yesterday I was out driving around and throught to myself, "I should buy some goldfish!"

I'd been considering buying some goldfish for a while now and finally I just went and did it ...

My only experience with goldfish that I have is watching the immortal goldfish, that my mom got for me when I was a kid, swim around it's small tank. I say immortal because that goldfish lived for what felt like forever (probably only 7-8 years, but still)! The thing grew to a pretty decent size too, although now that I think back to it, it was most likely stifled and cramped by it's small tank.

My mom never taught me anything about how to care for the goldfish or how to clean it's tank ... All I ever did was watch it swim aimlessly around.

So, I bought some goldfish and a tank yesterday.

Here are the specs:

- One 10 gallon "starter" tank
- Two fantail goldfish
- Two plastic plant decorations
- One fake stone bridge decoration
- One TopFin Power Filter
- Blue gavel

I did that classic newbie thing and bought fish and a tank at the same time.
I know, very bad choice!

I went into the store not knowing a dang thing about what I was buying.
Yeah, another very bad choice!

I didn't do research on my setup and fish until after I put everything together, which lead to these mistakes as well:

- Didn't know about cycling the tank before placing the fish in.
- Didn't realize that a 10 gallon tank wasn't enough room for 2 fantail goldfish.
- Listened to the sales person at the store!

So, with all that in mind, it's been one day since I've set up the tank and placed the fish in. I don't think things are as bad as they could be, but they're not great either.

Everything looks great, except the goldfish (surprise, surprise!).

Since doing a bit of research, I've added and done a few things to the tank in hopes that they might fix my problem. I added an air stone that makes bubbles and I bought a mini test kit to test the water ... Apparently test strips aren't the best, huh? I didn't realize.

I tested today and got this:

Nitrates and nitrites were good (both at 0).
Water hardness was soft (75).
Alkalinity was low (40) and pH was a bit high (8.4).

I added in a "Jungle Correct pH - Tank Buddies" tablet, and that seemed to help. pH went down to a 7.2

The other problem that I have is that both goldfish seem a bit lethargic. The calico colored fantail was active this morning, swimming about. Same with the orange colored fantail.
Then I fed them (I've only fed them once since setting everything up). Ever since then, the calico has been just sitting on the bottom of the tank in a corner, moving slightly every now and then. The orange one still seems pretty active, but he's always staying near to the calico, kinda hovering above him.

I know I made a huge mistake in not letting the tank cycle through completely and letting the fish go in too early. So Im thinking that they may just be in shock still.

Is there anything that I can do to improve their situation? Should Ijust wait it out and see what happens? Or is it all too late?

Sorry for such the long post! I hope this information helps though and that I can get some good advice.

Help me learn from my mistakes!

 

[Filbey]

I'm in a similar boat mate LFS you expect them to be fish lovers but they are also salesmen !!! Good luck !!

 

[Zenobia]

Tank first time setup:

After a day in the tank:

Tank after air bubbler was placed in:

 

[fort384]

Welcome to AA and the hobby.

Unfortunately, the tank isn't big enough to keep healthy goldfish. Goldfish are very dirty fish... your best bet is to take them back...

on to your other issues:

What is your ammonia testing at? That will be the crucial measurement as you try to get your tank cycled. Most likely with 2 goldfish in a 10 gallon that is not cycled, it will be through the roof. You need to test for ammonia, and perform partial water changes (making sure you treat the water with prime or similar products to get rid of the chlorine) until the ammonia is below .25 ppm. As your tank cycles, this probably means doing 50%+ water changes multiple times per day. Without doing that, your fish are being burned and poisoned by the ammonia in the tank. Once the tank is cycled, PWCs can be reduced to a few a month (but probably way more than that if you keep the goldfish).

You should not use any pH altering chemicals in your tank. Most fish will be able to adjust to your high pH, but they cannot tolerate swings in pH, which is what using pH altering chemicals causes. I would get rid of those, or try and take them back. Stable pH beats slightly low or high pH any day in an aquarium. There are only a few common fish species kept in aquariums that really have very specific pH requirements.

The only chemical you ever really want to add to a tank is a good dechlorinator like prime during water changes.

For now, I would do a 50%+ partial water change immediately. Then get yourself the ammonia test kit and go from there. If you don't start doing water changes now, chances are you will lose one or both the fish within a few days.

 

[Zenobia]

Unfortunately, the tank isn't big enough to keep healthy goldfish. Goldfish are very dirty fish... your best bet is to take them back...

I realized that after I bought the tank.
I hate the thought of bringing them back, but I guess it's better than them living a cramped and dirty life style. Could I just keep one and take the other back? 10 gallons is enough for one goldfish, right?

What is your ammonia testing at? That will be the crucial measurement as you try to get your tank cycled. Most likely with 2 goldfish in a 10 gallon that is not cycled, it will be through the roof. You need to test for ammonia, and perform partial water changes (making sure you treat the water with prime or similar products to get rid of the chlorine) until the ammonia is below .25 ppm. As your tank cycles, this probably means doing 50%+ water changes multiple times per day. Without doing that, your fish are being burned and poisoned by the ammonia in the tank. Once the tank is cycled, PWCs can be reduced to a few a month (but probably way more than that if you keep the goldfish).

See, I didn't really think ammonia would be that big of a deal.
I mean, I only fed them once ... I guess not though.
Do you have any suggestions for an ammonia testing kit?
Also for a better nitrate/nitrite/pH testing kit?

You should not use any pH altering chemicals in your tank. Most fish will be able to adjust to your high pH, but they cannot tolerate swings in pH, which is what using pH altering chemicals causes. I would get rid of those, or try and take them back. Stable pH beats slightly low or high pH any day in an aquarium. There are only a few common fish species kept in aquariums that really have very specific pH requirements.

The only chemical you ever really want to add to a tank is a good dechlorinator like prime during water changes

Good to know! I didn't realize that. I do remember the sales person saying something about how goldfish are pretty hardy and have a high acidic tolerance, or something. Then again, Im not supposed to listen to those guys.

For now, I would do a 50%+ partial water change immediately. Then get yourself the ammonia test kit and go from there. If you don't start doing water changes now, chances are you will lose one or both the fish within a few days.

I will definitely get on that right away!
Thanks so much for all the adive and info, I really appreciate it.

 

[fort384]

Ammonia actually comes from the fish waste itself, not just from feeding. Here is a good link that explains the nitrogen cycle, which is what really allows aquariums to keep fish in relatively small amounts of water:
The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

As far as test kits, the most often recommended are API test kits. They are liquid titration test kits, and are far more accurate than the "dip strip" tests. Most chain pet stores (like petsmart) carry the API Freshwater master test kit. It is usually around $15-20, and will have all of the tests that you need to have for your tank.

As far as the goldfish: You could probably keep 1. A lot of people would tell you 10gal isn't even enough for 1. I would say a lot of people keep goldfish in worse conditions than a 10 gal tank. The important thing if you decide to keep one, would be to be very religious about your tank maintenance, performing weekly PWCs (once the tank is cycled...before the cycle is done it will be daily or more), and doing your best to vacuum the waste off the gravel. It will accumulate fast with goldies.

Best of luck!