Goldfish Zen . Wanting utopia for them.

[My Fish Babies.]

Home from work! (feeling like death warmed over) Had to go in full book of appointments to deal with.........
Took a chance and tested water about four hours early since all I want to do is go to bed.
All zeros again.
Questions on next steps cause I am not giving up working on this tank even if it kills me.

After day four of zero readings an I correct with knowing to do a 100% water change and waiting 24 hours? Do I need to do a low dose of ammonia for this 24 hour waiting period? Do I really need to wait 24 hours? What Nitrate reading am I going after?

Secondly am am concerned with the transition of moving the fish from point A to point B. Will it be necessary to do a full drip acclimation since water quality and temp will be very close to the same? ( I am most concerned with Biggie since he's the one that seems to stress out so easy and fall apart) You know me I am willing to follow exact steps as to what to do.

 

[jlk]

Thats great the zeroes are rockin! I hope you feel better soon!! Ok, few quick questions first. Is your temp down to the 72-74 range yet? What is the level of nitrate out of your tap? We can then go through the easy steps to prep your tank! If you dont feel quite up to the task of big water changes today, no rush!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

Hello!
No temp is at 76 right now turned it down to 74 about an hour ago. Tap water has 0 nitrates.

 

[jlk]

Can you survive waiting one more day?

 

[My Fish Babies.]

Well yes! LOL whats one more day right.......So temp down to 74 dosing ammonia up to 4ppm again LOL! What should I do after the 24 hours? (I am a bit anxious cant tell a lie)

 

[jlk]

Hehe!! You should see all zeroes again tomorrow! I just wanted to make sure the bacteria are fully adjusted to the temp drop. It will also make the water change easier because you dont have to wait for the temp to drop before moving fish. Ok, do a decent big water change on your goldies tank tonight- this will help them adjust to the new water as well tomorrow.

When your ready tomorrow & the new tank has zeroed (which will probably happen in way less than 24hrs), you will need to skip the amm & do a big water change (as in as close to 100% as possible). Make sure you temp match & properly condition the new water. Let it run for atleast 1/2hr & retest the parameters (particularly nitrate & ph). You may need to do more than one water change to drop your nitrates down to your tap level so dont be discouraged (i had to do 3 on my most recent recycle)!!

Once all is well & the tank has run for atleast hr or so, compare your new tanks ph to your goldies tank- if they are the same, then you can move everybody right over. If they are different (more than .1), you will need to drip acclimate them to the new tank water. Hopefully though, everything will be on the mark & the move will take less than 30seconds. For moving them, do not use a net (very bad for goldies). Hit the dollar store & get a large open-mouthed pitcher that way you can transfer them in water with any fuss or injury. Or use a large plastic/glass bowl. Use your hands to direct them into & out of the container if they dont want to participate in the move (lol). Thats about it!

Its good idea to keep an eye on the new tanks parameters for atleast a week after just to make sure all is well. If you plan on keeping their old tank cycled, you will need to start dosing that regularly with ammonia to keep it cycled until it has new residents. Same drill, big water changes to drop the nitrates before adding new fish. If I missed something, let me know! Good luck & look forward to seeing some pics!!!!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

AHHHHHH.......The end is near!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

In between my Nyquil induced coma I was able to wrap things up yesterday. I had to do two 100% water changes to get the tanks Nitrates to read at tap level. ( I did purchase a water changer to use made life a lot easier) I then fell asleep again so the tank sat about three hours prior to me testing PH. The Fish Gods smiled upon me and the High PH reading was a perfect match between the two tanks. I used a coffee (plastic) can washed out of course. To move the babies on over. They did not freak out at all not even a little. I was very surprised. They have been in for over 24 hours now! Tested the water again when I got home from work today and all is well. They all seem sooooo HAPPY! "Biggie" is enthralled with the bubble wall! He in it as much as he can be. So far no SB issues with the larger tank pressure. Seeing them all in the 55 makes me feel really content and happy. I feel bad now that they had to live in a 29 for a year. When I feel up to it I will take some pics and post. I cant thank you enough for all of your help and advice.

 

[jlk]

Wonderful!!! Now, that was not that hard, was it?? Im glad everything went smoothly & everybody is happy! Look forward to seeing pics when you to the task! Great job!!!!!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

 

[My Fish Babies.]

There they are all sung in their new home! They must be happy because they have been mating like crazy the last few days!

 

[jlk]

Looks great!!!