Help needed with a slight problem - small change leads to cloudy water

[fonejacker]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and aquarium keeping in general. I have read endless amounts of literature, and have spent a lot of time and money setting up my tank.

I have a 65 litre (UK measures) with three small fish, a Black Ranchu, a Black Moor, and a Calico Fantail added two days ago. All in all, the aquarium is about a month old.

I have enjoyed crystal clear water since I added the first fish after a fishless cycle, and have been keeping on top of water testing and and changes.

However, when I introduced the Calico Fantail two days ago, I also bought a rock from the aquatics centre to weight down an airstone. Overnight, the water turned cloudy and with a rotten smell too. I washed the rock down well before introducing, but I'm pretty sure it was the cause of the change. I've removed the rock, and it is pretty smelly to be fair.

So, what do I do now? I've completed a water change today to around 30%, but the cloudiness and smell remains. My filter has carbon inside which can help apparently.

Could and should I do another change today? I tested the water readings and they're not too bad, but something's obviously wrong.

Im anxious to get this solved ASAP, I don't want to stress the fish unnecessarily.

Thanks in advance for reading, Id really appreciate some advice.

 

[skiweeangel]

Pwcs are the best thing. Monitor and keep on top just like you are. I'm not too sure what was on the rock so maybe some one else can chime in.

 

[jlk]

What are your exact readings for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate? How are you testing (liquid or strips)? Yes, do more large (50%) pwcs with a good water conditioner & match the temp of the new water to that of your tank water as soon as possible. I suspect your water issues are not being caused by your rock, but because you are heavily over stocked with messy goldfish. 65litres is only 17gallons. Fancy goldfish need minimum of 20gals for the first fish, 10gals for each fish after. Your 3 fancies would need a minimum of a 40gal tank to be happy & healthy. You should consider either returning all of them & stocking with something more suitable to a 17gal, returning 2 of them & keep only a single goldfish, or upgrading to a much bigger tank. You are going to be fighting an uphill battle trying to maintain your present situation.

 

[fonejacker]

Many thanks for all the advice, I really do appreciate it. I had no idea that I had overstocked the tank, I thought I had followed all the advice given by my local specialist aquatics centre. The fish are babies really, so would I be able to keep on top of things with PWCs?

I would obviously be looking to get a larger tank ASAP.

Regards water testing, I had been using a strip recommended by said centre, but just racking my brain this afternoon, I purchased a test tube kit, and the initial ammonia reading is around 2. So am currently adding a treatment to get this down to 0 pretty quickly.

I just did a 50% water change using Tetra Aquasafe, and will do the same tomorrow if that's advised.

 

[jlk]

Im glad you got a liquid kit! 2ppm ammonia is really high- i really would do another 50% pwc (and possibily a third) & keep testing your amm levels. You want to keep them as close to zero as possible. You will probably have to do this daily to keep things under control until you can upgrade your tank. The amm 'treatments' only temporarily convert the ammonia to a less toxic form (ammonium-still unhealthy) for a period of approximately 24hrs. The best thing to do here is lots of pwcs to remove the ammonia. Always take the advice of any lfs with a bit of skepticism & do your own research first before committing to the purchase & responsibility of a fish. If you have any more questions, please ask!

 

[fonejacker]

Thanks all. So with my three fancies, I would ideally be looking at 40 gallons? Is that US gallons? If so I need to be looking at around 150 litres.

Sorry to be all metric.

 

[jlk]

Yes, 40 US gallons would be the minimum size but dont be afraid to go bigger! Just make sure you have adequate filtration. Goldies need minimum of ten times the filtration rate based on gph (gallons per hour) due to their messiness. So, a 40gal tank would need a minimum of a 400gph filter (40 x 10). No such thing as too much filtration with goldfish. Hope this helps!

 

[fonejacker]

I have decided to go with a bit of a buffer, this 200 litre (53 gallon) aquarium looks OK, any thoughts?

Roma 200 Fish Tank And Stand Ark Pets

EDIT: Managed to get the ammonia reading down from 2 to 0.25 with the water change, that's a relief.

 

[rreekers]

in that small of a tank IMO, you should do 30% water changes a few times a week.
what type of filtration do you have on that tank currently?

i would try to avoid adding chemicals with out doing water changes, the best way to get all your parameters in check is to treat your water change water with a conditioner. most people on here will suggest that you use Prime. (you can find it on Amazon. com)

 

[fonejacker]

Filtration-wise on my 65l tank, I have a Fluval U2 Underwater Filter 400LPH.

Its funny, I never considered my 17 gallon tank as small. I started off abput two months ago with a 9 gallon tank, but quickly 'upgraded' to the larger size. Looks like i'll be upgrading agaon this weekend. I already spent the equivalent of about £450 on tanks!

But I realise that this is all about learning, and although a 50 gallon tank won't be as portable as I would like, I understand it's necessary.

 

[jlk]

I have decided to go with a bit of a buffer, this 200 litre (53 gallon) aquarium looks OK, any thoughts?

Roma 200 Fish Tank And Stand Ark Pets

EDIT: Managed to get the ammonia reading down from 2 to 0.25 with the water change, that's a relief.

Good job on the amm-just keep a close eye on it because it will most likely spike again. That tank looks like a nice setup though the heater isnt necessary with goldfish. I keep only 3 fancies in a 55gal, so this a nice home for them!

 

[manmythlegend]

You're apologizing for using the volume measurements the entire world (except us stubborn Americans) uses? While that's nice of you, I really don't think it's necessary. Americans need to get with the program and convert. Every industrialized nation in the world uses metric and as dissenters, Americans should be fully prepared to convert from metric if they're gonna insist on using the old empirical measurements.

 

[fonejacker]

in that small of a tank IMO, you should do 30% water changes a few times a week.
what type of filtration do you have on that tank currently?

i would try to avoid adding chemicals with out doing water changes, the best way to get all your parameters in check is to treat your water change water with a conditioner. most people on here will suggest that you use Prime. (you can find it on Amazon. com)

Thanks for the Seacham Prime recommendation, has excellent reviews, ordered some just now, even if it is double the price here in the UK.

 

[rreekers]

it is wonderful! and it is VERY concentrated. it is more expensive per fluid oz. but in the long run it saves alot. normal conditioners dosing instructions is 5ml per 5 or 10 gallons... the Prime dosing is 5ml for 50 gallons

it works fantastic

and hey if you become interested in the future you can use those smaller tanks for tons of things!