Made a tank mistake.

[molly2015]

I'm pretty new to having and caring for fish. I have 1 black moor goldfish and I noticed that her tank filters had worms in them. At least I thought they were worms but now I'm thinking it was just debris.

I freaked out and removed her from the tank and put her into a separate bowl while I disposed of all of her gravel and tank filters. Today I went to the store and bought new gravel and tank filter and filled up the water and put her bubble rock in. I know goldfish bowls are bad for goldfish longterm so I put her back into the tank.

Now she is sitting on the bottom of the tank hardly moving and not eating. I did research and found out about the cycling of the tank.

Did I just start a new cycling process? Will she live? What can I do to get her health back?

 

[Potluck]

Yes you did, put the old filters back on the tank and let them run with the new ones, also if your gravel is still wet get nylons and cut the legs off, put 1/4-1/2 the gravel into them tire in a knot and stick it in the corner, do a 30 % water change immediately only water treat it with prime, if you have live bacteria add some, turn the lights off she could just be stressed, do a water test to see if you have ammonia/nitrite.

 

[Potluck]

Don't dig the gravel out of the garbage if you threw it away, just put the old filters or even the media from the old filters into the new filters if they had media rocks in them , double dose the tank with live bacteria like api stress zyme + it has to say +, you can do a 100% gravel change but only if you have good filters with a lot of good bacteria growing in them.

 

[molly2015]

Don't dig the gravel out of the garbage if you threw it away, just put the old filters or even the media from the old filters into the new filters if they had media rocks in them , double dose the tank with live bacteria like api stress zyme + it has to say +, you can do a 100% gravel change but only if you have good filters with a lot of good bacteria growing in them.

Thanks for the advice, I threw out all the gravel and the filters already. I turned her lights off but she's not looking good at all. She's still sitting on the bottom of the tank. I'll go get the live bacteria right now and I just did another water change.

 

[Potluck]

Do you have an api liquid test kit?

 

[Potluck]

Are you treating the new water with prime?

 

[molly2015]

Are you treating the new water with prime?

I got her water conditioner for fresh water and added a bit of it to a small bowl I have for her. I put her in the bowl so I could let the tank that I have for her cycle properly. Do you think I can get her back to health in the bowl if I do multiple water changes a day with the conditioner?
The pet store I went to didn't have any live bacteria

 

[toolman]

IMHO put her back into the tank, water quality in a bowl harder to maintain, if tank is cycling just dose with prime and keep up the water changes, less chance for water quality to get away from you and cause harm. Just my preference.

 

[toolman]

Water changes can be performed during cycle, various opinions in this but that's how a fish-in cycle works only need enough ammonia to feed the bacteria, and prime will make it non-toxic.

 

[Potluck]

Prime water conditioner is the only one I will recommend, you need an api master liquid test kit as well, put her back into the tank as the tank is going to take a while to cycle, you're starting fresh as you removed every bit of beneficial bacteria the tank had so you're looking at 4-9weeks of water changes every other day at 10% everytime, also live bacteria, Seachem prime I can't stress it enough, you will add 1 ml of prime everytime you do your water change, you can do fish in cycles they just require frequent water changes, but keeping moving the fish you're only stressing her out more, put her in the tank, get the test kit I recommended (if you can) the water conditioner I mentioned (if you can), water changes could be everyday or every other day as you will change the water as soon as you see ammonia and or nitrite on the test kit. It's gonna cost a bit of money but the test kit lasts a very long time after the tanks cycled prime is in most people's opinions the best water conditioner and is an absolute must have when fish keeping.

Do not touch the filters don't clean them do absolutely nothing to them

 

[molly2015]

Prime water conditioner is the only one I will recommend, you need an api master liquid test kit as well, put her back into the tank as the tank is going to take a while to cycle, you're starting fresh as you removed every bit of beneficial bacteria the tank had so you're looking at 4-9weeks of water changes every other day at 10% everytime, also live bacteria, Seachem prime I can't stress it enough, you will add 1 ml of prime everytime you do your water change, you can do fish in cycles they just require frequent water changes, but keeping moving the fish you're only stressing her out more, put her in the tank, get the test kit I recommended (if you can) the water conditioner I mentioned (if you can), water changes could be everyday or every other day as you will change the water as soon as you see ammonia and or nitrite on the test kit. It's gonna cost a bit of money but the test kit lasts a very long time after the tanks cycled prime is in most people's opinions the best water conditioner and is an absolute must have when fish keeping.

Do not touch the filters don't clean them do absolutely nothing to them

I bought Essentials Complete water conditioner from my pet store. Tomorrow I'll be in the city so I'll look for the Prime one that you suggested.

What brand of live bacteria should I get? and do I add that every time I do a water change? and ONLY do a 10% water change every day?

 

[nirbhao]

You only need to add live bacteria while you cycle, so once. I would let your test results guide your water change volume.