black moor and calico telescope

[rreekers]

I have had the black moor for about 7 months now and the calico for about 2 months. originally the black moor lived in a 10g tank (i know VERY BAD) but i had to rescue him from an irrational teenage sisters attempt to make him live with 4 (5-7in) common goldfish. Anyways, i finally was able to move him to a 29g (about 2 months ago), it was not cycled but i took a good amount of media from my canister filter (hooked to a 60g, established for ~year tank) so he seemed to be doing great so i decided to get him a friend (the calico) things have been great until about a week ago. both fish were literally laying on the bottom, i have to admit i did not have time to investigate. so i added a dose of prime, left the house came back a few hours later and they seemed fine. so i concluded it was something with the tank parameters. it took me 2 more days till i had time to do a water change and test the water.
- worse results i have ever gotten, i felt so horrible (i almost cried for them) amm- .75 nirtItes- 0 nitrAtes - 40-60
- did a 50% water change, then they were swimming around all happy and active (this was friday)
- saturday everything was normal, saturday night they were sluggish again
- today the calico is active and the black moor is not... and this is generally the case the black moor literally lays on the bottom, even when the tank is ok, but maybe not perfect

--- could the tank be hitting the unpredictable stages of cycling, even though it is 2 months in? or what could be causing this?

- i know it is the amm and Ates because if i add prime, they both become active within a minute.

[rreekers]

also i am in search of another filter to add to the tank or replace the one on it currently.. would an aqua clear 50 be sufficient or would a 70 be suggested..

its only a 29g tank, i currently have a aqueon quite flow 30 on the tank

[Sharkbait54]

Prime neutralizes ammonia but doesn't get rid of it. Apparently your tank is still cycling keep doing water changes and keep an eye on the perams and you should be fine.

[absolutangel04]

Goldfish are super messy, so you should probably be doing more frequent water changes. Since you have no nitrites, I think the problem is from too much bioload for that filter rather than from an incomplete cycle. Perhaps the BB colony will build up a bit more over time, but I wouldn't count on it. I think your best bet would be to make sure to get the new filter asap, and to do more frequent (or bigger) pwc in the meantime.
The black moor might not be doing very well because of ammonia issues in the past. Even after the issue is fixed, the fish can still feel the affects for awhile sometimes. But, as long as you keep up with the water changes now, he will hopefully perk up and be a good, active fish. Good job saving him and putting him in a bigger tank.

[rreekers]

i know that Prime does not get rid of it and i know it should not be used as a "quick fix" but i saw no other options. i am going to do anotheri water change right now, then test again in the morning.

-- any suggestions on filters? size or brand

[absolutangel04]

Yeah, under the circumstances, I would have used the Prime too. Sometimes its better to do the quick fix and save the fish, and then focus on the long-term solution.
Sorry, I do not know much about individual filters.

[Mumma.of.two]

Originally Posted by rreekers

i know that Prime does not get rid of it and i know it should not be used as a "quick fix" but i saw no other options. i am going to do anotheri water change right now, then test again in the morning.

-- any suggestions on filters? size or brand

Anything that filters 10x the tank volume an hour. I would suggest a canister. More media than a HOB.

[rreekers]

what about an aqua clear? would a 70 be enough or should I be looking for something more like the 110?
financially right now I don't have money for a brand name "good" canister? do you know any off brands that work well? if I remember correctly mumma of two, you have an off brand I think ( you mentioned in another these at some point)

[jlk]

If an hob filter is what is in your budget, look for one with max gph (gallons per hour)- 300gph filter would be ideal (10x filtration) but a 350-400gph would work as well & provide more room for stuffing the filter with media for the bb to grow on. Dont look at what the filter 'says' its for (ie for a 30g tank)-most filters are grossly under-rated. In the meantime, keep an eye on your water & do pwcs as needed to keep your levels in check.

[rreekers]

ok wonderful, thank you for the advice everyone

[rreekers]

what i found out in regards to aqua clear filters.. the 70 is rated at 300gph and the 110 is rated at 500gph.. just thought i would share

[Mumma.of.two]

Originally Posted by rreekers

what i found out in regards to aqua clear filters.. the 70 is rated at 300gph and the 110 is rated at 500gph.. just thought i would share

If you can afford it I'd go for the 110. The more filtration the better.
I have two canisters from eBay. Pro aqua (I think they maybe called sunsun over there???). They cost me $55AU (1000L/h) and $80AU (1500L/h - 400g/h).

[rreekers]

also, I have been having an issue with brown algae the last month or so.. any one know why this may be?

[Mumma.of.two]

Originally Posted by rreekers

also, I have been having an issue with brown algae the last month or so.. any one know why this may be?

Sounds like diatoms. Common in newer tanks. Nothing to worry about, they will eventually burn out and go away.

[rreekers]

OK, thanks

[absolutangel04]

I agree about the algae. The brown stuff is common in new tanks. You can try not turning the lights on for a couple of days and seeing if that helps. I suggest just getting an algae scraper and getting off the glass for aesthetic purposes, but ignoring the rest of it for now. Well, thats what I have done anyhow.

[rreekers]

I will try leave the lights off, the fish don't seem to like it anyways. I think its to bright for their sensitive eyes.