I Inherited a goldfish. i don't know anything about fish, but I'm doing my best to keep this one alive. It is a year old, about 2.5 " long and is living in a 2 gallon tank with a filter that hangs on the side. I have bought a 10 gallon tank, but I dont know how to set it up. all this talk about bacteria and cycling is very confusing. I plan to use distilled water since my water is just awful. I have put algae killer, stresscoat stuff, and fresh water salts in the 2 gal tank. i change about 1/3 of the water every 2 days. the fish seems very happy. How do I move my fish from its familiar environment to the bigger tank?how do I get the new tank ready?how do I know when it IS ready? Am I asking too many Q's at once?
save the Goldfish
- Thread starter pixieil
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megladonsharky
Aquarium Advice Freak
cycling is about 4-6 weeks...go to articles
i have been reading all the posts in this category. Im still as confused as ever.
when this fish was "new" nobody knew anything about all this stuff. they had 3 fish in a 2.5 gal aquarium. those fish lived for a year with no help other than a daily feeding. no water change, no filter change,, no water treatment, no gravel vacuuming, nothing. Then suddenly 2 of them died. Killed, evidently, by ignorance. So i have the last one and am doing my best. Just looking for a little help, cause I'm not sure how much time i have.
when this fish was "new" nobody knew anything about all this stuff. they had 3 fish in a 2.5 gal aquarium. those fish lived for a year with no help other than a daily feeding. no water change, no filter change,, no water treatment, no gravel vacuuming, nothing. Then suddenly 2 of them died. Killed, evidently, by ignorance. So i have the last one and am doing my best. Just looking for a little help, cause I'm not sure how much time i have.
Essayons89
Aquarium Advice Activist
Hi and welcome!
Pixieil, do you know what the pH, kH and gH of your tap water is? What is the problem with your water that makes it "just awful"? I'm not sure how much you know so I'll start at the very beginning.
Here is a quick rundown of the equipment that you will need:
-Test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, gH and kH. The first three are most important along with the pH.
-Water conditioner that neutralizes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals. I think that the stress coat that you have does this.
-Net
-Thermometer.
-Heater. Do you know what kind of goldfish it is? Common and comet goldfish are coolwater fish and a temp in the 60's would be fine. If the fish is a "fancy" gold then a temp in the low to mid-70s is fine.
-Filter
-Gravel
-Plants (fake are fine-goldfish will eat live plants)
-Tank and light
Was the tank a kit? Did it come with a heater, thermometer and filter? If not, you will need a 100w submersible heater and a filter that has the capacity to turn over at least 10 times the tank volume. Thermometers are easy enough, they have a type that suction cups to the inside of the tank or the types that stick on the outside of the tank on the glass.
To set a tank up you need to wipe the inside of the tank with a wet paper towel and then fill it up and let it set to make sure that there are no leaks. This normally isn't a problem with new tanks but it's always better to be safe than sorry.
After you ensure that the tank isn't leaking it's time to set it up. The first thing that I do when doing this is to attach a background the back of the tank. I trim up black plastic garbage bags for this and attach them using clear tap. Pet store sell backgrounds for tanks but these will cost a few dollars. You could also paint the outside of the "back" of the tank with a blue or black paint.
Once the background is attached I turn the tank right side up and add a couple of inches of aquarium gravel after it has been rinsed off. Avoid the larger gravel and stick with the smaller 2-3mm gravel. This smaller gravel gives the bacteria more surface to colonize but we'll get to that later.
Next, fill the tank up and add the correct dosage of water conditioner. Don't add the algae killer. The only chemical that should be added is the stress coat. After the the tank is filled you can place the heater into the water but don't plug it in for at least 15-20 minutes otherwise there is a risk of it shattering. You can also setup the filter and turn it on. Let the tank settle and run for 24 hours or so to make sure that everything is working properly before adding the fish.
Cycling
Cycling is the process of developing nitrifying bacteria in the filter and on every surface of the tank. This bacteria is what is responsible for the biofiltration of a tank. Once established, this bacteria will convert ammonia to nitrite. Another bacteria will convert nitrite to nitrate. Ammonia is highly toxic to fish. Nitrite is less toxic than ammonia while nitrate is the least toxic of the three compounds. Normally, with a regular maintenance schedule, nitrates can be kept around 10ppm without much difficulty.
Here is what you need to know about cycling:
The cycle is started when fish are added to a tank. Fish give off ammonia from their gills through respiration. Fish also pass a dilute ammonia in their urine. Leftover food, decaying plant matter and other waste products will also give off ammonia. All ammonia is toxic at .25ppm or above. The amount of ammonia that it takes before a fish succumbs depends on the species. In a cycled tank there will be 0 ammonia.
It can take up to two weeks before enough nitrifying bacteria is established to bring the ammonia down to 0. Once this biofilter is established, it will remain in the tank and grow and decrease as you add and lose fish.
The bacteria responsible for the biofiltration is aerobic. This means that it loves and needs oxygen to survive. The majority of biofiltration in a tank takes place in the filter. This is why it is important to have a good quality filter with lots of room for sponges or filter floss. This will give the bacteria a larger surface area to colonize. The bacteria will also live on every srface inside the tank as well. They can't be uprooted by gravel vacuuming. The following is what can kill the bacteria:
1.Chlorine- never rinse your filter media in tap water. This will kill off the bacteria colonies. Rinse the filter cartridge, sponge, floss or whatever you are using in a bucket of used tank water and reuse it.
2. pH swings
3. poor filtration
4. temperature changes
5. daylight/light- this why filters are dark
6. medications such as antibiotics (regardless of what the packaging says)
After the initial two week period you will see a climb in nitrite. While nitrite isn't as toxic as ammonia it is still toxic-usually at 2ppm or above. To counter nitrite toxicity, add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 20 gallons. Table salt is fine to use but it must be non-iodized. Water changes and gravel vacs must also be done to remove high nitrite levels.
Nitrites will remain very high for about six weeks. The bacteria responsible for converting nitrite is a painfully slow growing one. This bacteria are also sensitive to the things listed above.
One day you will find accumulating nitrate with falling nitrite. When the ammonia and nitrites both have a reading of 0 and you have a noticeable buildup of nitrate the cycle is complete.
Once complete, a regular maintenance schedule of weekly 20-30% water changes should be done along with thorough gravel vacs to remove fish poo, leftover food and other waste. This should be enough to keep your nitrates between 10-15ppm. If your nitrates are higher then you need to cut back on the amount of food that is fed daily or increase the frequency of water changes. The lower the nitrates the more your fish will thrive.
HTH some, don't hesitate to ask when you have more questions.
Bryan
Pixieil, do you know what the pH, kH and gH of your tap water is? What is the problem with your water that makes it "just awful"? I'm not sure how much you know so I'll start at the very beginning.
Here is a quick rundown of the equipment that you will need:
-Test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, gH and kH. The first three are most important along with the pH.
-Water conditioner that neutralizes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals. I think that the stress coat that you have does this.
-Net
-Thermometer.
-Heater. Do you know what kind of goldfish it is? Common and comet goldfish are coolwater fish and a temp in the 60's would be fine. If the fish is a "fancy" gold then a temp in the low to mid-70s is fine.
-Filter
-Gravel
-Plants (fake are fine-goldfish will eat live plants)
-Tank and light
Was the tank a kit? Did it come with a heater, thermometer and filter? If not, you will need a 100w submersible heater and a filter that has the capacity to turn over at least 10 times the tank volume. Thermometers are easy enough, they have a type that suction cups to the inside of the tank or the types that stick on the outside of the tank on the glass.
To set a tank up you need to wipe the inside of the tank with a wet paper towel and then fill it up and let it set to make sure that there are no leaks. This normally isn't a problem with new tanks but it's always better to be safe than sorry.
After you ensure that the tank isn't leaking it's time to set it up. The first thing that I do when doing this is to attach a background the back of the tank. I trim up black plastic garbage bags for this and attach them using clear tap. Pet store sell backgrounds for tanks but these will cost a few dollars. You could also paint the outside of the "back" of the tank with a blue or black paint.
Once the background is attached I turn the tank right side up and add a couple of inches of aquarium gravel after it has been rinsed off. Avoid the larger gravel and stick with the smaller 2-3mm gravel. This smaller gravel gives the bacteria more surface to colonize but we'll get to that later.
Next, fill the tank up and add the correct dosage of water conditioner. Don't add the algae killer. The only chemical that should be added is the stress coat. After the the tank is filled you can place the heater into the water but don't plug it in for at least 15-20 minutes otherwise there is a risk of it shattering. You can also setup the filter and turn it on. Let the tank settle and run for 24 hours or so to make sure that everything is working properly before adding the fish.
Cycling
Cycling is the process of developing nitrifying bacteria in the filter and on every surface of the tank. This bacteria is what is responsible for the biofiltration of a tank. Once established, this bacteria will convert ammonia to nitrite. Another bacteria will convert nitrite to nitrate. Ammonia is highly toxic to fish. Nitrite is less toxic than ammonia while nitrate is the least toxic of the three compounds. Normally, with a regular maintenance schedule, nitrates can be kept around 10ppm without much difficulty.
Here is what you need to know about cycling:
The cycle is started when fish are added to a tank. Fish give off ammonia from their gills through respiration. Fish also pass a dilute ammonia in their urine. Leftover food, decaying plant matter and other waste products will also give off ammonia. All ammonia is toxic at .25ppm or above. The amount of ammonia that it takes before a fish succumbs depends on the species. In a cycled tank there will be 0 ammonia.
It can take up to two weeks before enough nitrifying bacteria is established to bring the ammonia down to 0. Once this biofilter is established, it will remain in the tank and grow and decrease as you add and lose fish.
The bacteria responsible for the biofiltration is aerobic. This means that it loves and needs oxygen to survive. The majority of biofiltration in a tank takes place in the filter. This is why it is important to have a good quality filter with lots of room for sponges or filter floss. This will give the bacteria a larger surface area to colonize. The bacteria will also live on every srface inside the tank as well. They can't be uprooted by gravel vacuuming. The following is what can kill the bacteria:
1.Chlorine- never rinse your filter media in tap water. This will kill off the bacteria colonies. Rinse the filter cartridge, sponge, floss or whatever you are using in a bucket of used tank water and reuse it.
2. pH swings
3. poor filtration
4. temperature changes
5. daylight/light- this why filters are dark
6. medications such as antibiotics (regardless of what the packaging says)
After the initial two week period you will see a climb in nitrite. While nitrite isn't as toxic as ammonia it is still toxic-usually at 2ppm or above. To counter nitrite toxicity, add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 20 gallons. Table salt is fine to use but it must be non-iodized. Water changes and gravel vacs must also be done to remove high nitrite levels.
Nitrites will remain very high for about six weeks. The bacteria responsible for converting nitrite is a painfully slow growing one. This bacteria are also sensitive to the things listed above.
One day you will find accumulating nitrate with falling nitrite. When the ammonia and nitrites both have a reading of 0 and you have a noticeable buildup of nitrate the cycle is complete.
Once complete, a regular maintenance schedule of weekly 20-30% water changes should be done along with thorough gravel vacs to remove fish poo, leftover food and other waste. This should be enough to keep your nitrates between 10-15ppm. If your nitrates are higher then you need to cut back on the amount of food that is fed daily or increase the frequency of water changes. The lower the nitrates the more your fish will thrive.
HTH some, don't hesitate to ask when you have more questions.
Bryan
Fluff
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well, you could take the filter from the tank he is in now and put it on the new tank, along with the new filter. This will help seed the new filter with good bacteria. Also, you could add everything, gravel, water, and all from his current tank to the new tank. This will also help seed the new tank. I think doing your water changes every other day like you've been is fine if you don't have a test kit. Just don't vacumn the gravel for a while to let the good bacteria to populate. If you don't have a fw test kit, I would suggest getting one. Aquarium Pharmacueticals is a nice easy to use test kit. With this you can keep an eye on your water parameters and do water changes as necessary til the tank is fully cycled. With adding everything from the old tank, this should minimize your cycle time if you see a cycle at all. Good luck with your goldy.
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
When you get a thermometer, do NOT get the one that sticks on the side of the tank. The suction cup one is fine, but a digital is best. If you plan to just have a goldfish, you will be fine with a suction cup or floating one (not really all that ideal because they will float around the tank, but it is an option).
Test kits are a must. Do not get the test strips. They are much more expensive than the master test kit in the long run and they are not as accurate. As Fluff said, Aquarium Pharmacuticals makes a GREAT Master Test kit. If you buy them online you can get them for $12.99 plus shipping from www.bigalsonline.com. Prices vary at the lfs but I have seen them sell for $50.
When you are cycling the tank do NOT mess with the filter. Don't even rinse off the filter pads. Also, do not vac the gravel. I'm sure you already know this, but don't ever clean anything with soap. Do not let soap come in contact with anything that is going into the tank. It is toxic to fish.
When cycling, your ammonia should not exceed 1.0. If it ever does, do an immediate water change. Essay mentioned .25 but I can't keep the ammonia down that low in a 10 gal with 3 snails. That's even with doing daily 30% water changes. If it does get over 1.0 it can stall the cycling process. And, you may be able to get away with doing a water change every other day like Fluff said. But you should test your water daily to make sure the ammonia doesn't get too high.
Good Luck and post back with any more questions and progress.
Test kits are a must. Do not get the test strips. They are much more expensive than the master test kit in the long run and they are not as accurate. As Fluff said, Aquarium Pharmacuticals makes a GREAT Master Test kit. If you buy them online you can get them for $12.99 plus shipping from www.bigalsonline.com. Prices vary at the lfs but I have seen them sell for $50.
When you are cycling the tank do NOT mess with the filter. Don't even rinse off the filter pads. Also, do not vac the gravel. I'm sure you already know this, but don't ever clean anything with soap. Do not let soap come in contact with anything that is going into the tank. It is toxic to fish.
When cycling, your ammonia should not exceed 1.0. If it ever does, do an immediate water change. Essay mentioned .25 but I can't keep the ammonia down that low in a 10 gal with 3 snails. That's even with doing daily 30% water changes. If it does get over 1.0 it can stall the cycling process. And, you may be able to get away with doing a water change every other day like Fluff said. But you should test your water daily to make sure the ammonia doesn't get too high.
Good Luck and post back with any more questions and progress.
wow! thanks so much! I think I understand it now. At least enough to get going. My gold fish is a 'common' I think,but Id like to get a comet. One of the ones that died was a comet i think as she/it had a really long gracefull tail. thanks agaon for the help and suggestions. Bryan ,you are a super "explainer". I bought a test kit, so that will help.
dr_girlfriend
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I would recommend for now keeping just to your one goldfish. He's probably going to get real big, and pretty quick. He will outgrow that 10 gallon eventually. And a comet goldfish will get to about 12 inches long, so unless you plan to buy a much larger tank I would skip the comet for now.
When you notice your fish growing beyond about 4-5 inches, its time to upgrade to at least a 20 gallon at the minimum for the one fish. HTH, and good luck!
When you notice your fish growing beyond about 4-5 inches, its time to upgrade to at least a 20 gallon at the minimum for the one fish. HTH, and good luck!
extremenewb
Aquarium Advice Regular
Fishyfanatic said:
Just wondering why can't you use the ones that sticks to the side of the tank?
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
The stick on thermometers are not as accurate because they check the temp of the glass, not the actual water. I had a stick on thermometer on a 29 gal tank and I bought a digital but kept the sticky on the tank. I checked the temp on both of them and the digital was something like 75.6 and the sticky was 73. It's not that huge of a difference, but they are not as accurate. Also, they leave a sticky glue on the side of the tank. With the suction cup or digitals, you can move them without leaving a mark. The sticky ones you can't. They are perminately in place. They can be removed, but not put back on the tank.
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
You've had good advice so far .... few other points:
1. why do you think you need to use distilled water? If you have to use it, be aware that there is no buffering capacity in distilled water & the tank will be prone to pH crash. You need to add a source of bicarbonate to distilled water to compensate. Crushed coral or limestone or oyster shells are good. YOu just put a large amount in (mixed into the gravel is fine, some people put it in the filter), and it will slowly dissolve into the water as needed. The pH will increase to 7.8 or so with enough cc - which is what goldies like - & keep it nice & stable.
2. regarding substrate - for godies, gravel greater than 1/4" (8mm) is recommended. True, smaller gravel has larger surface area, but goldies like to mouth the grave looking for food & small gravel can get stuck in the throat, possibly killing the fish.
3. heater is not absolutely necessary - esp with a common. They will do fine in room temp water (can overwinter even under ice at 4C).
4.there should be enough bacteria in the 2.5 for that one fish, and as long as everything in the 2.5 (filter, gravel, etc) get moved over to the 10, you likely will not see a cycle. This should save you a lot of work. I would run the equipment from the 2.5 in the 10 for 4-6 weeks (together with any new equipment/decor you added), after that, gradually removing anything you don't need or want.
1. why do you think you need to use distilled water? If you have to use it, be aware that there is no buffering capacity in distilled water & the tank will be prone to pH crash. You need to add a source of bicarbonate to distilled water to compensate. Crushed coral or limestone or oyster shells are good. YOu just put a large amount in (mixed into the gravel is fine, some people put it in the filter), and it will slowly dissolve into the water as needed. The pH will increase to 7.8 or so with enough cc - which is what goldies like - & keep it nice & stable.
2. regarding substrate - for godies, gravel greater than 1/4" (8mm) is recommended. True, smaller gravel has larger surface area, but goldies like to mouth the grave looking for food & small gravel can get stuck in the throat, possibly killing the fish.
3. heater is not absolutely necessary - esp with a common. They will do fine in room temp water (can overwinter even under ice at 4C).
4.there should be enough bacteria in the 2.5 for that one fish, and as long as everything in the 2.5 (filter, gravel, etc) get moved over to the 10, you likely will not see a cycle. This should save you a lot of work. I would run the equipment from the 2.5 in the 10 for 4-6 weeks (together with any new equipment/decor you added), after that, gradually removing anything you don't need or want.
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