Hi guys;
I am in a great need of an advice. I am a total newbie when it comes to fish. Being desperate for a pet (yes, I know it sounds very bad from the beginning), I went to a pet store and started asking fish as I always liked them. I was told that there is nothing easier than looking after goldfish and even child could do it.
Clearly, it is not the case. I got a 35 liters tank, cycled water for 24 hrs and treated it with AquaSafe to neutralise chlorine, and SafeStart that supposed to contain friendly bacteria. I also put in gravel and a wooden plank (all washed carefully beforehand). 24hrs later I went to the shop and got 4 goldfish (2 small fantailes, 1 small balck moor, 1 small/medium black oranda). I also got two plants, one in a pot and one floating ( I have no clue how they are called though). The fish seemed to be happy in their new home and I was happy too to have new friends. But this morning, I found tank to be all green, one fish dead and other 3 gasping for air. I do not know how did it happened. The filter was one, and they did not have direct sunlight either.
I called the shop and I was told to get the fish out of water and put them in a bowl and then get rid off the water in the tank and clean it properly. So now I have a fish swimming in salad bowl and I am not sure what to do next. I cleaned the tank, put the fresh water in with clean gravel and added AquaSafe and SafeStart. The whole cycle will be finished tomorrow but I am worried if my fish will survive till then. I have put some oxygen tablets in their bowls but I do not know how much longer they can stay there. The water temperature in the tank is still lower than in the bowls and I wonder how I can rise it - and I am worried I will do something wrong and will hurt or kill my fish. I will be very grateful for advice so I can help my fish.
Kat
I am in a great need of an advice. I am a total newbie when it comes to fish. Being desperate for a pet (yes, I know it sounds very bad from the beginning), I went to a pet store and started asking fish as I always liked them. I was told that there is nothing easier than looking after goldfish and even child could do it.
Clearly, it is not the case. I got a 35 liters tank, cycled water for 24 hrs and treated it with AquaSafe to neutralise chlorine, and SafeStart that supposed to contain friendly bacteria. I also put in gravel and a wooden plank (all washed carefully beforehand). 24hrs later I went to the shop and got 4 goldfish (2 small fantailes, 1 small balck moor, 1 small/medium black oranda). I also got two plants, one in a pot and one floating ( I have no clue how they are called though). The fish seemed to be happy in their new home and I was happy too to have new friends. But this morning, I found tank to be all green, one fish dead and other 3 gasping for air. I do not know how did it happened. The filter was one, and they did not have direct sunlight either.
I called the shop and I was told to get the fish out of water and put them in a bowl and then get rid off the water in the tank and clean it properly. So now I have a fish swimming in salad bowl and I am not sure what to do next. I cleaned the tank, put the fresh water in with clean gravel and added AquaSafe and SafeStart. The whole cycle will be finished tomorrow but I am worried if my fish will survive till then. I have put some oxygen tablets in their bowls but I do not know how much longer they can stay there. The water temperature in the tank is still lower than in the bowls and I wonder how I can rise it - and I am worried I will do something wrong and will hurt or kill my fish. I will be very grateful for advice so I can help my fish.
Kat
You will need a filter that is minimum 10x the tank size for goldies (ie a 40gal needs min 400gph filtetration) & some sort of additional aeration (bubble wands, airstones, or powerheads). And with a bigger tank, a python/similar water changer will be a worthwhile investment because you will be doing LOTS of water changes until your tank is properly cycled. Do you have an API master test kit yet? This is a MUST have! Amazon sells them for @10 less than in the big chain stores. In the meantime, change atleast 50% of their water 2-3x times a day to keep them healthy (make sure its properly conditioned & temperature matched). Keep up the good work! We will help you through this! 
