20gal dumped in my lap

[panquake]

This morning my friend said she had a gift for me, so she shows up with a preowned 20gal fish tank with fish in a bag. The tank was emptied and all the parts bagged up. I don't know how to start this process at all! I have the used filter that I making sure to keep damp but other than that... I don't want to fill the tank and plop the fish in but then again they probably aren't enjoying the bag. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[brennae]

what kind of fish? That wasn't very nice for your friend to force her fish on you. The fish can always go in a bucket while you set the tank up. Do you have a water dechlorinator such as Prime? Fill the tank back up as soon as you can and dechlorinate the water. Then get the filter running. If you attach pictures we can help you more with setting the equipment up. Good luck!

 

[panquake]

I don't think her intentions were bad, I've been talking about getting a fish tank and she found this gem in her eyes lol.
There are three fish, all different breeds of goldfish They are about 3 inches each but I don't know what I'm going to do with them at all.

I'm headed to the lfs in just a bit, I'm not quite sure what to get asap.

Two HOBs, Topfin and Aqua-Tech, rocks, accessories, these assorted chemicals, I'm not sure of the light but if that matters I'll take a picture under the hood.

 

[brennae]

Honestly I would return the goldfish to the LFS. They get way too big for a 20g.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[panquake]

That I know, I didn't even think of returning them on this trip. I'm already too far to run back for them. I can return them tomorrow. Should I keep them in a bucket over night? Also I'm going to go ahead and get it running tonight, since I'm already at the store. I'm going to get a test kit and new rocks, anything I'm forgetting for now?

 

[brennae]

Prime.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[brennae]

Do you have an air stone you can place in the bucket with them?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[panquake]

No air stone but I could set up one of the hobs for water movement?

I bought Prime, API test kit and rocks.

 

[brennae]

Sounds like that would work for now.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Sa777]

Honestly I would return the goldfish to the LFS. They get way too big for a 20g.

I agree, you should find some way to get rid of the goldfish, preferably humanely. Goldfish are just not a good option compared to all the other species out there. They really limit what you can do with the tank.

 

[flitabout]

The HOB will work beautifully for a while. I had GF my kids brought back from the fair in a 5 bucket until I could take them back in to the LFS. Just make sure to check your parameters very often while they are in there I had to do multiple w/c a day to keep the levels safe. Here's what mine looked like.

 

[panquake]

I took the fish to my lfs today now I'm starting a proper cycle. Thanks for the help all!

 

[trennamw]

The tap water conditioner you have is adequate, no need for Prime until you run out. I prefer API stress coat as a dechlorinator, over Prime, and keep a tiny bottle of prime just for emergencies if I see a nitrite spike.

All you really need is a dechlorinator and a test kit. Not strips.


Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.

 

[sanchezkk]

That's some great advice. Thanks, I got something out of that info.