am i doing alright on my tanks?

[coolkidthatlike]

hi i have 2 ten gallon tanks, one for goldfish and one for tropical fish. my goldfish tank has been established for a couple months now with no deaths. and my tropical tank for a couple of weeks with 1 death. my ph in both tanks is good (around 7.0). My ammonia in my goldfish tank is at 0, and in my tropical tank, it isnt too bad. in my goldfish tank i have 3 fantails (one a red cap oranda, one a black moore, and one a ryukin). and in my tropical i have 6 tiger barbs (3 albino, 3 regular), and i am soon going to get 2 red tail sharks. that is juss a brief history, and i was wondering if i was doing any thing wrong. by the way the goldfish are about 3 inches each, and the barbs about one inch. thanks

 

[i3k]

Just something to think about...those red tail sharks will need a bigger aquarium real fast.

 

[loganj]

The 10 with the goldfish is overstocked as well. The goldfish are going to get larger and you will have problems unless you get them into a bigger tank. A 10g isn't really enough for one of these fish. JMHO.

 

[TankGirl]

Like LoganJ posted, a 10-gal is good for maybe one goldfish, but it won't be very happy there. The barb tank is probably okay, but not with the addition of the sharks, when it will be overstocked (and like i3k posted, the sharks need a bigger tank). If you are registering any ammonia in your tropical tank then it is not cycled, and that may be responsible for the fish death. You need to research about aquarium cycling, which involves the breakdown of ammonia to nitrites, then nitrites break down into nitrates. This process takes weeks and during that time you need to protect your fish from these levels with water changes. The larger the tank, the easier it is to keep the levels under control. 10-gallon tanks are on the small side so you have to keep a good eye on things. Good luck, and I know you will get a lot of good information and help on this board!

 

[Allivymar]

*nods and agrees with loganj and TankGirl*

Goldfish get big quick and are one of the types of fish that can be stunted in a small tank. Problem is, their body gets stunted but their organs don't and those keep growing. Really shortens the life span of the fish (and goldfish can, with good care, live pretty long otherwise). Also, goldfish are probably one of the dirtiest fish out there. A small tank requires LOTS of work to keep water quality up. Much easier to deal with in a bigger tank. Lastly, you posted about the parasite in "Unhealthy Fish" did you not? Tis also a sign things are not well in the tank.

A couple of months is really not a very long time when you consider the life span of goldfish; that combined with the probs you already have had in the tank is letting you know you may be in for major issues.

 

[coolkidthatlike]

hmm.. well thanks for the help. i was going by the 1" per gallon rule, and my goldfish are about 3", so i thought i was doing ok, because i would have 9" worth of fish. well would a 20 gallon tank be ok for both? (including the sharks for my tropical) you are right about how dirty goldfish are. They go through filters about 2x as fast as my tropical. jeez this is talking some serious money. Yeah, i did post about the parasites. well yeah please get back to me if a 20 gal would be ok.

 

[loganj]

What is important is surface area in the tank and the mass of the fish. The surface area of the tank determines the amount of gas exchange that can take place at the surface. That's why a 20 long is better than a 20 high. You can use the 1" per gal rule with fish like neons and rasboras...small slim fish that don't have much body mass. A goldfish is a big chunky fish with a high mass to length ratio. They also need highly oxygenated water. 1" of gold fish is probably equal to 10" of neon tetra if not more. I would say a 20 would be minimum for 1 goldfish and 3 will need at least a 55 to do well and live out their entire lives (20 years+). You'll be OK with a 20 for the tropicals...the sharks will still probably outgrow it in time though.

 

[coolkidthatlike]

wow, really at least a 55 gal? hmm... well that is good new to know about the tropicals. thanks fo r the help!

 

[preciousmoments]

Just a note to watch for Oranda's are known to get fungal diseases under the fold on their head. You might consider eventually upgrading to a 20 or 30 gallon tank for your fantails soon to prevent agressive behavior and over crowding.