Changed Filter brand, now water cloudy

[dapaq921]

I have a 10gal tank that I use to "winter" my moms goldfish. In late october, I move them from her outside barrel to a cold room in my house, then move them back in april. It's worked very well for the past 5 years, fish were doing great. I was using a whisper 20 for the tank, until it burned out in last november. I replaced it with a Aqueon 10 (which says its good for up to 20 gallons). Since then, I've had a hard time with water quality; cloudy, with the filter media starting to clog up in 3-4 days. I don't have any test strips (I haven't needed them in the past). I'm doing 1week partial water changes which helps. Went to petco and the lady in the aq.dept suggested changing the filter media for foam inserts; said the tank wasn't cycling properly. I did that 25 days ago, and its' not helping. Tank is still cloudy and 2 of the 4 fish are developing black tips on fins (ammonia?). It seems that its' the filter itself, but before I go buying another whisper 20, I wanted your advice. Thank you.

 

[jlk]

Hi & welcome to AA!!! Exactly how many goldfish are you keeping in this 10gal tank? Im sorry to inform you of this, but 10gal is too small for even a single goldfish. You need to get an API freshwater master test kit asap. They can be found in most lfs (live fish stores) or chain stores (petco) or online (amazon/ebay). Your fish are suffering from toxic levels of ammonia/nitrite- the black tips on their fins are from ammonia burns. Start doing 50% water changes daily with a good water conditioner (such as Prime) until you can test your water for yourself.
My second suggestion to save these guys would be to invest in a much larger tank & filter. Craigslist has some great deals so its worth checking into. Please read up on 'fish-in cycling' & the 'nitrogen cycle' so you can understand what is happening with your water/tank. Do not hesitate to ask any questions- we are here to help!!!

 

[gman42]

I have two tanks with a aquaeon 10 power filter, i think thats what it is called(its the same as yours). My 40 gallon has one (with another filter) and it is crystal clear, and i gave my cousin one for a 20 gallon long. Both tanks have very clear water. Gold fish are very dirty fish, and need a good water change each week. Its not the filter its the water changes. Good luck with your fish.

 

[dapaq921]

thanks for the info. I'll increase the water changes as you suggest, and go hunting for a test kit and larger tank. I do understand I am crowding the fish, but all has gone well for 4 years, and why now? Everything is the same except the filter and slightly larger fish. I know they've grown a bit, but enough to throw everything out of balance? fyi-each fish is approx. 3" in length. thanks.

 

[jlk]

I would say you have been very lucky so far! Yes, because they are bigger, the bioload has increased exponentially. Its really too small of a tank for even one fish. At 3 inches each (you never mentioned how many fish), i would suggest in the spring to rehome them to a proper pond & retire the barrel. Good luck & dont hesitate to ask questions!

 

[Koikid88]

but all has gone well for 4 years, and why now?.

Times change, fish change. They get bigger and older and poop more like our elders. And while they poop, they require better water the older they get. Living in a barrel half the year, then a 10g tank the other half, those fish haven't had good living conditions from get go.

About the filter, I currently have on I was going to add to my 20g with a Eheim good for 30g.
Did you rinse the new filter media? 1, your supposed to with any dusty media like biobeads. 2, just adding an additional filter with new media, your tank sounds like it's minicycling.
Go get a test kit asap

 

[dapaq921]

thanks. I picked up a used 30gal, and purchased a whisper 40 filter. There are 4 fish total. yes, I rinse the filter media (charcoal dust). 2 questions though: the person at superpetz said that the activated charcoal in filter media lasts only about 3 days, so she suggested just using foam inserts; I'm not too sure about this, so I am planning on using the tetra replacement filter media made for the whisper. also, when the water clears up, will the black on the fins disappear (back to normal), or is it permanent? thanks alot.

 

[jlk]

As long as keep their water super healthy (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, less than 20 nitrate), the burns will heal but it may take a few mths. Good job on getting a bigger tank! The advice from the store was actually good advice. Carbon loses its potency after a few wks & really isnt necessary unless you are removing meds, odors, etc. What you can do is open the filter bags & dump out the carbon. Then you can stuff some foam inserts in with the bags. If the filters are new, you probably should just opt for the foam inerts instead. The foam inserts do not need to be replaced. If you havent done so already, please read up on 'fish-in cycling' so you know what to expect over the upcoming weeks.