Hello!

[sempercoastie]

Hi, my name is Loren. I am a new freshwater fish tank owner. I had fish when I was a kid, but my Dad took care of them....now I am 30 and I recently inherited a 10 gallon Tetra setup from my g/fs mom. It has 2 goldfish( not certain on the type, just common goldfish), some blue gravel and some rocks. I have had it about 6 weeks. 2 weeks ago I added a pleco, cause I have always like them(rubberlip I think) Yesterday and today he started hanging out by the surface, and today in a period of 4 hours he went from alive to very dead. I am really saddened and unsure what to do. I have many questions.

I know I need to buy a test kit. I also know that my goldfish seem kinda large(3-4 inches long) They eat a lot, and when I got the tank it was GREEN with algae. I cleaned it, rinsed the gravel and other sundries as best I could, filled the tank with purified water and let it run for 24 hours with a new filter, then put the goldfish back in. That was a month ago.....now the tank seems to be getting dirty again. I was using algae pellets to get the pleco fed, but the **** goldies gobble them up faster than he got to it. So did he starve, or was it something else? Am I better off just leaving the 2 goldies in there alone? I like variety, and the tank is on my desk where I study.....I just need some good tips I guess.
Thanks folks

 

[newbiefish34]

Welcome to aa

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[Delapool]

Hi, my name is Loren. I am a new freshwater fish tank owner. I had fish when I was a kid, but my Dad took care of them....now I am 30 and I recently inherited a 10 gallon Tetra setup from my g/fs mom. It has 2 goldfish( not certain on the type, just common goldfish), some blue gravel and some rocks. I have had it about 6 weeks. 2 weeks ago I added a pleco, cause I have always like them(rubberlip I think) Yesterday and today he started hanging out by the surface, and today in a period of 4 hours he went from alive to very dead. I am really saddened and unsure what to do. I have many questions.

I know I need to buy a test kit. I also know that my goldfish seem kinda large(3-4 inches long) They eat a lot, and when I got the tank it was GREEN with algae. I cleaned it, rinsed the gravel and other sundries as best I could, filled the tank with purified water and let it run for 24 hours with a new filter, then put the goldfish back in. That was a month ago.....now the tank seems to be getting dirty again. I was using algae pellets to get the pleco fed, but the **** goldies gobble them up faster than he got to it. So did he starve, or was it something else? Am I better off just leaving the 2 goldies in there alone? I like variety, and the tank is on my desk where I study.....I just need some good tips I guess.
Thanks folks

Hi welcome to AA! Yes, lots of fun - really I think you're asking the right questions.

Yes, absolutely agree - a liquid based test kit (not cardboard strips) such as
API master test kit is essential. If you search for cycling a tank (ammonia to nitrite to nitrate) or someone posts a sticky this will be a good start on aquarium water and nitrifying bacteria.

Next is unfortunately as you mention the tank is way too small. This would mean the filter just can't keep up and not great for the fish. I would suggest rehoming the goldfish if you want to stick with a tank that size on your desk. I would suspect the water conditions were too poor for the Pleco rather than disease.


When adding tap water to do a water change make sure you use a product to make the tap water safe. Water changes I would suggest 25 to 50% a week.

What sort of filtration do you have?

 

[Huro]

Welcome to AA!

 

[Dwarriors65]

Welcome to aa