Hello all,
I did not do the proper research and I messed up. Not sure what my next step is...
I had a common goldfish in a bowl for my kid for a few months. I changed the water very often and he seemed fine but after 2-3 months I decided to get a tank.
I chose a 10-gallon starter kit and also purchased another goldfish, a Fantail. When I got home I cleaned everything, followed instructions and got the tank going with treated water and everything I thought was right. Then I moved the common goldfish to the tank, and let the fantail's bag float for a little bit then put him in as well.
So I now know the mistakes were putting them in before cycling and having these fish in a tank this size. This was done Sunday evening and I noticed the water wasn't very clear Tuesday so I did a 50% change. It is now Wednesday and the tank seems pretty clear and the fish seem to be doing great with no obvious signs of issues I read about.
Before I did the water change I went to local fish store with a sample of the water, but the guy said to wait a week before testing the water since I just started it. I told him I have two goldfish in a 10 gallon and the fish are already in the tank (not cycled). He said the fish will probably die and the best chance I have is to stop feeding them.
I'm going to pick up some test strips today so I am sure what the ammonia, nitrate, nitrites are. But what is the best course of action here? Small water changes daily until the tank cycles? Can I purchase a more powerful filtration system, or a 2nd one, that will support two goldfish in a 10 gallon until I can upgrade to a larger tank down the line?
Thanks!
I did not do the proper research and I messed up. Not sure what my next step is...
I had a common goldfish in a bowl for my kid for a few months. I changed the water very often and he seemed fine but after 2-3 months I decided to get a tank.
I chose a 10-gallon starter kit and also purchased another goldfish, a Fantail. When I got home I cleaned everything, followed instructions and got the tank going with treated water and everything I thought was right. Then I moved the common goldfish to the tank, and let the fantail's bag float for a little bit then put him in as well.
So I now know the mistakes were putting them in before cycling and having these fish in a tank this size. This was done Sunday evening and I noticed the water wasn't very clear Tuesday so I did a 50% change. It is now Wednesday and the tank seems pretty clear and the fish seem to be doing great with no obvious signs of issues I read about.
Before I did the water change I went to local fish store with a sample of the water, but the guy said to wait a week before testing the water since I just started it. I told him I have two goldfish in a 10 gallon and the fish are already in the tank (not cycled). He said the fish will probably die and the best chance I have is to stop feeding them.
I'm going to pick up some test strips today so I am sure what the ammonia, nitrate, nitrites are. But what is the best course of action here? Small water changes daily until the tank cycles? Can I purchase a more powerful filtration system, or a 2nd one, that will support two goldfish in a 10 gallon until I can upgrade to a larger tank down the line?
Thanks!