Having trouble with fish tank maintainence

bugmankeith

Arachnoking
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I setup a 3 gallon tank 2 days ago, the one with the bio wheel filter that gets rids of chlorine and chloramine from the water, I added something to the water days ago get rid of those harmful chemicals before adding the water to the tank.

Anyway, my sister won a really small feeder goldfish and without warning brought it home and expected me to find a tank, set it up, and to care for it. Yeah I know 3 gallons is nothing I need a 10 gallon, but it was out of my hands and I have no money so i'm stuck with only a 3 gallon and fish flakes.

I've had fish my whole life but I never did the water changing or cleaning because I was just a little kid back then my dad did it, so I no little when it comes to that.

So yesterday she feeds the fish a few flakes, but being its so small some flakes went uneaten and I woke up and the water is already cloudy. :rolleyes:

Do I need to do another water change, or will the filter clean the water over time? The fish was just added yesterday so i'm thinking another water change would shock it.
 

Mushroom Spore

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That fish is almost certainly going to drop dead.

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html When the ammonia and nitrite levels spike, it'll be a miracle if the fish survives. I wouldn't expect a crappy little feeder fish to be tough enough to make it. It's like swimming in pure poison.

You really, REALLY need a ten gallon as soon as possible. It's not a matter of having room for the fish itself, it's a matter of having a large, stable environment to handle, disperse, and cycle away the massive amounts of toxins and filth that goldfish produce.

I would at least do partial water changes for a while, and definitely go hook up with a dedicated fish forum where they understand the chemistry of keeping fish alive better than I do. They'll be able to tell you more, as well as possibly direct you to cheap ways of upgrading the little guy's housing.

The proper lifespan of a goldfish is over thirty years, not the one or two years that is so common in captivity. An actual adult goldfish is HUGE. Here's hoping he survives this and goes on to be a good family pet. :)
 

ta2edpop

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The water will often become cloudy when the tank starts to cycle. You don't want to change the water, but mabe take out a quater or so. Take note not to disturb whatever form of bio filter you have(i,e undergravel, biowheel, etc)
Keep in mind this is unless the fish was like super overfed and there is a bunch of crap on the gravel. That would need to be cleaned out. Goldfish are carp and they tend to be very nasty fish. They create a lot of amonia. The tank will probally cloud for a couple days.
 

bugmankeith

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There is nothing in the tank but the filter, fish, and water, and all the food is gone. The feces there yesterday are gone too.


Well thinking about it now I would need a miracle to get a 10 gallon even in this month, there is no way I can come up with over $100 for the tank and the tank equiptment.

This 3 gallon was a gift from years ago and all the parts that came with it Only fit in this tank, I cant switch them to any other tank.

I feel bad for the fish it didnt die in a bag at a fair, but I dont have the proper setup for it I wish my sister didnt take the fish.

Feeder fish or not it's a living creature and now I feel really guilty about holding captive in the tank of doom.

And if I bring it to the pet store it will just end up food for something even if I say take my pet thats 5 cents in their pocket then.

I know of a pond that has goldfish in it already here, all used to be peoples pets and the pond has a good current and lots of pond plants and rocks, mabye I should just put him there at least he has a better chance than here.

He looks healthy otherwise fins are always erect and he is a good color/weight and his poo is healthy no bubbles or mucus.
 
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GartenSpinnen

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IMO a 10 gallon tank is nowhere large enough for a goldfish, you need at LEAST a 20 gallon long setup if you want to keep goldfish, ideally 29 gallons or more.

The most important thing when setting up an aquarium is filteration, filteration, filteration! Spend the money to get the proper filteration. For a small aquarium like 2.5- 10 gallons i would set up a power filter with biowheel. Now its important you have chemical/biological/and particle filteration (Cloth = particle, charcoal = chemical, biological = special material/bio-wheel). If your going to setup a larger aquarium spend the money right from the get go and just get yourself a canister filter. A good canister filter is the Rena Filstar series, they are very reliable and make tank maintenance a breeze. Also it isnt a bad idea and just get a UV sterilizer while your at it, both are worth there weight in gold! If you shop right, you should be able to get a 29 gallon setup with hood, a filstar rena x2, and a 9 watt UV sterilizer for around 300.00 (or less).

Another thing, when setting up a tank the key to everything is give it awhile to cycle itself, im not talking 48 hours, im talking a week or two. After giving the tank awhile to cycle itself get yourself a good test kit to test PH and for harmful ammonia/nitrite. If you test the water and everything is good to go, then add a fish or two and then a week or two later another couple of fish and so on. Its important to add new fish gradually.

Also, 10% water changes on a weekly basis are a good idea, that is with proper filteration. Poor filteration = much more water changes.

Well i know this post was a little away from the thread but i just thought that information might help you out a little bit, if you need any more information just PM me :).

-nate-
 

Thoth

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The cloudiness is a bacterial bloom, it will clear up in a few days, happens with my tank anytime I add stock or do a large water change. Biowheel does not remove chlorine and chloramines (you neeed to either let the water sit or there are additives for it) the biowheel gives a substrate for growth of bacteria that rapidly reduce ammonia and nitrites to nitrates.

It could be okay in that tank but you have to keep up with frequent water changes (25% or so every week). Also you could add zeolite to the filter (zeolite is the with pebble looking stuff and relatively cheap) It effectively absorbs ammonia.

It should not cost you $100 for a simple setup, you can get one of those pre-packaged 10 gal. kits for $50 or less. Or a barebones setup, just tank and filter for about $30.
 

Falyn

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Use the additives.. Aqua Plus to remove chlorine and other chemicals, Cycle to put in the beneficial bacteria the fish need and for keeping goldfish also use Waste Control it will help keep the Ammonias and Nitrites at normal levels in the tank. It takes at least a full month for a tank to cycle and the clouding like the others have said is part of the cycling. Goldfish are very hardy though n it should live through all this.
 

AneesasMuse

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I agree... this tank is entirely too small for a goldfish, in spite of what the fish store people will tell the masses. :evil:

A goldfish needs minimum 10g at 3" and more as it grows... the "inch per gallon" rule does NOT apply to goldfish or cichlids or plecos, etc. Don't get me started!

Since you are unable to have a proper sized tank at the moment, do 100% water changes 2-3 times a week FAITHFULLY! Use a water conditioner like Prime by SeaChem with each change. You can lose the filter and substrate, deco, etc. until you have a large enough tank that will properly cycle with the bioload your goldie puts out.

Don't feed your goldfish very much... a tiny pinch that it will consume within 5-10 minutes... NO MORE. It will beg and beg for food, but be strong and only feed it a little meal once a day. I have 2 "feeders" from 1998... Wilbur and Dorothy (my 1st graders named 'em).. and they get one meal once a day. Both of my goldies are strong and healthy... each almost 10" in length. Wilbur can throw water clear across the livingroom {D and Dorothy will "hoover" half your finger up her face before you can blink... you have to watch that girl when she feels playful! :rolleyes:

Good luck keeping your goldfish alive in this setup.. it can be done, but it will take some dedication with its minimal size.
 

EAD063

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Sorry for not being able to read all those long (but im sure very useful :)) replies, so if this is repeated, I apologize.

A little trick I've used having fish breeding experience in the past (often using bare tanks also), adding gravel to the bottom, even a realitivly small amount, helps establish the algae and bacteria colonies which the biosystem needs can be your best friend at controlled levels (clears up cloudiness, helps break down left over food and waste ect) but your worst enemy when it's out of control (green "sludgly" algae filled tank), as we've all seen.:8o Best of luck!
 
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