Hi all 
I rescued a goldfish from a friend of a friend yesterday. The poor thing is about 5 inches (including tail) and was kept in a plastic tank about 15 x 7 x 9 inches with no light, filter, gravel or plants. The tank was only filled about half full and you apparently couldn't see through to the other side because the water was so dirty - they cleaned the tank out before we picked it up (no water conditioner used). I think they have had this fish for a long time in these conditions and said they just wanted it to die so they could be rid of it.
When they agreed that we could take it we went out and bought a 3ft tank, gravel, light, filter and pump. We brought it home and it just sat at the bottom of the old tank while we set up it's new home. She had no room to swim about so just sat there pooing white oily poo. We obviously couldn't cycle the new tank as desperate times call for desperate measures, so we took some plants out of one of our tropical tanks to help things along a little. She seemed to find it very difficult to swim against the current at first but is now swimming about and appears to be liking her new home.
We have done a water test tonight and the results are Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 5 and pH 7.6. We are going to continue doing water tests every day for a while and small water changes if these are needed to bring any ammonia down.
Anyway, on to my questions now. Firstly, the end plan for this little fishy is that my friend is going to take her when she can make room for a tank (I took the fish yesterday because it was going to take a few months for my friend to rescue the fish herself and I couldn't leave it in that state), although someone else I know who has a garden pond has today said they would take her. In the meantime I wanted to get some tankmates for her. I have minnows in with my tropical fish and wanted to get some more anyway. Would these be suitable (as long as they are big ones) and is there anything else that could go with the goldfish and then later into a tropical tank?
Secondly, is there anything else we can do for Mrs Goldfish to make her more comfortable?
Sorry it's so long.
I rescued a goldfish from a friend of a friend yesterday. The poor thing is about 5 inches (including tail) and was kept in a plastic tank about 15 x 7 x 9 inches with no light, filter, gravel or plants. The tank was only filled about half full and you apparently couldn't see through to the other side because the water was so dirty - they cleaned the tank out before we picked it up (no water conditioner used). I think they have had this fish for a long time in these conditions and said they just wanted it to die so they could be rid of it.
When they agreed that we could take it we went out and bought a 3ft tank, gravel, light, filter and pump. We brought it home and it just sat at the bottom of the old tank while we set up it's new home. She had no room to swim about so just sat there pooing white oily poo. We obviously couldn't cycle the new tank as desperate times call for desperate measures, so we took some plants out of one of our tropical tanks to help things along a little. She seemed to find it very difficult to swim against the current at first but is now swimming about and appears to be liking her new home.
We have done a water test tonight and the results are Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 5 and pH 7.6. We are going to continue doing water tests every day for a while and small water changes if these are needed to bring any ammonia down.
Anyway, on to my questions now. Firstly, the end plan for this little fishy is that my friend is going to take her when she can make room for a tank (I took the fish yesterday because it was going to take a few months for my friend to rescue the fish herself and I couldn't leave it in that state), although someone else I know who has a garden pond has today said they would take her. In the meantime I wanted to get some tankmates for her. I have minnows in with my tropical fish and wanted to get some more anyway. Would these be suitable (as long as they are big ones) and is there anything else that could go with the goldfish and then later into a tropical tank?
Secondly, is there anything else we can do for Mrs Goldfish to make her more comfortable?
Sorry it's so long.
