Help Needed

[tonk]

hello all
i do want to be a responsible fishowner before jumping in i should of learn about this before that is why i chose coldwater fish as i thought they was be easier to care for
i have brought a big tank for coldwater fish i think i am haveing second thoughts now everything is going wrong
the pet shop is not very helpful i now gather they will just sell me anything
i think the tank was used before me for marine fish i think i need a new fitler styem mine is in the tank but separate from the fish it has three glass parts that sucks the fish food,pooh etc then the next compartment has lots of sponges then a brick then pumps it is a stunning tank but the filter part looks like it is dated
what is a good filter to buy also is it easy to put in a new one
i have 4 about 3 inch goldfish 2 black moors 3 fantails 5 nminnows
one of my moors behaviour has been funny today one minute he is swimming around fine then the next minute he goes into the corner and stays there for about ten minutes just in the corner looking dead
yesterday the water was really clouded i paniced then came across a live chat room on fish members helped me told me to do a part water clean which i did it now looks clear the water in my tank they said they think i was feeding my fish to much
i dont want my new hobby to go all wrong and kill my lovely new pets
any tips/advice
also what testings kits do i need to buy
also do i need a gravel vac
thank you all
going to do my homework on this great site

 

[Ian H]

right firstly welcome

have you ever heard of the cycle? in your filter you have bacteria growing that converts the toxins created by fish poo/rotting food ect (ammonia) into nitrIte then into nitrAte. the cloudy water will have been a bacteria bloom caused by the amount of ammonia (gold fish are massive pooers!)

How big is your tank? i doubt you were told how big goldfish actually get when you got them so unless its a HUGE tank i think your best off re-homing some of them

your options are:

give all the fish back and do a fishless cycle
get some mature filter media from anyone with a mature tank
do daily water changes (about 30% i think) for the next couple of weeks/months
buy some bio-spira (us only, the uk has its own version but not sure on the name)

as for testing kit you need something that will test ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte. The test strips are rubbish so go with a liquid test kit. Most people on here use the API master kit brilliant set with everything you need including a ph test (not usually needed with goldfish as far as im aware but handy non the less)

a gravel vac is a must to clean all the poo up otherwise it will just add too much ammonia when it rots. Some fast growing plants will also help you if your keeping the fish since they will take in some of the ammonia.

theres loads more but try and understand about the cycle first. When you work that out everything else makes alot more sence

 

[tonk]

hello
thank you for your help
i will try to learn about the cycle asap
i purchased the fish from my local pet shop i will not do this again i will use a good fish retailers as she sold me fantails,veiltails,moors,and goldfish and shubunkins
i when back to the shop today telling her my moor is acting funny liked upset looking dead (but now for some reason he is fine doing lovely)she now tells me dont keep goldfish with my other fish (yet she sold them me together) because the goldfish can be bullies they will bully the little ones is the right
as for the tank it is 5 foot long 3 foot wide and four foot deep
the tank was secondhand it already hand a filter stytem in the tank but separate from the fish
do i need to get rid of my goldfish which i have four they are about three inches long or will they live happily with my other fish without bulling
thank you for your help/advice

 

[Ian H]

bloody hell thats a decent tank then!! i would be more worried about the goldfish eating the minnows rather than bullying tbh

For a tank that size it will take bloody ages to cycle. A fish in cycle would also be a pain in the ass since you will have to be doing HUGE water changes. Are you 100% sure about the dimentions though? that seems amazingly big, i mean 4 foot deep! to clean the gravel you would have to get in the bloody thing! any pics of it?

 

[tonk]

no sorry its 5 foot long 3 foot wide 3 foot deep( not 4 foot) holds 1276 litres of water
i will try to get some pics of it

 

[fiskkeeperpro]

buy some bio-spira (us only, the uk has its own version but not sure on the name)

Its called Soll Bactinettes in the UK

Will

 

[Luketendo]

also what testings kits do i need to buy - Freshwater Testing Kit (pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate.)
also do i need a gravel vac - I never used one, but I think it's a good idea.

 

[tonk]

i have tryed adding these pics

 

[vinylman]

The Goldfish won't necessarily bully the others, it's just that fancy coldwater fish are, basically, crap at swimming, and will always be beaten to food by the more agile fish. If you want a tank of Moors,etc., I'd take the Goldfish back and just keep the fancies. When Goldfish grow, they grow big, and they get VERY messy. Obviously you have a very large tank (lucky so-and-so!!) so if you want to keep just Goldfish then the usual guide is 20 gallons of water for the first one, then an additional 10G for each extra fish.

 

[Stacey13]

So you're tank is 337 US gallons and you have 14 fish, the largest being about 3 inches?? If that is the case I wouldn't worry to much about doing a fish cycle, that is a huge volume of water. Definately, though, go buy the test kits. Those should be considered equipment for anyone with an aquarium. I would also recommend you get yourself some Prime. Prime will temporarily detoxify any ammonia/ nitrite present until you're filter catches up.
Regarding you're filter... it seems you are describing a sump filter? That is a tank underneath the main tank, partitioned into compartments which hold your media? If that is also the case, then you are already using the best filter for a tank that size.
Get the test kits, and let us know you're results. Don't add any new fish yet.

 

[Ian H]

sorry to keep on about it but are you 100% sure on the dimensions? that really doesnt look like it is a 5x3x3 to me it looks like a 4/3ft length x 1.5ft height x 1ft depth but i've got nothing to measure it against I'm not saying your lying but perhaps you were told wrong? The size/amount it holds makes a massive difference as to what fish it can hold.

 

[tonk]

hi all members
thanks for the help again
yes Ian H you are right i was told it was that size but now i have measured it myself it is
4 foot long
2 & a half foot deep
2 foot wide
4ft long
2.5ft deep
2ft wide

 

[tonk]

hello all
hope you are all having a good daY i have tryed to add a pic of my filter do you think i need to change this is this a sump filter?
people keep telling me differnet things how often do you need to feed the fish on the tub it says three times some people say once some say twice how many times in a week can i give them bloodworm also is bloodworm pellets better than fresh bloodworm i am sure they want something then just flakes also what algae eating fish may i add also i would like a couple more fish say 2 (not yet in the furture ) is there any other fish to add safely into my tank
thank for any tips