Nancy, Bioorbs And New Friends

[saramateeni]

okay... so i had two goldfish that I won at the fair. Sid is no longer with us so i now only have Nancy... Until recently she has been living in a bowl, (no filter and some pondweed - yes, I know I am bad), but recently I have purchased a baby bio-orb (i would have had a bigger tank, but I don't have the space... and Nancy missed out the Big Move (going to the big tank at my Dads) by three days, which was handy as there was a epidemic and lots of dead fish)

I didn't put any treatment in the water (the last time I did that with a Carny Fish it wasn't used to the chemicals and ended up dead. ELVIS RIP) and left to filter for 24 hours before putting Nancy in there.

She loves it - obviously, but is missing having a companion... (i don't buy all this bobbins about 3 second memories, Nancy knows who I am and she begs for food...)

I had a goldfish for 16 years (einstein, he died nine years ago and lasted longer than the cat) and know that with due care and attention that they are fab pets.... only thing is that I can tell Nancy is lonely...

The lovely people at Pets At Home have suggested I buy three White Clouds to keep her company, but after reading the forum I'm thinking that maybe they have suggested wrong... hummm.

Fish Experts, I put the question to you!

Help

 

[OohFeeshy]

In a tank so small, nothing. The baby Bi-orb (even with their atrocios stocking reccomendations) is only designed for WCMM, certainly not goldfish. Space or not- the fish needs a much, much larger tank to have any sort of quality of life.

 

[mommyof2bettas]

goldfish=20 gallons+10 gallons for each other goldy. I say wait until you get a much bigger tank (as soon as possible!) so that the goldy can have a happier life. And please cycle the tank! http/www.fishforums.net/Fishless-Cycling-t113861.html

 

[rdd1952]

And you definitely need to add dechlorinator. I'm sure the last fish didn't die from the dechlorinator but more likely from ammonia poisoning or it was diseased.

 

[saramateeni]

And you definitely need to add dechlorinator. I'm sure the last fish didn't die from the dechlorinator but more likely from ammonia poisoning or it was diseased.

seriously. it was the dechlorinator.

i did a 24 hour cycle as recommended on the bio-orb.

 

[mommyof2bettas]

erm... 24 hour cycles don't work- you shouldn't trust fish shops or back of fish tank boxes. A proper cycle lasts about 3 weeks. And dechlorinators are only harmful if you use the whole bottle or something.

 

[rdd1952]

There is no such thing as a 24-hour cycle that actually cycles the tank. Bacteria take time to build up. Nitrifying bacteria take between 15 and 30 hours to double and that's in optimal conditions which include higher pH and high temperatures (over 85 degrees). Goldfish are one of the most hardy fish in the world and could probably live for months in chlorinated water. Chlorine will actually disipate from the water in 24 hours. Chloramine on the other hand must be neutralized with dechlorinator. If your water supply doesn't have chloramine, then after 24 hours, the water would have been chlorine free anyway.

Chlorine isn't much of a problem for the fish since, as I said earlier, it disipates in about 24 hours, less than that with aeration. It's the bacteria colony that processes ammonia that is damaged and destroyed by the chorine. Some studies have even shown that dechlorinator isn't necessary at all but I'm not willing to try that yet.