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New Member
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Last Login: 12/16/2011 6:53:55 AM
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| Hello, I'm new to aquariums. Recently I remodeled my house and my cousin has offered me his aquarium for my home office. However from the details he has given me and the information I have read about aquariums it sounds like it is really messed up. It is 55 gallon and has 7 goldfish (don't know the size or the type of goldfish but this sounds like too many for this size tank.) It has no filter or air pump and he has never tested the water. I don't know if he used anything like water conditioner either. He is bringing the fish and tank over tomorrow to set up in my office. I asked him not to clean the gravel and to save a couple of gallons of the used water for the bacteria. What else can I do to get this tank set up correctly and help these fish?
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Senior Member
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Last Login: 9/18/2012 3:18:11 PM
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New Member
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Last Login: 2/13/2013 5:58:41 PM
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| Sure get rid of all your fish your getting and start fresh! But if you kinda of have to keep the fish, sure clean gravel when fish are out. Its when they are still inside that it's bad. If you have light, you should add plants, snails, and shrimp. Yes get a filter, cycle, dechlorifier, and fish food. The goldfish have servived like that, so don't worry to much. A 55 gallon tank is more than enough for your 10 goldfish. Try making a nice ecosystem, adding rock caves, and plants can create new places for other types of fish that eat plants and live in the caves.
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[quote]Katorin (12/16/2011)
Get a proper filter for the tank, either HOB or cannister.
Get rid of the goldfish, see if you can trade them for something else at a LFS.
Get yourself a test kit, and test your water, please post your numbers here.
If you want to keep tropical fish, you'll need a heater rated for your tank size.[/quote]
agreed, it's best to trade in the goldfish and start anew. definitely test the water, for pH, kH, GH, nitrites, ammonia, and nitrates.
[quote]FreshWaterAquariumGuy (12/17/2011)
Sure get rid of all your fish your getting and start fresh!
But if you kinda of have to keep the fish, sure clean gravel when fish are out. Its when they are still inside that it's bad. If you have light, you should add plants, snails, and shrimp. Yes get a filter, cycle, dechlorifier, and fish food.
The goldfish have servived like that, sodon't worry to much. A 55 gallon tank is more than enough for your 10 goldfish.
Try making a nice ecosystem, adding rock caves, and plants can create new places for other types of fish that eat plants and live in the caves.[/quote]
there is a very large, defined line between surviving and thriving. it would be better for him to start fresh as that many goldfish will just be cramped in that setup and pollute it very quickly.
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New Member
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Last Login: 3/26/2012 10:02:56 PM
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| Try to trade the goldfish for smaller tropical fish that produce less waste. After that you need to overhaul the tank, but dont completely overhaul it. Make sure the gravel and water retain cultured somewhat. Let it re-cycle, not the full two weeks. Maybe a little less then a week. Then buy a HOB filter and let that culture for a bit. After that just get a heater set up and your ready to go. It sounds a lot worse then it actually is. It should be simple and straightforward enough.
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Last Login: 10/20/2012 9:58:59 AM
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I think some terminology may help.
HOB - This means 'hang on the back' filter. Here's a link to the online section from PetSmart: http://www.petsmart.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2769128 Make sure to get one that is rated for you size tank. There are other types of filters but this is the most common, inexpensive and, probably, appropriate one. It just fits over the lip on the back of the tank (like the picture).
Light - Hopefully there's some sort of light. Unless you plan to place the tank in a very well lit location you need to buy some sort of light. A lot of people like the light to be part of the "hood" which covers the top of the tank. I don't personally like having a hood but if you get fish that jump out then you kinda have to. This light should not be on 24 hours a day. It needs to go on in the morning and off at night. I use a timer. As long as it physically fits on the tank you're going in the right direction, how much light you want is up to you. I have 400 watts on a 100 gallon tank but I grow live plants. If you end up with 50 watts, and you like it, I think you're okay. I would suggest you get whatever seems to be the same size as the tank unless you want real plants in the gravel. Then I don't have enough details to suggest anything specific.
Heater - Determine the fish you want (current gold fish or otherwise). Then figure out what the right temperature would be (this is dependent on the types of fish). Only keep fish in the tank which are meant for the same temperature water. Buy a heater appropriate for the size tank (will say so on the package). Set the temperature (most have a dial you set with degrees on it) and place it in the tank. Once it reaches that temperature it should maintain it all on it's own. I don't really recall but I thought 72 degrees was the setting for most community tropical tanks. I don't know about gold fish though, for some reason I thought they liked colder water. My fish, discus, like water around 82ish degrees.
Water Conditioner - If you are using tap water it is usually chlorinated which is usually harmful to fish. There are many liquid products which remove chlorine and chloramine. Your local pet shop should have quite the selection. If you aren't using tap water...well I don't have any experience and can't help.
Decoration - Gravel is fine for substrate, very common. Some plastic plants, wood, whatever floats your boat should be added. Most fish like to be able to hide and not just have it be wide open. Unless you are getting some specific species whatever you like should be selected. Just make sure it is meant for aquariums. Don't go putting whatever you have around the house (this includes wood, stones, rocks, pots, toys, etc.). There really are endless possibilities. Some fish really do want a place to hide. Make sure you look up each fish before you buy it. There's tons of free information on the internet.
Water Changes - Every now and then you need to take water out, clean up the poop and put new water in (you'll understand why after you read the article linked below about cycling). Make sure to always use water conditioner while doing this otherwise you may be introducing chlorine again. How often you do this depends on the fish and your opinion. Personally, I do 50% changes in my water every weekend. I use something called a python which attaches to my faucet. http://www.pythonproducts.com/aqprod.html This is also a good time to vacuum up poop and scrape off any algae built up on the glass.
Now that you have the basics, you need to get that filter capable of "cleaning" your water. This doesn't happen right away as bacteria needs to build up in the actual filter medium. This is called "cycling" the tank. Read this pinned topic for more detail. http://board.fishchannel.com/Topic158151-19-1.aspx
Now that you understand cycling, you can get to testing your water. While I feel this to be a requirement for new hobbyists, not everyone feels that its necessary. For the first few months of setting up any tank, I'm always checking the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels. Checking for chlorine/chloramine is great too. I like the drops, not the test strips but as long as you are trying, good on ya.
Good luck.
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Swifty
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