What is the best type of filter to use in a 10 gallon tank (containing goldfish)?

Question

My daughter bought a 10 gallon tank out of her birthday money about 2 years ago. I told her to start off with goldfish until she got the hang of caring for fish, 2 years later the bloody fish are still alive!! LOL. They stink to high heaven, LOL, but she doesn't want to get rid of them, she bought 4 fish (3 goldfish and 1 algea eater). I clean the tank about once a week (I don't take all the water out) and change the filter but it still stinks. I want to get her a better filter (and hopefully that will help) right now she has one that hangs on the outside of the tank with a pipe/tube going inside to suck the "stuff" out (it came with the tank) What's the best type of filter to use for those SMELLY buggers? LOL

Answer 1

I recommend Whisper filters from Tetra or Aqua Tech filters but aqua tech is harder to clean.

Answer 2

I agree. The tank smells because it's overstocked. At some point in the near future, the fish will be getting sick because the tank will not handle that fish load. Been there... done that!

Until you can get a larger tank, you need to step up partial water changes. I'd do 50% partial water changes every few days, making sure to dechlorinate and match the change water temperature to that of the tank. You need to be vacuuming the gravel when you do partial water changes. Also, when you do partial water changes, clean the filter pad in discarded tank water so as not to kill you biofilter bacteria. with all those fish in the tank, you really need to protect your biofilter or the water will get toxic and the fish will die. Fresh carbon added to the filter may also help.

Here's a good goldfish caresheet
http://thegab.org/Articles/GoldfishBasics.html

Assuming the algae eater isn't a common pleco (which get HUGE and shouldn't be kept with goldies). You need at least a 30 gallon tank and a filter that moves 10 times the gallons in the tank per hour. A 55 gallon tank would make life a lot easier. If you can't get a larger tank right now, a large rubbermaid tub would work. I'd move any gravel and decorations, run the existing filter on it and add a second filter that moves at least 200 gallons per hour.

Here a good summary of water quality and filtration.
http://dataguru.org/misc/aquarium/waterinfo.html
I like the aquaclear filters that hang on the back of the aquarium. The reason I like the aquaclears is they have a reusable sponge for mechanical filtration and also have plenty of room for biomedia (where your biofilter bacteria can grow).

Answer 3

You've got the best type of filter. You could add another one if it isn't doing the trick, and if you aren't doing water changes at all try changing out 25% of the water each week and using a 'gravel sucker' to clean the gravel every week.
The problem you're having is actually with your fish. Goldfish are very dirty fish. Also, it's possible they are being fed too much. More food = more fish poop = dirtier water.
If you think she's ready to move on to other fish it may be time to try tropicals. Some fish stores will accept donated fish, which will give you a place to take your goldfish. If you live in a very temperate climate they would also probaby survive in a pond or outdoor fishpool.
If you decide to do this talk to your local fish store, they'll tell you how to start a new tank and how many and what kind of fish to use for it.
Good luck!

Answer 4

You generally want to run a filter that filters the water 10x per gallon for goldfish.

goldfish are very dirty creatures that foul up their water. They stink becuase they are sitting in their urine. A 10 gallon tank isnt sufficient for them and they are essentially soaking in ammonia.

Using carbon in the filter will help remove the smell and coloration but she needs to get a bigger tank for them now if she's going to keep them.

Have her pick up an ammonia test and test the water. She'll feel very bad to see her beloved fish soaking in what is basically urine. If you are having to clean the water that often they are already too big for that tank.

Any kind of hang on back filter, a penguin brand you can purchase at WalMart, should be fine. You probably want to get one that is somewhere between 75 and 125 gallons per hour and throw away the filters monthly. Change out the carbon bi weekly and remember to feed a little less and use a gravel vacuum to clean out the detritus (poo)

If her current filter isnt working she either got one too small or isnt keeping it clean. There is a LOT of work to having goldfish. They will live int he worst conditions and are subject to more abuse than any other animal I can think of.

Answer 5

i could recommend a 30 gallon filter out. i like my Marineland Penguin one hundred fifty, yet aquaclears are advantageous, as are some others. optimistically you plan on upgrading however. 2 Fancy goldfish (get to 9in) choose a 30 gallon tank and 2 trouble-unfastened goldfish (get to 12in+) choose a hundred+ gallons with double the filtration for the two types. as an occasion I even have 2 fantail goldfish in a 30 gallon tank with a 70 gallon aquaclear filter out. I in no way have any water high quality issues and jointly as I do weekly water variations i ought to in all possibility have been given 2 to 3 weeks with out seeing intense nitrate readings. area of it particularly is my great Hornwort plant that looks to suck up all nitrates lol. Even decrease than particularly low easy.

Answer 6

use a 'biowheel'. They keep the bacteria alive best, and when you change the filter itself, there is still bacteria in the special wheel on the filter so that the bacteria levels of the tank don't drop. It sounds like your daughter probably overfeeds a bit, and you change the filter too often. The filter holds crucial bacteria that break down leftover food and fish waste.

Best of luck!

Answer 7

i prefer marinelands bio wheel filters, with the exception of my 125 gall, which has a canister filter all of my other 7 tanks have bio wheel filters including my gold fish tank. Also it will reach a point where regardless of filtration the tank size will be to small for the fish you have. to judge this for your self you want to measure from head to tail and give each fish including the plecostomus, around 2-3 gall of water per inch. Most goldfish depending on species grow anywhere from 6-14 inches, plecos 8-24 inches dependent on species.

Answer 8

It stinks because its overstocked. Baby-juvenile fancy goldfish NEED 10 gallons PER fish. (orandas, ryukins, fantails, moors, ect.) Baby-juvenile long bodied goldfish NEED 20 gallons PER fish. (comets, commons, shubunkins, feeder goldfish). Adult fancy goldfisn need 50 gallons per fish and adult long bodied goldfish need no less then a pond. Also goldfish have lifespans of 30 plus yrs. What you need to do is upgrade tank size or find the fish a better home. I hope you dont have a common pleco in there. Plecos grow to be 2 ft long and always develop a taste for the slime coat on goldfish and will kill the goldfish. Plecos need supplementation with algae wafers, veggies such as cucumbers, zuccini, and driftwood for fiber aswell as algae. They poop as much as goldfish do so for the amount of fish you have in that horrifyingly small tank, 40 percent waterchanges should be done twice a week atleast. Where the gravel is vacumed with a siphon to remove the fish poop and excess food. You should also have atleast a whisper 20 or 30 hang on the back filter on there. By the way goldfish are the worst fish for begginers they are so high maitenance and live a very long time.

Answer 9

The only way to get rid of the smell would be to get rif of those fish or to get a bigger tank. 10 gallons is WAY too small for goldfish, your filter is being overloaded and your goldfish are going to die prematurely.

Answer 10

There are many filters to choose from, just go to your local pet store.