my 3rd question about my fish(every one whose answered others,cheers)?

Question

as ive said im new to fishkeeping and a big thank you to everyone whose answered my questions.anyhoo how often should i clean my tank.its 3ft,gravel bottom,artificial plants,afew orniments and 9 fish,all diffrent types of gold fish i think.i have been cleaning the tank out once a week.i have a filter in my tank but no heater.the fish are fine and healthy.nowthat its getting colder should i get a heater.any general tips would be much appreciated..

Answer 1

With goldfish, especially that many in one tank, you HAVE TO be checking your ammonia and nitrate levels to be sure that your water isn't hurting your fish. The test kits are a little expensive ($10-15 each) but they last a long time. You should test your water ASAP and do an immediate 20% water change if you find:

* Ammonia of ANY level.
* Nitrates over 40ppm.

Test the water again the next day to see if the numbers are down to acceptable levels. If not, keep doing daily water changes until the tank is testing okay. Your fish will be healthier and live longer.

Vacuuming the gravel is important because the fish waste down there is what produces the ammonia that turns into the nitrates. If your water quality is poor, you should vacuum every time you change the water.

I vacuum my gravel weekly, and that is probably enough for your tank once you have the water quality stabilized, though you should test your water to be sure. Goldfish are much dirtier than the tropicals I keep.

Oh, RE: the heater. You don't need it. In fact, your goldfish will probably be happier when the temperatures drop. Most home's "room temperature" is a little warm for them.

Your goldfish can live 20 years or longer if you take good care of them. Good luck with them! :)

Answer 2

I have a similar set up to you and my fish have always been fine without a heater. Goldfish are fairly tough. I try to clean my filter and tank about once a week, I take about half the water out with a gravel cleaning syphon (cheap to buy at a pet shop), clean the glass and replace the water with tap water using some 'tap safe' stuff they sell at the pet shop. It's supposed to take the nasties out of tap water and make it safer for the fish. I change the filter elements about once a month. I've had this set up around a year now and all the fish have remained fit & healthy, so I must be doing something right!

Answer 3

Once a week will probably do just fine. Change about 10 percent of the water a week. Clean your gravel with a gravel vacume just the top of it try to disturb it as little as possible just vacume whats laying on top. get a algae scrubber and do the inside walls and kinda tidy up your plants in there also. Check you levels in the tank (amonia,nitrite and so on). I would try to stagger cleaning the filter at a different time than the gravel so not to disturb the benificial bacteria, and raise amonia levels. Also i would get a heater just incase, of course it depends on the fish on what temp to keep the water. Other than that seems like you've got it going good though keep it up.

Answer 4

well I change out 20% of my water once a week on my tropical fish tanks, but goldfish are pretty dirty so you should be changing 50% of the water and gravel vaccuuming once a week.

You don't need a heater for goldfish, in fact they much prefer to not have one. They are a coldwater fish and can live in ponds with a sheet of ice covering the top.

Answer 5

when you do 20 per cent water change.get small hose pipe.take water from bottom of tank .and it will pick up crap of bottom.you do not need heater for goldfish.they will live at room temp.quite happy.hope you have many happy years fish keeping.good luck. fish keeper 20 years.i started with 2 guppies in goldfish bowl.years ago. merry christmas.

Answer 6

goldfish are extreemly hardy i have one that lives in a tank with no filter and he gets cleaned out once a month and hes 3.5 years old! i wouldnt suggest doing this but dont worry too much, empty half th water every 3weeks and replace with clean fresh water, dont forget the tap safe.

Answer 7

gold fish like cold water. You can cyphon 20 percent of the water from the rocks about every three weeks since gold fish are dirtier than tropical fish.

Answer 8

i take that your tank is in the house if it is the room temperature will be warm enough for goldfish, there is no need to go to the expense of a heater

Answer 9

a tank heater is always a plus but you will have to clean it more often,depending on size and how many.....every 2 weeks