Cleaning aquarium?

Question

How often do I clean a 5 gallon aquarium with 3 goldfish and 2 algae eaters. It has a filter system. The reason is I just got it Saturday and on Sunday the water very suddenly turned cloudy after I put an aerator (little ship that air pump plugs into) in. The wasn't cloudy at all till I put that in.

Answer 1

Did you rinse off the the little ship really well before plopping it in? There may have been packaging residue?

The 3 goldfish are going to dirty up that tank on a weekly basis, so change at least a gallon of water once a week. To keep water changes as cheap and chemical-free as possible, go out and buy a gallon or 2 jug of store-brand water for your first water change (or drink it!) and then fill it up with tap water as soon as you empty it. If you're changing the water weekly, that should be enough time for the chlorine to evaporate (lid off, of course) and be safe to use in your tank. I suggest keeping the jug in a closet or under a side table so there's air flow, but it won't get knocked over. Also, rinse out your filter medium(s) with some of that water to help keep them efficient and lasting a little bit longer.

Your tank isn't going to support your algae eaters yet because (I'm guessing here) there's no algae. Get a cucumber or zucchini, slice a 1/2 inch round, and weigh it down with a plant weight so the little buggers can eat it.

Answer 2

Where to start? Your tank is way too small for even one goldfish. For the fish you have now, you need at the very least, a minimum of a 50 gallon tank, and you're going to need an even bigger one than that in a couple of years when your fish grow larger. This is part of why the water is getting so cloudy. The water is also getting cloudy because you didn't cycle the water before you added fish. You need more than a little ship that pumps some air bubbles into the water. You need a full fledged filter to get rid of the ammonia and waste that these fish excrete. This also makes the water cloudy. All of these fish will die if you do not correct these problems. You need to get a 50 gallon tank or take back all of these fish and get a betta. This is the only fish that can live in this small of a tank. For a 5 gallon tank with a betta, you will need a filter for a 10 gallon tank. You will also need to have a heater with a betta. You will also need to have a thermometer so you can be sure you know that your temperature is correct. You need to learn how to cycle and tank, do proper water changes and tank cleaning and maintenance and how to test your water so you know when your tank has cycled and so you can be sure the quality stays good so that the fish don't get sick.
As it is with doing water changes for the fish load you have, you need to change 50% of the water every single day to avoid it getting toxic and killing your fish. Add some Amquel every single time you change the water. Good luck!

Answer 3

Oh, poor little fishies. They're way too cramped. Goldfish really should have 10 gallons *each*. Otherwise, you're going to always have problems with your ammonia and nitrate levels, leading to dead fish. Also, if you didn't cycle your tank (get all the chemical levels just right) before adding fish, you may have a disaster on your hands. I have a 30 gallon with three fancy goldfish, and I do a 10% water change, scrub the walls, vacuum the gravel, and change the filter once a week. With two algae eaters, you may not need to scrub the walls or vacuum the gravel as often. The link below is to a great forum that will help you out.

Answer 4

You just got a 5gal aquarium and put 5 fish in it the same day???
First of all, Your filter is doing NOTHING for your fish right now(NO biological growth= No biological filtration= Poison)
It's called Cycling your tank and filter.
Second, 2 algae EATERS with no algae= starvation.
I REALY don't mean to sound rude (honest)but I realy think you should do some research on keeping fish as pets.
Fresh or Saltwater, You have to make there HOME as close to where they NATURALY live as possable and that's NOT filling a container (Aquarium) with tap water and dumping them in, It just won't work.
Here is a good start for your reading pleasure and there are many more good sites on the internet to help you create, maintain and most of all ENJOY your new pets.
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php
I would never try to discourage ANYONE from keeping fish as pets as I started just like you and many others and went from keeping guppies in a 5gal tank to keeping live corals and inverts in a 250gal REEF tank.(I have 4 saltwater and 1 freshwater tank now)
Research and Patience will give you many years of enjoyment in the hobby.
Good luck and PLEASE bring at LEAST 4 of those poor little guys back to the store ASAP before you have to flush them.

Answer 5

You have way too many fish for that tank. Mature goldies need about 15-20 gallons each. Even little ones need 5-10 gallons each.
The tank hasn't cycled, yet with this amount of fish, there is a huge waste load that can't be broken down.
You can do 20% water changes with a gravel vac and hope for the best. Save the 5 gallon for a hospital tank and get yourself AT LEAST a 29, if you want that many goldies. Once they mature, you will need a 55 gallon.

Answer 6

Do you algae eaters have enough to eat? It sounds to me like they wouldn't get enough food. But in answer to your question, there may have just been some dust of some sort on the aerator and it blew it out into the tank. If it doesn't clear up, remove 1/3 of the water and replace every day until the water is clear again.

Answer 7

Clean it when it starts to get cloudy. Did you rinse the ship before you put in it the water? Whenever you add anything new, you should rinse it off really well. Then add a couple of drops of the water conditioner.

Answer 8

With that many goldfish and other fish, I would say 100% every hour or so, day and night.
That's too many fish and gf cannot live in 5 gallon that way. Take it all back and get ONE beta.