I have had 3 goldfish in a 20 gallon tank for about 10 days and the smell is nasty and it is clouded. should I drain the tank or???
I have done crystal clear and it has not helped
2007-08-26 14:05:20 · 7 answers · asked by Jen S 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
You are really pushing the limits of your tank with 3 gold fish. You should increase you filtration. Goldfish are messy. Activated charcoal in the filter should do the trick. Also please do a partial (20%) water change.
2007-08-26 15:05:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
It is in the middle of cycling, so you need to test and make sure the nitrites or ammonia is not too high (in which case of course you need to do a partial water change. Keep salt in the water to protect from nitrite poisoning, but the cloud suggest high toxic ammonia).
And um, have you considered cleaning the tank? It needs syphoned (the gravel), and the filter needs rinsed. Stop expecting those cheesey products to clean a tank for you. If you can't take care of the fish yourself by spending a half hour cleaning gravel and taking 20 percent of the water out once every week, then find a friend who will tkae care of the fish, or donate the fish to a pet store.
2007-08-27 00:48:30 · answer #2 · answered by boncarles 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Water treatments to help clear the water isn't what you want to do at this point. Frankly, they are a waste of money at best and often cause more problems.
Don;t empty the tank, just change about 25% of the water and siphon the gravel with a gravel siphon as you go.
You can also add fresh carbon to your filter to help remove the smell. The cloudiness is caused by a bacterial bloom and will go away on it's own in a few days.
MM
2007-08-26 14:18:43 · answer #3 · answered by magicman116 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
your tank is cycling.
test for ammonia nitrites and nitrates.
the ammonia is spiking right now b/c there is no good bacteria to convert the fish waste to nitrites, then to nitrates. and when yournitrates start to show you need to do water changes when they get above 40 ppm
if the ammonia is really high you may need to do a good water change. but i would wait. 3 goldies is a lot for a 20 gallon they get big and poop a lot. i would go with just two fancies.commons get too big for tanks.
2007-08-26 14:12:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
clean the tank 2-3 times a week it will help with the smell a lot
2007-08-26 14:11:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
change 30%on the first day then 10-15% for the next couple days using a siphon i fix a plastic 300ml coke bottle to a hose and vaccum the rocks easy to make very affective
2007-08-26 14:29:19 · answer #6 · answered by kase450 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well goldfish is quite messy eaters... they cloud the water alot and they used the bathroom alot.. jus clean the tank weekly..
2007-08-26 14:16:01 · answer #7 · answered by deemister 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋