advice on starting aquarium?

Question

hi, yesterday my son won a goldfish and small (2ltre) tank ...today we have been and bought a 43 ltre aquarium with built in filter system and air pump, which my husband has always wanted.. we have set it up and has been with water since early afternoon.. how soon can we introduce goldfish to its new home? i have partially cleaned out its small tank as its looking murky and i am aware of amonia, which i cant see, since doing this the fish has started swimming as though it is agitated and frequently rises to surface as thouhg sucking at air.. can anyone give me any sensible advice as what to do short term? i really dont want to lose this fish, my son has already given it a name..'chocolate cake' (hes only 2) thankyou in advance
steph

since writing this question the small tank has become even more murky... would it be safe to transfer the fish to another container so i can empty small tank... i have decided he can go in tank after 24 hours, its not a massive thing and its a much better environment than what hes in now. i know it was a quick decision to have a fish but we have one now and want it to live and be healthy.... any other advice to keep him healthy will be much appreciated..i have booklets and web pages to look at but i think advice from experienced fish keepers would be more appreciated...thanks again
steph

Answer 1

Hi Steph, The most important thing right now is to ensure your water is treated to remove chlorine & other heavy metals as these are killers. Your local fish store will have a plentiful supply.

Regarding the ammonia-you cannot see it but it will be there & rapidly increasing-as the fish perspires ammonia from it's gills as well as creating it with it's waste. Your additional info about the murky water is this waste accumulating. I would certainly advise you not to wait 24 hours but to put him in his new tank now-there is no way the new tank will cycle itself in any amount of time without organisms living it & right now his best chance is in a filtered, aerated environment-just ensure the new tank water is the same temperature as the container he is in now..

This must be diluted with regular partial water changes using same temperature, treated water or he will suffocate. The next few weeks will see the new tank going through what is called the 'Nitrogen Cycle'. Rather than confuse you further trying to explain this the link below does the job so much better than I could & many of the other questions that will probably crop up as well-good luck to you & Chocolate Cake!

If you have any queries or need anything clarifying please feel free to email me.

Answer 2

This is an emergency solution i did myself:

Since you have your tank already set up and it has a filter, you're doing already good
If you have the water already conditioned, you can put your goldfish in there, but

get a bag and put your goldfish in there with the old water, and float the bag on the surface of the new tank, add 1/2 cup of the new tankwater every 15 min, for up to 2 hours

After that you can just net him into his new tank, please don't wait 24 hours, he will sufficate in the bowl

Over the next weeks, you will need to test your water constantly for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates (they sell a masterkit for that at the petstore)

Keep up with daily waterchanges of 10% until there is no more ammonia present.

you will see a spike of ammonia and nitrite in the middle of the cycle process, and then start seeing nitrates starting to show and to raise

As soon as your tank is cycle, that means no ammonia present, you can stop with daily changes and just have to keep up with weekly partial waterchanges of 25% with a gravelsiphon

Also replace your carbon cartridge every 4-6 weeks, after your tank is done cycling

Leave the light on only for 10-12 hours during the day, and turn it off at night for 12-14 hours

place your tank in a place where no sun can get to it, since that is the main source for algae growth

You can also buy live plants like hornwort, cabomba and anacris for your tank, these are all coldwater plants

your tank is about 12 us gallon, so you won't be able to put another goldfish in there, but you could buy about 3 white cloud minnows for your tank

And feed your goldie twice a day, whatever he will eat in under 2 min



Hope that helps
good luck


EB



Feel free to email me for further questions

Answer 3

I would suggest getting some water conditioner (beneficial bacteria) to get the water ready for the fish. You should be able to find these at a pet store. Try to find a testing kit that tests for nitrates, nitrites, chlorine, etc. so you know when the water is ready. Don't forget to put chlorine removing drops in as well, as chlorine will kill the fish. The best thing to do is to put the water and the conditioner in the tank and let the filter cycle it for a week or so. It's also important to only feed as much as the fish can eat in a couple of minutes. Overfeeding is the most common reason that fish die, and the leftover food in the water raises the nitrate/nitrite levels.

Answer 4

I would put him in the new tank as soon as possible,normally if you are getting a tank you should let it sit for 24 hours before buying fish but in something as small as 2 litres your fish is suffering from ammonia and that is why he is going to the top and the water is cloudy so you want to get him in something bigger soon.

Make sure you have treated the water to remove chlorine and you will need to research cycling your tank.Here is simple explanation about cycling:
http://www.worldcichlids.com/faqs/cycling.html

Answer 5

You must take your time The water and aquarium have to be ready to take fish. There are a lot of chemical and biological processes going on in an aquarium,, Make sure you use an additive to remove chlorine from the water.. Short term put the fish in a b0wl with dechlorinated water(have you bought the stuff to do this) Change part of the water in the bowl daily to maitnain oxygen levels.. The large aquarium if treated properly will be ready about 2 weeks. You tried to do it all too quickly// Get a book from the pet shop.

Answer 6

your new tank should run (filters on and everything) for at least 24 hours before introducing any fish to it.

For the short term...if you have an extra air pump you can try to put a hose into the tank you have the fish into. The fish will come to the top occasionally when not in an airiated tank.

Answer 7

you should tip the fish into the larger tank with the water it is used too, this goes for when you clean the tank out as well, scoop the fish out with an old ice cream carton (4 litres size) then when you've finished cleaning the big tank and filled it with fresh tap water, poor the entire contents of the ice cream carton back. Besides a gold fish has a memory of 2seconds so wont remember much after a few seconds anyway!

Answer 8

I put fish in my tank after 24 hrs. I don't lose any fish (only old age).
The fish needs clean water thats why its swimming to the top.

Answer 9

once you get everything running and the right temperature, it shoul stay running for about 24 hours so it settles in. then put your goldie in it

Answer 10

the longer the better