Goldfish Water Temp & More...

pctech

pctech

AC Members
May 1, 2007
11
0
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WI
Hello, I look forward to long term freshwater aquarist opinions and helpful information.

I am a proud owner of a 29g tank using a whisper 60 (hob) and a Rena XP3 using the sprayer attachment; the cannister has floss and Bio-Sorb in top half and bottom half contains ceramic bio material and bio sponge material cut into small squares (around 1.5 inches) (this is the topmost tray). The middle tray contains bio ceramics pieces it the top compartment and bio sponge cut into small squares in the lower compartment. The lower tray has the factory filter media 20 & 30 material.

I do not use a heater.
I have 3 stick on thermometers; 1 on front & 2 on the sides.

I was using tetras water conditioner but recently started using Stress Coat and Stress Enzyme and Cycle. I also use aquarium salt in my tank using package recommended dosings.

I have 5 fancies (around 3") and 1 Moore (around 2.75") (Goldfish) and 13 Danios (started with 15; lost 2) (around 1.5") in my tank.
I started out first day with these fish after doesing the tank with a bacteria that the pet store had in a small fridge.

I have a gravel bed , 2 medium size lava rocks and a drift wood tree stump along with fake plants. I have a long bubbler hose routed around the back edges of the tank to halfway around the sides.

I installed the XP3 around 5 days ago. Because of bacteria blooms ( i think its called); fine white cloudiness (more like a haze of fog). Now my water is crystal clear.

Questions:
As far as bio material for center tray for XP3, do i need to spend the $30 + and get the Bio Ceramic Rings and Bio Starts? Is there better material or more material i could add to the trays or inside the tank?

If I changed the water say 30% each day, does it decrease my bacteria levels or does the bacteria just grow on objects?
Does it hurt the fish to do frequent water changes?
Water is the deal with "Distilled" water. Should i use it to clean filter material when adding to the tank of just use some removed tank water?


I imagine my tank is overstocked from what I have been reading; is it going to be possible to keep this amount of fish for around 3 more months till I get a 55 or 100 gal tank?

If i get a 100 gal tank will my existing filters be enough to filter the 100 gal tank efficiently?

What color is the beneficial bacteria?

I have been testing my water every 2 - 3 days and my amonia appears to be around .25 ppm (using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals
Freshwater Master Test Kit). All other test appear normal as for as instructions; ph around 7.4 to 7.6, nitrate and nitrite levels are 0 and around 40 (not sure which number belongs to the appropriate word but the numbers are what was recommend to be for tank with goldfish). What can i do to keep the amonia at 0?

I was doing water changes every 2 to 3 days. I am trying to go weekly now. How often should it be changed once water tests stay at norm?

Carbon... I have read alot of aquarist dont care for it unless the tank needs it. Should I not use the carbon in the filters for the Whisper 60? Can carbon be removed and put in ziploc bag to use again later?

Water temp has climbed to 80 degrees and I dont know what to do to drop it? What should I do?? I cant afford to run the AC to keep the home 72 degrees.

Is the brown stuff that sticks to the plants and on the pieces of slate fish waste, algae or what? Should I just was 1 or 2 at a time or all things in the aquarium? How should i clean the Lava rocks?

Any other tips are appreciated... And I will probably add more questions to this when I think of them.
Thanks!!
 
Last edited:
pctech said:
Questions:
As far as bio material for center tray for XP3, do i need to spend the $30 + and get the Bio Ceramic Rings and Bio Starts? no, you're overstocked, and your tank's cycle isn't complete Is there better material or more material i could add to the trays or inside the tank? no need for now.

If I changed the water say 30% each day, does it decrease my bacteria levels or does the bacteria just grow on objects? bacteria grow on objets - the beneficial stuff anyway
Does it hurt the fish to do frequent water changes? no, its actually recommended.
Water is the deal with "Distilled" water. distilled is free of ions that cause hard water. Should i use it to clean filter material when adding to the tank of just use some removed tank water? Clean the filter material in old tank water in a bucket.


I imagine my tank is overstocked from what I have been reading; yes it is is it going to be possible to keep this amount of fish for around 3 more months till I get a 55 or 100 gal tank? from my calcs, you went with the 1" per gallon rule. Goldfish are dirty, and probably at the most, you should have only 3-4 big goldfish (3")

If i get a 100 gal tank will my existing filters be enough to filter the 100 gal tank efficiently? not sure of the rena's capacity, but canister filters lose some flow after adding those baskets. Just take your flow rates of all filters, and if they are greater or equal to 5x tank size (in this case, 500gallons/hr or more), you're good.

What color is the beneficial bacteria? :huh:

I have been testing my water every 2 - 3 days and my amonia appears to be around .25 ppm (using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals
Freshwater Master Test Kit). All other test appear normal as for as instructions; ph around 7.4 to 7.6, nitrate and nitrite levels are 0 and around 40 (not sure which number belongs to the appropriate word but the numbers are what was recommend to be for tank with goldfish). What can i do to keep the amonia at 0? get rid of some fish. Then continue to do water changes every day to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.25.

I was doing water changes every 2 to 3 days. I am trying to go weekly now. How often should it be changed once water tests stay at norm? with your bioload, every 2-3 days

Carbon... I have read alot of aquarist dont care for it unless the tank needs it. Should I not use the carbon in the filters for the Whisper 60? Can carbon be removed and put in ziploc bag to use again later? carbon is not really necessary. Its great for polishing the water and removing meds. That's you personal decision to remove or not

Water temp has climbed to 80 degrees and I dont know what to do to drop it? What should I do?? I cant afford to run the AC to keep the home 72 degrees. does the tank get direct sun? Keep it shaded

Is the brown stuff that sticks to the plants and on the pieces of slate fish waste, algae or what? Most likely blue green algae, or cyanobacteria. Mostly harmless, but not very aesthetic Should I just was 1 or 2 at a time or all things in the aquarium? How should i clean the Lava rocks? your tank hasn't cycled yet. I'd recommend leaving everything where they are until the cycle is completed, then go to town with you cleaning.
Click to expand...

I hope this helps a little.
 
If you keep up with the water changes, your tank will last 3 months before getting a 55 or 100. Just do lots of water changes.
 
I imagine my tank is overstocked from what I have been reading; yes it is is it going to be possible to keep this amount of fish for around 3 more months till I get a 55 or 100 gal tank? from my calcs, you went with the 1" per gallon rule. Goldfish are dirty, and probably at the most, you should have only 3-4 big goldfish (3") Would the tank still be considered overstocked if I removed the Danios (leaving the six goldies)?

If i get a 100 gal tank will my existing filters be enough to filter the 100 gal tank efficiently? not sure of the rena's capacity, (Renas capacity is suppose to be 350 gph) but canister filters lose some flow after adding those baskets. Just take your flow rates of all filters (are you saying for me to measure it manually or take flow rates from manufacturer labeling), and if they are greater or equal to 5x tank size (in this case, 500gallons/hr or more), you're good.

What color is the beneficial bacteria? :huh:

I have been testing my water every 2 - 3 days and my amonia appears to be around .25 ppm (using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals
Freshwater Master Test Kit). All other test appear normal as for as instructions; ph around 7.4 to 7.6, nitrate and nitrite levels are 0 and around 40 (not sure which number belongs to the appropriate word but the numbers are what was recommend to be for tank with goldfish). What can i do to keep the amonia at 0? get rid of some fish. Then continue to do water changes every day to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.25.

I was doing water changes every 2 to 3 days. I am trying to go weekly now. How often should it be changed once water tests stay at norm? with your bioload, every 2-3 days (Once my Bio-Load is correct for the tank and things have stabalized, how often should the water be changed?)

Carbon... I have read alot of aquarist dont care for it unless the tank needs it. Should I not use the carbon in the filters for the Whisper 60? Can carbon be removed and put in ziploc bag to use again later? carbon is not really necessary. Its great for polishing the water and removing meds. That's you personal decision to remove or not. So when you medicate, you take out carbon, correct? How long do you leave it out for medication to work (Say fish has lost some scales on it side from improperly siphoning the tank)?

Water temp has climbed to 80 degrees and I dont know what to do to drop it? What should I do?? I cant afford to run the AC to keep the home 72 degrees. does the tank get direct sun? Keep it shaded Aquarium is in living room in the middle of the room next to the entertainment studio, Direct light never hits it. Is there a safe way to drop the temperature?

Also I have 2 five gallon bucket that I use to do water changes. I fill the buckets with tap water and add conditioner and then let it set 2 days to adjust to room temperature. Should I wait to put conditioner in until I am almost ready to do a water change or does it matter when you add the conditioner? How long does it typically take for 5 gallons of water to get to room temperature? I read somewhere that you could put tap water in the tank and immediately add the conditioner, is that safe?


Is the brown stuff that sticks to the plants and on the pieces of slate fish waste, algae or what? Most likely blue green algae, or cyanobacteria. Mostly harmless, but not very aesthetic Should I just was 1 or 2 at a time or all things in the aquarium? How should i clean the Lava rocks? your tank hasn't cycled yet. I'd recommend leaving everything where they are until the cycle is completed, then go to town with you cleaning. So just let it build up until the cycle process is done... ok, whats the best way to clean that brown stuff off the lava rock (since its surface is porous and rough)? Or is it a good idea not to clean it because good bacteria will grow on it?

I hope this helps a little. It is very helpful, I appreciate you answers
 
If you want to hold all the goldfish together you will need at min a 70g. Thats not including the dinos.

I googled the rena xp3 it seems it is for up to 180. I would replace the whisper with a emperor bio wheel or a penguin biowheel( a bit cheaper then the emperor)

The bacteria is microscopic.

The label or instructions on the meds should tell you when you can put your carbon back in. With most meds you do a water change 24 hours after the last dose. I think it will be fine to put it back after the water change.

To get the ammonia at zero you need to keep doing water changes try feeding the fish less also.

It depends. My goldfish tank does not seem to need water changes that often, but most peoples do. My tank reads fine doing 25% every 2 weeks. But everyones tank is a bit different. If you feed your fish a lot you will need to do it more.
 
Tell me this is good news...
Water tests tonight are as follows:
pH 7.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40

Has this thing actually completed cycling? I started with fish around 2 - 3 months now.... Water is nice and clear finally (still getting the brown stuff on the rocks and plants). :duh:
 
pctech said:
I have 5 fancies (around 3") and 1 Moore (around 2.75") (Goldfish) and 13 Danios (started with 15; lost 2) (around 1.5") in my tank.
Click to expand...
goldfish are cold water fish. danios are tropical. they need different water temps.
Jessu said:
I googled the rena xp3 it seems it is for up to 180. I would replace the whisper with a emperor bio wheel or a penguin biowheel( a bit cheaper then the emperor)

It depends. My goldfish tank does not seem to need water changes that often, but most peoples do. My tank reads fine doing 25% every 2 weeks. But everyones tank is a bit different. If you feed your fish a lot you will need to do it more.
Click to expand...
even if a tank seems not to need water changes they do. most of the stuff you remove when doing a water change you cant test for.
 
If i get a 100 gal tank will my existing filters be enough to filter the 100 gal tank efficiently? not sure of the rena's capacity, (Renas capacity is suppose to be 350 gph) but canister filters lose some flow after adding those baskets. Just take your flow rates of all filters (are you saying for me to measure it manually or take flow rates from manufacturer labeling), and if they are greater or equal to 5x tank size (in this case, 500gallons/hr or more), you're good.
Click to expand...

350gph is max with no media. when the media is in there they claim its 187gph. most people go for 5x-10x turn over rate per hour. 100gal goldfish tank i would go with a 2-3 rena xp3.




I have been testing my water every 2 - 3 days and my amonia appears to be around .25 ppm (using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals
Freshwater Master Test Kit). All other test appear normal as for as instructions; ph around 7.4 to 7.6, nitrate and nitrite levels are 0 and around 40 (not sure which number belongs to the appropriate word but the numbers are what was recommend to be for tank with goldfish). What can i do to keep the amonia at 0? get rid of some fish. Then continue to do water changes every day to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.25.
Click to expand...
you should shoot for 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and 10-20 nitrate. water change will get the ammonia down. over feeding and over stocking and not doing water chagnes is what causes water problems.

I was doing water changes every 2 to 3 days. I am trying to go weekly now. How often should it be changed once water tests stay at norm? with your bioload, every 2-3 days (Once my Bio-Load is correct for the tank and things have stabalized, how often should the water be changed?)
Click to expand...

you should do weekly water changes. 25%-50% a week. i do 50% water changes or more weekly on my tanks.


Water temp has climbed to 80 degrees and I dont know what to do to drop it? What should I do?? I cant afford to run the AC to keep the home 72 degrees. does the tank get direct sun? Keep it shaded Aquarium is in living room in the middle of the room next to the entertainment studio, Direct light never hits it. Is there a safe way to drop the temperature?
Click to expand...
open the lid if you have one. put a fan over it. a short term thing is use frozen bottles of water. i always have a couple bottles just in case.
 
Mgamer20o0 said:
goldfish are cold water fish. danios are tropical. they need different water temps.

even if a tank seems not to need water changes they do. most of the stuff you remove when doing a water change you cant test for.
Click to expand...

:duh:
I though if my readings were good then the water was good.
What is the stuff you cant test for?
 
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