Newbie Raising Goldfish - Am I Doing Something Wrong Which I Don't Know About?

kreuztraeger

kreuztraeger

guitaristwithgoldfish
Jun 20, 2006
16
0
0
I don't really have any problems, I just want to make sure I'm doing things the right way. And yet already I realize I've made some first-timer mistakes.

:duh:

I bought four common goldfish to put in a 10-gal aquarium with a power filter, gravel, and some stuff for them to swim around without bothering to cycle it first. (I used some of that stress zyme stuff that says it's supposed to jump-start the biofilter.) I change about 30% of the water every two days. And the temperature in the main tank usually varies between 74 and 78 degrees. Earlier, before I got the air conditioning fixed, it was usually between 78 and 82 degrees. (It's hotter than the rest of the room because of the incandescent lighting. The fluorescent bulbs scared the fish and seemed to be way too bright.)

Two of the goldfish developed ich infestations so I isolated them for a week. One of them is now better but I think the malachite green stained its tail a little. There's a small dark spot on the very back of the caudal fin, but no rotting away, so I don't think it's fin rot. I put that one back in the main tank. The other still has little white spots on its caudal fin so I'm keeping it isolated in a tiny bowl.

They're all still alive. The ones in the aquarium are happily flittering about.

Now what?

Oh, and I also have a female swordtail which I'm keeping in another tiny bowl. I originally had five but due to a hurry I was in I killed the others with water that hadn't yet been dechlorinated. The last swordtail seems to spend most of her time resting on the bottom. Then she sometimes jerks about and scratches against the gravel - but no sign of ich. What could be wrong with it? It's survived for days like this.
 
for starters, the tank needs to be cycled prior to putting fish in it. I don't believe that biozyme stuff works but lets work with what's going on now. For starters, 4 common goldfish in a 10 gallon tank is way over stocked. I did the same thing when starting out fish keeping and it didn't have good results but I also didn't have the internet to research either so you are in a far better position than I was. Even 1 would be throwing it over. What do you plan on doing with the fish once you've reached your cycled goal? Common goldfish can reach 2 feet in length if provided the right conditions, obviously your tank will not provide for them. Keeping them in your 10 gallon would promote growth stunting which would doom those fish. Lots and Lots of water changes are a must for this tank though since as it is now, your stocking levels are way over the top. Do you have a test kit to check the parameters of the water? By parameters, I mean pH, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites. You need to know these levels before you can figure out what's going on with your fish. Goldfish are pretty messy fish and for me, I like to keep the filtration doubled on a goldie tank than that of a tropical fish tank due to the wastes they produce..... plus a 50% water change regulated by your parameters. Your temp is a bit high for goldfish, they are a cooler water fish, especially the comets. I would say your fancier versions of goldfish (which still would not fit well in this size tank) would be ok up to 75 degrees, while the comets I would max at 72.... less for more comfort. Next, the swortails are no match for the goldies in this tank. The fish have very different needs than goldies do. They need warmer waters and a different food all together. The reamining swordtail is definitely stressing over something, perhaps with the parameters listed, we can work from there as well. If the water isn't right, it can affect the fish negatively in many ways.
 
Yikes, swordtails cannot survive in a bowl! They need space to swim and more importantly a cycled filter to remove the toxins from the water. There is probably lethal ammonia and/or nitrite in that bowl, and not enough oxygen without proper aeration. You need to do a 50% water change right away and get that fish into a larger filtered tank ASAP!

Also, goldfish grow big & need about 15 gallons per fish. 4 of them in a 10 gallon is serious overcrowding. You need a bigger tank and more filtration, too. Varying temperatures aren't good, a steady 70 or so would be ideal.
 
Dangerdoll said:
for starters, the tank needs to be cycled prior to putting fish in it. I don't believe that biozyme stuff works but lets work with what's going on now. For starters, 4 common goldfish in a 10 gallon tank is way over stocked. I did the same thing when starting out fish keeping and it didn't have good results but I also didn't have the internet to research either so you are in a far better position than I was. Even 1 would be throwing it over. What do you plan on doing with the fish once you've reached your cycled goal? Common goldfish can reach 2 feet in length if provided the right conditions, obviously your tank will not provide for them. Keeping them in your 10 gallon would promote growth stunting which would doom those fish. Lots and Lots of water changes are a must for this tank though since as it is now, your stocking levels are way over the top. Do you have a test kit to check the parameters of the water? By parameters, I mean pH, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites. You need to know these levels before you can figure out what's going on with your fish. Goldfish are pretty messy fish and for me, I like to keep the filtration doubled on a goldie tank than that of a tropical fish tank due to the wastes they produce..... plus a 50% water change regulated by your parameters. Your temp is a bit high for goldfish, they are a cooler water fish, especially the comets. I would say your fancier versions of goldfish (which still would not fit well in this size tank) would be ok up to 75 degrees, while the comets I would max at 72.... less for more comfort. Next, the swortails are no match for the goldies in this tank. The fish have very different needs than goldies do. They need warmer waters and a different food all together. The reamining swordtail is definitely stressing over something, perhaps with the parameters listed, we can work from there as well. If the water isn't right, it can affect the fish negatively in many ways.
Click to expand...

What Dangerdoll said times 2!
 
my friend, for starters, goldfish can grow big, are poop machines, and because they are cold water fish they need more oxygen. you should have gotten only one! also, sword tails top out at 6 inches, so buy a 5 gallon tank, cycle it as explained by doll, and put him in there and he will survive. return 3 goldies to the LFS where you got them or find them good homes, and change you swordtails water ASAP!
 
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Hey I'm back (OP). I didn't return any of the common goldfish, because the "LFS" (what's that stand for?) is freaking Wal-Mart!!! So I pretty much saved them from there.

Anyways. I set up a second 10-gallon tank. This one has two goldfish in it from the original tank. I added some of the gravel from my first tank, for bio purposes.

The original tank has two goldfish and a pleco. The nitrites are elevated in that tank, but I expect them to be coming down pretty soon. The nitrates are rising, so I guess the aquarium is about half-cycled. I change the water every two days, about 30%.

The goldfish (in both tanks) haven't been showing me any signs of overcrowding, so I think I'm fine for the moment with what I have.

I really can't afford a nice 55-gallon aquarium at this point. That's out of the question. Maybe someday, sometime in the distant future I will be able to dish out some money for that. Or if they get really big really fast. I'd say if they grow to be 6" each I will buy a larger tank.

Thanks for your input though. :hi:
 
LFS stands for local fish store.

You are injuring your fish by having them in an uncycled tank full of toxins.

Goldfish and plecos grow very large and a 10 gallon tank is too small for them.
 
Ms.Bubbles said:
LFS stands for local fish store.

You are injuring your fish by having them in an uncycled tank full of toxins.

Goldfish and plecos grow very large and a 10 gallon tank is too small for them.
Click to expand...

They haven't grown yet. And I'm changing the water enough so that they don't look like they're sick.
 
That's the thing, they WON'T grow--at least not properly, in an over-crowded container. Too-small tanks can result in stunted growth, health problems, and/or shortened life span. Also, the fish you've got are really messy, and require much more water & filtration than you can supply in a 10g. Toxins are going to shoot through the roof pretty soon, if they aren't already...

kreuztraeger, you can't tell how toxic water is by looking at the water, and if you wait until you see symptoms on your fish, you'll already be into the disease state. Then you may have to quarantine fish, medicate them, etc, which is a real pain, and not always successful... If you care about the health of your fish, you'll get yourself an ammonia and nitrite water testing kit and check for the presence of both of these on a daily basis. If you can see ammonia or nitrite, you need to do a 20% water change (or more) to get that stuff down to un-readable levels. That will get you through the cycle without fatalities and hopefully without disease.

Maybe you can find someone with a bigger aquarium who can take the goldies and pleco off your hands, and get yourself something more suitable for a 10 gallon.
 
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My tank has finally cycled, and the one goldfish I have in it seems happier than ever.

The swordtail is now in a 10-gallon aquarium.
 
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