rescued fishy help

kelly82

kelly82

AC Members
Jun 1, 2007
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Lincolnshire, UK
:help: ive just finally gotten my neighbours goldfish off her,it was kept in her daughters room being fed 1-2 times a month on tropical flakes, no water changes,ever,no filter, the tank was only half full with water as it had evaporated over the year or so it has sat there, the tank size its in is 7 x15 x9 inches, tiny, i need to know how much this works out to in gallons, or maybe millilitres :mad2: i hate when fish are kept in tiny cramped tanks! anyway,ive been trying to get it off her for the past few months,and today when she picked up all her daughters dirty washing from on top of her drawers and found the fish tank, i said im taking it and she didnt say no so i did :headbang2:ive cleaned out the tank,and washed through the gravel, i know thats bad but it couldnt stay like it was, i found the remnants of an ugf and the filth under it was awful,but i added water from my fully cycled tank and declor to the new water aswell, and some filter media from my cycled tank too, i will get a small filter asap,but cant afford a bigger tank for at least another 6 weeks. how on earth this little fish is still alive is beyond me,but im going to try my best for the little guy :)
 
Holy smokes - hope that fish makes it. Go slow cleaning the water, it is probably too late to tell you this. The fish has gotten used to really hard/filthy water. If you change it too fast, she/he will go into osmotic shock - Old Tank Syndrome. Whats kept the fish alive is probably the lack of food - not much food equals not much ammonia. So, be careful!

Here is a link which can help you figure out your tank size.
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/information/calculate.htm

As to adding water from your 'filtered' tank. The beneficial bacteria is not in your water, it is in the filter area where there is a higher oxygen content. So, vacuum out as much as possible all the gunk, but don't get it spotless clean!
Have you got any ammonia/nitrite/nitrate test kits? I'd test the water and see what your levels are. Remember to go slow changing everything and I'd feed lightly until you are sure that with all the new cleaning there won't be any ammonia or nitrites.

Good Job!
Cathy
 
That tank would be about 4 gallons if full. I don't keep goldfish but understand that anything less than at least 20 gallons is too small for one goldfish. You might get better answers in the cold water fish area. People over there will know more about goldfish than us tropical owners do. In a little tank like that, I would be very cautious at first. That fish has gotten used to terrible water but could be just as easily harmed by a rapid change in water quality. Its totally counterintuitive but a large water change could do more harm than good. I would suggest maybe 10% every day until water parameters are not so extreme.
 
you would be better off going to walmart and spending $8 on a 20g plastic storage tub, or even $3 on a 10g one. just hang the filter on the side, don't worry about heat or light at this time. it's really not a lot to spend for all the use you will get out of it over time.
 
you would be better off going to walmart and spending $8 on a 20g plastic storage tub, or even $3 on a 10g one. just hang the filter on the side, don't worry about heat or light at this time. it's really not a lot to spend for all the use you will get out of it over time.
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I agree just do what she said lol
 
wataugachicken said:
you would be better off going to walmart and spending $8 on a 20g plastic storage tub, or even $3 on a 10g one. just hang the filter on the side, don't worry about heat or light at this time. it's really not a lot to spend for all the use you will get out of it over time.
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Better make that ASDA, B&Q or Homebase...to find a storage tub cheap...not a lot of Wal-Marts in Lincolnshire :) One of those with a sponge filter would be fine for a temporary home.

<I'm bilingual :) >

A 20G long or a 30G Breeder tank (36x16") would be the smallest I'd consider for long-term. Could do 2-3 GF in a 30 Breeder for awhile...til they outgrow it.

Of course...anything bigger than what you have is an improvement!
 
Shoot for the 30 gallon size and maybe add in a friend (Goldfish are quite social and enjoy company). Keep your eye on craiglist and the local paper and you might find a really good deal on one (i.e. free).

I've found that they grow faster on pelletized food rather than flakes. They get more food before it dissolves and ruins your water quality. Just be sure to find some appropriate for the fishes mouth size. They plump up nicely and get to be very active when they have enough to eat.

How old is the fish? If it is more than a year old it may have been stunted by it's conditions and never get to be full sized.
 
wataugachicken said:
you would be better off going to walmart and spending $8 on a 20g plastic storage tub, or even $3 on a 10g one. just hang the filter on the side, don't worry about heat or light at this time. it's really not a lot to spend for all the use you will get out of it over time.
Click to expand...

I agree with this completely. I've used similar setups as QT's or temporary hospital tanks. I wish I'd come up with this idea first. It won't look pretty, but you can put it on the floor and know it's a temporary fix.
 
ok,well sorry to say but i cleaned out the tank in one go,there was so little water in it that to clean it at all i really had to,but i ran water from my cycled tank through the gravel to clear the huge build up of debris, so i was thinking by not adding any new water as in from the tap then the bacteria from the gravel in the tiny tank would survive,and i half filled the tank with water from my cycled tank then added clean water to top it up, with declorinator and bacteria boost stuff before i added it to the tank. so far little fishy is looking great, one of his gill covers is completely gone, apparently its been this way for months,it doesnt seem to bother him. the tank is now filled to the top,well about 1/2inch under top of the tank,so he has the most water to swim in he can have in the dinky so called tank. he is around 1 and a half years old,and is about 2 inches long at most. i will keep up with the water changes at least twice a week to keep the water in as good quality as possible. i tested the old tank water he was in and it was 0 nitrites but the ammonia and nitrates were sky high, i havent tested it since i cleaned it out. im going to get him a bigger tank asap, but hubby wont let me have it in something on the floor or something as it will get in the way and we have 2 very young children. but im doing my best and alls going well so far. will keep everyone updated,thanks for your help so far x
 
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