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Hi there,

i was wondering if you could help me

i'm a new to the fish world and i just got my 1st tank. it's an 18 inch long
one that hold about 20 litres of water. with 7 freshwater fish in it i have
a underwater filter (mini filter), air stone, and a little tresure chest
running off an air pump too. i also have a light fixture thats flurecent
with a 15W bulb in it,

but to me the tank still looks mucky, it has a light brown tinge to it. and
i notice alot of little white pecks (dust?), or dots floating around the tank to. i
thought it would be nice and clear. my girlfriend has a tank to with smaller
fish, but smaller tank. holds about 14 litres. and her water is crystal
clear!

what can i do to clean up this muck? i was thinking of getting an unground
filter aswel, that sits under the rocks? cause maybe theres to much waste for the one i have in there or one of the magnetic things you
put on the glass to help clean the inside.

i did change 1/3 of the water yesterday, and cleaned out the filter.. added the sure start and drops. but it hasn't changed, i did that 12 hours ago. this mucky look has only realy started since i started feeding them twice a day. previsouly once.

whats do you think is causeing it? and why?

oh the tank has been in circulation for about 6weeks.

thanks for your time


Last edited by stuquarium at 28-Oct-2004 17:38

Welcome to the site and the hobby.

Can you tell us exactly what fish are in the tank? It's also important for us to know what your water quality readings are, ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte to start....as well as PH.

Also take a look @this link. I have a feeling that you may be overstocked, and the filter not nearly enough to handle the bioload of the fish. A small Hang on Back (HOB) filter should help, but with that small of a tank you really cannot keep very many fish in it anyway.

^_^
H2g2 2005 Don't Leave Home Without it[/font]

Last edited by Babelfish at 28-Oct-2004 17:44

i wouldn't know what the nitrate and ammonia levels are.
but i can tell you that the PH level is currently 6.8 one level off neutral.

i have 7 fish. all small bar 1 . shumbumkins, a black moor, paradise. comet (biggest) and some i dont know the names of.

WOW Well there's your problem right there. Goldfish are NOT tank fish . They require the size of a 75 gallon tank minimum and are really pond fish. Take those back ASAP. Honestly, the best bet for a newbie with that sized tank would be to get one male betta, or a few females. Guppies are also a possiblility. But whatever the case those fish aren't going to live there much longer than a few weeks, @the most.

FYI here's a pic of the now famous bruce the oranda


Also you'll need test kits. Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrAte are the next on the list for you .

^_^
H2g2 2005 Don't Leave Home Without it[/font][/font]

Last edited by Babelfish at 28-Oct-2004 18:32[/font]

oh really?

then why do they have them in commerical aquariums everywhere i go? the person how sold it to me said he would be fine.

re pic: no way is my comet that big!. he's probably only about 4 inches long. will getting another fliter help?



Last edited by stuquarium at 28-Oct-2004 19:29

Last edited by stuquarium at 28-Oct-2004 19:30

stuquarium

"why do they have them in commerical aquariums everywhere i go? the person how sold it to me said he would be fine."

Sorry to tell you it is sales talk. Some Aquariums could not care about you or your aquarium all they want is your $$$.

Where are you in Aust some member could be close to you and give you the manes of several good Aquariums?

Keith

Last edited by keithgh at 29-Oct-2004 02:00

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

thanks keith,

i figured as much, but ya know. you still have a little faith out there in the world the the advise your getting isn't money driven. oh well.

i'm in victoria

it always seems the same in which ever country. i can't remember the amount of people new to this hobby have come to this site for help after rubbish (to put is nicely) advise.

as they have said above take back all the fish apart from the pardise fish he should be ok in the tank. he would prefer a heater, unless the water stays around 75F.

comets and shubumkins can grow up to nearly a foot long. i've got a common goldie thats around 10inches in length. it woundn't be able to turn around in your tank.

shekoi

ps. wecome to fishprofiles

Last edited by shekoi at 29-Oct-2004 02:31

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

stuquarium

What part of Vic I am on the Mornington Peninsula. My main supplier is in the southern suburbs.

There are several Vics around so let us know please.

http://fishprofiles.com/files/forums/The%20Recovery%20Room/48235.html?200410282037

Also post your details here and tell us about your self

Keith

Last edited by keithgh at 29-Oct-2004 03:56

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

he's probably only about 4 inches long. will getting another fliter help?

Babies don't come out 6'2" either .

It's something that all living things do called growing. Unfortunatly most LFS's (local fish stores) also forget to tell you that fish do that as well. While yes, there is a saying that goes something along the lines of "a fish will never outgrow its tank" ....which while true, is more than gross in its implications. There used to be a practice in china that involved binding of womens feet to keep them small. There used to be a practice in most of the western world of corsetts to keep a womens waist tiny. Did they work? Yes the feet couldnt' be walked on properly, and women (and more often their unborn children) used to have serious health problems (and death). The point is, if you give a growing thing space to grow (in the case of your fish, that's a 75 gallon minimum), it will grow the way it's supposed to. If you keep it in a 7 gallon shoe box it will stunt (the outside will stop growing causing the continuing growing innards to press against each other and the swim bladder) causing a death within a few years if not weeks or months, rather than the 20+year lifespan that goldfish are known for.

Plain and simple goldfish are pond fish, carp, not aquarium fish. It's rather unfortunate that they are cheap enough to be sold to people that don't care enough to treat them properly. Now the question of the filter helping, no not really, they'll still die in that tank. Will a filter help a properly stocked tank? Yes. So take the fish back, exchange them for some store credit, and come back here and learn all about the wonderful hobby. Or better yet...dig a nice big pond in the backyard for the goldfish :88).

^_^
H2g2 2005 Don't Leave Home Without it[/font]

Last edited by Babelfish at 29-Oct-2004 09:41

he would prefer a heater, unless the water stays around 75F

If that is a paradise fish they don't necessarily need a heater. They are quite adaptable to water conditions and can tolerate temps down to the low 60°s.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

thanks everyone for the advise.

it's seems like i should return them, but i can't i no longer have the reciepts, i have however located a bigger tank that i might be able to get for free.

i can stick him (the comet) in that tank, and leave the rest in the other,

whats the main concensus on cleaning a tank fully?

i was thinking about taking everything out. rocks and all and cleaning it and starting fresh. will this stress the fish out to much? i've already tried 1/3 water changes and it's still mucky. so that didn't work.

i did have a little rainbow fish in there about 2 weeks ago that just disapeard. i don't think he jumped cause i can't find him anywhere. (plus my tank has a lid on it) would that have anything to do with the tank going mucky?

Keith - i'm in melbournes west.

Did you have a chance to read the information I linked to about cycling a tank? This is absolutly important to understand. Unless you've got a grasp of the nitrogen cycle you're likely to fail @fish keeping. What size is this "larger tank"? Unless it's 75 gallons, that's around 285 liters, the fish are still going to be stunted. Even if you dont' hae the reciept most LFS's will still honor a exchange. The shumbumkins, black moor, and comet all grow way too big for anything less than a 75. It'd also be helpful to know what the "some others" might be.

There's no need to take everything out. A few gravel vacs will get most of the fish waste out of the tank. Then I'd re-stock with appropriate livestock.

^_^
H2g2 2005 Don't Leave Home Without it[/font]

Last edited by Babelfish at 30-Oct-2004 06:36

ok thanks alot for that. will do

With regards to taking fish back. Ask at the shop next time you are there, or call them and ask about bringing the fish back. You wont need receipts. What sometimes happens is they will give you credit for the fish or do a swap.

Some of us return fish just so it is going to end up in a more appropriate environ regardless of credit or swaps. I don't mind being out of pocket if a fish isn't getting on with tank mates. Sometimes it isn't a matter that the choice was wrong but some kids just can't share a room!

all the best with your new hobby and hope to see more of you on the site.

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~