The tank, the tub and the disaster.

[George Thompson]

Hello all again!

My fish have gone from strength to strength over the last three months
and have got bigger. I have a 18g tank and the fish are now around 4"
each, but even this tank seems a little small for my two fish darting
about. I was also moving house and it's a little difficult to move a
tank. My corydoras are too big for their tank (having a combined
total of 8" to 6g. I decided that Saturday 29th would be known as new
tank day for my goldfish. With my head full of 30g tanks, I went out
to buy.

On arrival to the fish store, I had two main requirements: Tank and
stand (being very few places to leave 30g's of water in my new house).
However I soon realised this also meant a larger filter & light unit.
Cheapest total was £204 (that's $370ish).

Ouch! My credit card sagged and I realised I couldn't justify that
kind of expenditure. I tried to shop around, but alas no luck. That
is, until I popped into Swallow Aquatics near Thetford. They did have
tanks - but they were expensive (to my pocket) but they were of a very
high quality. I wandered round the shop and discovered they sold
goldfish tubs! The 40g(UK - 48US?) version was about £32 ($50ish).
Armed with a lilly and some oxgenating weed and hopefully a long, long
summer ahead, I could scrimp and save for the new tank. Meanwhile my
corydoras ought to be able to go into my big tank.

Then disaster! I get home to move the tanks. I bag up the goldies
and empty the water. As I lift the tank, (now empty) I hear a great
crack! The glass splits and the small dribble empties itself on the
floor. Fortunately, the tank being newish etc, the manufacturer has
agreed to replace it. However, this leaves the goldies without a
proper cycled home. Fortunately the tub has been filled & declor'd
ready for the move (I intended to mature it first- but a little late
for that!)

Obviously I moved the fish into the pond. After some time adjusting
to the temperature they were more than eager to explore their new home
- Rather than hidding under a small pile of rocks in the center, they
suprised me for exploring and eating all the bloodworm that had
crawled out of the lily's base.

Yes I know there's a chance of infection, but there wasn't much really
I could do. The tub isn't cycled, but with only 8" of goldfish to 40g
of water, it ought to take a few days to start having an affect.

What advice can people give me? I know this is more of a "pond"
question, but I prefer to think of their home as the tub. Do I need
to insulate the outside of the tub? It's in a relatively shaded
courtyard, with sun about 4hrs a day during noon->4pm. I can move it
out into the outside garden, but I have a large pub opposite and a lot
of rubbish is thrown into our garden.

I don't have a pump at the moment. Or filter. I was thinking of
relying on waterchanges (plus my old pond back when I was living with
my parents rarely got waterchanges & had no filtration and was only
about 50g for about 10 goldfish - wrong I know, but we never had any
casulties. All those fish are still alive to this day (over ten years)
and are now in a much bigger and deeper pond. If I need any
filtration, I need to do it cheap and "temporary". Answers on a
postcard.

I've mentioned several times about the fish chasing each other. Until
I got the 40g tub, I thought it was because they didn't have room and
were being territorial. Now however, I realise they're definately
fishy companions - they follow each other like lambs. A two fish
school if you will...

I'm still feeding them small amounts of sinking pellets. Should I do
a small/big waterchange & if so, how often?

[[email protected]]

what kind of space do you have for a pond? outdoor ponds for summer are excellent
for GF. If you actually have space you can build a little pond in, partly in/partly
out or completely above ground. right now what you want to order online (much
cheaper) is a little foam filter. round foam filter powered by air pump. put one
stone in the filter, one blowing air into the water. and get the test kits to make
water changes until it cycles. then use nitrates to guide when to change water. 20
ppm or less. now. if you can find watercress or water celery they are excellent
veggie filter material for a pond. much better than a water lily. Ingrid

(George Thompson) wrote:
I wandered round the shop and discovered they sold
>goldfish tubs! The 40g(UK - 48US?) version was about £32 ($50ish).
>Armed with a lilly and some oxgenating weed and hopefully a long, long
>summer ahead, I could scrimp and save for the new tank. Meanwhile my
>corydoras ought to be able to go into my big tank.
>
>Then disaster! I get home to move the tanks. I bag up the goldies
>and empty the water. As I lift the tank, (now empty) I hear a great
>crack! The glass splits and the small dribble empties itself on the
>floor. Fortunately, the tank being newish etc, the manufacturer has
>agreed to replace it. However, this leaves the goldies without a
>proper cycled home. Fortunately the tub has been filled & declor'd
>ready for the move (I intended to mature it first- but a little late
>for that!)
>
>Obviously I moved the fish into the pond. After some time adjusting
>to the temperature they were more than eager to explore their new home
>- Rather than hidding under a small pile of rocks in the center, they
>suprised me for exploring and eating all the bloodworm that had
>crawled out of the lily's base.
>
>Yes I know there's a chance of infection, but there wasn't much really
>I could do. The tub isn't cycled, but with only 8" of goldfish to 40g
>of water, it ought to take a few days to start having an affect.
>
>What advice can people give me? I know this is more of a "pond"
>question, but I prefer to think of their home as the tub. Do I need
>to insulate the outside of the tub? It's in a relatively shaded
>courtyard, with sun about 4hrs a day during noon->4pm. I can move it
>out into the outside garden, but I have a large pub opposite and a lot
>of rubbish is thrown into our garden.
>
>I don't have a pump at the moment. Or filter. I was thinking of
>relying on waterchanges (plus my old pond back when I was living with
>my parents rarely got waterchanges & had no filtration and was only
>about 50g for about 10 goldfish - wrong I know, but we never had any
>casulties. All those fish are still alive to this day (over ten years)
>and are now in a much bigger and deeper pond. If I need any
>filtration, I need to do it cheap and "temporary". Answers on a
>postcard.
>
>I've mentioned several times about the fish chasing each other. Until
>I got the 40g tub, I thought it was because they didn't have room and
>were being territorial. Now however, I realise they're definately
>fishy companions - they follow each other like lambs. A two fish
>school if you will...
>
>I'm still feeding them small amounts of sinking pellets. Should I do
>a small/big waterchange & if so, how often?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[George Thompson]

Ingrid - At the moment I definately can't make a perminant pond, such
is the tragedy that is renting. My back garden is completly concreted
over and not very large. It's mainly shaded throughout the day but is
sheltered from the wind.

There's nothing to say I can't keep fish, but any structure has to be
temporary - it will be a little difficult to run power to the pond.
You say get a round foam filter with a (air?) stone in it online. Can
you give me a link to the kind of thing you mean? The LFS showed me
the smallest one they had (worked upto 2300g or something) and was
quite large (£30)

The water lily was more for my benefit and give the fish a little
shade during the hot hours (all four of them) and the weed I bought
was supposed to airate, but I may look at getting some water cress for
the filter.

wrote in message >...
> what kind of space do you have for a pond? outdoor ponds for summer are excellent
> for GF. If you actually have space you can build a little pond in, partly in/partly
> out or completely above ground. right now what you want to order online (much
> cheaper) is a little foam filter. round foam filter powered by air pump. put one
> stone in the filter, one blowing air into the water. and get the test kits to make
> water changes until it cycles. then use nitrates to guide when to change water. 20
> ppm or less. now. if you can find watercress or water celery they are excellent
> veggie filter material for a pond. much better than a water lily. Ingrid

[[email protected]]

http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/F29/PgNo/1/Class/Fish+Supplies+Sponge+Filters/Shopay00.aspx
hydro V sponge filter $9.99
air pump
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/F02/PgNo/1/Class/Fish+Supplies+Air+Pumps/Shopay00.aspx
cheapest double outlet. we get em here at a discount store, Kmart for 8-9 bucks.

we also have water troughs that hold 100 gallons, rubbermaids... they are tough
plastic that hold up really well. not pretty but ....
yes, water lilies are good for cover. Ingrid

(George Thompson) wrote:

>Ingrid - At the moment I definately can't make a perminant pond, such
>is the tragedy that is renting. My back garden is completly concreted
>over and not very large. It's mainly shaded throughout the day but is
>sheltered from the wind.
>
>There's nothing to say I can't keep fish, but any structure has to be
>temporary - it will be a little difficult to run power to the pond.
>You say get a round foam filter with a (air?) stone in it online. Can
>you give me a link to the kind of thing you mean? The LFS showed me
>the smallest one they had (worked upto 2300g or something) and was
>quite large (£30)
>
>The water lily was more for my benefit and give the fish a little
>shade during the hot hours (all four of them) and the weed I bought
>was supposed to airate, but I may look at getting some water cress for
>the filter.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[George Thompson]

Ah, now I know what you mean! I was thinking of a complex bucket
structure, but what you're suggesting is exactly what I already have
in my tiny tank for my cory's

It's a shame there isn't a cheap way of importing from the states.
Both filter and airpump will probably cost the same to import as to
buy - but to add insult to injury, the usual what you pay in dollars
we pay in sterling & they won't have it in stock :- )

I suppose with a lump of filter foam, & a modified hose pipe I could
do the same for a fraction of the price. Plus I already have two air
filters, I just need to rig up some housing to use them outside.

wrote in message >...
> http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/F29/PgNo/1/Class/Fish+Supplies+Sponge+Filters/Shopay00.aspx
> hydro V sponge filter $9.99
> air pump
> http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/F02/PgNo/1/Class/Fish+Supplies+Air+Pumps/Shopay00.aspx
> cheapest double outlet. we get em here at a discount store, Kmart for 8-9 bucks.
>
> we also have water troughs that hold 100 gallons, rubbermaids... they are tough
> plastic that hold up really well. not pretty but ....
> yes, water lilies are good for cover. Ingrid

[[email protected]]

yes. good idea. PVC with holes in the pipe part in the foam .. but weight the
bottom down with something. the complaint I have about those foam things is they
float. be sure to get open cell foam. Ingrid

(George Thompson) wrote:
>I suppose with a lump of filter foam, & a modified hose pipe I could
>do the same for a fraction of the price. Plus I already have two air
>filters, I just need to rig up some housing to use them outside.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[George Thompson]

I'll use some lead. Should the bubbles come out of the holes in the
foam or like my wonderful small fishtank one, have the air source
slightly above the holes so it sucks the water through the filter?

wrote in message >...
> yes. good idea. PVC with holes in the pipe part in the foam .. but weight the
> bottom down with something. the complaint I have about those foam things is they
> float. be sure to get open cell foam. Ingrid
>
> (George Thompson) wrote:
> >I suppose with a lump of filter foam, & a modified hose pipe I could
> >do the same for a fraction of the price. Plus I already have two air
> >filters, I just need to rig up some housing to use them outside.
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
> http://puregold.aquaria.net/
> www.drsolo.com
> Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
> compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
> endorsements or recommendations I make.

[[email protected]]

I would be nervous about using metals.
the air goes up the pipe in the center (drilled with holes) and that creates a
suction pulls stuff thru the filter. Ingrid

(George Thompson) wrote:
>I'll use some lead. Should the bubbles come out of the holes in the
>foam or like my wonderful small fishtank one, have the air source
>slightly above the holes so it sucks the water through the filter?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.