hi - newbie question

[709394]

i just bought a filter - a duetto - DJ100 -
its an internal fliter for a fish bowl - the guy says i have to keep it on without fish in there for 3 weeks? with new water - while my 4 goldfish are in a bucket - question is - why do i have to wait so long?
with no fish in there - what is the filter actually doing
TIA
MD

[Billy]

"709394" > wrote in message
...
|
| i just bought a filter - a duetto - DJ100 -
| its an internal fliter for a fish bowl - the guy says i have to
keep it
| on without fish in there for 3 weeks? with new water - while my 4
| goldfish are in a bucket - question is - why do i have to wait so
| long?
| with no fish in there - what is the filter actually doing
| TIA


4 goldfish? In a bowl? How large is this bowl? 3 goldies should have
about 20 gallons MINUMUM!!!

Anyway, sitting for 3 weeks with no fish in the bowl will accomplish
virtually nothing. What this likely well-meaning clerk is
half-heartedly trying to tell you is the tank must be "cycled". The
nitrogen cycle is the process of bacteria in the filter breaking down
fish waste (ammonia, a poison) into nitrite(another poison), then
nitrate (yet another poison, though not as toxic), which is then
removed by partial water changes. This process MUST occur for the
fish to not poison themselves in very short order.
Read about the nitrogen cycle here:
http://www.fishprofiles.net/faq/begin-cycling.asp

Yes, it looks complicated. The basics, as I covered above, really
aren't so tough. However, if the "bowl" is as small as it sounds, and
you're putting goldies (very high waste producers) in it, no amount
of filtration will keep the water healthy. Again, 4 goldies should be
in a rather large tank.

billy