What have I done wrong?

[The G Man]

A few weeks back I accidentally cracked my existing fish tank. It was only quite a small one so I decided over the weekend to treat our fish to a bigger and better tank. On Sunday I bought an Elite System 3 tank - it may not be a big aquarium but it's big enough for our 3 fish (19 Litres)

So, I proceeded to fill the tank, add the correct dosage of tap safe and started the pump. Yesterday morning I added some friendly bacteria (initial the dosage as stated on the bottle for new aquariums)

I then left the tank for another 12 hours at least before transferring the fish from the old tank to the new tank. Now, I know what most people will say at this stage (and maybe they are right) - I've not left the tank long enough to mature - but I've previously done full clean outs on the existing tank and the fish seemed happy enough in the crystal clear water.

The fish seemed fine when I went to bed last night - swimming around exploring. I gave them a bit of food which they ate so everything seemed normal.

I then got up this morning to find them all just lying still on the bottom of the fish tank - a sign which I've seen before to indicate things ain't right in there. Was a nightmare trying to get them out as they kept swimming into the new ornaments in the tank.

Have transferred them back to the old bowl - luckily I kept the old water just in case - and they seemed to recover immediately.

What have I done wrong?

Is there anything anyone can recommend I buy to test the environment in the new aquarium? I've seen a number of tests available but what should I be testing for?

Any help anyone can give would be very beneficial to me. Cheers.

[Geezer From The Freezer]

What sort of fish do you have?

[The G Man]

I have three Goldfish.

[Geezer From The Freezer]

The G Man wrote:
>
> I have three Goldfish.
>
> --
> The G Man

Ok you have 3 goldfish in 19 litres. Each goldfish should ideally have 35 litres
each!
You are massively overstocked, and your fish will suffer because of poor
water quality.

Check out:

http://www.goldfishparadise.com
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com
http://www.goldfishutopia.com

[Twittering One]

Have transferred them back to the old bowl - luckily I kept the old
water just in case - and they seemed to recover immediately.

What have I done wrong?

Is there anything anyone can recommend I buy to test the environment in
the new aquarium? I've seen a number of tests available but what should
I be testing for?

Any help anyone can give would be very beneficial to me.
Cheers.
~ The G Man

Have you tried talking to them?
Plants appreciate that.
3's a crowd, 2's nice.
Sometimes Love Birds perch nicely en pairs,
A yin, a yang, weds harmony.

Or perhaps,
They, just, sick of contamined water.

[Peter Ammon]

The G Man wrote:
> A few weeks back I accidentally cracked my existing fish tank. It was
> only quite a small one so I decided over the weekend to treat our fish
> to a bigger and better tank. On Sunday I bought an Elite System 3 tank
> - it may not be a big aquarium but it's big enough for our 3 fish (19
> Litres)
>
> So, I proceeded to fill the tank, add the correct dosage of tap safe
> and started the pump. Yesterday morning I added some friendly bacteria
> (initial the dosage as stated on the bottle for new aquariums)
>
> I then left the tank for another 12 hours at least before transferring
> the fish from the old tank to the new tank. Now, I know what most
> people will say at this stage (and maybe they are right) - I've not
> left the tank long enough to mature - but I've previously done full
> clean outs on the existing tank and the fish seemed happy enough in the
> crystal clear water.
>
> The fish seemed fine when I went to bed last night - swimming around
> exploring. I gave them a bit of food which they ate so everything
> seemed normal.
>
> I then got up this morning to find them all just lying still on the
> bottom of the fish tank - a sign which I've seen before to indicate
> things ain't right in there. Was a nightmare trying to get them out as
> they kept swimming into the new ornaments in the tank.
>
> Have transferred them back to the old bowl - luckily I kept the old
> water just in case - and they seemed to recover immediately.
>
> What have I done wrong?
>
> Is there anything anyone can recommend I buy to test the environment in
> the new aquarium? I've seen a number of tests available but what should
> I be testing for?
>
> Any help anyone can give would be very beneficial to me. Cheers.

I don't know what your experience level is, so forgive me if any of this
stuff seems elementary to you.

Geezer's right that your fish will want a lot more space, but if they're
still fairly small then you may be able to get away with a smaller tank
for now. A good rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per four litres of
water, for a rectangular tank.

Your notion of "old water" being good is intuitive but incorrect. Fish
- goldfish especially - release wastes into the water: filters transform
the waste through bacterial action. The bacteria grow on every
available surface. What makes an older tank healthier is the presence
of the bacteria on the tank and filter surfaces - the "old water" itself
is less healthy.

Testing is very important and very easy to do. Go to a pet store and
get some strip tests - those are the easiest to use. You definitely
want some ammonia tests, since ammonia is the most likely problem in a
new tank. You can get a combination test strip that measures nitrates,
nitrites, pH, and alkalinity; that's a good one to get as well.

If testing shows ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates as too high, start doing
water changes (say, 30%) until they fall to safe levels and remain
there. If your pH or alkalinity is off by a lot, then your tap water is
probably unsafe and you'll need to treat it before adding any to your tank.

Incidentally, a larger tank will be a easier; if you plan to keep these
fish for a while you might invest in the larger tank now, since you'll
have to eventually.

-Peter

--
Pull out a splinter to reply.

[Geezer From The Freezer]

Peter Ammon wrote:

>
> Geezer's right that your fish will want a lot more space, but if they're
> still fairly small then you may be able to get away with a smaller tank
> for now. A good rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per four litres of
> water, for a rectangular tank.

I'd counter that and say (for goldfish) 1 inch of fish per 3 gallons.
1 inch per 1 gallon for trops though (typically).

[NanK]

Try acclimating your fish VERY SLOWLY to the tank water.

As everyone has already told you, you will need a bigger tank. BUT,
changing the fish from the old to the new, then back again, indicates to
me that you had a change in PH or some water difference that sent them
into shock. If they recovered when you put them back into the old
water, it wasn't anything toxic - I don't think, anyway.

So try this. Empty much of the water from your "old" container
containing your fish (Save it). Then, SLOWLY - like 1/8 cup at a time
-- put the "NEW" container water into the old container with the fish.
Wait 10 minutes, then add a little more and repeat until about 70% of
the water is from the new environment. Go slow. If no changes and the
fish seem OK, go ahead and add them to the new tank.

Good luck.

n

[Lucky]

Maybe you needed to put the water from your old tank into the new tank,
because the condition of that water was what the fish were used to...

[Lucky]

It kind of annoys me when people say this. Not everyone can have a
massive swimming pool tank in their house. 35 litres is a fairly big
tank and to have one fish in it would just be sad. I have three little
goldfish in 21 litres of water and they are doing fine. I change a
percentage of the water weekly, vacuum the gravel, use a filter etc and
they seem happy. I wouldnt keep a massvie fish in a there of course but
I'm not about to go buy a swimming pool for one fish...

[Geezer From The Freezer]

Lucky wrote:
>
> It kind of annoys me when people say this. Not everyone can have a
> massive swimming pool tank in their house. 35 litres is a fairly big
> tank and to have one fish in it would just be sad. I have three little
> goldfish in 21 litres of water and they are doing fine. I change a
> percentage of the water weekly, vacuum the gravel, use a filter etc and
> they seem happy. I wouldnt keep a massvie fish in a there of course but
> I'm not about to go buy a swimming pool for one fish...

Sorry to say it like it is, but if you check the net, most recommend 10 gallons
per goldfish. They do grow large and are big polluters.
Would you buy a dog, if you couldn't walk it? Fish need room to swim and
enough water to dilute their wastes and hormones. Smaller tanks mean
more maintenance and more room for error.

[NanK]

Lucky
>
>>It kind of annoys me when people say this. Not everyone can have a
>>massive swimming pool tank in their house. 35 litres is a fairly big
>>tank and to have one fish in it would just be sad. I have three little
>>goldfish in 21 litres of water and they are doing fine. I change a
>>percentage of the water weekly, vacuum the gravel, use a filter etc and


Keep an eye on your nitrAte level. Also, if you are changing water more
than once a week, you're reaching a crisis level and may be forced to
separate or move up the tank size. Keep up the gravel cleaning -- that
is a serious source of built-up contaminants that will explode all at
one time. Watch the fish carefully. If they are growing well, eating
well, and the water readings are fine, you can wait.

n