New aquarium question

[David M]

Hello

I bought a 10 gallon aquarium 3 weeks ago, and four 6month old
goldfish. As probably anyone who has no clue about aquaria (and doesnt read
first:), I filled
it with tap water, added some plants, dumped the fish inside and fed them.
Everything was ok, untill second or third day when the water turned green
and unclear.
(Weird !) I changed the water, cleaned everything up....
The fish were happy, untill 2 days later ... You get my point.
Then I read on the net about "cycling the new aquarium". Every site I've
been to, they had different
views on how to do this..

So what I did was this:
1. Installed a filter, and a air pump. Let them running most of the day.
2. Keep the same (unclear - green) water inside, and change only 10-15%
every 3-4 days.
3. When doing this, I cleaned the gravel and stones with tap water, and
vacuum the bottom.
4. Put back the plant, gravel and stones.
5. Treated the new 10-15% water with de-clorinater
6. Fed the fish 4 times a day.

I dont know if it supposed to be like this, but the water is so unclear that
I can barely see the
fish on the other side of the tank (10 Gal!).
Every morning I get up, all the fish are at the top gulping half water, half
air (After turning
on the pump they seem ok).

What am I doing wrong ? What is the things that I should do or not ?
Is the water suppose to be THAT green and unclear (after almost 2 weeks)?

Any help would be much appreciated :)

[blove]

first, the rule for goldfish is 10 gallons PER fish because they excrete
alot of ammonia and grow huge. second, your feeding way too much. only
feed them once a day as much as they can eat in 3-4 minutes. the green
water is an algae bloom, either get an algae destroyer (chemical) or cover
the tank with a blanket for about 4 days, the no light will kill the algae
spores. only leave the light on for about 8 hours aday because too much
light will cause an algae bloom or light from a window will cause it too.
when the water gets white cloudy, thats your nitrifying bacteria
establishing themselves, that will go away on its own in 3 - 6 weeks. let
the filter and air pump run all day and all night. the goldfish have
primitive gills and require high amounts of oxygen in the water. the fish
were gasping at the surface because they were suffocating and needed oxygen
because you had the filter and air pump off. by cleaning the gravel and
stones you are removing bacteria, leave those in the tank and just use a
siphon(gravel vacuum) and go through the gravel sucking up fish poop and
excess food but dont take the stuff out and wash it in tap water.

"David M" > wrote in message
news:4025abe8$1_1@aeinews....
>
> Hello
>
> I bought a 10 gallon aquarium 3 weeks ago, and four 6month old
> goldfish. As probably anyone who has no clue about aquaria (and doesnt
read
> first:), I filled
> it with tap water, added some plants, dumped the fish inside and fed them.
> Everything was ok, untill second or third day when the water turned green
> and unclear.
> (Weird !) I changed the water, cleaned everything up....
> The fish were happy, untill 2 days later ... You get my point.
> Then I read on the net about "cycling the new aquarium". Every site I've
> been to, they had different
> views on how to do this..
>
> So what I did was this:
> 1. Installed a filter, and a air pump. Let them running most of the day.
> 2. Keep the same (unclear - green) water inside, and change only 10-15%
> every 3-4 days.
> 3. When doing this, I cleaned the gravel and stones with tap water, and
> vacuum the bottom.
> 4. Put back the plant, gravel and stones.
> 5. Treated the new 10-15% water with de-clorinater
> 6. Fed the fish 4 times a day.
>
> I dont know if it supposed to be like this, but the water is so unclear
that
> I can barely see the
> fish on the other side of the tank (10 Gal!).
> Every morning I get up, all the fish are at the top gulping half water,
half
> air (After turning
> on the pump they seem ok).
>
> What am I doing wrong ? What is the things that I should do or not ?
> Is the water suppose to be THAT green and unclear (after almost 2 weeks)?
>
> Any help would be much appreciated :)
>
>
>
>

[MartinOsirus]

since goldfish are natural grazers - better to feed small amounts a couple
times per day.

[Toni]

"David M" > wrote in message
news:4025abe8$1_1@aeinews....
>
> What am I doing wrong ? What is the things that I should do or not ?
> Is the water suppose to be THAT green and unclear (after almost 2 weeks)?
>
> Any help would be much appreciated :)
>


Got test kits?
You need to be monitoring ammonia and nitrites during this cycling period-
especially as your aquarium is terribly overstocked.
*Very* overstocked.
Daily (or even more) water changes may be necessary to keep your fish from
suffering. You don't know what is going on unless you test your water.


--
Toni
http://www.cearbhaill.com/goldfish.htm

[[email protected]]

actually, leave the algae alone, it is slurping up the wastes and once there is a
nice algae bloom on the tank walls the floating will die off.... of course that
depends on the filter being big enough. overstocked tanks are difficult. get rid of
the gravel or anything on the bottom. Ingrid



>first, the rule for goldfish is 10 gallons PER fish because they excrete
>alot of ammonia and grow huge. second, your feeding way too much. only
>feed them once a day as much as they can eat in 3-4 minutes. the green
>water is an algae bloom, either get an algae destroyer (chemical) or cover
>the tank with a blanket for about 4 days, the no light will kill the algae
>spores. only leave the light on for about 8 hours aday because too much
>light will cause an algae bloom or light from a window will cause it too.
>when the water gets white cloudy, thats your nitrifying bacteria
>establishing themselves, that will go away on its own in 3 - 6 weeks. let
>the filter and air pump run all day and all night. the goldfish have
>primitive gills and require high amounts of oxygen in the water. the fish
>were gasping at the surface because they were suffocating and needed oxygen
>because you had the filter and air pump off. by cleaning the gravel and
>stones you are removing bacteria, leave those in the tank and just use a
>siphon(gravel vacuum) and go through the gravel sucking up fish poop and
>excess food but dont take the stuff out and wash it in tap water.
>
>"David M" > wrote in message
>news:4025abe8$1_1@aeinews....
>>
>> Hello
>>
>> I bought a 10 gallon aquarium 3 weeks ago, and four 6month old
>> goldfish. As probably anyone who has no clue about aquaria (and doesnt
>read
>> first:), I filled
>> it with tap water, added some plants, dumped the fish inside and fed them.
>> Everything was ok, untill second or third day when the water turned green
>> and unclear.
>> (Weird !) I changed the water, cleaned everything up....
>> The fish were happy, untill 2 days later ... You get my point.
>> Then I read on the net about "cycling the new aquarium". Every site I've
>> been to, they had different
>> views on how to do this..
>>
>> So what I did was this:
>> 1. Installed a filter, and a air pump. Let them running most of the day.
>> 2. Keep the same (unclear - green) water inside, and change only 10-15%
>> every 3-4 days.
>> 3. When doing this, I cleaned the gravel and stones with tap water, and
>> vacuum the bottom.
>> 4. Put back the plant, gravel and stones.
>> 5. Treated the new 10-15% water with de-clorinater
>> 6. Fed the fish 4 times a day.
>>
>> I dont know if it supposed to be like this, but the water is so unclear
>that
>> I can barely see the
>> fish on the other side of the tank (10 Gal!).
>> Every morning I get up, all the fish are at the top gulping half water,
>half
>> air (After turning
>> on the pump they seem ok).
>>
>> What am I doing wrong ? What is the things that I should do or not ?
>> Is the water suppose to be THAT green and unclear (after almost 2 weeks)?
>>
>> Any help would be much appreciated :)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>



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