Cleaning out a small goldfish tank

Hi Tammy,

Thanks for your post. I don't mind the fish eating the plants, so long as
it does them no harm. But obviously, my main objective is to have a plant
that looks pretty for me! ;-) When you say that Wisteria, you said it's
pretty but requires a lot of light. I've got a single light in my hood,
would this be okay, or not enough? It looks bright enough for me, but I
don't know that particular needs of plants.

I wouldn't mix tropical fish with goldfish, and I'm not using a heater in
the tank either so probably couldn't. When I move house later this year,
I'd then like to get a bigger tank to house some tropical fish on their own.

That's a cute little story about your swordfish, perhaps you could sell this
story to the makers of Finding Nemo 2, in case they are looking for a story!
:-)

Thanks for the advice, and I am a big reader! Perhaps I should have read
more before I got the first fish, but no going back now, just onwards and
upwards! :-)

Thanks,

Stephen



"LoaderLady" wrote in message
. ..
| Plants: nothing with small leaves which goldfish can get in their mouths.
| Java Fern is highly recommended. I had a goldfish rip apart a piece of
| hornwort in seconds but I think she was possibly after some baby snails
and
| not the plant itself. I had wisteria in my tank and the fish left it
alone,
| too, but the snails wrecked it. It is pretty, but requires alot of light.
|
| As for other fish, you don't want to mix tropicals with goldfish since the
| GF produce so much ammonia, and they have different dietary needs. Also,
a
| common one to put in there is an "algae eater", but this is also a mistake
| since some will suck on the slime coat of a GF. Besides, goldfish will
| graze on algae so you don't need one.
|
| Most of us just keep our goldfish by themselves, or with a snail or 2. I
| have a little swordtail in with my goldfish, but he thinks he is a
goldfish.
| LOL. He was among plants which the LFS put in the tank with some
fantails,
| and when he scooped water into the bag to catch my new fantails, he
scooped
| up 2 fry, and this little guy is the surviving one. He's now 5 months old
| and I don't have the heart to separate them. When I first got my big tank
| set up and moved the goldfish into it, I left the swordtail in the little
| tank by himself and he was "pacing" and swimming frantically around, so I
| finally gave in and put him in the GF tank. He hangs around my smallest
| fish and eats goldfish food, etc. he's healthy and happy so I haven't
| bothered to move him, but other than that, I have guppies and Angelfish
and
| they have their own tanks.
|
| Good luck with your new fish, and don't hesitate to ask if you have any
| concerns. Sometimes people here can be blunt, but it doesn't mean you
| should take it personally. Unfortunately, many people don't do their
| homework, nor do they bother to ask about the fish, and us folks dedicated
| to the hobby get upset when this happens, that's all. But we are here to
| help, and you have a delete button for posts you don't like...
|
|
|
| --
| } Tammy {
| Support the Canakin Project with me, by linking to your favorite store
from
| this address:
| http://www.geocities.com/ontario_canakin All Proceeds will be used to
| purchase equipment, fish, etc for the Canakin Project
|
| Watkins Business Opportunity
| www.tsginfo.com Enter code TD3796
| Me and my fish Thank You!!
| "ste mc ©" wrote in message
| ...
| Hey there,
|
| First of all, thanks to Mel, Ingrid, and Deanna for your replies. I was
| going to come back here and tell you that I thought your advice was a
bit
| over the top, and that my fish tank would be fine as it was. I was
going
| to
| say, if you want such a big tank for your fish, why don't you do the
right
| thing and let them back in the ocean where they belong, rather than
| keeping
| them trapped in some aquarium, which no matter how big, will never
compare
| to their natural habitats.
|
| But I then started reading more after your advice, so I've followed it.
| :-)
| I bought a new tank today to replace the large goldfish bowl which we
had
| beforehand. The new tank came with a Fluval 2 filter. Hopefully, it
will
| do the job. If not, we'll just get a bigger filter later on. The tank
| also
| came with a light in the hood, and the tank is 80cm x 30cm x 40cm, which
| holds 96 litres, or 21 gallons.
|
| I've got two fish in this, a Blackmoor, and something else - I will take
a
| photo later in the week and upload it to my webspace so someone can
| identify
| it! ;-)
|
| If anyone can recommend any real plants that will look nice in the tank
| and
| be okay with my fish, then please feel free to do so. We've currently
got
| some of those plastic plants, but they look ever so tacky. Also, if
| anyone
| can recommend any other aquatic life that would work well within our
| aquarium, then please let me know.
|
| So thanks to everyone for their help, it's much appreciated - not by me
or
| my bank balance so much, but my two little fishies! :-)
|
| Thanks,
|
| Stephen
|
|
|
| "ste ©" wrote in message
| ...
| | Hi there,
| |
| | I've got a small goldfish tank with two goldfish. To clean it, I've
| been
| | putting the fish into a bowl of clean water, then cleaning out their
| tank
| | and gravel in the bath.
| |
| | The tank is probably too small to bother with a filter, but is there
any
| | other way to keep the water clean without changing it every week? Are
| there
| | any small water creatures I can get that will keep it cleaner for
| example?
| | I've also read somewhere about some sort of 'water hoover,' would that
| be
| | any good for what I'm talking about?
| |
| | Thanks for any advice.
| |
| | Regards,
| |
| | Stephen
| |
| |
|
|
|
|