5 gallon tank questions

K

kalasas2008

Small Fish
#1
Oct 11, 2010
12
0
0
#1
hello,

I am recently becoming interested in raising some little gold fishes. I have purchased a starter tank at walmart that is 5 gallons (comes with an outside filter and water softener and fish food). I have two common feeder goldfish and one pelco bottom feeder.

I was forced to do the fish in cycle because i won the fish at the carnival. I have had the tank running for two days, and today the algie bloom hit.

Ph level is around 7.2 ( i am using API freshwater test kit 6.0-7.6)
the water temperature is 72-73
I have done a 30% water change already today.

My question is what do you all recommend me doing, two water changes a day, one, add chemicals/ don't add (im hesitant to add anything because i don't want to kill my filter)
how soon should i vacuum my gravel?
should i cut back on feedings while the bloom is still in?
reccommend

also i use aquasafe water conditioner on my fresh water.
And, i have been following the rule of only feeding what they can eat in two minutes. - I feed the goldfish goldfish flakes and the pelco sinking wafers.
ive been feeding the goldfish a small amount in the morning and at night, and feeding the pleco when i turn off the room lights and the fish tank light.


also ,i know that goldfish will need more space to grow, but how long will it be before i have to get a larger tank ( 10 gallon)

these are my fish and tank


 

K

kalasas2008

Small Fish
#2
Oct 11, 2010
12
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0
#2
in that last picture you can see my sucker fish under the bridge/ goldfish on each side of the bridge. The one on the left is white with a red head.


The Goldfish is really active, the white fish is active sometimes but likes to hide under the bridge a lot, and the pelco is nocturnal and active at night.
 

T

Thyra

Superstar Fish
#3
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#3
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your tank is already much too small. For two gold fish you need at least a 20 g. tank and I suspect some will recommend 30g. They are also cold water fish so skip the heater. I don't know anything about Plecos but they are tropical and most grow huge so they aren't going to belong with the gold fish. I don't know what the "water softener" is for, but you do need to remove any chlorination if you are on city water. What you have is a nice tank for a male betta. I am sure some one will chime in with more specific details in minutes.
 

K

kalasas2008

Small Fish
#4
Oct 11, 2010
12
0
0
#4
I don't have a heater going in this tank, the water is that hot because people turned up the thermostat really high last night, and when i woke up it was 80 in my room. Needless to say, ive had my ac running all day. Is there an AC unit for fish tanks or is the room temp as cool as they can get?

is there a way to keep feeder goldfish small for a while?

yea the water softener is the chlorine remover stuff.



Is there anyway to make a 5 g tank work with like, daily maintenance?
 

K

kalasas2008

Small Fish
#8
Oct 11, 2010
12
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0
#8
what i was planning on putting the goldfish in my grandfathers pond once they got big enough to not get eaten. How long do you all think i could keep the fishies in the 5 gallon tank?
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#10
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#10
if you continue doing what you do now, you will do the fish in cycle like you said. you may lose fish. make sure youre using water conditioner thats meant for aquariums. water softener, if it actually softens the water, isnt any good for goldfish who like alkaline and hard water anyway. just use some thing like Seachem Prime as your water conditioner.
You'll need a full API FW test kit so you can measure ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
measure those to see when you need to do a water change. when ammonia or nitrite get around 1ppm or more do a big 50% water change. also when nitrate gets to 30-40ppm or more do the 50% water change.
You seem to be feeding them normally. allow one day per week when you dont feed them anything. it allows fish to cleanse their digestive tracts.
Eventually you will start getting very high 40ppm+ nitrates no matter how many water changes you do. at that point you should move out all fish and get an appropriate fish for this tank. Also you can go by the size of the fish. once the goldfish get to be anywhere near 2inches or more, move them to the pond.
 

K

kalasas2008

Small Fish
#11
Oct 11, 2010
12
0
0
#11
Thanks newman, lots of answers there, i'm using AquaSafe water conditioner for aquariums. Don't know why i said water softener (i'm new to this stuff heh).

Should i do the "
when ammonia or nitrite get around 1ppm or more do a big 50% water change. also when nitrate gets to 30-40ppm or more do the 50% water change."
while the tank is still cycling or do i wait until it clears then begin this regiment?
 

T

Thyra

Superstar Fish
#12
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#12
How big do they have to be to put in your Grandfather's pond? I know we all raised goldfish in bowls and sometimes they did well for months or even years with reasonable care and knowing nothing about the nitrogen cycle with fish. You at least have 5g. so if that was my mission, I would clean the tank and change the water weekly and feed them twice daily - this with the idea that they only have to get to be maybe an 1 1/2 or 2 inches in 4 or 5 months. I don't know if they will grow that fast, but it seems like my pond fish do in three months and I don't even feed them. I kept a betta almost 2 years that way - in a bowl, no heater - until I got educated and upgraded him and he did fine. I don't know where you live, but goldfish winter fine as long as there is water under the ice.
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#14
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#14
i'd say do the testing and water change regime. just because idk what youre waiting to "clear" lol

yes it also depends on how big the fish have to get in order to survive in your pond. you should really get them out when theyre around 2" though..
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#16
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#16
bad that there is 0 nitrate. means its no where near finishing the cucle :(
everything sounds ok. it would be ok if the pH was a little higher than that, but its fine now, so do not change it on purpose.

You need to test for ammonia and nitrite now..
 

L

littletankbigworld

Superstar Fish
#19
Aug 16, 2009
1,318
0
0
SW Pennsylvania
#19
You need to place the fish in a large pond as soon as possible. Your tank will have high ammonia and nitrate even after it is cycled because goldfish produce a massive amount of waste, as do plecos. Plecos require 100 gallons and goldfish can require between 30 and 100 gallons EACH, depending on the species. If you keep large fish in a tiny tank, they will develop ammonia poisoning and their growth will be stunted, causing future organ failure. Along with ammonia poisoning, they have the potential for contracting ich, velvet, fin and tail rot and other diseases from living in a tiny, uncycled, overcrowded tank. Please re-home all of your fish, do a fishless cycle, and buy a betta, snail, shrimp, dwarf puffer or African Dwarf Frogs because those are the only fish that can live happily in a 5 gallon tank.
 

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