What should I do?

[feliciae]

I need to decide the theme for my fish tank. I plan on buying several different decorations and items to put inside, and I still can't decide what I want to do!

I am also having issues with getting my plants to put down roots. The shorter plant in the front is doing relatively well, as my goldfish leave it be. The other plants that aren't plastic are doing... well... not so hot.

I currently have my Betta suctioned to the side of the tank, seeing as his tank is going to be turned into a 'plants only' habitat very soon.

And one last question.
My water is looking constantly cloudy. My filters are good, my Pleco is doing his job as well as he can, and there is nothing else wrong that I can see.
any ideas?

 

[OrangeCones]

I am also having issues with getting my plants to put down roots. The shorter plant in the front is doing relatively well, as my goldfish leave it be. The other plants that aren't plastic are doing... well... not so hot.

What plants do you have that are not doing so hot?

My water is looking constantly cloudy. My filters are good, my Pleco is doing his job as well as he can, and there is nothing else wrong that I can see.
any ideas?

Plecos and bettas are tropical fish, while goldfish are a coldwater fish. They will not be able to live together long-term and remain healthy.

What sized aquarium are the fish in? How long has the aquarium been established? What are your current readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
The cloudy water is likely a bacteria bloom.

 

[lauraf]

Hi Feliciae:
How long has your tank been set up? Has it been cycled? Do you have a liquid test kit to determine the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? And what exactly do you have in the tank in question? I can see the angels, goldies and betta.

 

[lauraf]

OC, stop posting at the same time as me!!!

 

[OrangeCones]

You saw the angel that I missed

 

[feliciae]

I have a 55 gallon aquarium, my nitrate reading is a zero, and the ph level is at a constant 7.0.
Aquarium has been up and running for nearly two months, but it didn't get fish until a week after I bought it and got everything going.
Temperature is always at 78, and it dosen't really sit in the sun.
I have goldfish, a betta, an angel, several different kinds of tetra, two plecos, two mollies, and a few fish that I don't know the kind.
I'm thinking of putting my gold fish in just a regular bowl, but I feel like that's too harsh and too small an environment for them.
I have two feeder goldfish that were a gift from a friend, one celestial eye, a black moor, a fantail, and a small Koi.
Should I keep them in my big tank or just put them into a smaller bowl?

 

[lauraf]

I'm concerned that you don't have any nitrates showing. You should have some if your tank is actually cycled properly. Are you testing your water yourself?

 

[OrangeCones]

I have a 55 gallon aquarium, my nitrate reading is a zero, and the ph level is at a constant 7.0.

You might want to retest your water. Unless you have been doing 100% water changes, it would be hard to have a nitrate reading of zero with a tank running for 2 months. What are your readings now of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? The pH is not a concern for most species of fish.

How are you testing (what test kit do you use)? What is your water change schedule like (how often and how much)? What brand of dechlorinator do you use?

Temperature is always at 78, and it dosen't really sit in the sun. I have goldfish, a betta, an angel, several different kinds of tetra, two plecos, two mollies, and a few fish that I don't know the kind.
I'm thinking of putting my gold fish in just a regular bowl, but I feel like that's too harsh and too small an environment for them.
I have two feeder goldfish that were a gift from a friend, one celestial eye, a black moor, a fantail, and a small Koi.
Should I keep them in my big tank or just put them into a smaller bowl?

You have an overcrowding issue as well as a compatability issue with the fish you are keeping.

Not counting the koi, your coldwater goldfish need 20 gallons for 1 and 10 gallons for each additional golfdish. Your temperature is too hot for these coldwater fish.

A koi is a pond fish. The grow 3 feet in length and need a lot of filtration to live a healthy life.

The rest of your fish are tropical fish and would do well at your constant 78 temperature. You may have issues with a betta and some of those tropicals however. They tend to be fin-nippers with long-finned fish.

 

[feliciae]

You might want to retest your water. Unless you have been doing 100% water changes, it would be hard to have a nitrate reading of zero with a tank running for 2 months. What are your readings now of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? The pH is not a concern for most species of fish.

How are you testing (what test kit do you use)? What is your water change schedule like (how often and how much)? What brand of dechlorinator do you use?

I retested it and the nitrate reading was a little higher. I must have read it wrong the first time.
I use a test kit from API to test the water, and I do not use a dechlorinator. I have well water that I warm up that I put in there before I change the water.
I do 50% water changes every month, and 20% changes every week. I have recently been doing 5-10% changes every day though, as I have a bacteria problem at the moment.

Ever since you told me that I needed to seperate my gold fish and the others, I put my celsetial eye in a 25 gallon tank that I originally had, and I am finding homes for the others. I don't want them to die on me, and if they can't stay in my big tank then I don't want to keep them in there and harm them.


Is there anything else that you think I need to change? I really want to have a great aquarium, and I didn't realize how much that I was doing wrong!
Thanks so much for both of your help.

 

[OrangeCones]

Do you know the kind of plecos you have? Common plecos get HUGE and are a big bioload on an aquarium. If you don't know what type they are, if you post a picture, I'm sure some of the pleco experts can tell.

I would highly recommend you get a kit (API makes one) that you can check ammonia, nitrite and nitrate for your tank. With the overcrowding you currently have, it will guide you on how often and how much water to change (you should keep ammonia and nitrite at zero and nitrate 20 or under).

I would not put the betta in with the rest that you have. They don't do as well in deep tanks as they need to breathe air and they have a hard time in deeper tanks with the additional pressure the deeper water causes on their bodies. I hate seeing them in bowls of any sort, but a smaller tank would be best for your betta.

Even though you don't need to use a dechlorinator for chlorine, many also remove heavy metals. Depending on what is in your soil, it can be an issue long-term for some of the more sensitive fish.