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Fish tank.. I wish I never did it..

3K views 38 replies 17 participants last post by  bryanc 
#1 ·
So my kids wanted a pet.. I said no way.. but to drown out the screaming I decided to get 2 x $1.88 fish. ( calico fan tails ..on sale at PJs )
it ended up costing me $55 LOL.. [ with a starer tank kit etc ]

any how now I wish i never did it..
the tank went from crystal clear to murky within 24 hours..
I have filters, i did the chemicals.. everything.. [ i even turn the lights off {pitch darkness} for these damn things because they need to sleep]..

I am 5 mins from flushing the whole venture down the toilet, and tell my kids..it didn't work out..
any one have a quick tip or idea? [much appreciated ]
XX)
 
#7 ·
100% on that. Plus, how big is the tank you bought? I am guessing by the $55.00 price, it is likely very small. Even if you had a large filter on it, it takes time for the filter to become effective. Check this out.

The Nitrogen Cycle - Article at The Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish

For fish tanks, the bigger the better and the easier they are to take care of. In either case, big to small, it takes a long time for the beneficial bacteria to build up in the filters and unfortunately, unless you have a large tank, goldfish are not good to start with since they are very messy fish.

I realize this is not the most helpful news but unfortunately, nothing is going to cure your cloudiness other than time.

I would suggest taking the goldies back and getting a few very small tropical fish (will require a heater if you don't have one) and start very slowly and build your aquarium up.
 
#9 ·
Small tanks are much harder to keep then larger tanks...and you need to use the right fish / plants to keep things healthy...from the looks of things you have everything stacked heavily against you and it will be difficult to keep ahead of it with the choices you have made so far. If you want a simple to keep fish start with a beta and add a small plant. Goldfish are VERY dirty fish and typically a terrible choice for a fish tank.
 
#10 ·
thanks every one for the great tips.. so regretting this. but i have the filter set to high.. it is a 5 gallon tank. - I guess I will wait till the weekend and empty half and start with clean water..
if they still live till then.. if not.. oh well.. keep the tank for another time and place.. [ when i was a kid. i do not remember it being so hard. But I do recall it being a massive tank ]
heres praying for a positive out come or we plan a family trip to the toilet and pause before saying good bye to Dorthy and Ariel.
 
#12 ·
Oh goodness. Whoever sold you that should be smacked. 5 Gallon tanks are horrible. Suited for a Beta and even then, I'd feel bad.

Those fish get to about 6" full grown. I would not put one in anything less than a 20 Gal and even that would require a strict maintenance regime and light feedings.

The old story of fish only grow to their environment is complete BS. Fish are stunted in poor living conditions which don't allow them to grow to their potential and usually die very early.

I would suggest calling the store and asking to return them. If you got them from a fish store, they should take them back. If you got them from Walmart, they likely won't but I would send a sternly worded email tot he store and customer service because again, you got ripped off because you got setup to fail.

Fish keeping is not that hard if you set the aquarium up right. Good filtration, a slow build up and an aquarium size suitable for the fish you want to keep allow for a manageable maintenance schedule. When I had mine setup properly, I spent a few mins a day feeding, a half hour a week for light maintenance and maybe 1 hour every 3 months for filtration cleaning etc.

It is very peaceful and enjoyable when done correctly.
 
#15 ·
We had a fish bowl and two gold fish given to my daughter by one of her friends as a birthday present. They lived in the bowl for a while, until she got bored of them, and then we 'set them free' into the friend's mother's carp pond. The local blue herons consider the pond to be their local buffet.

Another good pet was crickets. Another neighbour's chickens take care of them.

You always need an exit plan ...
 
#18 ·
Whatever try not to let it get too out of hand.

One tropical fish enthusiast in Lower mainland BC had his home raided because the authorities determined his electrical use was consistent with a grow-op. Failing to find any weed they charged him with electrical code violations. Made a bit more insulting as he is a retired electrician.
 
#19 ·
Think i heard about that guy. Too funny.

For a few years I was running 7 tanks totalling 228 gallons. My biggest at the time was only 75 Gal.

I was breeding a rare colour mutation and was the first one in Canada to do so (to the best of my knowledge). In order to do it properly, I realized I needed to quit my job and get another 20 tanks. I decided it would be in my best interest to scale back. I ran a 110Gal tank for a while but have since taken that one down too. I'm looking to move by the end of the year and will likely have a hobby tank in my new house again.

It can be addictive :D
 
#21 ·
One upside with gold fish is that they're very tough, so they may survive long enough for the nitrifying bacteria to colonize and start getting the nitrates under control. In the mean time, keep changing the water by hand (set up some jugs with tap water over night to let the chlorine oxidize and to let the water equilibrate to room temperature, then remove about 20% of the tank water and replace it with the water you've let stand overnight).

You should also be able to get starter cultures for your biofilter at the pet store, and supplanting the natural population with these will both increase the rate at which your biological filters catch up with the load, and ensure that useful bacteria outcompete the harmful ones that are growing now.
 
#22 ·
went out and bought the following and I think it is making a very slight difference in color of water.
Thanks to the advise of Digital_Gary - on the weekend I will remove 20% of the water and re add new water also.
Lots of work for two gold fish - but it is priceless to see a smile on my daughters face. :)
 
#23 ·
Lots of work for two gold fish - but it is priceless to see a smile on my daughters face. :)
:)

That's the right attitude! Once you've got the system in equilibrium (which should happen spontaneously in a couple of weeks, or maybe a little quicker if you add the nitrifying bacteria culture), it won't be much work to maintain. And a nice aquarium (even a small one) is like living art.
 
#24 ·
Was at Big Al's last night and they have a massive sign on the door saying please don't set your pets free in your porcelain tank
It's not fair to them or the city. LOL
Thought that was funny..
 
#26 ·
If you're going to kill your fish, do it humanely... then flush them. Because fish don't have cold-sensitive nociceptors, they do not experience pain when their body temperature is lowered. So an easy and painless way of killing them is to put them in a cup of water, and then put the water in the freezer, where the fish will quickly loose consciousness as the temperature drops before being killed by the formation of ice crystals.
 
#31 ·
:yikes:
should i call you Darwin with an axe.. wow..
nature or nurture.. or neither with you.. :eek: LOL
 
#30 ·
not sure if I should be laughing or be shocked.
brick beatings and freezings..
Man and I thought 'Dexter' was insane..
 
#32 ·
Well, for the people who think that releasing fish into the toilet means they'll eventually be swimming free in the ocean (or lake), there are these places called Wastewater Treatment plants standing between the sink and the sea. The movie should have been called 'Grinding Nemo'.

Also this comment that was posted: (Red Dwarf Moment)

"I remember when my dad died you know. I was only six. I got loads of presents off everyone like it was Christmas. I remember wishing a couple more people would die so I could complete my Lego set. My grandma tried to explain, you know. She said he'd gone away and he wasn't coming back. So, I wanted to know where, like, you know. She said he was very happy and he'd gone to the same place as my goldfish. So I thought they'd flushed him down the bog. I thought he was just round the U bend, you know. I used to stuff food down, you know, and magazines and that for him to read. They took me to a child psychologist in the end because they found me with my head down the bowl reading him the football results."
 
#33 ·
Just for perspective, I have a 29 gallon (US) aquarium with only two goldfish in it. Most goldfish grow rapidly, and need bigger quarters. I started with a 7.5 gallon aquarium and two fish for my daughter, but it quickly came back to me to look after them. As the fish grew, the tank expanded to 10, then 15 and then 29 gallons. Over the years I've had 8 different goldfish, and most have lived 5 or more years. I use an outside filter to keep the tank clean. I change the charcoal and ammonia remover insets every 2-4 weeks. I rarely change water, but I add some "seasoned" (kept two days to remove chlorine) water about every two days to make up for evaporation. I vaccuum the tank and change large amounts of water every 6-12 months.

Goldfish are interesting and relaxing to watch. I don't regret ever having bought them!

(In the interests of disclosure, I am a fish ecologist.) :)
 
#36 ·
The water cleared up!! Yeah!!
 
#37 ·
Congratulations... sound's like it was a typical "new tank" bacterial bloom due to excess nitrogenous wastes from the gold fish. Now that you're tank is clear, you should just change about 10% of the water every week (as well as cleaning the filters etc.).

Have fun with it.

Cheers
 
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