Fish tank advice.....

[misteroo]

I had a plastic tank with my goldfish in for 17 years, no filters or pumps!!
Cleaned it regularly....im talking every week!!!!! Had too because it got cloudy so quick!!!
He has suffered recently from "pop eye" and swim bladder problems.

My neighbour recently threw out his glass tank, filter and air pump.
I cleaned thoroughly, changed all the filter foam and bought new charcoal filters, also a new air stone and tubing and stones.

Treated for his problems and now he's swimming around like a nutter!!!!

Cant believe how long the water stays clear too.

The filter is an Elite Stingray.....are these any good??

 

[twain]

You need to let us know some things:

1. Goldfish? how many and how big are they?
2. Is it in direct sunlight?
3. How much are you feeding?
4. How long has it been set up?
5. What's the filter, name and model?
6. Is your filter running constantly?

I suspect you're feeding too much, the filter is crap, and it's in direct sunlight.


I know a thing or two about fishies.

i will answer all these questions tomorrow! will take photos too!
thanks for all the answers so far

 

[twain]

here we are:
Tank type, you can see the water is an off green colour:

Tank location - not in direct sunlight:

Fish type (3 fish):

Filter type:

Filter is on all the time

type of water treatments used:

 

[David B]

I know a thing or two about fishies.

Mind you, the one on your avatar is clearly having a bad day at the office.

David

 

[misteroo]

I know a thing or two about fishies.

Mind you, the one on your avatar is clearly having a bad day at the office.

David

Tea on the screen moment.....brilliant

 

[My_Teenage_Self]

I know a thing or two about fishies.

Mind you, the one on your avatar is clearly having a bad day at the office.

David

Twain, Nothing looks awful there, but I'd suspect you're feeding too much. Algae gets it's nutrients from the water, and uneaten food is nutrients. Goldfish are hungry and messy little buggers, but most people are shocked at how little food they really need. How much are you giving them?

The little Marina is... not a good pump. but I'd put it a little lower in the water for 2 reasons:

1. that's quite a head of water for such a tiny pump.
2. the water agitation will oxygenate the water, meaning more algae!

so, lower pump, reduce feeding, report back.

 

[Kestonian]

Pardon I ....

Does this mean I can submerge my pump? How does one tell?

'scuse I

 

[My_Teenage_Self]

submerging a pump is generally fine, but You'd have to check the brand to be sure! They're typically all hermetically sealed.

Excluding marine setups, I've never found surface aeration/agitation to be particularly beneficial. Most successful tanks have a gentle surface ripple, allowing enough oxygen exchange, whilst not encouraging algae.

Twain, you may find a bunch of Elodea help a little, but I wouldn't expect miracles. It's the stuff normally available from petshops in little bunches.

 

[twain]

right so i think i need a UV filter for this tank - cant move it or reduce the light in the kitchen for it.
so, the next question - what power UV filter would i need for a tank this big? there is a 5Watt one on ebay - will this suffice?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220V-5W-36W-U ... 2a2240ee38

 

[IDB1]

The tank isn't big enough for goldfish of any kind unfortunately, recommended minimum for 1 fancy goldfish is 30gallons with an additional 10gallons for each extra fish added.

The green water is probably algae, it's not a uv filter you need. Try adding live plant (as suggested already), you may find that the plant will compete with the algae and win.

Additionally the tank needs to be cycled to allow the bacteria in the filter to grow and be able to break down the toxins in the water produced by the fish.
Here's an article on that http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles_5 ... rticle.htm

**edit to add** leaving the water standing for 24hrs will only get rid of chlorine, not chloramines. And not all water conditioners neutralise chloramines either.
But not all water authorities add it so it'd be worth checking your local water boards website to find out.