so today i got a new goldfish from a relative that didn't want it anymore. it's a couple of years old and has been in a small tank on its own for some time since it killed and ate all of the other fish they had with it.
i have it in the tank they kept it in (which isn't very clean) and was wondering how i'd go about introducing it to it's own bigger clean cycled tank without giving it shock or something...
i have 2 of my own goldfish and 2 weather loaches in a big tank together but i really don't think i'll ever add the new one to them since it's so agressive...will it be ok on it's own?
new fish
Moderator: LoachForumModerators
1) Test the water it is in.
2) Test your tap water. (or whatever you will fill the tan with)
IF... the 2 waters have similar GH, KH and pH, then do as large and as many water changes as you want to clean up the water he is in.
IF the GH or KH vary by more than 2 degrees (about 36 ppm) then do smaller, frequent water changes. The goal is to make a net change of not more than about 1 degree of hardness (17.9 ppm) at a time. You could do 2-3 water changes like this per week. Gradually the fish is acclimated to the new water. When it gets close, then you can move him to a new set up. Let this take time. A month is not unreasonable, especially if the GH and KH are way off.
Start now, with a new tank, proper filter etc. Do a fishless cycle to grow a really large population of nitrifying bacteria. This takes about 3 weeks. A faster method is to use Dr. Tim's One and Only, or Tetra Safe Start. These are the actual species of bacteria the tank needs, and you could add the Goldfish right away. (of course the water parameters need to match what he is in now.)
Here is the fastest way:
Set up new tank. Move fish, filter, and everything into the new tank. This will move the nitrifying bacteria. Top up with water that matches the GH and KH of the water he is in.
THEN worry about making the water cleaner. Use the slow, but safe "small, frequent water changes" suggested above to gradually change the water to better and better conditions, and to make it match your tap water.
2) Test your tap water. (or whatever you will fill the tan with)
IF... the 2 waters have similar GH, KH and pH, then do as large and as many water changes as you want to clean up the water he is in.
IF the GH or KH vary by more than 2 degrees (about 36 ppm) then do smaller, frequent water changes. The goal is to make a net change of not more than about 1 degree of hardness (17.9 ppm) at a time. You could do 2-3 water changes like this per week. Gradually the fish is acclimated to the new water. When it gets close, then you can move him to a new set up. Let this take time. A month is not unreasonable, especially if the GH and KH are way off.
Start now, with a new tank, proper filter etc. Do a fishless cycle to grow a really large population of nitrifying bacteria. This takes about 3 weeks. A faster method is to use Dr. Tim's One and Only, or Tetra Safe Start. These are the actual species of bacteria the tank needs, and you could add the Goldfish right away. (of course the water parameters need to match what he is in now.)
Here is the fastest way:
Set up new tank. Move fish, filter, and everything into the new tank. This will move the nitrifying bacteria. Top up with water that matches the GH and KH of the water he is in.
THEN worry about making the water cleaner. Use the slow, but safe "small, frequent water changes" suggested above to gradually change the water to better and better conditions, and to make it match your tap water.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
the ph is a little different but that seems to be the only thing so does this sound reasonable?
i have the new tank up and running with plants, filter and aged/treated water.
i wait about 2-3 weeks for bacteria and mean while do small frequent water changes for the tank he's in (just discovered he's male!)
when the conditions are right i drain 1/3 of the new tank water away and move fish along with enough water from the old tank to replace the 1/3 missing from the new one.
does this sound ok?
i have the new tank up and running with plants, filter and aged/treated water.
i wait about 2-3 weeks for bacteria and mean while do small frequent water changes for the tank he's in (just discovered he's male!)
when the conditions are right i drain 1/3 of the new tank water away and move fish along with enough water from the old tank to replace the 1/3 missing from the new one.
does this sound ok?
moo
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 72 guests