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Original poster

Aquarium keepers - advice and tips gratefully received please

23 replies

Sparkler1 · 17/03/2007 21:38

We have owned a small coldwater fish tank now for almost a year. It has been great fun and has run quite smoothly. The two goldfish we have are growing quite big now and so I have managed to purchase a really lovely 2ft tank at a great price.
We haven't put it all together yet but it came with heater etc so will be suitable later, if I choose, to use as a tropical tank.
My fish are going to think they've won the lottery having a new home that they can actually swim around properly in!!!!
Would love to hear some advice and tips from fellow mumsnetter aquarium owners as to the transfer of the fish into bigger tank etc etc.
TIA xx

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Washersaurus · 17/03/2007 21:48

If it has a filter on it you should set it up and fill it with water and leave it for a few days with the filter running.

If not probably just part fill the new aquarium with water treated with that chlorine removal stuff and gradually top up with water from your existing tank.

Useless fact: Goldfish are not specifically coldwater fish - they can just withstand much lower temperatures than other tropicals. I keep mine in a big heated tank with lots of tropical fish - they have been happily going for years now.

Original poster

Sparkler1 · 17/03/2007 21:51

We have two Sarosa Comets. I though I had read something about them being okay in a slightly warmer temperature but I think I would rather hold off for now until I have got used to the new tank myself. I think I will wait to get any tropical fish and use the heater until the two we have decide to go to fishy heaven .

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Washersaurus · 17/03/2007 21:54

I'm not a fishkeeping geek BTW . DH kept tropical fish and I had goldfish so we just merged them all into one bigger tank.

He deals with all the crappy jobs like cleaning them out - I just feed them and generally enjoy having them about.

Original poster

Sparkler1 · 17/03/2007 22:02

Me neither - your and your DH sound just like me and mine!

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Washersaurus · 17/03/2007 22:08

To make the new tank more friendly for your fish you can buy products that put friendly bacteria and stuff into the water for them - we use 'Stress Coat' and 'StressZyme'. We always put some in when we do water changes (Obviously when I say 'we' I mean 'he' ).

scatterbrain · 17/03/2007 22:10

I'm no expert on this - but there are a few around who will hopefully be along to advise !

But in the meantime - I was wondering whether you could just tip the water and gravel and everything from your old tank into the new one and top it up with some treated water - in that way you won't lose all the beneficial bacteria and won't have to wait weeks to get the new tank cycled ?

I don't know - but that's what I was thinking of doing when I upgrade to a bigger tank anyway !

Original poster

Sparkler1 · 17/03/2007 22:11

lol - I know I must make it very pretty by colour co-ordinating everything as well.

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Original poster

Sparkler1 · 17/03/2007 22:11

Scatterbrain - thankyou. I was wondering if I should do that. We were definately going to transfer some of the water from our current tank over anyhow.

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Washersaurus · 17/03/2007 22:17

I always wanted a 'no fishing' sign in my tank but DH wouldn't let me (said it was tacky)

If you pour the gravel in to the new tank as well as the water there will be crap floating everywhere surely?

scatterbrain · 17/03/2007 22:22

Well - I would obviously siphon hoover as much of the "crap" out of the gravel first ! It would soon clear with the filter on max anyway.

Better than having to cycle the tank empty for three or so weeks I'd have thought myself !

Washersaurus · 17/03/2007 22:26

Oh it only takes 5 days to set up NOT weeks and using some of the old tank water speeds things up. The gravel should go in before the water anyway

Washersaurus · 17/03/2007 22:27

[now sniggering to myself for finding myself involved in a fishkeeping debate on a Saturday night]

scatterbrain · 17/03/2007 22:28

Well you are obviouslky more of an expert than me then.

My tank took 3 weeks to cycle to the right leevls - I was testing it daily. I did it all byu the book assw ell.

Oh well - no doubt you know better yhan me - sorry to have rattled your cage.

Washersaurus · 17/03/2007 22:35

No honestly, I don't know much about fishkeeping - we certainly never test the water!

We have changed tanks and filters a few times over the years so have a bit of an idea of how to set them up and have always left them to settle for a few days with some treatments added to speed things up before putting the fish in. I think you have to let your pump gradually prime or something which is why you don't just tip everything in from the old tank (believe me that would have been my route if DH hadn't taken charge )

Washersaurus · 17/03/2007 22:38

I didn't mean to sound like a know-it-all scatterbrain...I was just trying to help

Bamzooki · 17/03/2007 22:40

Sparkler, using water from your existing tank is definitely a good way to speed up the maturation of the new tank and filter (it did come with one right?). You can start that as soon as you fill the new one - just move some over. Do that a couple of times over a week and you could well be good to go. Do you have any water testing kits? What sort of filter is it? Biolife? Fluval?
We have tropical - in fact I think we have spoken about fish before. No matter - what I was going to say is that I don't know about goldfish as our Comets are in the pond, but we bought some butterfly loaches as 'algae eaters' (damn fine job they do too) which in the shop were in with the goldfish, but here are doing well at 26 degrees, and last summer i remember the tanks being at 30+ before i put cold packs in....So some fish at least can manage a range of temps.
Actually this has just reminded me that I haven't yet told DH that according to a man from the fishing shop the Grass Carp we added to the pond to help with weed can be seen in local waterways at 20lb or more....our pond is definitely not big enough for such whales!!

Bamzooki · 17/03/2007 22:47

I think it was GeorginaA who has done some fab on-line coaching-through-tank-setups before now. if I had any idea how to do links I would go and look for you....but i don't. Am I a real dunce for that?

Pixel · 17/03/2007 23:04

You definitely don't want any advice from me . I've lost about 10 lovely fish over the last week and I don't know why. I had the water tested in a shop and it was 100% perfect, I've tested the thermometer, checked the pump and filter are working properly, changed a lot of the water (with tap-safe added) and added various potions that I got from our local aquarium shop. One by one the fish have died and there are now two minnows left. I don't want to show my face in the shop again and admit I've killed the beautiful deep red and lavender fighting fish I bought recently. All I can think of to do now is wait and see what happens to the minnows. If they die too I can empty the whole thing out and start all over again. I feel like a fish murderer .

Washersaurus · 17/03/2007 23:08

As already established here....I am no expert. But maybe it was the fighting fish that were responsible! Aren't you only supposed to keep one as they are so territorial?

Washersaurus · 17/03/2007 23:09

I've had some really evil fish murders in my tank - don't blame yourself.

Pixel · 17/03/2007 23:52

I know, it was only one fish. He had red fins and a lavender body, very pretty. You can't keep them with angelfish or guppies or anything else with a long tail so we only had minnows, glolights, neons and corys. The all seemed to get on ok.

Pixel · 18/03/2007 00:09

Sorry, just realised I hijacked the thread. Hope you have fun with your aquarium sparkler.

Original poster

Sparkler1 · 19/03/2007 17:37

Thanks guys. Just been reading thread with great interest. Unfortunately we haven't had chance to get new tank set up as yet but am hoping to do it sometime this week. I have read it will take about 5 days to set up ready for use. I don't have a water testing kit but I know when we set up our small tank I can take a sample to our local pet shop and they will test it for us.

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