Hi Eaglec,

will follow your advice and let you know how we get on, Shame the fish have to suffer through our learning the hard way! I already have a Nutrafin Essential Mini Master kit, which I used with my coldwater tank, but my lfs advised the strips were better!

Thanks for the advice.

this maybe a silly question, but, have you still got the goldie tank runing???? (was just thinking if you had then you could pinch some filter sponge)
knowing me tho i probs got the wrong end of the stick and are using the goldie tank for the trops..
just slap me if i being thick again.

No, unfortunatley I don't have the goldie tank still running, a good idea tho if it was.
Thanks

i was told it was perfectly fine to put fish in after 24 hours of a tank running

More downright irresponsible advice from lfs I'm afraid - it means the fish has to be exposed to ammonia and nitrite poisoning Fishless cycling avoids this.

Whoever told you that was on crack ....

Presumably thats how come you came to be in the pickle of this thread ?

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... =ASC&type=&mode=0&start=0

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This is old fashioned these days as it puts fish at risk of the cycle and more likely to die, which means you have to buy more fish which is good business for fish shops
the reason we recommend fishless cycling is to save the fish going through the torture of the cycle and to save you going through the stress of losing your first lot of fish and what this involves best to start of on the right track don't you think

I was wondering if anyone would be able to offer me some advice. I have spent the last three evenings reading all the advice on this amazing site and would like some answers. I think I know my problem, the old nitrogen cycle, didn't even think about any of thiS in this way before and I'm a biologist, so I feel pretty stupid.

I have just filled out my profile so that has a lot of information in it but basically I have a tank that is 24 x 8 x 8, about 25 litres, which I now realise is quite small in the scheme of things. It has two Shubunkins and a goldfish in there, I also have lots of plants, three different species, elodea, some fern like plants and a leafy one which my fish love to dig up. I have an under gravel filter and do a quarter water change every two weeks, but this hasn't always been the case as my boyfriend used to be in charge. I have a major algae problem at the moment, my fish are happy, but I have realised I have been over feeding them and there is probably a lot of waste in my tank which is probably over stocked. The tank is actually on a window sill and that doesn't help the algae. I tried snails, they were great but only lasted about fourmonths before they started dying(nitrogen cycle stuff I now realise) and the most recent tragedy was a bottom feeder I bought, it was sold to me as a great algae eater but it wasn't. It was happy for four weeks but then it suddenly died, I think ammonia built up ant the bottom of the tank.

I'm suprised my fish haven't all died, or had horrid diseases from what I have read here. To avoid stress I tend to remove the fish during a water change as the tank is too small, I have just realised.

So I am going to get a new tank. Filters confuse me, but I think an internal filter will be best for me, I want to be rid of the under gravel as my plants never establish and it is too unsettling for the fish. What is a fluval filter, what do you guys recommend?

I'm going to move the tank off the window sill because of the light issue, I'm looking at a 75 litre and a 100 litre second hand tank. I would like snails again and maybe some tiny neon tetra type top feeders. I would also like to get into a more natural tank with wood etc in it.

Should I buy the tank set it all up and do empty cycling first and at the same time keep cleaning my tank as usual, then transfer my seemingly very hardy fish afterwards?

Do I need a light?

Should I transfer my gravel and some fish waste into the new tank to speed up the whole cycling process?

I'm just a bit confused, a case of information overload I feel....... Help!!!


Thank you

Btw. one of my Shubunkins is five and lived in a dirty pond for three years if I forgot to mention that?! :)

Hi Penny,

Can you start a new thread in the Coldwater section please , more people will see it and you will have a better chance of some replies ...

Just copy and paste the text into a new thread to save typing it all out again.

H

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Fluval is a brand name, the fluval 4plus internal filter should be able to cope with your proposed new tank but the eheim aquaball internal filters are better. An external filter is more efficient and less maintenance but if you want internal see if you can get the eheim aquaball 2212

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Sounds sensible with the exception of the tetras, first they're tropical fish from a software area so not suitable for the water type or temperature in a goldfish tank. Secondly because anything that size will be eaten by a goldfish sooner or later
Apple snail, Nerite snails and maylasian trumpet snails will all survive well in a healthy coldwater tank but there aren't many fish that can co-habbit. Some stores will try to sell you Hillstream Loaches (also called butterfly plecs) but dont be tempted as these will just die without a specialised setup.

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Not in this case, set the tank up with dechlorinated water and leave the filter running for 24 hours then test the water is clear of ammonia and nitrite and check the PH. The PH should be about the same as your little tank at this point. Assuming all is well bag your fish and acclimitise them to the new tank in the usual way. Then scoop as much of the gravel from the little tanks undergravel filter tray and put it in the media trays of the aquaball (you cant do this with a fluval internal). This will move the good bacteria over to the new tank and the extra water capacity will immediately benefit the fish.
From then on every 4-6 weeks or so empty a media tray of gravel and place the eheim sponge back in.
regular water tests will ensure that things are going well.

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For fish and snails no. For plants yes. You'll need one that is safe to operate in a high humidity environment and tubes that provide the right light frequency for plants to grow. The tank may come with the starter but you should replace the tube. The lfs is the easiest place to pick up a suitable replacement tube.

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You could but as mentioned above, I'd recommend in this case skipping the fishless cycle and you can move the whole bacteria culture to the new tank and maintain the cycle.




ps. Howard is right, best to start a new thread for each point of discusion.