A neighbor who was moving left a 2 gallon fish tank with 2 goldfish in it. It is ridiculously tiny so I decided to get a bigger tank. Got a 5 gallon tank (which I've since learned is still too small) for more space for them, conditioned water with new water cond kit (stress coat, stress zyme, aquatic salt, ph stuff). Also since learned I needed to cycle tank didn't. After a few hours fish were at top breathing air and tank turned cloudy and one fish died - all within 24 hours!! I know about new tank syndrome - but is that supposed to happen so quickly? Had taken water out of old tank, but still had gravel - and an under gravel filter that made lots of bubbles. added tap water and put de-chloronator and put one surviving fish back in. he perked right up - is it the oxygen in smaller tank? he hasn't had problems because of new tank being placed back in small tank with new water? he's ok in there, but its' too small. so bigger tank is now cloudy and the whisper micro filter - i'm not sure if it's working, doesn't seem to be moving the water at all like gravel filter bubbly thing in smaller tank. but this 5 tank is supposed to be a complete kit - is this filter oxygenating the water enough? how do i get bigger tank healthy for goldfish?
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New tank problems - argh!
Replies (1)
Yeah, you are experiencing the cycling process. Your ammonias will spike first. Did you find the cycling article on our site? It goes into detail about how you should go about setting up a new tank, and all about the cycling process. How much salt are you putting in your tank?
Your fish were surfacing because they were trying to get oxygen. You should have an air stone in the tank if you don't already. Cloudy tanks are usually caused by ammonia. Follow the instructions on the link below to avoid fish kills. Ammonia poisoning is the number one fish killer.
The gravel you used from the old tank will help with the cycling process, but it will still take time to establish.
New Aquarium Setup
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Phishie
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