The G Man wrote:
> A few weeks back I accidentally cracked my existing fish tank. It was
> only quite a small one so I decided over the weekend to treat our fish
> to a bigger and better tank. On Sunday I bought an Elite System 3 tank
> - it may not be a big aquarium but it's big enough for our 3 fish (19
> Litres)
>
> So, I proceeded to fill the tank, add the correct dosage of tap safe
> and started the pump. Yesterday morning I added some friendly bacteria
> (initial the dosage as stated on the bottle for new aquariums)
>
> I then left the tank for another 12 hours at least before transferring
> the fish from the old tank to the new tank. Now, I know what most
> people will say at this stage (and maybe they are right) - I've not
> left the tank long enough to mature - but I've previously done full
> clean outs on the existing tank and the fish seemed happy enough in the
> crystal clear water.
>
> The fish seemed fine when I went to bed last night - swimming around
> exploring. I gave them a bit of food which they ate so everything
> seemed normal.
>
> I then got up this morning to find them all just lying still on the
> bottom of the fish tank - a sign which I've seen before to indicate
> things ain't right in there. Was a nightmare trying to get them out as
> they kept swimming into the new ornaments in the tank.
>
> Have transferred them back to the old bowl - luckily I kept the old
> water just in case - and they seemed to recover immediately.
>
> What have I done wrong?
>
> Is there anything anyone can recommend I buy to test the environment in
> the new aquarium? I've seen a number of tests available but what should
> I be testing for?
>
> Any help anyone can give would be very beneficial to me. Cheers.
I don't know what your experience level is, so forgive me if any of this
stuff seems elementary to you.
Geezer's right that your fish will want a lot more space, but if they're
still fairly small then you may be able to get away with a smaller tank
for now. A good rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per four litres of
water, for a rectangular tank.
Your notion of "old water" being good is intuitive but incorrect. Fish
- goldfish especially - release wastes into the water: filters transform
the waste through bacterial action. The bacteria grow on every
available surface. What makes an older tank healthier is the presence
of the bacteria on the tank and filter surfaces - the "old water" itself
is less healthy.
Testing is very important and very easy to do. Go to a pet store and
get some strip tests - those are the easiest to use. You definitely
want some ammonia tests, since ammonia is the most likely problem in a
new tank. You can get a combination test strip that measures nitrates,
nitrites, pH, and alkalinity; that's a good one to get as well.
If testing shows ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates as too high, start doing
water changes (say, 30%) until they fall to safe levels and remain
there. If your pH or alkalinity is off by a lot, then your tap water is
probably unsafe and you'll need to treat it before adding any to your tank.
Incidentally, a larger tank will be a easier; if you plan to keep these
fish for a while you might invest in the larger tank now, since you'll
have to eventually.
-Peter
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