Keeping this tank healthy as easily as possible

angerhesmiles

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This is what my tank looks like right now. I have 3 goldfish which I know is too many for the tank but I can't find anyone to take any of them and obviously I can't release them into the lake. The amonia levels seem to be holding ok and my only big issue right now seems to be nitrate levels which are pretty high. Is it just a matter of water changes constantly. the Goldfish are doing great but my pleco is depressing me. not growing, always hiding in the Chum Bucket. clearly not healthy. Thoughts?
 

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Welcome to Fishlore! :)
How big is your goldfish tank? Water changes are the best / fastest way to reduce nitrate. What is the reading? Goldfish are messy so more water changes are usually best for them.

Your pleco looks stressed because the light is bright and he has no where to hide. Is that a clown pleco?
 

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  • #3
One other thing worth mentioning...I don't feed the pleco because I was told the algea on the tank would be enough. I read somewhere that I should be but I really don't want the tank full of food that's not being eaten. If I do need to feed him, is it reasonable to take him out and put him in another holding area and feed him in there?
Welcome to Fishlore! :)
How big is your goldfish tank? Water changes are the best / fastest way to reduce nitrate. What is the reading? Goldfish are messy so more water changes are usually best for them.

Your pleco looks stressed because the light is bright and he has no where to hide. Is that a clown pleco?
He's normally in the dark tank, I took him out to get a look at him...not sure what kind he is
Welcome to Fishlore! :)
How big is your goldfish tank? Water changes are the best / fastest way to reduce nitrate. What is the reading? Goldfish are messy so more water changes are usually best for them.

Your pleco looks stressed because the light is bright and he has no where to hide. Is that a clown pleco?
forgot to answer the first question.

The fish tank is 20G.
 
Your best bet is to re-home all these guys. You can ask a LFS if you can't find anyone else. 20 gallon is too small for even one of the fish you have in there.
 
If that is a clown pleco... it must have wood to eat, and it is supposed to be nocturnal and hide all day. when I had one in a 72 G years ago I sometimes didn't see it for weeks. Also, they stay small, which is better for your tank anyways! No room for a giant in there :)
 
If that is a clown pleco... it must have wood to eat, and it is supposed to be nocturnal and hide all day. when I had one in a 72 G years ago I sometimes didn't see it for weeks. Also, they stay small, which is better for your tank anyways! No room for a giant in there :)

If there is only one clown pleco 20 is ok as long as there are no other inhabitants.
Clown Pleco Care - Panaque maccus
Common/Comet goldfish are pond fish and need 75 gallons to start for one.
 

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Have you tried contacting a local fish store to see if you can rehome these guys? Even at big box stores there are sometimes employees that will take fish home if you cannot provide a suitable home- I’ve done this a few times with my local pet supermarket in the past. Can you list the exact levels ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates in the tank?
Your pleco needs more than the algae in the tank, they need to eat a varied diet and they need driftwood in the tank. Personally, I would rehome all the fish as none are truly suitable for that tank, and get a nice school of tetras.
 
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  • #8
I hear all the advice but my goldfish are really thriving. I've known all along that the fish were too many and too big but didn't really have options to rehome. pretty sure the kids would be heartbroken at this point if I rehomed them. The pleco is there in hope to keep the algae under control.

According to the ammonia meter I have in my tank(you can see it in the picture) it's under .02ppm.

The nitrate's are between 100-250mg/l and nitrites are between 1 and 5 mg/l

I'll start doing a 25% change every week and I'll look into a piece of wood (scared it's gonna turn my tank brown but I'll boil it first I guess). hopefully that will help.
 
I hear all the advice but my goldfish are really thriving. I've known all along that the fish were too many and too big but didn't really have options to rehome. pretty sure the kids would be heartbroken at this point if I rehomed them. The pleco is there in hope to keep the algae under control.

According to the ammonia meter I have in my tank(you can see it in the picture) it's under .02ppm.

The nitrate's are between 100-250mg/l and nitrites are between 1 and 5 mg/l

I'll start doing a 25% change every week and I'll look into a piece of wood (scared it's gonna turn my tank brown but I'll boil it first I guess). hopefully that will help.
You may want to do bigger than 25% WCs. I would go for more like 50%. Like I said Goldfish are messy poopers and need bigger WCs. :)

Manzanita wood wont turn your water very brown. Stay away from anything that is dark brown like Mopani. THAT will turn your water brown.
 
I hear all the advice but my goldfish are really thriving. I've known all along that the fish were too many and too big but didn't really have options to rehome. pretty sure the kids would be heartbroken at this point if I rehomed them. The pleco is there in hope to keep the algae under control.

According to the ammonia meter I have in my tank(you can see it in the picture) it's under .02ppm.

The nitrate's are between 100-250mg/l and nitrites are between 1 and 5 mg/l

I'll start doing a 25% change every week and I'll look into a piece of wood (scared it's gonna turn my tank brown but I'll boil it first I guess). hopefully that will help.

Just throwing this idea out there, are you perhaps able to eventually upgrade to a tub? Indoor/outdoor above ground pool or pond tub? Perhaps 100 gallons or more? Fish will love it and be able to thrive. Your could eventually get Lily pads and all sorts of fun pond stuff.

Stuck in a 20 gallon will eventually have adverse effects. You could upgrade them to a storage tote like Rubbermaid temporarily, you would just need to clamp the sides to keep it from bowing out.

Just some ideas.
 
First things first and that's reducing the nitrates, do a 50% water change daily until it's down to 0 mg/l or 0ppm nitrates. You won't see the ammonia or nitrites either at that point until it all starts building up when you stop the water changes.
At this point, you can let the nitrates ride up to 20mg/l or 20ppm, and do a 50% water change to cut it in half. Then you'll find the timing to go between 10-20 mg/l or ppm, to schedule a water change. Depending on how much ammonia the fish are producing is how often you have to water change, and you'll see this by the nitrates going up. Above 20mg/l or ppm, it's getting polluted and becoming a bad environment for the fish.

While you're seeing ammonia and nitrites on tests still, you want to keep an eye on those also. If ammonia hits 1ppm, or nitrites and ammonia together hit 2ppm you'll need to do a water change to ensure it's safe.

I won't tell you that you can't do what you are doing, I'm just going to say those fish are going to continue to grow and it's going to get harder and harder to take care of it and keep it healthy. If you are willing to do the work there's room for those fish for another 6 months to a year until you're doing 50% water changes daily because they are putting out 10ppm nitrates or more per day, at that point you'd be doing 2x daily 50% changes. And needing more volume for the fish to swim and more dilution of the nitrates to have less water changing again.

Can it be done? Yes, if you are willing to do the work. If you aren't. Rehoming the fish would be the best for them. When they are 2x their size they are now and it's tight on space, its going to be double what you need to do now to keep it below 20 mg/l or 20ppm,,, which you aren't doing now.

Zero the nitrates with daily 50% water changes, use a dechlorinator for the new water that you add, and from that point you can test the water and get a handle on how much water change is needed to keep it safe and below the 20 mg/l or ppm
 
First things first and that's reducing the nitrates, do a 50% water change daily until it's down to 0 mg/l or 0ppm nitrates. You won't see the ammonia or nitrites either at that point until it all starts building up when you stop the water changes.
At this point, you can let the nitrates ride up to 20mg/l or 20ppm, and do a 50% water change to cut it in half. Then you'll find the timing to go between 10-20 mg/l or ppm, to schedule a water change. Depending on how much ammonia the fish are producing is how often you have to water change, and you'll see this by the nitrates going up. Above 20mg/l or ppm, it's getting polluted and becoming a bad environment for the fish.

While you're seeing ammonia and nitrites on tests still, you want to keep an eye on those also. If ammonia hits 1ppm, or nitrites and ammonia together hit 2ppm you'll need to do a water change to ensure it's safe.

I won't tell you that you can't do what you are doing, I'm just going to say those fish are going to continue to grow and it's going to get harder and harder to take care of it and keep it healthy. If you are willing to do the work there's room for those fish for another 6 months to a year until you're doing 50% water changes daily because they are putting out 10ppm nitrates or more per day, at that point you'd be doing 2x daily 50% changes. And needing more volume for the fish to swim and more dilution of the nitrates to have less water changing again.

Can it be done? Yes, if you are willing to do the work. If you aren't. Rehoming the fish would be the best for them. When they are 2x their size they are now and it's tight on space, its going to be double what you need to do now to keep it below 20 mg/l or 20ppm,,, which you aren't doing now.

Zero the nitrates with daily 50% water changes, use a dechlorinator for the new water that you add, and from that point you can test the water and get a handle on how much water change is needed to keep it safe and below the 20 mg/l or ppm

Not to mention the limited space they'll have just to turn around. No way to zip swim across a small tank. Aggression possibly to compete for space to move. Stunting if they don't grow hindering their longevity and health.

People don't realize how similar pond fish in a small box is like Black Fish, but on a smaller scale.

But hey, I tried.
 

Random Great Topic!

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