just wondered if any of you knew anything about pumps/filters for fish tanks? I have recently acquired two goldfish (unwanted from a student house) I have just bought them a more suitable tank and a pump to go in it...it is called a 'clear-jet mini internal power filter' and since putting it in the fish just seem quite scared of it...is this normal while they get used to it? they are just sat (well, treading water) at the bottom of the tank and barely swimming like they were before...also the pump seems to have 2 'flow' settings on it, a thing that slides from plus to minus...the instructions are useless and doesnt explain which setting it should be on and I have no idea...(the pump is turned off for now) I guess I should call back the pet shop but am having trouble finding the phone number...any ideas anyone?? I thought goldfish were a pretty common thing to own, so thought someone could help!

Hi, we have a tank like that too with 2 fish in it, i usually set the pump in the middle of plus and minus, i always find that when its totaly on the plus, its really strong and it blows the fish allover and they find it hard to swim, whereas in the middle, they play in the  bubbles and its not too strong for them.

Hi

Did you let the tank water mature before putting them in? Or use any chemicals? They may just be in shock and best to leave them quiet for a bit. I also agree with Bruno - put it in the middle :D

Try doing a search on the pump name on Google for better instructions :)

Good luck - and well done for getting a filter. I hate to think of all the poor goldfish swimming round in filthy water with no filter and no water movement :(

oh wow, thanks for replying so quick! I left the water for 2 days before transfering them into the new tank, I also put some 'Aquasafe' in aswell...I will put the 'flow' thing in the middle then, I guess they will just need to get used to it! I think they are pretty overwhelmed right now, from all accounts they have, on occasion, had vodka put into their water during various student parties in their old home...and they were in a very small bowl. Im so glad I have them now, poor things. I am pleased to say, they now have a large tank, real plants and just bought them some frozen bloodworms for them to eat...(urgh) Hopefully they will perk up a bit soon!

...(the pump is turned off for now)

Turn it back on if it's still in the tank!!!!!!   If you leave a filter in the water turned off it'll act as a syphon and kick out all the crap it's gathered which will harm your fish!  Just turn it on a low setting til they get used to it.

I'm afraid you should have left your tank for a week to ten days (regardless of what preparations you may have put in it) for the water to become truly habitable but if they're still alive I guess they've coped LOL.  They're hardy little things anyway ;)

Debs

oh nooo...pump is back on...and I had no idea the water should be left for so long...I thought the aquasafe would make it ok...guess I was too eager to put them in the new tank...Im new to this...Thankyou for your help!!

Don't worry - you are doing your best - like I said, at least you have a filter!

Well done for getting them a better setup :)

Once they're all settled in, there's one thing you must remember - never, ever wash the filter sponge in tapwater, always rinse it in old water from the tank - you'll need to do a weekly water change anyway (goldfish are very messy fish), so you'll have a handy bit to use to rinse it when it needs it.  Oh, and make sure you put the aquasafe in any new water that goes in the tank.

Good luck with them, and try not to get too hooked :) I started with a goldfish and two shubunkins in a 5 gallon tank in 1999 - now I have an 800 gallon pond with 50 odd goldfish!

lol! wow, you did get hooked! I must admit I was geting rather seduced by the tropical fish when I went to buy all the gear...but think I will just stick with Harold and Madge for now! The man in the shop told me about the cleaning of the sponge...using their own water. thanks!

Just another question...in the box with the pump, there is a clear plastic tube with a stopper at one end...now there is absolutely no mention what so ever of this tube in the instructions or on the box...Ive been googling fish pumps for 2 days and cant see anything about it, I asked a friend who has a pump and she said hers doesnt have one...Im now guessing that because of the stopper it is to be used if the pump is turned off after what Surannon told me about the filter kicking out the crap when it is turned off....any ideas?

Um, actually to cycle the water it should be left, with the aquasafe, with some ammonia etc (bit of fish food) and the filter running for up to 6 WEEKS (although it can be much faster)....

You need to let the filter develop a colony of bacteria that will help the nitrogen cycle, otherwise the water will contain levels of ammonia and nitrates that will damage your fish (and nitrItes, but these are less damaging).

What kind of goldfish do you have, some are not very good swimmers and you will need to limit the outflow of the filter or they will struggle, you can direct it upwards (which will help the gas exchange if it breaks the surface), i ahve had to do similar with my angelfish as they dont ilke a strong current, so i fitted a spray bar to the filter outflow.

What size (volume) tank do you have - goldfish need 8 GALLONS per fish min. Contrary to popular belief, they can and will out grow a tank, and they also live for 20 + years in captivity (or should do). They are really ornamental pond fish, not aquarium fish, and they produce a vast amount of waste for their size, so you need a good quality filter.

If its not the outflow of the filter thats upsetting them, then its probably the water quality - ammonia and nitrate in the water wil burn their gills, weaken them and leave them susceptable to the parasites such as ick that they carry (and worms and fungal infections).

There isnt a right lot you can do about it now, just hope they survive teh ammonia spike which will happen in the next few weeks - you could try doing 10 -20% water changes every few days but tbh you will probably just prolong the spike time.

Get a test kit, they are not cheap, you need one that tests nitrate and nitrIte, and one that does ammonia, and that will tell you if you record the numbers, how things are settling down. Normally we leave a tank to cycle without fish, and test every day, we see the numbers rise, then the ammonia SHOOTS up, then starts to drop, when ammonia and nitrAte hit 0 and NitrIte is low (below 10) then thats a cycled tank safe for fish.

Em

Thanks for you reply theemx, oh my, sounds like I have done an awful lot wrong, I really didnt know about all that went into this, but I just wanted to remove them from the student house they were in. I think the tank is 8 gallons, so sounds like it should be at least be a 16 gallon tank :( ...I didnt buy it as new, it was from a neighbour and it belonged to her husband before he died, so she wasnt able to advise about the size needed for the fish, or how long to leave the pump/water in there before you introduce them, as she didnt know.

Im pretty sure they are just common goldfish. I think I will try either directing the pump upwards or fitting a spray bar like you suggest as it really looks like they are having trouble swimming in it...

I would actually like to eventually release them into a pond, my friend has a lovely large pond that she keeps goldfish in, although Im not sure about the process of introducing them into a pond is? would it be ok after their rough start and now my added trauma of putting them in this new tank? oh these poor fish!

Its not your fault, very very few people know, and those who SHOULD ie those in the industry, either dont, or dont say anything.

Honestly, despite the cold weather, id introduce the fish to the pond now unless they really are tiny little things. Put them in individual fish bags (go to pet shop that does fish and ask for some/offer to pay for some), then you float the bag in the pond for an hour or so, letting a little of the pond water into the bag every fifteen minutes, when bag and pond are same temperature, gently let the fish go.

They may be too small to survive a winter in a pond, hard to say, but then the effects of ammonia and nitrate burns may finish them off also.

Goldfish ARE very hardy, and sadly that is why they carry on being kept in improper conditions, couple that with the fact that many people think 4/5 years is an excellent age as they dont know a goldfish should make 20 years old, and you can see why it happens over and over again.

If you do want to keep fish, get a heater in there and a decent filter. Set it up from scratch, let it run, testing the water every day to see how its doing, for around 3 - 6 weeks. Then you could probably keep a school of small tetra types (there are the obvious neons, cardinals etc, adn the less flashy/garish glowlights, lemons, x-rays) and a few corydoras who will scavenge off the bottom (they do also need feeding with appropriate bottom feeder food).

Tropicals produce much less waste, and the tetra types i ahve mentioned grow to a max of two inches (one for the glowlights and neons), the corydoras, the commoner ones (bronze, peppered, albino) will not make more than 3 inches.

You can do a lot with a small tank, especially if you go in for planted tanks like i do, with lots of plants and just a few fish to show it all off. But, they ARE much harder to manage than a big tank - anything goes wrong and it goes wrong FAST because there isnt much water.

That said, my 12g tank has been stable for months and ive done hardly anything to it, I know the water quality MUST be fine because i have a bamboo shrimp in there and they are incredibly sensitive to poor water quality.

Heres my two footer (12g) http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c164/FishyFishy123/KitchenTank12.jpg

Heres what you can do with four foot... http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c164/FishyFishy123/fourfooter.jpg

Em

thanks so much Em for all your help! Its great to see what you have done with your tanks, they look wonderful! I kinda think that if they are not in the size tank that they need (and deserve!) then I would really prefer to get them in the pond. People REALLY assume that a goldfish is the simplist animal to care for that there is...but after your advice and the research I have done today, I see nothing could be further from the truth!! I had absolutely know idea they should live for 20 years!! I guess I will set Harol and Madge free in to the big wide pond then! (if they have survived vodka shots in their water in the past I have high hopes for them in the pond!) Thanks again all!

Yup - boil in the bag goldfish from fairgrounds did the poor ickle critters no good at all :(