# cycling with fish



## rattusratus (Feb 20, 2013)

my son won a tiny goldfish on a hook a duck stall last week, he came with a small 1.5 liter unfiltered tank filled with untreated tap water, a small amount of gravel and some basic fish flakes

it was too late to buy anything and didn't really expect him to survive the night due to all the stress of being a fun fair prize (he already had a big chunk out off his tail fin where a bigger fish has clearly bit him) but in the morning he was still alive and well so i headed to pets at home and bought a 24 liter tank with filter, some new gravel, an ornament, water conditioner, and some real plants to help oxidise and add a second food source for him to pick at 

i am aware 24 liter will need upgrading as he grows but as he is only 1 inch at a push it should be able to last him at least a year before being upgraded to a 100 liter tank (so please no comments on how you shouldn't be allowed pets without knowing anything, i have had many tropical fish and consulted goldfish owners on top of doing research ) 

it said to cycle for 3 days before adding fish (however we can do that because he needed to be moved from the small tank immediately) he has been fine for the first 2 days but now the water is now turning mildly cloudy, should i:

a) do a 20% water change
b) add more water conditioner
c) both
d) something else (please add what)


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## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

personally i would water change 20% every day if possible....

i know thats not idea but i did this with mine a long time ago when i bought a few fish and hadnt a clue until i met a forum!

they lived  just keep water changing  oh and eventually get him a friend 


good luck


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Hi 

Poor little fishy  Glad he's ended up with someone who cares.

I agree with suze23, you need to be doing daily water changes for a while, but I'd say closer to 50% due to the tank size and the fact that goldfish (even baby ones) produce a lot of waste.

What water conditioner are you using? A really good one is Seachem Prime (you can get it on Amazon), which also detoxifies ammonia so minimises the stress of the cycle on your fish.

What type of goldfish is he? I ask because, while your eventual upgrade to a 100l will be fine for a fancy goldfish, commons and comets are pond fish really, so you may want to bear that in mind for the future.

Oh and the cloudiness is probably a bacterial bloom which means the cycle is working. It should clear in a few days.


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