# The really useful box co..Temp tank?



## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

Hi there,

Im thinking of buying a big storage box to put my goldfish in for the time being, Ive been googling and I think The really useful storage boxes are safe for fish but I just want to make sure that this is correct and have any of you guys got any knowledge on them..You can buy them from Staples.

Im still doing the water changes daily and adding the salt, he seems to be doing pretty well all considering 

Many thanks

Kyria.


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

To be honest I have no idea, but I read somewhere once that a box from staples was ok (they didn't specify which brand though). Is the really useful box BPA free? Perhaps this is the best thing i'm not sure. Could try googling it? But if its only temporary i'm sure it'll be ok.


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## Gertbigone (Dec 28, 2012)

Looks like they are made from polypropylene which is fish friendly so you should be fine using one:thumbsup:


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## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

Thankyou both for replies. Oh that sounds great than I may get one I think anything is better for Hardy (his new name ) at this stage as looking at him in this small tank is breaking my heart I can truly see how much more room he needs and even if I dont get a massive one even if its double the size of his tank it will be something I bet he will think all his christmases have come at once lol...but before I put him in do I have to do a fishless cycle? will it take me a long time to prepare this temporary tank before I can put him in it?

I have just started the white spot treatment today. I was so worried I was going to kill him as when I was preparing the stuff the water was blue  it got diluted when I put it in his tank though, have to do it again in 4 days, been checking on him all day and so far so good...His new name Hardy suits him as he is a hardy little goldfish after all these years of torture that I have put upon him myself through total ignorance in not reading up about how to look after goldfish properly cycling water etc., it really suits him. I hope he will be ok and I will be able to rehome him once he starts looking well again.


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

Don't worry about the water turning blue. The whitespot medication is made with methylene blue which yes is a dye. It will stain the soft surfaces of the tank (like the silicone sealant) but it won't harm your fish. Don't spill any on the carpet or anything!

Its hard to decide about the fishless cycle in the new tank. At what stage is the old one at? You haven't posted any water chemistry readings yet (have you got the liquid test kit we told you about yet?), you need to know what levels your ammonia and nitrites are at before you make a decision.

If you get the large box as a temporary home, you are going to need a new filter to run in it as the one you have now will not be enough. For a goldfish you are going to need to buy one rated for twice the size of the tank (or box in this case), so if you buy a 100L box you will need a filter suitable for a 200L tank. There will be no bacteria on the media in the new filter so I suppose it probably would be a good idea to run a fishless cycle whilst you are treating your fish in the small tank (you can keep the small tank as an emergency tank/hospital tank/quarantine tank once your fish has moved out. Small tanks are good for medicating in terms of cost and volumes of meds needed, but obviously for a big big fish eventually it will be too small full stop for even that).

For a fishless cycle you will need to buy Jeyes kleenoff household ammonia:

Kleenoff Household Ammonia 500Ml: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

You also definitely need the seachem Prime, the API master test kit (or equivalent liquid test kit, but the master test kit really is THE best, and lasts you ages), and something to seed the new media in the filter (plus the extra substrate you will be putting in). For this you might have to resort to bottled bacteria (I said before, seachem stability seems to be half decent), but ideally if you know anyone at all who keep fish, you could ask them for a small amount of ceramic media, or a small sponge, or even a squirt of their dirty filter water - something/anything to get your cycle going. Without any seeding media it could take MONTHS if the cycle even starts at all (because tap water won't have any bacteria in it to start the cycle).

Let us know what the situation is and we can guide you through the fishless cycle if you choose to do it.


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## Gertbigone (Dec 28, 2012)

So long as you transfer everything from his existing tank to the new one, you'll be fine to move him as soon as you can. I'm sure he'll really appreciate the extra room Good luck with treating the white spot


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

i got intregued that these could be used, so went to have a look... seems they are cheaper here- Go Shopping - Really Useful Boxes - Full Range of Boxes than in staples...
might get me a pond eventually after all! lol


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

Gertbigone said:


> So long as you transfer everything from his existing tank to the new one, you'll be fine to move him as soon as you can. I'm sure he'll really appreciate the extra room Good luck with treating the white spot


No, this isn't the case - the original tank is cycling, and unless the bacteria have grown then simply moving all the existing substrate to the box won't solve the water chemistry issues.

Yes the fish will have more space, but you will still have the cycle to get through, and you will still have to get a bigger filter regardless. You can opt to move the fish and continue with a fish in cycle, and run the new and old filter together, but you will still have to be water testing and performing large water changes on a daily basis.


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## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

Hi everyone and thankyou all for your helpful replies especially you Phoenix 

I went into Staples today and the biggest size tank in there was 64litres which is twice the size of his fish tank he is in at the moment.

It was a wee bit cheaper than the online shop that Kodakkuki put the link up thankyou too 

It seems that I have to do quite alot to get this temporary tank suitable for him to go into I dont know anybody who has a fish tank so I cant get any filter media from anyone . I really dont know what to do. I dont really know if its worth it as I want to rehome him as soon as possible as soon he starts looking more healthy and the white spot has gone.

I havent ordered the tetra water testing kit yet, I will order it tomorrow as Ive still been using up the sticks and going by them the tank looked fine all the colours were matching but I know the sticks arent that good. As soon as I get the proper testing kit ill put up all the info for you to see.

Ive bought him Tetra gold japan goldfish food (It sinks down to the bottom and stops him sucking in alot of air im not too sure how much I should feed him so at the moment im just giving him a pinch a day I hope that is ok.

Ive got alot of thinking of what to do with him, shall I leave him be in this fish tank until I rehome him or start up another with the box... I really dont know what is best to do at the moment. Lots of thinking to do, at the moment Im concentrating on getting him better with the med and im hoping he will start to improve in a few days. I feel incredibly sad that I will have to give him away, I love him as have had him so long.

Bless you guys and thankyou all again for your help.


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Have you looked into second-hand tanks? Always a few going on Gumtree, and do a local search on ebay. Also facebook groups, and fish forums e.g. here. You can often get some nice ones, and much cheaper than new - plus often there are extras thrown in such as gravel/sand, decor and wood etc.


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## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

NaomiM said:


> Have you looked into second-hand tanks? Always a few going on Gumtree, and do a local search on ebay. Also facebook groups, and fish forums e.g. here. You can often get some nice ones, and much cheaper than new - plus often there are extras thrown in such as gravel/sand, decor and wood etc.


Ahh thankyou for the links 

You are all being so helpful. I really appreciate it but am not sure if I can keep him because of the size of tank I would have to get. The only place in my house it would fit is in my other sons bedroom, he is away at uni but does come back time to time, Im not sure how he would feel having Hardy in there with him. downstairs is a complete no no as I no space to put up a large fish tank.

Also I really dont know if I can look after him properly I know Ive learnt some things now about conditioning water etc., but I dont know if I could look after him in the long term, Im scared Ill end up shortening his life by many years but if he went to somebody who knows about looking after goldfish properly he may live a good long healthy life I hope so anyway if he stays with me I may end up doing something wrong.

Ive ordered the proper Tetra water tests (the good one from Amazon) they should arrive in a couple of days. I tested his water with the sticks tonight and Ive noticed the nitrate or one of the dangerous levels are looking a bit pinker which isnt good apparently ..I dont know if I should give him a water change tomorrow but he has got the white spot treatment in there and I have to put more in on Friday.

He has these funny white marks through his fin tails its that the white spot too and his tails look jagged  I hope the white spot will start to make these fin tails look more healthy. 

ALso Im not sure he is eating properly with this new food, he doesnt seem to realise it goes falls to the bottom of the tank as he is used to the floating food  I hope he isnt hungry but I do believe they mooch around in the gravel a wee bit so maybe he will find it that way.


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Kyria said:


> I tested his water with the sticks tonight and Ive noticed the nitrate or one of the dangerous levels are looking a bit pinker which isnt good apparently ..


If it's nitrAte (with an 'a'), then nothing to worry about unless it's off the scale. Anything up to 40ppm is fine, and even higher levels aren't too much of an issue for hardy (no pun intended) fish like goldfish. Live plants (especially floating plants) can help reduce the level, as will regular water changes and cleaning the filter media - but you really don't want to mess with the media too much while you're still cycling the tank.

If it's nitrite (with an 'i'), this is more of an issue. Normally I'd recommend a water change, but we have the catch-22 situation with the meds. Seachem Prime, dosed every day at 4x the amount for the whole tank volume, will help (it has to be dosed daily as it's only active for a day - not an issue as far as dechlorinating goes as it will have already done its job there, but to detoxify nitrite you need it to keep working day after day.)


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

Hopefully you can get him better and find him a new home - didn't you say the pet store was willing to take him? Unfortunately water quality issues really do cause a lot of trouble for the fish, but like Naomi said keep dosing with the Prime whilst you are using the treatment. Aquarium salt really can help too, if you have it.


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## Kyria (Oct 29, 2011)

Thankyou both again for replies 

I didnt realise I could still use the prime and the salt in Hardys tank even though he has the white spot med in there, I have to add more white spot tomorrow I cant say that he is looking better I might get my daughter to put some pictures up here later to let you see him. I hope the tetra kit arrives soon. The sticks have just colours on them which you have to compare.

Ill put both salt and prime in today I wont do a water change though I hope that is ok..

Yes the lady at the nursery said they will find him a good home but I have to get him better first before taking him down to her.  

He certainly is full of life and very active he swims quite fast when he sees me as he thinks im going to feed him I dropped in a few of the tetra today and again he didnt see them as they fell to the bottom. Im thinking of going back to the flakes again... I dont know if goldfish can be friendly but he has always been extremely inquisitive when you walk into his room (My youngest sons bedroom) I often wonder if he gets bored in that tank now his little companion has gone 

Thankyou both again for all your help


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