Aqua Start 320 Newbie with a lot of question for the Pro's!!

[dutchfishdownunder]

Hello Everybody,

I am SO new in this, we bought our little Aqua Start 320 4 weeks ago and have 4 goldfish in them. We also bought a little plant and a ornament.

The problems started 2 weeks ago when the tank needed it's first clean, I took out 25% of the water and got the algae of the glass with a special scrubber from the pet store, also I bought this little vacuum that supposed to clean the pebbles, we found this absolutly useless. I also cleaned the outside of the pump, but I don't really know what the purpose is of this pump, to us it just circulates the water.

In the next couple of days the algae started to come back quicker from the bottom where the pebbles are upwards.

This morning there was a dead goldfish in the tank as well, and we suspect that it got stuck behind the pump and could not move. I decided that I would clean the tank completely, I took out the fish and moved the pebbles around, the amount of filth and green mucky stuff came from it was unbelievable.

I took everything out, cleaned al the pebbles, put most of the pebbles back in the tank, the plant that was in there was half gone so I chucked it out, and cleaned the glass propperly, after that new fresh water went back into the tank again and put 2 tsp of fish and tap water conditioner in it like I did 4 weeks ago. (2 weeks ago I put 1 tsp in there after I put a fresh 25% water back into the tank.

So my questions are: 1) What is the purpose of this little pump that is on 24 hours a day?

2) How come that there is so much algae in the tank and the filth and mucky green stuff?

Please is there other info you pr's can give us??? Would really be helpfull!!

Cheers

Mark & Cherie

[Dixon1990]

THe tank is too small for goldfish, THey can get up to 25cm+.

Does the pump have a sponge in it?

And is the tank in direct sunlight?

[dutchfishdownunder]

Hi Thank you for your fast reply,

No the pump has not got a sponge in it, and it is not in direct sunlight.

Also that I am asking is, do they need a oxygen tablet?

This is the website of my tank and whats in and with it.

http://www.aquaone.co.uk/aquarium_aquaStart.php

Am sure you find the specifications of the pump.

[Dixon1990]

SO it has ceramic rings in the top then?

You dont need a oxygen tablet.

But you will need to find the goldfish new homes i think.

These tanks are more suited to small tropical fish IMO.

[dutchfishdownunder]

Thanks for your help, I will give it some thought, anybody else want to comment, pease do..

[Adrienne]

Hi is this a new tank - as in purchased new?

I looked on the website at the tank you have and according to it your tank runs an underground filter. The pump is pulling the water down through the gravel and back up and out into the top of the tank. Its filtering the water by doing this and any muck should accumulate under the filter plate. Is there anything at the top of the return to the tank or is it just open.

A couple of things -

tanks take a while when new to do what is called 'cycle'.

You can check this out on here by using the search - at the top of the page - and typing in the word cycle. This can take several weeks but its basically when the water in the tank becomes stable enough in the way of chemicals for fish to live.

Goldfish are very messy fish and probably need a stronger filter system than what this tank has built in. They do also grow pretty big.

You would need to change the water I would think at least twice a week otherwise ammonia will build up in the tank.

Algae is caused by a lot of things - sometimes its just the tank settling (cycling) in. Sometimes too much light (eg sunlight).

Your plant could be dying through lack of nutrients or most likely the wrong sort of lighting for the particular type of plant.

In the meantime do more water changes, 20% daily I would think. Take a sample of your water from the tank into the local fish shop and ask them to test it. It will tell you more than you can see - or may want to know.

When you get the results post on here again - we're here to help you if we can. Everyone starts somewhere.

I can't believe that when I started nearly 30 years ago that I didn't kill every fish I had.

Cheers

[dutchfishdownunder]

Thank you SOOO much for your reply, this is a very clear answer, I was actualy looking on the Aqua One website to see if there is a better filter system wich there is a MAXI 101F and this is for a tank up to 40 liters.

To answer your question about the little pump, it is attached to the gravel filter and goes throught the pump then it comes out a clear cylinder that goes almost to the top and has a spout that spitts out the water again.

Would you think that the other filter would be better? Do goldfish need oxygen?

I have so many questions, I dont even know where to start.

Thank you SO much for your response.

(I will look up Cycle)

[dutchfishdownunder]

yes also purchased new 4 weeks ago..

[Dixon1990]

Yes goldfish need oxygen, but the filter is oxygenating when the water goes back into the tank.

[Adrienne]

I've put a post in the coldwater section asking people who keep goldfish to have a look at your post as I only have tropicals.

Try posting a request in the technical section here about your tank and ask what people think about the filter and if they recommend anything else before you spend heaps. Sometimes its simply that the filter isn't running properly.

I've had the filter you're looking at and at the best I found it 'okay' but theres probably better out there for around the same cost.

[Caryl]

Hi and welcome. As said, your tank is way too small for goldfish. As you have now totally cleaned out the substrate, I suspect you tank will have to start cycling again.

You asked the purpose of the pump. It pumps the air through the undergravel filter plates and needs to be on 24/7. It supplies air to the beneficial bacteria growing in the muck under the plate.

The bacteria grow in relation to the amount the fish poo.

New tanks often get quite a bit of algae to start as the nutrients are not balanced yet. Over time as plants grow and the bacteria build up, the algae dies off again as they compete with the plants for food and, hopefully, the plants win.

[Heir]

Goldfish require 25L of water EACH just to maintain good health.

I think 4 in your tank would be over-stocking.

Goldfish are also vigorous plant eaters, though there some plant species they will not eat. You may need to trial and error. I forgot all the plant names of the ones in my tank but I have a goldfish tank thats planted and they don't touch the plants.

Anyway I hope this helps

all the best.

:bounce:

[wilson]

when i started i also had that tank and like you had a lot of algae grow it will die off after about 6 weeks

also I bought this little vacuum that supposed to clean the pebbles, we found this absolutly useless.

the vacum is a siphon and will work if you get it going right but the thicker end in the tank and suck on the other just before the water gets to where your mouth it put that end in a bucket

maybe another person can explain better :lol:

[spoon]

a small internal filter could help to keep the tank cleaner but as other ppl have said before me goldfish need big tanks (its a common misconception they are fine in a small bowl or tank but this is plain cruelty and petshops should be fined for selling fish bowls) i would look seriously into rehoming (or buying a bigger tank or putting in a pond if finances permit) the goldfish and setting up a tropical tank with small fish as there is a wider variety of more colourful fishes taht would be at home in a small tank(a lot of these fish are easier on the wallet too) it is a another common misconception that tropicals are harder to keep than goldfish, this is simply not true(majority of common tropical fish aneway) the main difference is a heater which is not that expensive, the other being (as said before) goldfish are messy eaters and require effiecent filtration and more maintenance(cleaning etc). im not trying to put u off fishkeeping and im happy u have stumbled across this site as u will find out most of us here are happy to answer your questions and welcome you to the hobby , 1 tip i can give u is to read the threads marked 'sticky" at the top of every topic as some of these contain more indepth looks at things like setting up and cycling tanks also u shopuld watch out for a diesiese most of us have on here , its called MTS or multiple tank syndrome u will find 1 tank wont be enuff soon

[FreedingFrenzy]

I'm sure by now they're well aware that the tank they have is too small for the fish... But as they said they are a beginner and they are learning this. The fish they have are probably small, and as they increase in size I'm sure they will look into getting a larger tank, so instead of telling them straight off that they need a bigger tank why not give them some helpful advice that they have asked for? (That wasn't meaning to sound rude by the way)

[whetu]

I'm sure by now they're well aware that the tank they have is too small for the fish... But as they said they are a beginner and they are learning this. The fish they have are probably small, and as they increase in size I'm sure they will look into getting a larger tank, so instead of telling them straight off that they need a bigger tank why not give them some helpful advice that they have asked for? (That wasn't meaning to sound rude by the way)

Agreed FF - it can be hard to remember when we first started out - I bet most of us started with a goldfish (or several) in a little tank with an under-gravel filter! My goodness we have comne a long way since then!

Hello dutchfish and welcome to the hobby. I don't have much to add to what has already been said. I will just agree with those who said you have come to the right place to get help and advice!

Take a look at the threads about "cycling" a new tank. The concept can be a little hard to understand at first, but it is very important for the health of any fish you are going to keep in a tank.

Basically cycling means allowing good bacteria to grow in your tank (in the filter and on the gravel) so they can help keep the water conditions balanced. If you over-clean the tank, this cycling process needs to start all over again.

Cycling can be hard work for the fish and their human, and require a lot of patience. So stick around on this site, and hopefully the good people here can help you through it step by step. It will be worth it all in the end.

Good luck.

[Davd-lw]

in that case, personaly i think you may need a UV light or uv suriterlizer?

keep you water clean.

[Caper]

Hi there!

Trying to catch up on posts that I've missed.

As you can see, people are great here to help.

I've been keeping fish for just over 3 years now so still have tons to learn. When I started, went to a pet store (now closed) and was told that the goldfish and the tropical fish I picked out would be fine together...hahahaha. Perhaps because I was new the store keeper thought I'd just end up killing them anyway and didn't tell me the difference.

Anyway, trusting what I was told and not even thinking at first about checking the net I came home with my new fish. THEN I found this site and have received an amazing amount of information.

OK, back to the goldies. I still have my original goldfish who is now in a 29 gallon tank with one other goldie. I have a hang on the back filter that supposed to be good for 30-60 gallon tanks (at least that's what the info said ). Fortunately (knocks on wood) they seem quite happy and the water parameters are fine. I did have ottos in with them and hope again to have some (hard to get where I live) which kept the algae in check. Normally I do weekly water changes. I don't feed any of my fish on Sunday and Monday the goldies usually get peas. Just in case you didn't know peas are good for goldies (plus other fishies too). I personally don't keep live plants (too chicken to try, plus now that the pet store is closed, couldn't try if I wanted ).

Let's see, sorry so long but trying to give as much info on how I take care of Sam & Beauty 8). The filter I have has the bio filter which houses the beneficial bacteria. Once a month when I give the tanks a good cleaning, I save a buckt of tank water and keep the bio filter in there while I'm cleaning the filter. Before I put it back in the filter I "swish" it around in the water to give a little cleaning. The filter I have has a blue mesh mechanical filter pad that has the carbon in it. These I change every 2 weeks (rinse under tap water, then swish in the bucket of tank water). Because the wate supply here has chlorine I add water conditioner when doing water changes. My apartment does have copper pipes. So I emailed the company and asked if the water conditioner made the water safe (re: copper pipes) they said it did and I'm hoping they are correct which must be since no problems that I can associate with copper!

Okay, enough for now...truly sorry so long a post but trying to think of things to help.

Oh, post pics of your tank sometime.

Caper

[krantan1]

Hi there

I had a quick read and so far I don't think anybody has mentioned feeding...If you overfeed your fish then there will be more waste causing the water to go green If what you have fed them isn't gone after3mins then you are feeding them too much.

I am pretty new also to fishkeeping however I've had a few goldfish in my years. I understand that you are most likely starting off with goldfish due to their ease of keeping, but when they do grow too big if you decide to keep this tank running and rehome the goldfish then there are some cool coldwater fish out there, eg danios, long finned danios are really beautiful, and mountain minnows. These can also be a tropical fish if you then decide that you want to go tropical you can

Oh and the syphon...make sure that the small end is going into a bucket that is below the height of the tank...that way gravity keeps the water coming. I had problems with that at first too but now its a breeze as soon as it gets exposed to air it'll stop pumping...when you stick it into the gravel it'll suck up the waste but leave the gravel behind. But yeah despite what the packet says you do need to suck it to get it going

Hope that helped

[goldfish]

well MARK what are you doing cleaning your tank out so often first of all you need a filter in the tank to keep it clean your pump will operate an air stone to put oxygen in the tank algae problem might be caused by your tank facing a window as for your vacume dig well into the gravel dont try to do everithing at once GOOD LUCK let me know how you get on :roll: