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Nasty gravel, cloudy water, and no filter media! o_O

2K views 19 replies 6 participants last post by  AbbeysDad 
#1 · (Edited)
So I am over visiting my mammaw when I get a good look at their community aquarium. One word. Ew.

I have been bugging the people to let me give it a go over since November and they finally said yes! No way to test the water as my kit is at home. I need yalls help on what to do to fix this and figure out what filter it uses so I can add some filter media. Right now, it has NOTHING! No bio, carbon, nothin. Not even a live plant :roll:

Pics are in my emergency album. Stocked with 4 goldfish and what looks like a pleco (never had them and don't know much about them). Not sure of gallons, but over 100.
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#2 · (Edited)
Also, maybe a list of things to get. I have water conditioner (dated 2011 :roll: ), gravel vac (thank God!), gravel, fake plants, hiding places, a power filter (with no type of media), and lighted hood.

Stock is 4 Goldfish (just regular. 2 orange, 1 that looks koi-ish, and a small white one) and a Pleco. Don't EVEN ask me about it because I am clueless and REALLY need help with him. He is being fed a non-diet (just cleaning tank with no actually food fed) and while he was once very active, now hides during the day.

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#3 ·
Water changes, but slow. Without test kits it could be dangerous to do larger changes.

If available, a test for pH and ammonia should be made in such circumstances, as these are the two most critical issues in such conditions. Nitrates are likely high, but they can be lowered quickly with no detrimental effects. If the pH is below 7, and the tap water is the same, there is no problem. But if the tap is above 7, and the tank is below and ammonia is present, the pH change to above 7 in the tank would probably finish the fish. So under the circumstances, daily water changes of a few gallons, vacuuming the substrate obviously, until things are more normal.

Byron.
 
#4 · (Edited)
So any idea what kind of filter it is? And what kind of media it takes? It has no biofilter or carbon filter. The only thing it is realy doing right now is moving water around and adding oxygen. I can only get up there 2 days a week. It's why I was so desparate for help yesterday. I have Amonia and pH tests myself, so I can test it on Sunday during my visit.

The water I sucked up from the gravel was NASTY! Especially around the orniments. I would scrub it daily if I could afford the gas to drive there! I'm gonna take my measuring tape so I can figure out the gallons. What % do you think I should change out?
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#5 ·
Worst case, you can stuff some filter floss in the filter, cheap and quick. bio is obviously not needed if the tank hasn't killed the fish already. carbon, I suppose useful in a plantless tank but is anyone going to replace it regularly enough for it to keep working and pay for the replacement media?

Water changes can likely just be what you suck out while cleaning the gravel... 5, 10 gallons at a time for now.

Jeff.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Thanks Jeff. The manager promised to buy and change out the filter media if I can figure out what she needs to buy. I need to get rid of that nasty coudyness. Thinking of getting her to get loose carbon with something to keep it in. Never used loose before, so not sure how to use it or where to put it. The filter floss either (not even sure where to BUY filter floss! :-? ). I'm stuck with the pwc myself, but I will do it for the fish and my mammaw. Also, what's a good food for the pleco?
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#7 ·
Just rinse the carbon a bit first, it can be dusty. I'd send you mine, don't use it, but it's not worth the shipping.

The filter floss is just sold in sheets and looks like that fake snow material, you've probably seen it in the shop and just didn't know what it was.

Jeff.
 

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#8 ·
Okay. Do I just throw the carbon in after rinsing or do I bag it in something?

WalMart sells carbon. What about filter floss? Where would it be at?

I'm thinking of adding some cheep plants. Would the goldfish destroy them?

Any other tips?
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#10 ·
Okay. Do I just throw the carbon in after rinsing or do I bag it in something?

WalMart sells carbon. What about filter floss? Where would it be at?

I'm thinking of adding some cheep plants. Would the goldfish destroy them?

Any other tips?
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If it is loose, rinse it, bag it and toss it in. Filter floss was from the LFS... I am sure you can substitute something but that bag that you saw was about $2 or $3 at the LFS, it's cheap.

Not familiar with goldfish.

Jeff.
 
#11 ·
Got it. What is good to use to bag the carbon?

Will they eat Nymphaea Lilies? I can snag those from WalMart. No trips to LFS for a while.
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#12 ·
First things that come to mind, seeing as you aren't going to the LFS.... Perhaps a petfood store or petsmart or something like that might have just what you need or....

In place of filter floss, you could use the stuffing out of a furnace filter, one that is not treated to attract airborne contaminants, the cheap ones. Stuff that in the filter box and it would serve the same purpose as the floss. You can get these at any hardware store for a couple of bucks.

One of those dryer bags that you put those little unmentionables in. If the holes are smaller than the small pieces of carbon, just fill it as will fit in the filter box on top of or after the filter material in the water flow... should be full enough that there is not much room for the water to bypass it easily... and tie it off. It just needs most of the water going through the filter to pass through it.

Jeff.
 
#13 ·
Good ideas! Thank you :)

Just to show you my options...
WalMart is 15 minutes (and isn't not that big)
PetSmart is 40-45 minutes away (once a month thing)
The 1st actual "fish store" is over an hour!
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#14 ·
Anyway, WalMart related products are what I need you guys. Anything else is out of my reach including on line! :-(

So, knowing that, what do I need to pick up? Food for the goldfish and pleco (no CLUE what type), conditioner (thinking Tetra), carbon, pantyhose or a dryer bag to put carbon in, filter floss, and what else?
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#15 ·
for the pleco grab some algae wafers. He'll also scavenge any food the other fish don't eat.

when you're at Walmart grab a bag of poly fiber. it should be in the sewing or craft area. I use the 1 that's called traditional batting for cribs and it comes in a roll. I just cut to size to fit in my filter. Been using it for years and years and I still have the original roll. it's cheap and I just rinse it out in a bucket of used tank water at each water change
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#16 ·
Thanks Jean! Sounds simple enough.

How many wafers should I tell the staff to feed the pleco daily? The normal monotering how much they eat is not gonna happen with them. It's gonna be more of a throw some stuff in there and get back to work kind of thing. I'm gonna be by 2x a week to do damage control.
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#17 ·
How big is the pleco? If he's small buy the small sized wafers and feed maybe 2-3 every other day (The other fish will eat them also). If he's large buy the large wafers and feed maybe 1-2 every other day.
 
#18 ·
He's pretty big! Like 7 to 9 inches. The range is big because I am just trying to picture him. You can see the Goldfish in the pic of the tank I uploaded and he is about the same size as the larger ones.
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