Maturing periods for water

skysuite

Hei guys...

Very very new to the aquarium hobby. Just got myself a tank and been told to "mature" the water with anti chlorine solution. Question is, how long does it take to mature?

I have bought two shrimps for the tank. Is it a good idea to have them mixed with Goldfishes? I am planning to keep goldfishes in my tank. Is getting the shrimps a mistake?

Please advise this newbie and look forward to hearing from you guys for advise and help. Can't wait to get my goldfishes....

Regards...

Castro235

Depend on alot of things really.

First thing to take note of is that Goldfish in themselves are very large waste producers, and most people around seem to agree that at the very least you should have 20 gallons, and 10 gallons for each additional Goldfish with nothing else.

I personally have three Goldfish that have been in my ten gallon tank for a little over a month now, until I get a larger tank, and they seem to be doing very well with 50% water changes 3-4 times a week.


As for maturing the water, most of the dechlorinators are "immediate" and depending on the hardness, don't remember which way, the chemicals are either present as chlorine or chloramine, most dechlorinators remove both, and simply leaving the water in an open container for a day can remove chlorine byt not chloramine.

I add the dechlorinator and let the water sit in an open container for at least 4 hours, but usually just set it out a day before my water change, and it seems like it has worked just fine(I mostly leave it out for the long time to get it to the same temperature as the tank water, since I keep it in the same area as the tank)

Regarding the shrimp, it can depend on a few things.

First, it seems like ghost shrimp and cherry shrimp are the best way to go for a coldwater Goldfish tank as far as environment and ease.

If the Goldfish do get large, the shrimp will probably be a tasty snack if they can't hide.

I'm assuming you don't plan on breeding the shrimp, since that's a whole nother topic entirely, so as far as just keeping them, it seems like a hit or miss, and if the Goldfish are raised very well and have the room and environment to live out their potential 10,15,20 years or what have you, they will definitely outlive the shrimps lifespan, but even the shrimp can live a few years.


I'm still pretty new to this, so the other people around can give alot better advice than me, but if you give a little more info on the tank and your water and the type of shrimp you got, they can probably give you alot better perspective on what you can keep and how successfull they will be.

If the tank is 20 gallons or less, you might also consider going to a tropical tank, same deal with freshwater, but with a heater to keep it above room temperature.

You're open to alot more options for fish and numbers with a tropical tank, since Goldfish get huge, as opposed to many tropical fish like tetras and such that can stay very small, and with the tropical tank you would still probably be able to keep shrimp in the tank, and may end up with a much more successful tank with alot more life and color.


Then again, if you're like me you just love the Goldfish too much to want to do that, I know I won't give mine up, so I wouldn't ask anyone to give away their Goldfish either!

kelly528

Agreed with Castro... although I don't usually let the water 'mature' nor have I heard of letting water sit with dechlorinator in it. Dechlorinator works pretty much instantly and if you are only adding 10% of the tanks volume theres no harm done. In fact I know of quite a few people who don't treat their water at all before adding it to an aquarium (not that this is advisable, the city might find reason to dump more chlorine in the water should there be a storm, etc.).

There is no question that the Goldfish will eat the shrimp as soon as they are large enough to fit the shrimp in their mouth so I wouldn't bother with them.

And Castro is very correct on tank size... Goldfish like (no, need!) to be kept in groups of at least 3 so as a bare minimum you would want at LEAST a 33g-40g tank.

Also be VERY careful when choosing varieties of Goldfish... you need to make sure the Goldfish you choose are fancies (NOT singletail/common Goldfish) or you will literally have to choose between digging a pond in the backyard and rehoming the fish. Common Goldfish get 2' long and need at least 40g per fish, 80-120g per fish is probably what most people would agree on.


Good luck with whatever you choose... Goldfish are very fun, rewarding fish. I keep a lot of fish and my Goldfish and my betta are the only ones I would actually consider pets rather than just specimens. Tons of personality and hands down the most gorgeous fish (IMO) in captivity :D

PaperclipGirl

I think it might depend on what type of Goldfish you have as well - the slower moving fancies you might be okay but for the common/comet and even fantail it might be an issue - also some fancies have poor eyesight which might help the shrimp.

Another thing to consider is substrate and filter - goldies can "munch" on gravel so sand is a great option (great for shrimp I think) bare bottom is best for goldies - not good for shrimp.

As for filters - for goldies you want a lot of filter power - not sure about shrimp so maybe someone else can jump in on that subject.

Shrimp want lots of plants - goldies and plants are difficult it usually ends up being a giant salad bar (I'm still trying to work out what plants will work)

I won't talk about temp ranges because there is a lot of dispute on heat or not. I did read that a lot of Goldfish can tolerate it if they were raised in it. I have no clue about shrimp.

Lots of good questions. I hope an expert will be along soon - I want to know the answer too!
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