I'm New At This And I Need Help!

[FishLover1996]

I have just started collecting fish as a hobby and I'm very new at this and have been running into a few issues. In my area there aren't very many places to buy fish. There is Walmart and there's a local pet shop. Walmart's conditions for their fish is awful but they do carry some pretty fish every now and then. So far I have 5 fantails, 1 oranda, 1 dojo loach, 1 pleco, and 7 common goldfish. I have a VERY large tank but I am not sure how many gallons it is because I bought it at a yard sale. This tank is pretty unique because It has a slate bottom. Since I have started I have run into these issues: first, I was stupid and overfed them and made the tank toxic so I completely cleaned it out and started all over and was still able to save most of my fish, Second, after starting over I still had a few commons die on me, third, now I have an ick problem! I have been treating the tank for ick as best as I know how and I have set up a quarantine tank for the fish most greatly affected by the ick. I think my pleco has ick but I can't be completely sure. On one of it's eyes it has a white ring around out but I have yet to find any other white spots on it. Other than that only my common goldfish have really been affected by the ick. If anyone has any tips on treating for ick, ammonia and nitrite levels, and just general tips for me I would greatly appreciate it.​

 

[nic1]

Hiya,
The tank sounds nice, do you have any pictures for us to see?
 
Firstly, how did you cycle the tank?
How often/how much water are you changing?
what filter do you have?
How did you clean the tank out? did you change the filter floss? scrub it down or just change the water?

 

[Munroco]

To work out doses for ick meds, you will need to measure your tank and work out the volume, or tell us the measurements, ie height, width, and depth (front to back).

 

[FishLover1996]

I have read multiple articles and such about cycling for the ammonia and nitrate levels but I'm having trouble understanding how to do it and I've been doing a 100% water change about every two weeks which is a pain considering it weighs a ton. When I cleaned the tank I just used a scrubby sponge and really hot water. The filter is pretty big, I think it's for 20-40 gallon tanks. What do you mean by filter floss? As you can tell I'm really new at this. I will measure the tank tomorrow.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I have just started collecting fish as a hobby and I'm very new at this and have been running into a few issues. In my area there aren't very many places to buy fish. There is Walmart and there's a local pet shop. Walmart's conditions for their fish is awful but they do carry some pretty fish every now and then. So far I have 5 fantails, 1 oranda, 1 dojo loach, 1 pleco, and 7 common goldfish. I have a VERY large tank but I am not sure how many gallons it is because I bought it at a yard sale. This tank is pretty unique because It has a slate bottom. Since I have started I have run into these issues: first, I was stupid and overfed them and made the tank toxic so I completely cleaned it out and started all over and was still able to save most of my fish, Second, after starting over I still had a few commons die on me, third, now I have an ick problem! I have been treating the tank for ick as best as I know how and I have set up a quarantine tank for the fish most greatly affected by the ick. I think my pleco has ick but I can't be completely sure. On one of it's eyes it has a white ring around out but I have yet to find any other white spots on it. Other than that only my common goldfish have really been affected by the ick. If anyone has any tips on treating for ick, ammonia and nitrite levels, and just general tips for me I would greatly appreciate it.​

 
I just don't think your tank could possibly be large enough for these fish.  The first goldie requires 20 gallons, and each additional one requires an additional 10 gallons.  And that's for the 'ornamental goldies'.  Common goldies are best kept in ponds, not in tanks as they can grow quite large and need space to swim.   If we stick to this rule with your goldfish, you'd need about 140 gallons in that tank.  But, those common goldies just won't last long in even that tank before they start to become stunted.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/417799-goldfish-for-beginners/
 
I fear that you may be in for a rough go...  not as rough as it will be for your fish though.

 

[FishLover1996]

Thank you for this advice. My mom has a goldfish pond so I guess I'll just give them to her but there wont be any problems like that with my fantails will there?

 

[FishLover1996]

How do I grow the bacteria in the filter for cycling?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Thank you for this advice. My mom has a goldfish pond so I guess I'll just give them to her but there wont be any problems like that with my fantails will there?

It depends on how big your tank really is. The fantails would require 60-80 gallons.

  

How do I grow the bacteria in the filter for cycling?

Time. The bacteria will grow to handle the ammonia and then nitrite produced. Do you have a test kit? You really need one, so that during a fish-in cycle you will know when a water change is necessary and how large is needed.

Have a read through our cycling section to help guide you, specifically the rescuing a fish-in cycle article.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/433769-rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-i/
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/forum/291-cycle-your-tank/

 

[boshk]

How do I grow the bacteria in the filter for cycling?

good luck on the fish in cycle. time and patience I think.