New Here, Need Help With My Tank

Ok I'll probably go with the safe option then.

One last question, would the new tank need an air pump as well as the external filter? I'm confused about how the water oxygenation works :p
 
Oxygenation takes place at the water surface. As long as your filter has a fairly good output, and you can see the surface being disturbed somewhat, there's no need for an airpump. I don't run air in any of my tanks.
 
Welcome to our forum OwnenB86.

"I've recently learned that the goldfish can grow up to 10" and need about 60l each" Don't worry so much about your moor, it will only grow to maybe 4 inches long, not 10 inches. The comet will indeed grow quite large but that could take many months to happen. As of right now you are doing fine. At 200 l/hr on a 29 litre tank, you have plenty of flow. The sandstone does not have the appearance of rocks that affect water quality, but why not run a test on your water? If the rock is affecting your pH, you will be able to measure the change over time.

I'm afraid that fluttermoth has accepted a rather common myth that fish can only grow so large based on tank size. It is simply not true. Fish will continue to grow as long as their water is kept pristine and they have plenty of food. Unfortunately maintaining pristine water conditions becomes far more difficult when you have too large a fish load in a tank. In commercial circumstances, the huge filter systems they use and the amount of water exchange they do means that hundreds of 2 inch long fish can easily be maintained and will grow rapidly in a rather small container, by hobbyist standards, maybe even in a 50 gallon container. An example cited by a commercial breeder who recently lectured at a national convention that I attended gave an example of some catfish that he keeps in his central filtration system. The total volume of the water system ran to many thousands of gallons but the container these 3 foot long catfish live in is only about 6 feet long. By his statements, they each need to move aside to allow the next fish to feed, they are packed together that tightly. Even so they have grown rapidly to their present size. Mere size is not the controlling factor, water quality for those crowded catfish, is always great and they are fed culls from selective breeding along with their normal pellet food so their diet is quite rich. They thrive and prosper where many of us would expect them to die from the crowding.

Tank size is not the main factor for stunting but maintaining water quality while feeding very well can be a challenge unless you are set up to do it. That is why we often see stunting in small tanks, not the tank size itself.
 
I'm afraid that fluttermoth has accepted a rather common myth that fish can only grow so large based on tank size.

I certainly have not! I was just explaining it, as it applies to the average newcomer to the hobby, who does not do enough water changes to negate the effects of hormones etc on fish growth! I'm well aware that fish can get to a huge size, in relatively small tanks, if the requisite water changes, or a constant flow of new water is arranged.

I shall try not to take umbrage ;)
 
Welcome to our forum OwenB86.

"I've recently learned that the goldfish can grow up to 10" and need about 60l each" Don't worry so much about your moor, it will only grow to maybe 4 inches long, not 10 inches. The comet will indeed grow quite large but that could take many months to happen. As of right now you are doing fine. At 200 l/hr on a 29 litre tank, you have plenty of flow. The sandstone does not have the appearance of rocks that affect water quality, but why not run a test on your water? If the rock is affecting your pH, you will be able to measure the change over time.

Thankyou :)

Would it be best to keep the fish in their current tank until the new one is cycled then? I will start doing more regular PH checks, the last few I did came out at about 7.6.
 
Got a new tank for £17! :D
It's the 106L one I linked earlier, hopefully I will be picking it up on the weekend or some time this week.
Link

I was going to use a sand substrate for this tank as I read this was better for goldfish, how much would I need to buy? Also, does anyone know a source of ammonia for a fishless cycle?

Sorry for all the questions, just don't want to go wrong again :p
 
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Is your current filter cycled? I can't remember if it is or not, sorry :blush:

If it is, just move the filter (or the media from it) to the new tank at the same time as you move the fish.

If it's not, you might as well fish-in cycle the bigger tank as the smaller one; the larger volume will give you a bit more of a 'buffer' to dilute the ammonia and nitrite before it has a chance to rise to dangerous levels.
 
No my current tank isn't cycled yet, it's probably about half way through. Would it be beneficial to transfer the filter media anyway, seeing as there would already be bacteria that break down ammonia in it?
 
Yes; I'd move the filter, or all the media if you'll be using a different filter in the new tank, and continue the cycle in the larger tank.

Larger bodies of water are more stable, and I said, give you more of a buffer.

A 25kg bag of playsand (I use the Argos one, but other ones are fine too) will be plenty, but you will need to rinse, rinse, rinse and rinse it. Best done with a hose or an outside tap on a nice day; a little at a time. and when you think it's done, rinse it some more! Much better to spend the extra time washing it than put it in the tank and have it cloud the whole thing up.
 
Keep up the good work OwenB86! Its very nice to see someone work hard to take care of goldfish they've brought home even after they've found out the difficulties. I'm sure the water changing has been a lot of work. That's the way, though, to minimize the ammonia damage to their gills and the nitrite damage to their nerves - it can be a life and death situation for them and each new batch of fresh water coming in is like a breath of fresh air would be to us. Eventually your bacteria will have developed enough that one day you will start to see the ammonia and nitrite no longer appearing.

~~waterdrop~~
 
Thanks waterdrop, I'll keep changing the water regularly.

I found this filter on ebay, should I make an offer on it?
 
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I use those filters (albeit the larger models) and they are very good, IMO.
 

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