New aquarium for pond goldfish

[cemantic]

Hello,

I am new to OVAS.  My wife and I are setting up a 110 gallon tank to house our nine goldfish from the pond we built this summer.  Always wanted to do this so the cost is worth it.  I didn't like the flimsy stands that were available and ended up building one following DarkDep's DIY.  Thank you for that DarkDep it worked out well.  Pics to follow.

I have a RENA Filstar XP 3 Canister Filter(175 gallons per hour), up and running with bio rings in it and the standard charcoal that came with the filter, a Tetra Whisper 100 Air Pump with two Penn Plax Bubble Disk 3" which create two columns of bubbles.  Is this air pump with the bubble disks setup okay with Goldfish?

A problem I am coming up with is the bubbles when they hit the surface they roll off to the sides and when they burst they are constantly sending up microscopic drops of water that pop up 3-4 inches.  My problem is I built the canopy with 6 T5 54W tubes that are only about 4.5 inches above the water.   The solution I guess is glass below the tubes to prevent water getting on them.  Even with that has anyone ever had any problems with the moisture when using ballasts and fluorescent tubes?  Since all aquariums have them then I assume that they don't.  Is there anything I should avoid?  Any suggestions?

The next question is if I just used air stones and avoided the bubbling air would that big of a tank get enough oxygen with just airstones?  I do like the look of the columns of air and would like to keep them.

I filled the tank with about half tap water and treated it and let it sit then added the other half from the pond.  Is the bio rings in the filter enough, again for the size of the tank and the number of goldfish?  There are four 6-8 inch ones and five 3-5 inch ones?

Is this enough flitration?  I thought about another bio-wheel filter but was told at the store that that was a bit of overkill.  The PH in the pond is about 7-7.5, ammonia and Nitrates are almost zero.  The pond has a lot of plants and there is a waterfalls so they have thrived in there over the spring and summer up to now.  It will be a change for the goldfish.

I did add some more bacterial startup solution to get it up and running, that plus the pond water should do it.  I was wondering though should I add some salt to help the goldfish out in the transition from pond to aquarium?  If I do will that be detrimental to any plants I will put in there once the canopy is done and working?  I put three bags of  Seachem Flourite Red before any of the gravel, is there anything that will effect things because of this?

Any suggestions on how I should handle geting the goldfish from the pond to the aquarium?  My plan is to leave the windows in the basement open the night before in the hopes of a close temperature match, then put them in bags and float them for an hour or so then in they go to their luxo condo for the winter.  The fish were only about $15.00 to begin with, but they all have names so what can you do?

A newbie, definitely, any help or suggestions here is appreciated.

Thanks,

Fraser

[KLKelly]

There is no such thing as too much filtration with goldfish.  With 9 of them the more the better.  Keep an eye on your numbers.  If they rise faster than you'd like you could do more filtration or just increase the amount of water you change weekly or the number of times you change the water weekly - you may need to do 2 40-50% water changes instead of one.  I guess it depends on how much you feed too

Pond water won't cycle your tank. The biobugs that convert ammonia/nitrite are on surfaces and especially in filter media.  You will be going through a cycle.  Ammonia is toxic at certain levels depending on your ph and nitrite is highly toxic.  What water conditioner are you using?  Prime helps but doesn't negate the toxic effect completely.  Did you have a filter in your pond?  The best bet is bringing over filter media from the pond - floss/sponge or what ever.  Thats a high bioload tank so adding cycled media is your best bet at minimizing the cycle time and what your fish go through during the cycle.

Also I only use salt to treat an ill fish or during a cycle blip to help deal with nitrites.

I love goldfish and have three tanks of them alone.  I'd love to have a pond one day!

[Fishnut]

Yes, there is no such thing as too much filtration when it comes to goldfish. They are messy, dirty fish and you have some good sized ones in your collection!  If you want to go with more filtration, then go for it!  It means more enjoyment and less work in water changes.

I have 3, 3" goldfish, 1, 6" koi and 1, 3" koi in a 33 gallon tank for the winter.  I have a Fluval 4 internal filter, which is rated for use on a 45- -50 gallon tank and an Aquaclear Powerhead with a filter attachment that is rated for tanks up to 75 gallons.  Needless to say, this is overkill filtration for a 33 gallon tank, but it's doing a fantastic job at keeping the tank clean between water changes.  Koi and goldfish really like the fast flowing water, although the powerhead's flow has been reduced slightly.  There is such a thing as too much current .  What filter have you been using in the pond?  If it's possible, you should use the existing filter in the new tank, or atleast the media (don't clean it).  The reason you want to do this is because of the valuable beneficial bacteria in the filter media from the pond.  That bacteria is needed to continue breaking down the waste (both poop and carbon dioxide from breathing with gills) and prevent the fish from being exposed to toxic levels of ammonia and nitrites.  The starter chemical and pond water you added is only a starter and will not be enough to sustain goldfish...even one goldfish!  If it's not possible to use the old filter media, ask around.  Members are known to offer some established filter media to help people get going .

My tank is covered with a glass lid to prevent any popping bubble spray from escaping the tank.  It works well in containing it because anything that gets sprayed onto the glass eventually drips back in the tank.  The powerhead I use has a hole in the exhaust where a hose is put so that air can be drawn into the exiting stream of water providing aeration.  In my humble opinion, if you like the bubbles, keep them and cover the tank with glass .  You should cover it anyways to prevent evaporation.

When you're ready to move the fish inside, buy some xtra large freezer bags.  Fill them 1/3 full of pond water, scoop one or two fish in the bag and float them in the tank, anchoring the open end so it doesn't fall over in the tank.  Let the bag with the fish float for 15 minutes and add some water from the tank.  wait another 10 mintues and your fish can be dumped into the tank.  Make sure the temperature of the tank is the same as the temperature in the bag before you dump them in.  If there is a large difference, you might need a bit more time, or if there is very little difference, you need less time.  This is a much better way of acclimatising the fish to the tank than opening the window.  That will not guarantee the tank will be the same temp as the pond and you will be loosing heat from your house!  You will also be able to bring in all of your fish at once.  Remember, you'll be adding a lot more water so you might think of emptying the tank slightly.

Feed the fish just a tiny bit for the first few weeks.  They are relentless beggers, but resist the cute wiggles.  The less poop in the tank in the first 3 - 4 weeks, the better.  It gives the bacteria a chance to catch up.

I hope this helps!  Here's a pic of my gang.  You will find more useful goldfish and koi info in our pond section too

Cheers!

P.S.  Salt is an excellent idea.  you can gradually add 2tbsp of coarse salt per gallon.  Just make sure it is non-iodized and doesn't contain an anti caking agent.

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[cemantic]

hello Fishnut and KLKelly thanks for your reply and suggestions.

You have convinced me to consider the extra biowheel filter but not sure if I can work around the canopy I made to get it in.  I used Big Als Multi-purpose Aquarium water conditioner and usede their Bio-Support as well when I first set it up about three days ago.

The pond has a bio filter wier, basically a bucket with a lip that the water flows out of to start the water falls.  It has an inch thick filter material that needs to be replaced next season so maybe I can cut that to size when I move them and put that in the RENA Filstar XP 3 Canister Filter.  It then has a big bag full of lava rocks on top to hold as much bateria as possible.  The only hesitation in using either of these is the amount of algae on both of them.  The pond never had an algae problem except some on the sides but the wier at this point and the waterfalls itself is just coated.  It seemed to kick in the last month or so.  I may be able to cherry pick the lava rock and find some that are not too covered, put them in a bag and throw that in for a couple of weeks until it cycles.  Opinion?  There is bound to be some that got in with the water anyways.

Another alternative and opinions are welcome here is using a zeolite pouch in the canister along with maybe one for nitrite and/or nitrate which I guess is the other ones that needs to be controlled.

[Fishnut]

I'm all for putting the pol dfiler material and the chunks of lava in the new tank.  I thin that would be the best bet.  Try to use the maximum amount of old filter media rather than the chemical media.  They should be reserved for quick fixing a problem by removing a significant excess and saving the fish, while the aquarist figures out what the core of the problem is.  By using as much of the old filter media as you can and hardly feeding the goldfish for the first few weeks, you should be able to avoid using any chemical enhanced media.  The water should go through a nitrite and nitrate spike in the cycling process, but when cycling it properly, it shouldn't be a huge, deadly spike.

[renadia]

Hi,

I have also brought my fish inside from the pond, I have 5 small goldfish and 4 4" Koi and 1 8"Koi. There was a pleco in my tank and I added 3 apple snails and 3 corys and they are all getting along fine 

They are in a 55 gal with a Fluval 404 (external canister) I added the pond filter in there for now but will be replacing it with sponge filters (take less space) as per excellent advice I received here. You can check this link for more info, breeders use this in very full tanks.

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl3664/cp17904/si1316326/cl0/lustarhydrospongefilter5
You can buy additional sponges and stack them one on top of the other...

At the size of your fish I would put 1 per bag, they will stress and might injure each other and would leave them in 20 min to 30 min before releasing them. When I moved mine in I started with a goldfish to see how the cycling was going, I think you should start with adding one and test your water for a few days.

I always added salt after each water change in the pond and am still doing this, it will be good to add some after the transfer because this helps reduce the stress your fish will go through. I was given this advise from a few stores concerning ponds.

I would not worry about to much current, they are used to that if you have a waterfall  I know mine would go swimming right under the waterfall including the 1" goldfish and enjoyed it a lot, if for maintenance I stopped the waterfall they would go to the bottom, there is a lot of current in my tank with the pond filter and they are all doing great even the small goldfish 

Hope you will post some pictures
My avatar is a picture of my cuties I have more in my Gallery.

Check the pond section you will find interesting info on ponds.

Good luck

Diane





I am now feeding them every 2 days, they are little piggies and I realised I was over feeding them    after more good adviced form fellow fish friends here 

[cemantic]

Hi all,

I am going to put a layer of the pond filter in the canister today and get some or all of the fish in tomorrow.  I will have to watch closely all levels and do the water changes.  I will also put some of the lava rock from the pond filter loose in the bottom of the tank and bought some bags to put more of the lava rock in that I will hang from the sides for now.  Key I guess is watching ammonia and nitrite levels until the tank completely cycles.

I'll post some pictures once we are all setup.

Thanks for the advice.

[KLKelly]

Sounds like a great plan.  I know I would love to see pictures.

Hope everything goes smoothly for you.

Karrie

[cemantic]

The kids are all in and seem to be doing fine so far.  They will be well taken care of.  I put two layers of the ponds filter in the aquarium canister filter and had enough small pieces of the lava rock to fill up one of the sections as well from the bio weir.  Attached is a couple of pics.  The black rock dispersed around the tank on the bottm is more of the lava rock from the pond filter weir.

Little Luna was quite fasinated by the whole thing, she watched for hours and went down there first thing in the morning when I open the door to downstairs.



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[KLKelly]

I was hoping your post had pictures! I love the one with your cat.

Your fish will probably grow lots over the winter!!!!  They have lots of room to swim and look like a happy healthy bunch.

Karrie

[renadia]

WOW nice setup! Your Luna will sure be entertained this winter with all those colourfull fish

Great job

Diane

[cemantic]

Thanks all

The tank so far is looking good.  Feed them the last two nights and all levels are zero or almost so far.  The vigil continues though in case the levels do spike but so far it is looking good.  I ordered some Pro Gold goldfish and koi food which is supposed to be very good.  They had mushed peas both nights and some flake food.  They love the peas.

Little Luna is ten months old and very busy.  One of her stops a couple of times a day is fish TV as quoted from some one in one of my other posts.  She'll watch for at least 15 minutes before she gets bored and moves on and as soon as the basement door is open in the morning down she goes.

It turns out one of the gang is a koi, kind of fun.

anyways thaks again, I will keep you posted on levels and how this all turns out.