First Aquarium

johndoe99

hi all,

i'm new to Aquariums and keeping fish. A relative moved away recently and gave me there aquarium. They gave me brief instructions on setup etc.

It's a 20 litre tank and has a Interpet PF Mini filter. 5 Gold Fish. When I got it I cleaned the tank and accessories and filter and put new filters inside according to the manual. There is also Filter Aid Liquid that I use too.

My problem is for 48 hours the tank is crystal clear. But then over the course of another 24 hours the tank becomes cloudy, and stinks. My first thought is the Filter.

jackc101

johndoe99 wrote: »

hi all,

i'm new to Aquariums and keeping fish. A relative moved away recently and gave me there aquarium. They gave me brief instructions on setup etc.

It's a 20 litre tank and has a Interpet PF Mini filter. 5 Gold Fish. When I got it I cleaned the tank and accessories and filter and put new filters inside according to the manual. There is also Filter Aid Liquid that I use too.

My problem is for 48 hours the tank is crystal clear. But then over the course of another 24 hours the tank becomes cloudy, and stinks. My first thought is the Filter.

You have far, far too many goldfish in a small tank. They tend to be poo machines :rolleyes:

See here
for example, it suggests 40 litre per goldfish, whereas you have 5 times that many fish in half the size.

It can happen to new people to fish but at least you are starting to ask questions

kylith

In a 20L tank you're best off looking at tiny fish: guppies, rasboras, or white cloud mountain minnows (those can be kept without a heater). Maybe a single Betta, or a dwarf african frog.

Goldfish poo constantly and, contrary to popular belief, the ones in shops are babies. Goldfish are a species of carp. They grow up to a foot in length and are better as pond fish rather than being kept in tanks.

Have a google of nano tanks for some inspiration.

Sleepy

Honestly? Re-home the fish and chuck the tank in the bin. A 20l tank really isn't big enough for keeping fish in and is too small to maintain stable water conditions in for a newbie imo.

If you fancy taking up the hobby, have a read of the sticky at the top of the forum about cycling a tank: the cloudiness you're seeing is a bacteria bloom caused by your cleaning of the tank destroying the (necessary) bacteria colony in the filter. Pet shops will try to sell you Filter Start or similar snake oil, don't let them. Most staff in pet shops know less about proper fish-keeping than I do about quantum mechanics and those that do know their stuff are often forced to lie to customers by shop owners who want to feed off the ignorance of the general public and flog them 20l fish killing bowls.

johndoe99

Sleepy wrote: »

Honestly? Re-home the fish and chuck the tank in the bin. A 20l tank really isn't big enough for keeping fish in and is too small to maintain stable water conditions in for a newbie imo.

If you fancy taking up the hobby, have a read of the sticky at the top of the forum about cycling a tank: the cloudiness you're seeing is a bacteria bloom caused by your cleaning of the tank destroying the (necessary) bacteria colony in the filter. Pet shops will try to sell you Filter Start or similar snake oil, don't let them. Most staff in pet shops know less about proper fish-keeping than I do about quantum mechanics and those that do know their stuff are often forced to lie to customers by shop owners who want to feed off the ignorance of the general public and flog them 20l fish killing bowls.

I have no plans in taking this up as a hobby; don't see the appeal of aquariums to be honest and it looks to be a very involving and time-consuming pastime.

I have since discovered a solution, from reading the accompanying manuals; my cousin was using the wrong filter mesh in the filter. He had a Fine Filter mesh at the bottom and when I looked at it, it was full of waste matter, and then next to it the Medium mesh was clean. The Fine was stopping the waste getting to the medium. I took out the fine mesh and tank was cloudy yesterday, it’s now perfectly clear.

kylith

johndoe99 wrote: »

I have no plans in taking this up as a hobby; don't see the appeal of aquariums to be honest and it looks to be a very involving and time-consuming pastime.

I have since discovered a solution, from reading the accompanying manuals; my cousin was using the wrong filter mesh in the filter. He had a Fine Filter mesh at the bottom and when I looked at it, it was full of waste matter, and then next to it the Medium mesh was clean. The Fine was stopping the waste getting to the medium. I took out the fine mesh and tank was cloudy yesterday, it’s now perfectly clear.

You are just treating the symptom. Your tank is totally unsuitable for goldfish no matter what you do to your filter.

Aquariums are more time consuming and hassle than people realise. You'd be much better off turning it into a flowerpot or a lamp or something.

BigAl81

johndoe99 wrote:

I have since discovered a solution...

No you haven't. All your fish will die in a tank that size.

Give the fish away or get a new tank at least 10 to 15 times that size.

penev10

Although everyone who has replied is correct in what they have said they haven't answered your question about the cloudy water. - Sleepy has addressed this, sorry

I reckon what happened is when you cleaned the filter you killed the beneficial bacteria (that digest the ammonia in fish waste) and your tank started afresh with a bacteria bloom in the water, hence the cloudy water.

Everyone has made the same mistakes you have and dont let it discourage you from exploring further into the hobby. Despite what you might read it doesn't take a huge amount of effort to keep a tank once you get things right (i have 2 tanks and I do water changes / cleaning every 60 days on average).

johndoe99

BigAl81 wrote: »

No you haven't. All your fish will die in a tank that size.

Give the fish away or get a new tank at least 10 to 15 times that size.

My cousin has had the five fish for 2 years in that tank. How is that possible according to you.

kylith

johndoe99 wrote: »

My cousin has had the five fish for 2 years in that tank. How is that possible according to you.

You can keep a labrador in a wardrobe, doesn't mean it's the right way to do it.

Berserker

johndoe99 wrote: »

My cousin has had the five fish for 2 years in that tank. How is that possible according to you.

What size are those fish? They should have physically outgrown that tank by now. The poor conditions in which they've been kept has resulted in stunted growth.

Nick Park

GwaneTIme wrote: »

That's a very small aquarium. 20L? What can you fit in it? You must keep it minimal. Don't get plants and mosses - when they'll grow, they'll fill all the tank. Some rocks, a small coral reef or/and maybe a castle or vulcano. Read about the live rocks, they are great support for algae expansion. Not the green ones, there is to sell colorful algae which also helps protect the coral reefs. Buy small fish also or 2-3 bigger ones. I'll leave you the link to read about the live rocks
https://arcreef.com/live-rock/live-rock-guide/.

Live rocks and coral live in saltwater, not freshwater.

Trying to maintain a tiny 20L saltwater tank would be incredibly complex, beyond the capabilities of most experienced fish keepers, and certainly not recommended for a beginner.