The First Few Weeks

The First Few Weeks

The first few weeks with your new aquarium can be very stressful for your fish. At this stage a test kit to test the water is critical. This kit should include tests for PH, Ammonia, and Nitrites. A Nitrate test kit is also useful.

What happens in the first few weeks when an aquarium is set up is the establishment of the biological filter. This is often referred to as "The Cycle" or "New Tank Syndrome." Goldfish produce a lot of ammonia. Left unchecked this ammonia will accumulate to toxic proportions and your fish's health will suffer. The first bacteria established in the "Cycle" is the Nitrosomonas bacteria. This bacteria oxidizes the Ammonia into Nitrite. Nitrite is also toxic for fish. The next step in the "Cycle" is the establishment of the Nitrobacter bacteria. This bacteria oxidizes the Nitrite into Nitrate. Nitrate at lower levels is not toxic to fish. Weekly water changes will help control Nitrates.

When starting out a new aquarium it is best to start out with one or two healthy fish. You can use gravel or filtration media from an established, healthy aquarium to hurry this process along. But be sure that the tank you are getting the seed bacteria from is truly a healthy tank.

As soon as the new fish are added to the tank you will need to begin daily water testing. If the ammonia shows more than 0.5 ppm then do a 50% water change. Within a couple weeks the nitrites will begin to show and the ammonia will start to drop. If the nitrites read over 0.5 ppm do a 50% water change. Be prepared to do 50% water changes daily until the ammonia and nitrite both read zero. During these first few weeks a teaspoon of non-iodized salt per gallon will help alleviate some of the stress on the fish. Be sure to replace salt removed during water changes.

It is normal for the PH to drop a bit during the nitrifying process. The optimum PH for goldfish is from 7.2 to 8.0. The drop in PH between water changes depends on the total alkalinity or carbonic hardness (KH) is in the water to act as a buffer.

During the first few weeks it is important not to overfeed the fish. The more food; the more ammonia produced.

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