I have 10 goldfish in a tank, how do i change the water do i add anyting to the water and what kind do i use?

Question

I have 10 goldfish in a tank, how do i change the water do i add anyting to the water and what kind do i use?

Answer 1

It is generally recommended to have 20 gallons per goldfish.  What size is your tank?  If it is a small tank, you'll be seeing many of your little fishies "swim with the fishes".  Goldfish are hard to keep healthy and alive if there are too many in a tank.

You'll also need a good filter - you didn't mention you had one, but I'll assume you do.  Any water coming from the tap needs to be treated as it probably contains chlorine or chloramine.  You'll need a water conditioner - look for this at any store that sells fish.

Here's some info on cycling that I typed up for another answer: (some of it may not apply to you, but it is useful anyway)

All tanks need cycling! Like every living thing, waste is produced through breathing and excretion from digestive processes. In layman's terms, fish produce waste products from breathing and pooping. All fish do this. A cycled tank has the right balance of good bacterial colonies present that convert the fish waste product (ammonia, harmful to fish) to nitrite (also harmful), then nitrite to nitrate (safe up to a certain level). Without these good bacteria, waste products build up in the water and cause damage to fish gills and internal organs. Think about a fish swimming around in it's own pee/p**p - yuck.

Okay, the process... There are many methods and experts won't agree on which is the best. The best method for YOU is the one you can do in its entirety, from set up to cycled without causing harm (or death) to fish.

You can choose to cycle with fish, but you risk damaging or killing your fish if you don't watch the waste levels closely and take corrective steps. Cycling without fish is a great way to achieve results without endangering fish, but it can be more difficult. Either way, patience is necessary to see the process through. It can take well over a month to properly cycle a tank.

Cycling with fish - get a few small fish and introduce into your tank. Test daily for ammonia and nitrite for the first couple of weeks. You must perform tests with liquid drop kits or test strips, although test strips aren't as accurate. If you are cycling with fish, I recommend the liquid kits. You'll see a gradual increase in ammonia first, then after a time a gradual increase in nitrite. Both of these can be reduced with frequent partial water changes. Make sure you use some sort of water conditioner because chlorine will kill any beneficial bacteria colonizing in your filter media, and your tank will never cycle. Both ammonia and nitrite will reach their maximum and then you'll begin seeing nitrates. Gradually, your ammonia and nitrite levels will reduce to zero. A tank is cycled when ammonia and nitrite levels are zero and you have nitrates (the end product of your bacteria colonization).

Cycling without fish would require you having access to at least a handful of gravel from an already cycled tank or some filter media from an already cycled tank. The cycling process will proceed as above, but you'll need to find some sort of ammonia to "feed" the developing bacterial colonies. Some recommend distilled ammonia being added every other day or so. Some recommend "feeding" your tank with fish food, a little bit a day. The uneaten food will fall and begin to decay, producing ammonia.

There's lots of info on the web - do your research. Good luck!

Answer 2

No, Cynthia is wrong.

Ok, take the fish out and put it in another little container with the SAME water from the tank.

And remove half of the water from the tank, and clean the rocks and everything

And make sure all the p**p and stuff is out

Then put more water in until the tank is full

Put some chlorine remover in-they sell that at pet shops

And then wait a couple of hours, then put the fish back in

Answer 3

you should put your fish in the bath tub then change the water because if you did not change it in one week they woold die

Answer 4

No, you do not need a pond.

Assume 2 gallons water volume per inch of goldfish (don't include fins). So if you have ten 1-inch goldfish in a 20 gallon tank, you are fine.

Your goldfish will of course grow. When they get bigger, their needs will get bigger too. 10 2-inch goldfish will not live comfortably in a 20 gallon tank anymore. Just keep that in mind.

A lot of aquarium people grossly overestimate the needs of goldfish. Goldfish are not fragile flowers...they are some of the hardiest fish you can buy in the pet trade. 2 gallons of water per inch of goldfish is a very safe margin.

Answer 5

well, i hope you have at least a 110 gallon tank for them

first goldfish needs 20 gallons and each additional another 10+ gallons

as for water maintanance you are suppose to do 25% weekly waterchanges with a gravelsiphon

and you replace it with new water which is conditioned

you can you "Aqua Safe" to do so

NEVER take out your fish, unless absolutely necessary

you just work around them when siphoning

Answer 6

I hope you have a 200+ gallon tank, that many goldfish need a pond, you take out water and put that much dechlorinated water back in...