[AquaticLife] New Member - long
Since you are newly back into the hobby and I am answering most of your questions/issues below, you should also take one or both of the free online tutorials that I have linked on my blog. On my blog http://goldlenny.blogspot.com page, “A to Z of Fishkeeping…”, right near the top of that page, you’ll see the links to the two tutorials. These tutorials will walk you through all of the basics, including cycling with fish, which you are now stuck with doing. While there, also read my long article on proper “Filter Maintenance And Cleaning” which is another common mistake made by newbie’s or folks that are back new to fish keeping. Much has changed in the past 10-15 years concerning our knowledge of the nitrogen cycle in aquaria.
Yes, using your measurements and a standard formula for U.S. gallons, 12.5 x 18 x 29.75 = 6693.75 divided by 231 = 28.97 gallons which would be called a 30G U.S. I think our neighbors to the north, meaning you in Canada, use the same size gallon as we do.
While it might appear to be a BIG tank for baby goldfish and catfish, it’s not going to be big enough for long term housing for your goldfish and especially not for your Pleco, if it’s a common pleco.
Since it has only been set up for seven weeks, hopefully you are through the cycling issues. It’s not good to cycle with fish… especially not heavy waste producers like goldfish and catfish but it sounds like all of yours made it through. What are your water parameters like from the tap and in the tank? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and any other tests you may have.
You will not be able to easily sex the goldfish are until they mature a little. The males are easier to sex as they will get breeding tubercles on their gill covers and leading edges of their pectoral fins. This page gives the best info on sexing them along with photos. http://thegab.org/Articles/SexingGoldfish.html
The GAB site has some very good info except for their goldfish care page which is still stuck in the past with suggesting only 10G per goldfish. You will quickly learn that 10G per goldfish is NOT enough water or tank size for goldfish. I have my own goldfish care sheet on my blog which you should read over for more info.
Oops.. I just read a little further into your post and I see you have white cloudy water which most likely means your tank is not fully cycled…. or your water change method could be a problem. White cloudiness is normally a bacterial bloom caused in newer tanks as the nitrogen cycle is growing but it can also be a bacterial bloom of bad bacteria.
You mention that you let the water sit for 24 hours to “let the chlorine evaporate” but this is OLD info. You need to check with your water utility to see if they are now using Chloramine to disinfect the water. If yes, then your 20% water change just killed off all of your good nitrifying bacteria and is probably irritating the fish as well. Chloramine will not outgas like Chlorine once did. There are still some utilities that use only Chlorine so hopefully yours still does. If you have chloramine in your tap water, then this is what is causing your white cloudiness… it’s a bacterial bloom. You should get a basic dechlor product. I use either API’s Tap Water Conditioner or Top Fin’s Tap Water Dechlorinator… both basically the same product. They are both more concentrated than most of the other brands out there. With these two, 1ml to 2ml will treat 10G where most other products require 5ml to 10ml per 10G. They both treat for chlorine/chloramine and heavy metals. You do not need all of the stress-this or slime-that type products…. in fact one of my new golden rules is “95% of the stuff at the pet store is not needed 95% of the time”… which keeps more gold in our pockets! 
Since you are getting another tank, there may not be a need to fishless cycle the new tank since the old tank may still be cycling with fish. It would be better for the fish to be split up, the two goldfish in one tank and the catfish in the other tank and then you’ll have to cycle both tanks with fish… unless you can buy some Dr. Tim’s One And Only, available online and at many fish stores. This is the only bacteria-in-a-bottle that I would recommend. The others mostly do not work… or do not work as advertised. Dr. Tim Hovanec is the industry leader in this type of product.
While fancy goldfish do not grow as large as their long-bodied varieties, they still have very similar body mass except fancy goldfish are a lot fatter, rather than longer. The current world record for a fancy goldfish is Bruce The Oranda. He is 18″ long at present. Most fancy goldfish will not grow that large but will reach 8″ body lengths and just as big around. A single 8″ adult sized goldfish is equal in body mass to over 500 1″ goldfish… which is why your 30G tank will not work for them long term. 30G per goldfish is the minimum that I recommend although a 55G 48″ x 12″ footprint tank will be OK for two fancy goldfish as long as the owner is prepared to do at least weekly tank maintenance (meaning gravel vacuuming, filter maintenance and a 25% PWC - partial water change).
Hikari’s PraziPro (praziquantel) is one medication that many goldfish keepers will use on their fish while they are still in quarantine and because gill flukes is very common in farm bred goldfish. It’s very mild so it does not bother the fish like some other medications. If it’s available up there and your budget allows it, go ahead and get a small bottle and use it on your current fish and any new fish you may get in the future as you get BIGGER tanks for your current fish.
You need to identify your two catfish. The pleco, if a common pleco, will grow to 18″+ and needs to be in at least a 75G+ tank. There are some dwarf varieties that only grow to 4″ to 6″ which might be OK in a 30G tank… but not also with your goldfish in the same tank. If you can take photos of your catfish (plecos are catfish btw) and post them in the group or your own online photo album, we can try to ID them for you… or check with where you purchased them for more info. While most pleco’s will range from 4″ to 24″, other catfish can range from a 1″ Otocinclus to SIX FOOT LONG river catfish… so it’s imperative that you ID your other catfish. I’ve seen Channel Catfish sold in my local stores and the Louisiana record for a channel catfish is over 100 pounds.
Lenny Vasbinder Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com (Links to any articles referenced in above reply are listed on the right side, alphabetically under Labels and also under Archives by Year, Month)
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
