I work at a company that has just 2 people - me and my boss. We have a fish tank in the office which was getting very dirty. The glass was covered in algae and the water was a murky greenish brown color. They’re my boss’ fish and he is supposed to look after them.
He has gone on leave and didn’t clean the tank, so I did it. To clean it I took the fish out of the tank and put them in a bucket of water for about an hour. Was this wrong? Should I not have done that?
It’s now three days later and they still seem afraid. Instead of swimming wildly about when I arrive in the morning to feed them they are hiding behind the rocks and plants. It makes me think they are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
thats how I used to handle cleaning my fish tanks when I had them. If the tank was that dirty, cleaning it dramatically changes the chemical balance of the water(obviously). Also, I don’t know about goldfish specifically, but are there water conditioning chemicals around the office for the fish tank? Straight tap water is full of stuff that isn’t good for a lot of fish and often needs conditioned to suit the fish you want to put in the tank. do the fish have an unusual appearance, like little white spots that aren’t natural? wow murky brown, could just be “toxic shock” if the water was that bad. give it time for them to readjust to clean water
It could also be because after the cleaning, there is far more light coming into the tank, and they can see more of what is going on outside of the tank. If that is what it is, they should adjust in a few days.
The ideal way to keep aquariums healthy is to do periodic partial water changes as described here:
When you do it that way, you don’t have to take the fish out of the tank and it’s not as much of a shock to them as it is to have all the water changed out at once
Still, I give you credit for wanting to clean up the tank!
They could have gotten a shock from being put in unaged chlorinated water for a while. This can kill them. I suggest getting some chlorine remover (any pet or fish store will have it for a few bucks) and putting some in the tank.
This spring I unwittingly killed all but two of the goldish in my little outdoor pond. Every now and again I do a sort of water change in it by letting the hose run and overflow the pond for about 15 minutes. I was in a hurry and turned off the hose without rolling it back up. I didn’t realise I’d not shut it off completely so it was trickling slowly for two days before I realised. Several of the fish were dead, and over the next few days I lost about 10 more. A very fish-savvy friend told me I’d essentially done a complete water change with chlorinated water and to put some chlorine remover in ASAP.
I’ve had fish tanks for years and the best way is partial water changes. I use a flexible plastic hose to siphon off water and bottom-of-the tank gunk about once a week. Siphon it into a bucket and use it to water house plants. If you don’t age the water - leave it sitting in a bucket overnight - add a drop or two of chlorine remover/water conditioner with each change. It should only take about ten minutes…you don’t want everything in the tank sparkling clean. Also if there’s a lot of algae, the fish don’t need to be fed, at least not daily. Goldfish are primarily vegetarians and algae is food for them.
If you emptied the tank of water and refilled it, you probably shocked the fish since the new water will have a different composition than the old water. In particular, it’s important to keep the following in mind when doing water changes:
-Chlorine/Chloramine: Tap water typically has chlorine or chloramine that should be removed before being used as aquarium water. Pet stores sell water additives that will effectively neutralize the chlorine or chloramines in tap water.
-pH: The new water should have a roughly similar pH as the old water. Water pH is typically managed by adding a pH buffering solution or powder to the tank water. The buffer helps keep the water pH in a stable range. Water pH in aquariums tends to decrease (become more acidic) over time.
-Temperature: The new water should have a roughly similar temperature as the old water.
-Bacteria: Over time, aquariums develop colonies of nitrifying bacteria which assist in processing fish waste. Thorough cleansing of the tank can kill these bacterial colonies.
Also, it’s important to avoid using any cleansers that may pollute the tank water. To minimize stress to fish, partial water changes are recommended, as other posters have pointed out.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I think it probably is the chlorine in the water. I’ll get something to remove the chlorine ASAP.
I found some Aqua Plus tap water conditioner a cupboard at work.
It does say that water should be treated before being added to the tank. Does that mean I have to remove the fish from the tank before treating the water?
Interestingly all but one of the fish greeted me at feeding time today.