just got started, i have a 10 gallon with a whisper filter 1 fantail, 2 comets. I let the filter run for a few days then added the fish and now ten days later the water is REALLY cloudy i'm starting to worry i cleaned up all the bits off the gravel after a week and the water was really clean.
I took a look at the filter and it seems to have all this brown ###### on it i think it's sucking up some of the uneaten flakes. I'm really tempted to replace the water.


any advice or tips

Ok, your tank is new so it is still cycling. Check out "cycle of the tank" webpage on Kokos site. If the tank is uncycled, you can get many problems from ammonia and nitrate buildup that can kill your fish. Basically, your water parameters are in heavy flux at the moment, and bacteria are going a little nuts in you water. I would suggest doing a 20-30% water change daily until the cloudiness disappears and buying some test kits (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite) to monitor your water. Now when you change the water you must make sure that the temps of the old and new water are similar. Also, there is chlorine in your tap water that is harmful to fish. Either you can buy a de-chlorinator from your local pet store or let your water sit out in a bucket (that was not used for cleaning i.e. new) for 24 hrs before adding it for a water change.

As for the brown gunk on your filter. Well, fish poo. The purpose of the filter is to suck up the poo, and uneaten flakes. You will need to rinse the filter pad every so often, and replace the filter pad about once every month.

Don't replace all your water at once or you will destroy the cycle all over again.

Also, I am sure others will tell you... your tank is overstocked. My fantails are 5-6 inches and comets can get longer than a foot. If you keep them in a 10Gal, they will never grow into the beauties they could become. Also, you will have trouble maintaining water quality and be doing water changes more often. I would suggest taking one or both of the comets back to the pet store.

I know this is a lot to take in, I originally had an overstocked 10gal and problems cycling... I think everyone does when they start out
Goodluck.... I am sure others have more advice

Another thing, cloudiness *could* be caused by the fish food. Uneaten food that has a lot of ash in it could cloud up your tank. The general rule is don't feed them more than what they can eat in 5 min. However, since your tank is new, its more a water issue I think.

Cheers!

thanks for the messages.

oh man! i found my fantail at peace this morning, i thought things were turning fine cause i was scraping the fliter clean and doing 25% water change with water that had been standing for a couple of days and it had improved like crazy.

I noticed the area between the tail/fins and body was reddish yesterday, what is this ?

oh well, fanta has a 2 weeks exchange that runs out tomorrow so i can get some testing kit.

the comets are still ok.

one more question, do tanks really need gravel ?

The red marks on your fantail were probably ammonia or nitrite burns. You really need to start testing your water so that you can dilute the levels of ammonia and nitrite when they become too much. Your tank could be cycling for weeks to come and your fish will not survive unless you moniter the process carefully. Your levels of ammnonia, nitrite and nitrate will also be made worse by your overstocking so you will need to be extra careful.
Also, only ever rinse your filter in old tank water as if you don't the friendly bacteria will be killed which you really dont want!
In answer to your question, no gravel isn't necessary in goldfish tanks. In fact some argue that it's better to not have any as it's healthier for the fish. Personally, I have a very thin layer of it so it's easy to clean and the fish can graze which they enjoy. Once the fish are in the tank though it becomes very difficult to change your mind, so if you do decide to remove it you will also need to remove your fish while you do it. Make sure you save all the water though as cycling will begin again.

i removed half of the gravel (5 pounds) and that helps a lot, cleaning with the hose really does a good job unlike before. Also instead of having it 95% full of water it's 85% now.

its probably not a good idea to lessen the amount of water in your tank. fancy goldfish, like your fantail, need a minimum of ten gallons per fish. comets and commons need about three times that per fish. they swim faster, grow faster, and produce more waste than fancies.

if you dont care about the life span of your fish, you probably shouldnt take them up on thier two week gaurantee. goldfish under optimal conditions should live 15 - 20 years. not 14 days.
i dont mean to sound harsh, but just because goldfish are sold cheap, doesnt mean thier lives are any less important than any pet.

yeah, they CAN live a long time. right now, i have a 10 gal. with about 8 comets, and they're ok. they're pretty small, so that's ok, but it is harder to keep than with a big tank. just dont go through the gravel every water change. maybe go through 1 every 3 times u water change. it helps with the cloudiness

Always clean the gravel when you do a water change. You should be less concerned about "stirring up gunk" and more concerned with getting rid of the gunk that's there to be stirred up. Only gravel syphoning will do this.

the more the gravel is vacumed, the less polutants are in the water, the less polutants, the better the water quality, and the better the water quality, the healthier the fish. the key to clear water is good filtration, good tank maintanence, and attention to your fish.

might be a dumb question, you know those green stick things that make bubbles do they have to be connected to an airtube

Yes and a pump.