Hi Again
as most of you know i lost my baby fish billy but i still have my baybay and i need to do all i can to keep him happy and healthy so i have a few questions about the rocks in the 30gal
i have noticed that some ppl on here from the pics dont have any rocks in the tanks and i always heard that you are supposed to have 1/ 1/2 of rocks in a tank and also is it true that the rocks should be lower in the front had higher in the back of that tank

should the rocks in the tank be lower in the front and higher in the back??? if so then why???

And how many inchs of rocks should i have in my tank???


why dont some ppl have rocks in the tank???


And my 30 gal tank came with a neon light is that ok to use with my goldfish??? ( i have alot more algee with the neon light
Heres 2 pics of my tank
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/tbird93/fishtank2.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k61/tbird93/fishtank.jpg

You don't have to have gravel with goldfish, and I find that it is much easier to keep my tank clean with no gravel at all. Goldfish are very messy fish, and if you do have gravel, you need to be sure to vacuum it very thoroughly. Waste can build up under there and bad bacteria will grow.

Another thing about gravel is that goldfish are constantly searching for food, and they will pick up rocks in their mouths. Some people have had rocks get stuck in their fish's mouths.

As for the lights, are they neon or florescent? Lights are really for us to see our fish. The fish don't really need them, and in fact do need some dark time so they can sleep. You can try having the lights on for a shorter time if you are getting too much algae.

Glad you are sticking around, and keep asking questions. Goodness knows I've learned so much from the people here in the short time I've been on.

Rocks are completely uneccessary to having an aquarium. It's mostly just personal preference (whether you like the looks of gravel, or the looks of a barebottom tank, or if you like the upkeep of a barebottom better).

Just enough rocks to just cover the bottom of the tank is all you need. Much more than that, and you get waste build-up, bad bacteria, and other nasties.

Like cometgirl said, goldfish like to rummage around at the bottom of the tank, and can pick up and swallow gravel (which is harmful), so some people like to eliminate the risk of their fish choking by going barebottom. It's recommended that you use large gravel (bigger than the fish's mouth) in your goldfish tank.


This is not true. I think some books say this thinking that debris in the water will fall to one side so it's easier to clean, but it's not necessary.


Fish do need some dark/sleep time, so turn the light out at night (I put mine on a timer because I forget to shut them off/turn them on).

As for the algae, you can wipe it off as needed with a paper towel, or a scrub-brush. They also make Mag-float aquarium cleaners that make it even easier to clean the glass. Mag-Float Website and Info <-- there's some more info on those.

Hope this helps!

When you see gravel higher in the back and lower in the front, it's just for aesthetics. It brings the fish further forward so one can see them better. My LFS does this with the tropical tanks--- but it wouldn't be a good idea for goldfish (they need as much room as they can get).

Personally I like the look of a barebottom tank. I have some medium-sized river rocks scattered about in there, but definitely not covering the bottom. The fish don't seem to care-- in fact, it makes less rough surfaces for them to scratch up against.

Thanks for clearing things up. i think im going to remove some of the rocks today when i spyhon the tank later
p.s the light is florescent sorry i coulnt think of the name so i wrote neon...

the florescent light builds up alot of algae all the rocks are brown and fake plants it's very gross i tryed to find a reg light for the tank but all i keep finding is neon and florescent...

Gravel is not a good idea with goldfish. As mentioned earlier, there is a hazard with goldfish eating and choking on gravel. Do a search and you'll see all the members who came here after their goldfish got a small (or large!) rock stuck in their mouth.

Also, deep gravel is an issue because of anaerobic bacteria. These bacteria develop in areas where no oxygenated water flows, and eveything becomes stagnant. Because goldfish are messier than a lot of tropical fish, waste builds up more quickly in deep gravel beds and can lead to problems of bad water quality or even bacterial infections.

I personally have barebottoms in all my goldfish tanks. I use large, 2-3" river pebbles and very large smooth rocks. I think it looks very nice.

Yeah i totally understand about using small gravel because i had a black moore that past on last year i had him for 3 years and he use to get them stuck in his mouth so since than i have been using medium size river rocks and pick though the bag and get the largest ones and smooth ... i syphon the tank pretty good yesterday and took out a good amount of gravel with a good size water change...

Back to the whole florescent light thing is that good or bad for my tank?? because it bulids up way to much alge..
i went to the petstore and cant seem to find a normal light and one for a 30 gal...

And also is there a water tester for parasite's???

Thanks..

Is it green or brown algae? Brown is diams in the water that causes the brown stuff, its not harmful nor is green just looks bad. There are things that you can do to limit the growth. Less time with lights on, Phos-sorb witch goes into the filter and if its green you can leave it cause its good for them or get a UV filter to get rid of the algae

it's nasty brown really dark brown i have a pink fake plant in the tank and after a week it's brown all the rocks everything only the algae on the glass of the tank is green