Cycling with fish in tank?

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I never thought I would get in this predicament, I have had my very beloved fantail goldfish, Gremlin for 8 months, and ever since I've had her, she's lived alone in a 10 gallon tank, I was always very very careful not to introduce anything into the tank and as long as I've had her she's never had any illness, parasites or even snails in the tank.
Cut to problem. My parents surprised me with a 29g fish tank and 2 small fish, which I believe to be commons. I think I could keep one and donate the other to my uncle's pond. The problem is, I did not expect to get these fish and so do not have an isolation tank. I put Gremlin, who is 4.5 inches long with tail in the 29g, which is uncycled, I put as many of her old tank's decorations in as I could so that it would be able to cycle faster.
The other fish, who are about 1 inch long each are in her old 10g tank. You must understand, I love this fish dearly, however, her tank is already contaminated from the other fish. What can I do so that the cycling process is easier on her? Please help me. This all just happened very fast and unexpectedly and I'm doing the best I can. The reason I did not put the new fish in the new tank is that one is injured (gill cover injury) and I thought since Grim was larger and much healthier (plus not coming from a feeder tank) she may be able to withstand it better.

ANSWER: Hi Kristy,

Hopefully, your tank is not contaminated. I agree, feeder tanks are dirty and disease ridden - but putting feeders in a tank does not necessarily guarantee trouble. You couldn't help it, your parents didn't know - at least you know better! And Gremlin will love her new home with more space.

Common goldfish get quite large, as you know. They need at least a 4 foot tank to accommodate them, so if possible you probably ought to donate both of the commons. I have two black moors (which get to be about the same size as fantails) in my 29 gallon tank, and they have almost outgrown it - a 55 gallon tank is in their future.

Do you have an ammonia and nitrite test kit? That's what really lets you know what's happening when a tank is newly cycled. I would take some of the filter media from the old 10 gallon tank and put it in the new 29 gallon tank's filter - that will help cycle the tank faster. If you have a test kit, keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite. If the levels skyrocket, you should change 25% of the water right away...but otherwise, one goldfish in a 29 gallon tank should be able to withstand the cycling process. If the water smells or gets milky, definitely change 25% of the water. Feed very little during this time, since the new bacteria colonies can't yet process a lot of waste...I would feed once a day, about half as much as usual, and preferably use shelled peas with the skins pinched off instead of flakes or pellets.

As long as you are prepared to change water, everything should be fine. It's true that feeder goldfish can carry ich, velvet, anchorworms...all sorts of nasties - but this probably hasn't happened. Just keep a close eye and make sure that the water quality stays up. If ammonia and/or nitrite should spike, it helps to temporarily add some aquarium salt...1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, so about 6 tablespoons for your tank over the course of a couple of days. After the tank is cycled, you can stop adding the salt - goldfish don't need it.

I wrote an article on goldfish keeping that you might find helpful:
http://bb.wetwebmedia.com/viewtopic.php?f=99&t=2146

I hope that helps, take care!
Nicole

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I have an ammonia drip test kit, but not the nitrates kind, I have two filters (Penguin 125 and Aquatech 20-40) on the new tank, By the things I've read on the filters online, that's 300 gph of filtration. I took the BioFloss from the 10 gallons filter and added it behind the biofloss on the 20-40 and put the old filter catridge from the 10g filter behind the catridge of the penguin, since it doesn't have as much room or a biofloss. I've got two 12 inch bubble bars, no gravel and some rocks/fake plants for decor and holding the bubble bars down. I've put in Stress Coat and Stress Zyme as well as easy balance. I only fed her half her usual amount and she looks really happy. Thanks for everything and I'll have to sign up for wetwebmedias forum to read your article, I'll do that in a bit. If there is anything you want to suggest with the new information above, feel free, I am an avid Goldfish lover and want to do right by my little finned babies.

Answer
Hi Kristy,

I too use strip kits instead of liquid, they are more convenient and "good enough" for me...even if they aren't as accurate as drip kits. Your filtration sounds good, just remember that goldfish are exceptionally messy for their size and produce more ammonia than most other fish. That's why in a goldfish tank, I always try to have lots of biological media. Rather than use the AquaTech filter with a disposable carbon cartridge, I would maybe take a foam sponge from an AquaClear filter (whichever size looks like it will fit) and use that instead. Two reasons for this: 1) the foam sponge is great for colonizing beneficial bacteria and 2) it is rinseable and resuable, so it saves you money and keeps you from throwing away beneficial bacteria! Just remember to rinse your biological media in dechlorinated water, or water from the aquarium. Very hot water or tap water that isn't dechlorinated will harm the beneficial bacteria on the media - you don't want that.

Sorry, I didn't realize that you needed to be logged in to view articles - I see now that you do. You won't be sorry you signed up though...this forum is full of great people! And you can always find me there if you have a question. I only answer 1 question a day here, but answer many more as a moderator of the Freshwater Fish subsection.

Take care! Good luck with your goldfish. When you get to my article, you'll see a link to here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/goldfish101art.htm
This article (not mine this time) is great at giving you a rundown of goldfish's special needs - cool water with lots of circulation, a vegetarian diet, and plenty of space.

Nicole