My Goldfish Tank

Question
I have a Mini-bow 2.5 Gallon tank with a whisper filter. Maybe about 1-2 inches of rocks, a couple of plants and a small castle. It's real cute. I have 3 goldfish that we got out of the "feeder fish" tank at our local Petland. I have no Idea what the PH, Nitrite, or Ammonia levels are. I also have this weird white bubbly foam that just appeared two days ago and gets bigger each day. I clean the tank out once every two weeks. What else can I do to prevent this ugly eyesore from happening?

Answer
Hi Jason;

This is from dissolved organic matter. Basically, it is waste. Goldfish are just too big and too messy for such a small tank. It is ony going to get worse as they get bigger. They need a 30 gallon tank and then later on a 55 or a pond outside. Goldfish are commonly kept in small tanks like this, but they often die before they live to their full lifespan of 10 or more years. When healthy, they get 6 to 8 inches long too. Pretty big fish for a 2.5 gallon! These little tanks are big enough only for one betta and a catfish OR for a pair of guppies really. They stay fairly small and aren't messy fish.

For now, until you get them a bigger tank, make 25% water changes a couple of times a week. Every two weeks is not enough since the tank is so overcrowded. Toxins are building up and this burns their skin, eyes and gills. The water changes will help for awhile.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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