If i put my new goldfish straight into a tank with a filter, will the cycling process kill it?
I recently bought my first goldfish (technically my 2nd) which i’ve had for 3 days and at the moment he’s in a 2 gallon bowl (the circular tube kind with straight sides not the spherical kind) with some live plants. i’m doing very regular 20% water changes, everyday at the moment and being careful not to overfeed and remove excess food.
The first one i bought looked fine in the shop but didn’t move much in the bag on the way home, sank straight to the bottom, didn’t swim much and when it did was struggling and on it’s side. It promptly died overnight less than 24 hours after leaving the shop despite me following all instructions I could find about new fish quite carefully (using same water temp, floating the bag, dechlorinator, keeping the light off after etc). This has made me very paranoid about the death of the new fish and i’m watching it like a hawk.
I know a bowl is not the ideal environment for a goldfish and have done lots of reading up on propper care. I was planning on buying a 2nd hand tank and filter set up off a friend but now her daughter wants a new fish so i can’t. i will be getting a new tank in about a month when i can afford it. I’m hoping it will survive in the bowl for the month as long as i keep changing the water.
What i’m worried about is that when i get a new tank, if i put the fish right into it the cycling process will kill it. Should I spend weeks running a fish-less cycle even though the fish will have to stay in the bowl during that time or is he better off being in the tank through the cycling process?
I’ve become quite attached to little Basil and don’t like the idea of using him as a disposable fish just to cycle a tank. He’s a common small Goldfish and only tiny at the moment.
I hope you can help! I’m confused, Lots of sites tell me fishbowls are bad and to get a big tank but then suggest using a few cheap fish which will probably die to cycle a tank . How is killing 3 for the life of 1 a good thing?
Help! Thanks 
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Cycling with fish is not a good idea, and if he survives the bowl, I would leave him there until the tank has cycled for at least two weeks.
It’s not the cycling process itself that kills fish. It’s the fact that the tank is not cycled to begin with. So ammonia can build up and poison the fish.
Right now – your fish is in an un-cycled ‘tank’, and you are keeping it alive with water changes.
If you move it to a bigger tank with a filter, it’s no worse off, and you can still keep it alive with extra water changes, untill the tank cycles.
It’s called cycling with fish, but as long as the tank is large and the fish is small, or you do lots of water changes, then the fish wont die.
Ian
Here’s what I would do, go to the store and get yourself a rubbermaid bin/tote. Get at least a 10 gallon one. Go buy a cheap filter from walmart, or spend the money and get a decent one from the pet store(I prefer the Penguins or Marineland brands), that’ll cost you probably about 30. and would be worth it if you can afford it. Put the fish in the tote, at least he’ll have more room then the bowl. Just in case it ends up being longer then a month before you get the tank-and that happens a lot, things never go as planned.
Also, pick up some Prime by Seachem. It’s a water dechlorinator, but it neutralizes ammonia and nitrites to a nontoxic form without removing them, so the tank can continue to cycle. It dissipates after 24 hours, so needs to be added daily. You’ll also need to pick up a good test kit that tests ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Those are the main ones you want to monitor. I recommend API’s freshwater master test kit, about 30. at the store, 15. online. Has all the kits you need in it. You’ll still get a “false positive” on the ammonia and nitrites when using Prime, but you just need to monitor the fish for signs of poisoning, and you should be fine. Cycle the tote, and then when it’s time to get the tank, add 1/2 the water from the tote, 1/2 freshwater then pop the filter on the tank. If the tank comes with a filter as well, run both on the tank-it won’t hurt anything, and is a good idea in most cases to run 2 anyway. The filter that’s been running will contain your beneficial bacteria, and the tank should not cycle again. Eventually the other filter will get the bacteria as well, just continue to run both filters.
If you can’t do that, and have to keep the bowl, 2 water changes daily of 50% each time, equaling 100% daily changes, should be done. And that’s still no guarantee he’ll survive, but make sure you do get that tank quickly. And, also keep in mind, that little fish will grow to be about 10-12+ inches as a minimum, so keep an eye out for a 55 gallon tank for him. Watch yard sales, craigslist, and I’ve seen some good deals on this site-similar to craigslist just not as bad with the scammers yet, just add your zip code at the top:
http://www.golsn.com/listings/all/
Good luck!
.
If you do a fishless cycling, it can take as little as a week, and you will still have your Basil at the end of it.
http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Fishless_cycling
http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/The_Nitrogen_Cycle#Hi-tech_Cycle_Method
Make sure you get Basil in a tank that’s at least 20 gallons.
Email me if you have any questions!
You can’t cycle a 2-gallon anything, so he won’t die from that. He may make it for a month in that container, or he may not. It would help if you perform daily 50% water changes though. I would suggest buying Basil a (much) larger container until you can upgrade to an appropriately sized tank. You can use a regular Rubber-Made container, or a large bucket, or … Anything over 10-gallons that has not been washed with soap or any other chemicals would be far more suitable for a temporary home.
When you do buy a tank, be sure that you cycle it before adding any fish, and that it is large enough for your intended stock. For one Common Goldfish, as you indicate you have, you would need a minimum of 50-gallons. If he’s actually a Fancy Goldfish, you could drop that to 20-gallons, adding 10-gallons per additional Goldfish planned. Whatever the type, you’ll need excellent filtration that exceeds the recommended rating for 2x your tanks volume. (So for a 55-gallon tank, you’d want a filter rated for at least 110-gallons.)
Good luck.
Edit:
You beat me to it tikitiki! Well, great minds think alike. lol.
Big mistake you made. Goldfish need a larger aquarium then you think!
twenty gallons for the first fish and ten more for each other goldfish added!
also, you should let the water cycle for a week- 2 weeks WITHOUT the fish
with goldfish you don’t need to cycle recommended but not mandatory just put a old filter sponge in this will speed up bacteria growth