Ishkabod

Hi I just moved my Thankfully still 3 inch Koi named Kuchi to a 30 gallon tank. I have a whisper 30(i think) and a Elite Stingray for a 10gal tank. Do i need to buy a new bigger filter, or another filter on top of the ones i have, or are the ones i have are good enough for the one fish or for the tank size. Right now my tank is sitting at a steady ammonia level of 1ppm and a nitrite level of less than .25ppm even with the added filtered water. The 15 gallon tank was just starting to go through the nitrogen cycle when i set up the new one. I moved all the gravel, decorations, gravel, water and filters to the 30 gallon and gradually over the course of the day added filtered water to fill the tank. I also added 5ml of Prime and 10ml of Cycle. Is there something i can do to get the cycle going faster or failing that what should i do if there are major nitrite or ammonia spikes. I now have 3 sets of plants from the store so from what i know that'll help with the cycle. Should i get more maybe? Thanks in advance for any help you can give a beginner like me. L :boom: (this is a funny guy and i couldn't help but put him here)

I'm no expert but what i would do is make the front a bit taller than the back so that if it were to ever want to topple it would go and hit the wall behind it so if you place it right agaisnt the wall at the top then it shouldn't move at all. Any thoughts on this from someone who knows tanks and stands? I hope this solves the bolting to wall problem L

He's now in my new 30 gallon tank. I will be upgradeing to a much larger tank or a pond in the future but i'll need to save first. Right now he's only 3 inches long and i know he'll get bigger fast but in that time i'm sure i'll have enough for a larger tank. Right now he has ten gallons per inch and the recommeded amount per inch is two gallons so i think i'm doing pretty good here. I will be getting another fish and probably another Koi. I'm staying on the side of caution but right now he seems to need a friend more than anything and i've been told not to put another goldfish in with him. He had and still has lots of areas for cover if he wants but he sticks to the very front of the tank most of the time. I did put some fake plants i had in to give him some shelter like someone before you suggested but he never even went near it. He seems fine and even with the 2 moves nessasary to get him into the larger tank he's fine. I kept everything from the last tank in relatively the same spots as before so i think he hasn't had any problems adjusting. Even if i could still return hin/her I won't because i really really really like him/her and the idea of haveing my own Koi is right up my ally of intrest which is Japanese culture. If you have ever seen a pond of Koi they seem to be happy when in a crowded pond. I think my best bet is to buy another Koi when this one reaches a bit larger size and then see what happens. I think he'll be happier. I have done my research and i know he'll be fine for a year in this tank. Based on his size when i bought him and the date I figure him to be born in the same month as me so he'll share my birthday, and for a birthday present he'll get a LARGE tank and a buddy maybe. Anyway it's all okay and he has calmed down considerably. He loves to swim back and forth across the front of the tank and in the longer tank he seems to be enjoying the extra space. All in all i'm glad i kept him and was able to get him a proper home. Thanks to everyone here for their advice. Thanks L

The above advice is great :thumbs: So here is something else i've been dealing with with my new tank experience. Basicly from what i understand the fastest and easiest way to set up a tank is the tankless cycle. I personally didn't do that so i'm stuck with the regular one. I also understand that goldfish are some of the easiest and hardiest fish so there is another option. DON"T GET a KOI. I did and i was told at the time that he would be happy for a few months in my little five gallon tank. Other goldfish would be great. For cost wise i think a goldfish would be a good idea because they don't need the electric heater that for a small tank equal a 100watt lightbulb(ouch) The last bit of advice i have is if you have a disease free tank put some of your gravel in a netted bag for them when they start their tank to give the nitrogen cycle a big boost. after a few weeks you can take the gravel back. A ten gallon is a great starter tank. I hope i helped a bit. since i'm new at keeping fish i'm learning everything right now so i remember what i've learned so far. The nitrogen cycle and the bacteria establishment is the most confuseing part of the whole process. One thing that everyone failed to mention when i was buying supplies for my fish was that i should buy a ammonia and nitrite test kit. Have fun L

In reading this wonderfully informative article on water quality i was interested in what is in Edmontons' water. I did a good ole google and found Epcore's Edit Daily water report http://www.epcor.com/water/reports-edmonton/Pages/wq-daily.aspx It not only give you the numbers but does a great job in the description area as well. I hope this might help some people L

I would like to do this for when i get a bigger tank/pond for my koi It seems like a cheaper way to go. How did you do it? Or is there a link i can find the nessasary info in. Thanks L

It's in Edmonton just in a strip mall off 50st (50st turns into Fort Rd) Behind the Wacdonalds I don't have the addy but i'm sure you can find it easily here on the site. I have two one is a Elite stingray looking thing for a 10 gallon and the Other is a whisper and it says on it 10-30 i I don't have the instructions or anythig for the whisper but one thing i did do on the advice of the aquagiant guy is use ceramic beads in a bag and the foamie that comes with as a filter instead of the replacement cartriges. I just noticed that i have some alge growing on my rock and decorations. anyone have an idea what i need to get rid of/stop it growing. Thanks Lisa I think i need to start a new thread??

There is plenty of cover for the Koi and the back of the tank is covered. I'm happy to report that it seems like he just loves to swiim back and forth against the glass of the front of the tank I visited Aqua giant and there was a tank of koi there that seemed to do the same thing . I Just purchaced a 40gallon tank with no accessories. I'm going to try and sell my second 15gal and get the proper filters and whatnot for the fourty gallon. I think the first thing i'll be doing though is saveing for a HUGE filter (200 gallon or more) Then the air pump, then buy the rocks and everything nessasary for when i eventually do get the huge tank. I'll move him to the bigger tank soon but i need to know if i should buy the huge filter first or will the smaller one i have be okay for such a small fishy. All the levils are normal but i think that he needs a longer run to swim and that is why i need a bigger tank. Thanks once again for all the advice. I certainly picked a money eating fish for a first timer on a very limited budget. Have fun Lisa

Wow these are wonderfull suggestions and ideas. I made a mistake on the tank size though. It's only a 15 gallon. He's calmed down overnight but still doesn't seem to move far from the front. I think for now i'll buy him a goldfish to keep him company and see if i can get some plant clippings to help. Oh and about the toys I've never heard of toys for fish is ther somewhere i can go to get them. I'm 5 minutes drive from NE aqua giant so somewhere nearby would be wonderfull. Thanks soo much for all the help it really has put my mind at ease. Now i just need to save enough for a bigger tank or an indoor pond(if my landlord will let me) Thanks so much L

I didn't know there was such a thing as aquarium safe silicone till now. Thanks so much for the infor i'm sure i'll be able to use it in future or direct someone here who needs it. I must say it was a perfectly photographed demo meaning you could really tell how to do it without reading it and with my eyes going as bad as they are i'm sure to appreciate it in the near future. Thanks ever so much It's people like you that make life better for everyone L -ham- -roll- :thumbs: :thumbs:

That's what i've been doing and i've learnt allot but i haven't found any hint of anything that might be a reason for this. I know that Koi is a Pond fish but when i bought him i was told he could happily live in my five gallon for a few months. I got him home fell in love with him and read that he'll need a bigger tank next week. I've broken my bank account and bought a 15 gallon tank for now. I plan to have the money saved for a HUGE tank and everything nessasary before he outgrows this one. Maybe after that i'll have a chance to save the money nessasary to build a pond. I really care about the health of my little Koi and so i've been thinking about getting him a friend. I know it'll mean they will outgrow the tank faster but that's why i'm not sure yet. If i can get the money for a bigger tank and accessories well before two Koi will outgrow this one then i'll go for it. Next on the list of things to buy is(after getting a full test kit) a solar panel or backup power in case of a power outage so the tank will allways have power. Thanks so much L

If you really want to avoid HUGE energy bills 1. Change to CFL 2.Check your power meter Monthly and report the numbers to your power company. If you call them the customer service person can usually tell you how. I know Epcore does for me and my energy bills are about thirty to fourty dollars a month for electricity and I have my computer running almost 24/7 One more thing about fish tanks and filters and everything that i haven't figured out is if it says it' s 5 watts does that mean it uses three times less power than a 15 watt CFL? I'm still learning about volts and watts and kwh's so any additional help would be nice. My Elite in tank filter says it's 3.5 watts combined with my 2.0 watt air pump then that makes about 6 watts total running 24/7 and an additional 15 watts for the light (which i would have on anyway) eight to twelve hours a day. From what i have read so far if i were to run a 40 watt light bulb all day every day it wouldn't cost more than a few bucks. It's amazing how much power is wasted because of a little red light here, a small blue one there, Playstation on standby, Computer in sleep, equipment not unplugged(COMPUTER SUBWOOFER FOR SPEAKERS OUCH) Put your entire computer system on a surge protected power bar and click that button off every time you shut down the computer you'll save load and protect your computer while your at it. Get a power bar and use it to shut other things down too like your TV before bed and i'm sure that'll help. Try it i DARE YOU. I wish i could help lower keeping animals cost but i don't have any and wouldn't know where to start. There is also allways the Solar heat and power option. I'm new at this so if i'm off topic i apologise but i'm not sure if i'm supposed to stick to commenting on the original topic or continue allong the thread to the newest message and use that as a starting point. and also when my comment becomes to much and should be in it's own subject line. If i make mistakes please let me know and i'll eventually learn and get it right. Thanks L

Hi i just moved my three inch Koi to a 40 (EDIT it's a 15g) gallon tank from a now too small 5 gallon one. Before the move he was Sticking to the edges and corners of the tank and now even in the much larger tank he' seems to be glued to the front glass and a quarter down the two side glass edges. The only time i spotted him swimming anywhere else was when he did a quick swim around when he first got in. I'm worried that there might be something off with the water since i don't have a full test kit. The one i have tests for NH3,2 and ammonia all at once in a tube and i seem to get a reading of about 1ppm Any Idea's I'm scared somethings wrong since he is my first fish. Thanks L UPDATE :thumbs: I've named him/her Kuchi which means mouth in Japanese which i think is doubly appropriate. He's enjoying his newer 30 gallon tank and seems happy. He seems healthy and doesn't exhibit any signs of disease. Kuchi is defiately energetic. I need to save some money to buy some more decorations that will fit the size of the tank. Anyway thank soo much to everyone and their wonderfully helpfull advice :bow: . I was really worried when i first moved kuchi to the new tank but by the next day things seemed to calm down. Thanks again L

Hi everyone. In searching for information on my new Koi fish i was told about this site by two different people. It's nice to see that so many people care about their pets and i hope to keep mine for the next thirty or more years. I'm still trying to find a name for him and since he is a Koi fish i think a Japanese name would be great. I'm from edmonton and I thought getting a fish and keeping it would be fairly in expensive :bang1: LIttle did i realize that Koi grow faster than weeds. It's blown my budget for the month allready. I'm very nervious about keeping Him/her heathy so i've been back to the pet store numerous times to pick the brains of the fish experts(?) :well: :well: :well: I'm glad there are people out there with the expert knowledge :bow: that are willing to share and help. Thanks in advance. Have a wonderfull week everyone L -ham- -ham-