Addition to the family - Part 2

The saga continues...

Goldie is very happy in his one gallon tank. A few days ago, we noticed that he had some black spots on him. I looked up the symptoms on the web, and found out that he is either stressed (which is caused by too many fish in the tank. Since he is the only one, I doubt that this is the case) or that the PH level is too high or too low. We took a sample of the water from Goldie's tank so that PetSmart can test the water. They told us that the PH level was too high, so we had to buy this chemical to decrease the PH level.

Earlier this week, we went back to my ex-husband's house (with his permission, of course) and got my daughter's old fish tank. She had a 10 gallon tank, and suddenly remembered about it. I asked my ex if he still had the tank, and since he now lives out of town, he said that he couldn't remember if it was there, or if he threw it out. He told us we can look around for it. So, last Monday, we entered the house, and she found it in the garage. (No one lives in the house right now). It was filthy dirty because it had been sitting for awhile. But we found it with gravel and all of the decorations still in it. We even took the water filter and air pump.

We also took these dirty items to PetSmart and asked them how to clean them. I had read somewhere that you weren't supposed to clean a tank with soap because it will leave a residue that can make the fish sick, or die. Basically, they told us to scrub the tank with a scrubber and use hot water. We can even scrub and rinse the rocks and gravel with water. The decorations were cleaned the same way: scrub and rinse with water. We found out that the water filter we had was beyond repair, so we had to buy a new one. We bought a new air line for the air pump, but when we brought it home, Corinne discovered that the air pump was clogged. Besides that, the new water filter was also an air pump, so we really didn't need the air pump. So, we decided to take back the air line.

As soon as we got home, Corinne put on her bathing suit and sat in the bathtub and scrubbed the tank, rocks, gravel, and accessories. Meanwhile, I cleared a spot for the tank on top of our pass-through bar. Corinne arranged the tank, and then started pouring water into it. We had 2 two cup measuring cups, and it took us awhile to fill up the tank. But, after we filled it up, we put the filter in and put the hood on it, and let her rip. Now, we wait for about a week before we can add Goldie in it.

Meanwhile, we have to figure out what to do about Goldie and keep him from getting too sick. I put some drops in his water to reduce the PH level, but I'm thinking I'm going to have to change out some of the water as well.

Check back in about a week to see how the transition to the new tank goes. We'll be adding new fish when Goldie is acclimated in his new tank as well, but not for another week after Goldie has moved in.