catfish

[neo hippie]

soooooo... goldfish arent my bag. being a reptile owner and having the temperature constantly up and having heat lamps almost 24 hours a day my place of residence is just tooooo hot for goldfish. so i want to either sell them or take them to a petstore... most likely the latter choice, i dont trust just anyone to know how to take care of a goldfish. but i do plan on making the switch to a tropical fish. and i have a pretty good idea of what kind i would like. im interested in the chocolate talking catfish otherwise known as the striped rapheal.. or platydoras costatus. i know what kind of tank setup and care they need im just not sure what i need to do to get there. my plan was to find the goldfish a new home then re-use the tank for my new catfish... what do i need to do with the tank before i can get a catfish as far as maybe cycling, cleaning... etc. i have never re-used a fish tank before... so i wouldnt know.

[Amidicus]

Some smaller pet stores might take the Goldfish. Just keep checking around if one says no.Don't expect any money for them from a petstore though.Some might be willing to take them on trade.If they are really big,they might become the store mascot or something.

[crazyred]

my plan was to find the goldfish a new home then re-use the tank for my new catfish... what do i need to do with the tank before i can get a catfish as far as maybe cycling, cleaning... etc. i have never re-used a fish tank before... so i wouldnt know.

If you put the new fish into the tank within 24-36 hours after taking out the goldfish you don't need to do anything....the tank should be cycled and will stay that way as long as fish are added right away. I would do about a 50% or so water change and some gravel vacuuming to get the goldfish waste out and refill and add fish. Don't do too much cleaning at once, you will kill the good bacteria.

[neo hippie]

thanks, thats what i figured.

[AngelMom]

You also need to make sure you get fish that can survive in a 10 gallon tank.....the raphael cats get to be about 5 inches and need a minimum 40 gallons.

[neo hippie]

hmm thats interesting because the dude at the store has it posted on the tank that they only get 5" long and only need a 10 gallon tank.... silly petsmart.... cant trust em. even though they are a massive franchise... fascist liars. oh well looks like all a poor hippie can put in a ten gallon tank these days is one tiny tetra.