Ok that's good to know.

When you start up the 10 gallon tank with new/fresh water and the fish it will begin to cycle. Listed below is a link that will explain cycling in detail and I strongly urge you to read it and understand it as it's the single most important piece of information a fishkeeper should know.

Now I'd like to make a recommendation. If possible try and put a new fish in the tank and leave the sick goldfish in the bowl. My reasoning for this is that the ill fish might not be able to handle the cycling process and therefore become
sick once again.

What happens when a tank cycles is basically this:

Fish produce ammonia===toxic

After a couple of weeks ammonia is eaten by bacteria called nitrites===also toxic

After a couple of weeks nitrites are eaten by a bacteria called nitrates===not toxic @low levels and removed via partial water changes.

This whole process takes about 6-8 weeks and if not handled properly will kill fish.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling.htm

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I'll answer your questions in the order you gave.

In order for the tank to cycle there needs to be a fish in it so that ammonia can be produced thus the cycle will begin.

I certainly understand your concerns about the fish being cramped so you have two options, 1) provide him with a bigger bowl to recuperate in or 2) you could put him back in the 10 gallon but remember this could be a little risky as he's already been through a lot and might not handle the cycling process well.

Yes, most probably the Ick parasite was transferred to the bowl by the filter but if you continue to medicate the fish it should resolve the problem.

As for the fish having Flukes, from your description it didn't seem so but we'll touch upon that tommorrow.

As for the fish's reaction to the salt, he apparently isn't handling the dosage well so take 1/2 the water out of bowl and replace it with fresh water and not adding any salt. I hope you used aquarium salt and not table salt?

I got your recent message and we'll continue tommorrow. Have a good night and you can continue writing on this same posting tommorrow so that we won't lose track of where we were.

Ric


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Good morning to you.

What I'll do is start off by clarifying the cycling process. I know, it does get a bit confusing.

Fish waste and decaying uneaten food cause ammonia to form, usually after 2-4 days. Now at this point there are two ways to deal with it:

1) Change all or most of the water in the tank. This will eliminate the ammonia. The large or complete water changes will need to be repeated every 2-4 days so as to not let ammonia rise. The tank water will not cycle if the above is done.

2) Let the ammonia form, test the water to make sure it does not reach a high level and do a smaller partial water change to keep the ammonia level in check. This will let the cycling process continue.

Now the same ammonia that would form in the 10 gallon tank will also form in the bowl except quicker as it's a smaller volume of water.

If you decide to let the tank cycle then you must understand that the fish will suffer a bit as ammonia and it's subsequent byproduct nitrite are harmful and sometimes lethal to fish which is why I felt it might not be a good idea to let your goldfish be used to cycle a tank as he might not be able to withstand it having already been sick.

To clean the 10 gallon tank use some paper towels soaked in water and vinegar or you could use bleach instead of vinegar. Clean the whole tank by wiping the inside and outside of it with the prior mentioned solution. Rinse the tank thoroughly and let dry for 24 hours. This cleaning process will eliminate any residual
disease.

Ok now on to the fish. It's immune system has apparently lowered thus making it highly susceptible to disease. The fish's symptoms indicate a bacterial infection so what I recommend you do is change the water in the bowl using tap water that has been treated with a dechlorinator. Make sure there is not a difference in water temperature between the old water and new water. Try and add a pinch of aquarium salt. Only aquarium salt should be used.
It's not absolutely necessary to use aquarium salt but it might be helpful.

Once the above has been done begin to treat the fish with a medicine called Maracyn, see link below or a medicine called Melafix, see link below. Just follow the directions on the product label for usage.

Hope this clarifies things if not just let me know.

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http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=11269

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I'll answer/comment on your questions in the order
you gave them:

1) It would be better to keep the goldfish seperated in the bowl if you decide to cycle the 10 gallon but as your the fishkeeper the choice is yours. Though as I mentioned earlier he might not be able to handle the cycle. Note: if you decide not to cycle and are willing to do twice weekly 50-100% water changes then you can put the fish in the 10 gallon.

2) Yes, clean all the aquarium equipment so as to kill off any disease that might remain.

3) If you decide to cycle then definitely wait for it to complete before adding the goldfish.
The cycle could take anywhere from 6-8 weeks (I know it's a long time but you can't rush Mother Nature).

4) Any fish can be used to cycle a tank although some are preferable over others. You could use 2 zebra fish, see link below for an image.

5) To check water temperature a floating thermometer can be used, see link below for an example.

6) Helpful but not absolutely necessary, the pinch of aquarium salt although in the cycling tank 2 teaspoons is recommended.

6a) Yes, matter of fact to make things easier use the Melafix as the fish is displaying external sores. I changed the medicine from the original recommendation because the fish's symptoms have changed.

7) After a dechlorinator is used, fish can be put into the water right away. Listed below is a link to a commonly found tap water treatment.

Keep in mind that it's very important to test the water when the tank is cycling and even thereafter but not as frequently. Listed below is a link that will show you a product--easy to use test strips.

All the above mentioned products and fish can be found at most major pet shops i.e. PetSmart, Petco, etc. etc.

On a final note, seriously think over if you want to cycle the tank. It's obviously not mandatory but it will eliminate the need for twice weekly major water changes.

Good luck on whatever you decide!

http://users.ugent.be/~kwautier/VMDB/images/zebravis.jpg

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3744+3921&pcatid=3921

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3974+4078&pcatid=4078

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