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Posted by Emerald Prince the Parrot on 3/21/2008, 4:35 pm, in reply to "pray for big goldfishy!"
Be sure to never again leap from the pond, dude!
We do not want your friend, Sees, to get such a
bad scare again.
Fishies over here have an aquarium cover.
It is hard for a fishy here to leap out because of
this cover, but a few did leap out of the water
a couple years ago.
Then the water was tested, and found out that the
water needed treatments because ammonia was
too high and nitrates were also increasing too
quickly.
After a treatment with beneficial bacteria added
to the sponge filter and a 33% water change and
a buffer added to water to keep pH close to 7.0 (acidity/alkalinity at neutral),
the fishies stopped leaping from the tank.
When water testing is done now, the results are
usually very good now. Once the beneficial bacteria grows well within the sponge filter
material, ammonia is changed to nitrite (less toxic)
and then nitite is changed to nitrate (much less toxic),
and the aquarium plants and water changes dilute
the amount of nitrates to a very low level.
If nitrates of 40 parts are still OK, the readings now are usually less than 15 parts.
And the ammonia from fish wastes and decaying, uneaten fish foods, is almost absent, or is a
very, very small amount.
This good bio-system results from a good culture of beneficial bacteria that continues to grow in the sponge filter matrix.
When the sponge filter is cleaned, it should be squeezed out repeatedly in a large bowl of
aquarium water, then the dirty water is discarded.
Then the cleaned sponge is returned to continue
growing good bacteria and keeping the water healthy. 
Hope this helps.
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