Does a middle-aged single goldfish need a friend?

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Michelle-Wood

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Dec 31, 2010
Messages
5
Location
Northern California
Happy New Year! I just joined this forum tonight. I figured I'd start the New Year with an attempt to resolve a question that's been niggling at me for quite some time. [I apologize for any cross postings as I just gave the below question in my intro.]

Well, I'm an accidental aquarist, all because of a single goldfish...

I have a 29-gallon freshwater tank that I set up about 5 months ago with one 7-inch comet goldfish.

My question: Would it be okay to add another ~7" goldfish? "Jasper" has been a solo fish for >5 years and is a beloved pet (see "Background" below). I have read that goldfish are "community" fish and prefer company, but I'm nervous about introducing a new fish after so many years... I'm considering adding a ~7" comet or shubunkin goldfish. What are your thoughts? This is the first recently-active advice forum I came across. Please let me know if you know of a goldfish-specific forum.

Tank Details: The 29-gallon tank has an Aqueon power filter with bio-holster and replaceable carbon/floss cartridge. The substrate is about 1/2" of small (<1/4"), smooth pebbles. I have two types of live plants, elodea (one rooted in a container, one floating), and one anubis. It took a while to get the biofilter established, but now there are consistently nondetectable levels of ammonia and nitrite. The pH holds steady at 7.5. I do a partial water change once every week or so.

Background: About 6 years ago I had a small outdoor water garden in a 25 gallon, black plastic container in an old half wine barrel. For mosquito control I added five ~1" "feeder" goldfish from a local pet store. All but one died within the first couple days. That one goldfish lived amongst the plants for the next five+ years, growing into a large, bright gold/orange, comet-shaped fish. "Jasper" (gender?) became tame enough to take food from our fingers. He has survived several harrowing experiences (e.g., herons, dogs, heat waves). One day while we were traveling, he leapt out of the water garden and was stranded for an unknown period; our pet-sitter found him on the ground and placed him back in the water and he lived. After that, I added a mesh cover to the water garden and named him. In anticipation of a heat wave (which did not happen), I moved Jasper to an indoor tank this past summer and he is now an inside fish full-time. My husband and step-daughter made fun of me for purchasing a 29-gallon tank for just one fish, but I read that goldfish really like food (like our black lab!), produce a lot of waste, and need a minimum of 20 gallons because they can grow quite large. Also, none of us realized how large Jasper had already become; because of the density of plants and shadows in the water garden, we went years without seeing more than his mouth (during feeding time) or the arch of his body and tail when he would do a quick dive from the surface. Indeed, Jasper was bigger than expected (I had to get a bigger net!) and makes the tank look small...
 
Happy New Year! There are two webstes that are great for Goldie Lovers

Information on goldfish and koi , including their types, care, diseases , pictures, facts and The Goldfish and Aquarium Board • Index page

I love this website and utilize this one when I'm trying to find out info on my tropical fish.

I'm sure your jasper would love a friend. When I first introduced my second Goldie to my tank, my little fish kept following him. I'm sure she was asking what tank he was from and if he knew, minnie, moe and jeff. (LOL).

With a 29 gallon tank you can house 1 or two more very comfortably.
 
If Jasper is indeed 7 inches already, and you really want to get him a friend, you might get away with 2 (total) in a 29 gallon tank for a little while. BUT...you really should think about getting a bigger tank, and soon! (Even Jasper, by himself, will outgrow a 29 gallon tank.) In the meantime, get a bigger filter, or a second filter of the same size. When you get the bigger tank, just move the filter(s) from the old tank to the new, without any rinsing or cleaning. You won't lose your good bio-bugs that way, and cycling the new tank will go much more smoothly.

I highly recommend Craig's List for new larger tanks, cheap. Just be ready to move fast, and do some cleaning when you get it home. And be sure to quarentine your new fish for at least a month! It would be very unfortunate to bring home a friend, and then lose Jasper to some nasty health issue.
 
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Thanks for advice!

Thank you for your thoughts! One of my main concerns is the possibilty of introducing a disease when the new fish arrives. I've also done the math (current size x growth rate x gallons of water) and figured I'd need a bigger tank in the not so distant future even for the one fish. However, my husband - normally kind and generous with all our pets - laughed a wee bit hysterically over the notion of getting a bigger tank so soon after getting the 29 gallon tank established when I dropped a hint a couple weeks ago. He accepts that Jasper is now a pet (versus a form of mosquito control) and likes the idea of searching Craigs List for a gently used tank, it's just the overall concept of needing a bigger tank that he is struggling with...

So more questions - Have any of you had experience with:
- Quarantining a fish at a reputable aquarium store (rather than setting up a second tank)?
- Gently convincing a spouse that the notion of getting a larger tank is not insane? [or at least is an acceptable form of insanity?]
 
Just my two cents.

I've never heard of a chain store doing qt, a mom and pop MIGHT but most retail outlets have to make money from floor space housing a single fish you buy once would probably not be high on their priority list.

Let your Mister assist in the buying process of a larger tank. Mine used to barely tolerate my hobby, but once I coaxed him into letting me put one in the kitchen he took it over and has overpopulated the rest of the house with tanks :)

After you guide him into helping you buy the bigger tank you want, use the 29 to QT the new guy. You can move it to an out-of-the-way place as its just a qt. Then you can break it down and store it - or sell it on CL - if you are possitive you are not going to get more fish and need it again down the road.

I'm sure there will be lots of other ideas out there.

Good luck!
 
+1 for everything mudraker said.

Re: convincing a spouse of anything...I am not married so I cannot speak from personal experience, but my mother has a great line that she uses on my dad when the need arises...

"I do not drink, or smoke, or take drugs, or chase wild men. My only bad habit is my animals, and I am entitled to one bad habit." (She always politely failed to mention that my dad has more "bad" habits then she does.)
 
+1 for everything mudraker said.

Re: convincing a spouse of anything...I am not married so I cannot speak from personal experience, but my mother has a great line that she uses on my dad when the need arises...

"I do not drink, or smoke, or take drugs, or chase wild men. My only bad habit is my animals, and I am entitled to one bad habit." (She always politely failed to mention that my dad has more "bad" habits then she does.)

Pardon the OT comment but this line of defense is EXACTLY how I defend my tanks to the SAC (aka, the Wife)!
 
this is how you get to get a new tank. Aside from promising things to him that you may not normally do (insert your dirty mind here) wink wink wink, tell him that you've had Jasper for many years and would hate to put in a diseased fish into the tank. You've done a lot of research, and the experts (those who wrote books) state you should always quarantine your new fish for at lease 30 days to avoid spreading disease (by the way, medication is expensive...throw that one in as well). You can tell him, that the tank that jasper is currently in can be used as the new quarantine tank and will also double as a hospital tank and perhaps one when Jasper and his new friend have babies. I also agree with glassbird.

This is why I refuse to ever get married again. It's my house, my fish and if I want to fill it up with as many tanks as I want, I will. You deserve to have something special for yourself and you deserve a hobby. I'm sure your husband has a hobby.
 
All good ideas! I'm happy to report that after reviewing the variety of suggested options and concerns, my husband is making peace with getting a second larger tank and using the current 29 gallon tank as a quarantine tank. [My justification to him and my step-daughter, which worked when I wanted to buy more dog toys and now seems to be working for another fish tank: "At least it's not meth or expensive jewelry!"]

However, he knows me too well and has speculated that once I'm done cycling the new tank and quarantining the new goldfish, I'll want to put more fish in the quarantine tank since it would be a shame to take it apart after all the effort to get it cycled...

I expect it will be at least a couple months to (a) find a larger used tank, and, perhaps before I even get the new tank, (b) per Glassbird's suggestion, set up a second filter in the old tank and move the filter from the old tank to the new tank (without any rinsing or cleaning) so cycling the new tank will go much more smoothly, and then (c) find a suitable new goldfish and quarantine the fish for 30 days.

Question: How long do you think is long enough to run the new (second) filter in the current tank to populate it with the good bacteria? 2 weeks? 4 weeks?
 
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I heard that in a heated tank, a bacteria colony can double in size in about a day. The process is slower in cold water but I would imagine that if you put the old filter media next to the new filter media the process would still be very fast. A week would probably be safe.
 
When I exchanged tanks and filters using the old media, I didn't even have a cycle. There was enough bacteria on there to keep the levels down. :D Mind you, I only had 2 fish in the 75 gallon tank, but they still create waste.
If you use the old media, then you will either have a VERY short cycle or none at all. It is MUCH faster than starting from the beginning. :)
When you use the QT tank, you can also use decor or media to seed that too, so you don't have to go though the whole cycle there also. ;)

P.S. LOVE the heading on this thread! :D
 
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