Goldfish or No Goldfish...

[InputGulliver]

I admit, this might be a bad idea. But I have that itch, and my heart is set on goldfish.
Now, I've recently had to move and leave behind a 20 gallon tank that I was very fond of. I have no fish as of right now, just a ten gallon tank that's going through a fishless cycle. I know what probably everyone is thinking, "never put goldfish in anything that small, are you mad?" Probably a little, but the closest pet store with fish and tanks is a 45 minute plane ride which I will be taking in about a month. This is a terrible place for an aquarist, honestly.
Anyways, I have every intention of upgrading to a likely much larger tank, because yes I know goldfish get massive. These aren't going to be massive goldfish yet, though. We're looking for little Petsmart goldfish. Tiny, fat little goldfish with all of that wiggle.
So, my questions for the community are this:
- How long do I have before 2-3 young goldfish outgrow 10 gallons assuming the water conditions are good?
- What is the smallest tank 2-3 goldfish should be upgraded to? Largest, within reason?
- When I get this bigger tank, I'm most likely going to be building it, and the easiest material to get here is plexiglass. Considering how big the tank should be, how thick should the plexiglass be? Is plexiglass even an option?
- Now, I'm open to personal opinions: What do you experienced people think of Petsmart goldfish anyways?

 

[SherLar]

DEpending on the type of goldfish, I think a 55g is probably the smallest tank you could house 3 goldfish in. If you're leaning more towards koi, I always hear 100g per fish.
I don't know the exact properties of plexi-glass, but I think 1/2" should be plenty thick, as long as you use a center brace to prevent outward flexing, but I've never built a tank from plexi-glass, so someone may have a better answer for you. That may be a good question for the DIY forum.
In my experience, and in my area, however, tempered glass isn't much more expensive than plexi-glass, and will resist scratches and abrasions much better.

 

[Reygan2]

I totally feel ya about the itch. It was all I could do to wait for my fishless cycle to complete haha. I have to offer my honest opinion though, I really don't think it's a good idea at all to put even 2 small goldfish in a 10 gallon. I've had my goldfish babies for a couple of months and I can't believe how fast they are growing! I'm afraid they'd outgrow the 10 gallon in no time. Isn't there any way you could get a 20g? That would work for a while with regular water changes.
As far as Petsmart fish go...it's basically a gamble. Quarantining for several weeks or even longer is a must. I've been battling several issues because I put my fish in within a few days of each other thinking I'd use the main tank as sort of a qt tank since it was a new build. Bad idea. My Petsmart fish thankfully survived some type of sickness finally and now I'm treating ich. I knew better, but the itch got the better of me and I wasn't patient about getting my tank going. You could still work on building up a heck of a BB colony in your 10 gallon filter while you get that larger tank build underway! Just a suggestion. Best wishes with your goldfish, I absolutely LOVE mine!

I should say that I currently have 4 babies in a 40 gallon breeder. I am currently getting everything together to move them to a 75 gallon within a month or so. I wouldn't put anymore than that in a 75 gallon. There is a sticky here that offers a visual on why. They do grow large!

 

[Betta keeper]

How small is small?

I was getting ready to transfer my two 2inch to 3inch goldfish to a pond, and put them into a ten gallon tank overnight....in the morning one was dead and ammonia through the roof

It doesn't take them long to mess up a tank that size


I'm wintering four 3-5inch commons right now in a 38 gallon, but you can tell that they don't have enough space in there....they need a minimum of 20gallons each for space and comfort a 55would be minimal, 75 would be perfect, 120 amazing
Mine go back to the pond soon though, and the tank will be for show

Honestly, if you are really itching for goldfish, do you have a livestock supplier nearby?

You could grab a stock tank cheaper than a tank [emoji6]

If you are looking at petsmart, you are probably looking at common goldfish. I would definitely have on hand some Prime, General cure, and antibiotics because you are so far from the fish store
Petsmart goldfish are bred as feeders, and don't start out too healthy, so you may need to coax them into top form

There is a guy on YouTube who. built a tank big enough for him to lay in....it had a plywood bottom and glass sides..

I can't link off my phone but maybe if you search plywood bottom aquarium you will find it? It was late and I stumbled on it..[emoji4]

 

[Reygan2]

Petsmart sells fancies as well. They carry fantails, orandas, black moors, and other types that require plenty of space but not as much as commons.
I agree it's a good idea to have meds on hand.

 

[Coursair]

Baby Goldfish stunt easily. That shortens their lifespan. Fancies with good care can live 15YEARS ! So I would start them out with a spacious clean space.

You can use a stock tank. Sturdy,plastic bin or DIY an indoor pond.

I'd start 3 baby Fancies in a 40g if possible. They grow VERY fast. If not, something is wrong.


These pics are baby vs adult.

There is a great channel on YouTube. Solid Gold Aquatics, she raises Fancy Goldfish.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYQUb8GsKn0caQGEfnbDI2U-8mjiRhyie

 

[InputGulliver]

This is a lot of good info, thank you.

As far as a larger tank, again, that'll be a bit difficult for the time being. Glass is expensive to ship here ($250 for enough glass for a 40 gallon), and again, there are no pet stores nor anywhere to buy tanks or fish. I put an add on Facebook, but in the past month or so I've only seen one tank for sale, which was ridiculously priced.

I'll probably come up with something, I usually do! Again, thank you for all of the good advice.

 

[Betta keeper]

Can you build a pond? Then it's a matter of plastic lining and a pump rather than glass [emoji848]

If it's a couple of feet deep they can even stay in over winter, as goldfish hibernate at cold temperatures [emoji4]

 

[SherLar]

It may take more than a couple feet deep pond to overwinter fish in Alaska. Our ponds get ice anywhere from 6-10" thick ice here in the Midwest, depending upon the severity of winter.
The stock tank is a good idea though. A 100g tank is usually under $60.00 here. I realize that prices are greatly inflated there, but it would still be less expensive thjan having glass shipped in.

 

[Betta keeper]

That's less than here.... I priced a hundred gallon stock at 120.00

And it didn't come with the plug [emoji23]

Our winters hit -20 to -40 in Ontario, but only for a month or two


Maybe you can set them up in the garage or sun room in the stock tank with one of those floating heater rings meant to stop the cattles water from freezing? Set up a pond pump, or canister filter and you're set

Hornwort likes cold water as long as there's light, and the fish eat it

 

[Ironworker161]

They grow very quickly and goldfish tend to put a heavier bio load on a tank. I wouldn't even try it in a 10 gal. If they become stunted they'll never live up to their true potential. If you can't get a large tank for a while try to find a container or bin you could put them in, at least 50 gal. One time someone gave me a couple of comets and I had no where to put them. So I grabbed a 32 gallon trash can and cleaned it up good and put them in there with a sponge filter. It got me out of a pinch and they lived in there for about a month. Those fish are now about 3 years old and 12 inches long, and reside in my garden pond. My point is, don't be afraid to think outside the box. It will pay off in the long run. Good luck.

 

[InputGulliver]

@IronWorker161
I like that idea. It may have to do, I've been pretty worried about my stupid 10 gallon housing goldfish. I'm scheduled to visit Anchorage in a couple weeks now, so I'm sort of running out of time. I'm actually considering just holding off on the goldfish, and maybe ordering them over the internet and having them shipped once I have a big enough tank. It'd be WAY more expensive, but I wouldn't have to worry about all of this.
Just in case though, do you have any recommendations for a sponge filter?

 

[Betta keeper]

I'm told that eBay and Amazon carry both sponge filter and air pumps for a great price

I only shop lfs, but when shopping for a goldfish, overfiltration is your friend. The more water filtration you have, the better your parameters will be... and the goldfish like the bubbles, so everyone is happy [emoji4]

Throw in some hornwort to eat the ammonia, excess nitrites... and you're swimming [emoji4]

 

[InputGulliver]

Ok, good news! As it turns out, I discovered today that a friend of a friend of a friend happened to be selling a 55 gallon tank, complete with filter and lid, and because I happened to be a friend of a friend of a friend (?) they've agreed to sell it to me for an amazing price. So, there's not much left to worry about~ Everything seems to be in order, and I'll be more or less set in a couple of weeks for my new fat wiggly babies.

While I do still have some time, I'll be doing research into some of the other things you've all suggested, such as the hornwort and sponge filtration (I need to learn more about filtration methods anyways).

Thank you all for your great advice and guidance!

 

[flchamp89]

Glad you got larger tank that will last you a few years

 

[Betta keeper]

That's great [emoji106]

Now you can settle down to the business of planning., and looking forward to setting up

I suggest Seachem Prime as your water conditioner. It's amazing during the setup phase for keeping ammonia levels safe for fish, if added at every water change and any time ammonia goes above .25 on your test kit. Seachem Stability will help maintain your healthy bacteria.

Enjoy [emoji4]

 

[Reygan2]

Nice! That IS good news! Don't forget to show off your goldies

 

[Ironworker161]

Sponge filters are pretty basic. You can pick them up online. I buy a lot of my equipment from Dr foster and smith....they have great prices and free shipping on orders over $29. Just make sure you have good water movement , you may need 2 sponge filters in a large container. . And don't forget the water changes.. they are key to keeping happy goldfish.

 

[InputGulliver]

Sponge filters are pretty basic. You can pick them up online. I buy a lot of my equipment from Dr foster and smith....they have great prices and free shipping on orders over $29. Just make sure you have good water movement , you may need 2 sponge filters in a large container. . And don't forget the water changes.. they are key to keeping happy goldfish.

So, when you talk about sponge filters, are you talking about using them in a sump? I've seen a lot of other tank setups where there was the main tank, and then another tank below it with other things like filtration, and I think "The King of DIY" even uses that area to heat his water. I'm afraid I dont completely understand the benefits of having that extra tank yet, I've only ever dealt with the hang on the back filters.

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Hang on back filters are great, a sump is as well too, however Sponge filters can be used in the display tank as opposed to a h.o.b. or sump type filter outside the tank.

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