Can anyone give me 'good' advice?!! --- Goldfish Q's

[trinity_lee1]

Hi, After searching the internet I have read so many conflicting things about fish tanks and the size/number/shape of tank and fish. I am hoping someone can give me advice before my lovely fish die.

I currently have 2 coldwater goldfish both about 8-10cm long, these are in a 35L rectangluar tank (I now know this is too small) I was given these as a present and have had them for 3 yrs, a friend got them from a fairground. I want to get them a bigger tank and am fairly restricted on space (have 18mth toddler which takes up most of it). I fell in love with a Bioorb 60L tank but some reviews say these are not suitable for goldfish and the size of the surface of the water is an issue.

How big a tank do I need for these 2 fish? Im not sure I have the space for a massive rectangular one which was why I was so happy when I saw the biorb.

It sounds daft but I love my fish and really want what is best for them if at all possible.

Would appreciate some advice from any of you experts rather than incorrect advice that I seem to get from the people in shops (local to me).

Many thanks
Trinity

 

[melosu58]

I`m going to move this over to the FW discussion area. We will focus our attention on your fish. We have plenty of good advice over there. Welcome to AA BTW.

 

[trinity_lee1]

Hi Mike, thanks very much, I wasnt sure where to post! Any advice would be much appreciated!
Trinity

 

[HN1]

If these are fancy goldfish, you'll probably need a 40+ G tank at minimum. Wait for one of the goldfish experts to chime in. If they are comets, you'll need to dig a pond (or rehome). A Biorb (or biube, etc) is simply out of the question for them I'm afraid.

*rant about fish as fair prizes censored*

Welcome to AA!

 

[Jim Whitney]

Goldfish are carp. They would probably survive a small nuclear explosion. LOL !

Goldfish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As long as you feed them and control water quality they will probably do just fine. If you don't do those things, well, you will still likely get the same result.

Goldfish are rather messy fish, though. Tank maintenance is a must. Not that the fish will die, but, it's the look of the thing.

I put a goldfish in a closet, when I was a kid, in a 5 gallon tank for three months. No water changes, no filtering, no light even, and no food. Afterwards, (when my Mom got upset with me about it), there was a couple of inches of sludge in the tank and a very ticked off goldfish ! Alive and actually quite well. He lived several more years after that. (I admit it ! I was an EVIL kid!!!)

Plain English: You would have to apply yourself to fail with goldfish. Even if you did apply yourself, it would be an effort.

Goldfish are really terrific pets ! Messy, but great ! Happy is the person that has a tank full of them ! LOL !!!

I hope you, and your fishies are well !!!

 

[HN1]

Goldfish are carp. They would probably survive a small nuclear explosion. LOL !

Goldfish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As long as you feed them and control water quality they will probably do just fine. If you don't do those things, well, you will still likely get the same result.

Goldfish are rather messy fish, though. Tank maintenance is a must. Not that the fish will die, but, it's the look of the thing.

I put a goldfish in a closet, when I was a kid, in a 5 gallon tank for three months. No water changes, no filtering, no light even, and no food. Afterwards, (when my Mom got upset with me about it), there was a couple of inches of sludge in the tank and a very ticked off goldfish ! Alive and actually quite well. He lived several more years after that. (I admit it ! I was an EVIL kid!!!)

Plain English: You would have to apply yourself to fail with goldfish. Even if you did apply yourself, it would be an effort.

Goldfish are really terrific pets ! Messy, but great ! Happy is the person that has a tank full of them ! LOL !!!

I hope you, and your fishies are well !!!

I disagree with several points of this post. It is exaggerated, inaccurate, and irresponsible.

 

[dkpate]

+1 HN1.
Goldfish will stay small, but the problem is that their insides never stop growing, just the outsides. That doesn't sound like a very fun way to live.

 

[jsoong]

+2 HN1.

The odd goldfish might survive neglect in a bowl, the majority dies. <The poster's fish survival is likely due to not feeding the fish in the closet, hence little ammonia ...> At any rate, living for a few years afterward is NOT a sign of success. He likely have a common goldfish, and the normal lifespan is 15-30 years. <World record is 44 years or so.> Dying after a couple year is an early death!

Now that I got this off my chest, back to answering the OP's questions:

Being this is a fairground fish, it is likely a common or comet. However, to give good advice, we need to ID the breed of fish. The main distinguishing feature would be the tail. Is it single (like most fish), or double? Look at this:
Goldfish Carassius auratus aquarium tropical fish from Tropical Fish and Aquariums
<Look at the top pic - fantail, compare that to the next 2 pics of sarasa & comet.>

At 8-10 cm, the fish is out-growing the tank. <8 gal for our US friends.> It is good that you are planning an upgrade. The bio-orb is not a good tank for goldfish. There is not enough surface area for gas exchange, and really not enough room for the goldfish.

If you have a common goldfish, a pond is really the best for them. You can keep them in tanks for a few more years, but they will eventually out-grow a tank. <And you will need 4 or 6 foot long tanks to keep commons.> About the only single tailed variety that can be kept long term in tanks are Shubunkins. <And I am talking 15-30 years ....>

A 3 year old 10 cm common would already be stunted. So I am hoping that you don't have commons. At any rate, if you absolutely cannot have a big tank or a pond, and still want to keep the fish, a bigger tank will still be helpful. Just be aware that it is a stop-gap, as the fish will need a bigger home in a year or 2.

If you have fancies, then a 20 gal Long is an absolute minimum. A 40 gal Breeder is much better. Notice that I am specifying the tank shape as well as size. Generally, goldfish don't need a lot of depth, but lots of room laterally. Hence the "Long" or "Breeder" tanks are better suited to them, compared to "Show" tanks.

At any rate, Trinity Lee, I do commend you for wanting the best for your fish. Let's get an ID on breed first before getting too carried away on what is best. <A pic would help.> And welcome to AA!!!

 

[Aquarium1]

+1 for jsoong, One of our wonderful, well appreciated goldfish experts

 

[trinity_lee1]

jsoong thank you so much for the advice, it would be great to determine what they are first and take it from there. I will take a photo when I get home and upload it, Im not sure how clear it will be though. One I think is a common goldfish and the other one is black but not a 'fat shape' or a blackmoor i dont think, it looks similar to the one i think is common. Anyway, will see what you think from the picture.

If the one i think is a common fish actually is, then this is my baby, its the one ive had for 3 years and love to pieces a little bit more than the other one (shh) but I couldnt bare to look at him every day knowing that im stunting his growth but his insides are still growing, so I will have to rehome him. I cant have a pond because of my little boy and small garden but could I try and find a someone to take him, Im assuming i couldnt release him to a 'wild' pond? (I probably sound so stupid)!

Anyway, will see what you think later on. Thanks again for your help, and everyone else that has commented

Trinity

 

[severum mama]

Sorry you've gotten bad news about your goldfish, but it's excellent advice. The best thing to do if you cannot keep your goldfish is to rehome them with someone who has a pond for them. Please do not ever release pet fish into the wild; it can be extremely harmful to the area's native species.

 

[trinity_lee1]

Hi again jsoong, here are the 2 pictures as clear as I could get of my fish, in need of a water change but you get the idea, the gold one looks like a comet from your pictures? Not sure on the other one? Whats the verdict??
Thanks again
Trinity

 

[HN1]

I think they're both comets.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

+3 to HN1's earlier post...just speachless

They look like comets as my lil brother has comets and...well they look like yours pretty fish though

 

[Jim Whitney]

Um ... I was 8 years old. Of COURSE I was irresponsible.

BTW: "Coal Eyes", as was his name outgrew the 5 gallon tank he was in, so I took him back to the pet store and exchanged him for a little one. I'm not sure how long he actually lived after that. I was 8 !

I have been keeping fish for over 30 years. I have never lost a goldfish by death. They simply outgrow the tanks I have them in.

You people take things far too seriously. Lighten-up will ya ?

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Um ... I was 8 years old. Of COURSE I was irresponsible.

BTW: "Coal Eyes", as was his name outgrew the 5 gallon tank he was in, so I took him back to the pet store and exchanged him for a little one. I'm not sure how long he actually lived after that. I was 8 !

I have been keeping fish for over 30 years. I have never lost a goldfish by death. They simply outgrow the tanks I have them in.

You people take things far too seriously. Lighten-up will ya ?

I'm all for humor and not taking things too seriously and I understand kids do some crazy things but when you say you take a fish throw it in a closet, don't feed it, change the water or maintain its habitat I have no sense of humor. Being 8 isn't an excuse to abuse an animal and even though fish are forgotten as animals, animals they are.

 

[melosu58]

Ok we are getting out of hand here. Flaming of other members will not be tolerated here at AA. Stay on topic or we will have to close this thread. Remember that everyone has the ability to post their opinion without being flamed and told to "lighten up".

 

[HN1]

I guess that was me being flamed huh? No worries.

Jim- I mean no ill will whatsoever. In my opinion, it would have been irresponsible for me not to take exception to it. I (now) understand you were 8 and yeah, 8 year olds are irresponsible. I unwittingly slaughtered crawdads at about that age. While you knew more details to your first post, no one else (myself included) did. I didn't want the first thread that someone saw on this site to be one with unchecked bad info. My bad?

 

[dkpate]

Ya know, for those fish being in the wrong evnoriment, they sure look good! Their fins are not rotted or shredded at all! They're really really nice goldies.

 

[jsoong]

Can we please keep this thread on topic. It really isn't too nice to a new member to hijack the thread & start a flame war .....

Trinity - Those are both single tail common goldfish. <Fairground fish are usually not pure bred, so there are a mix of features. Those fish don't have all the features of a show quality comet - deep forked fins, etc. The metallic scales would rule out shubunkins, although there may be some of that line in the fish as well base on shape.> Regardless, if the fish are healthy, a mixed breed will make a good pet.

Unfortunately, both your fish have potential to grow big. Anywhere from 8" (if they have a lot of shubunkin blood) to 16" or more. They will both need much bigger homes as they grow. <BTW - both fish look really good, not too stunted looking. So you must have taken good care of them. They are small for 3 year olds, but still look like well proportioned young fish.>

You have 2 choices:
1. Find new homes for them - preferably a good size pond.
2. Buy as big a tank as you have room for, at least a 40 breeder (3 foot long), 4 to 6 foot are much preferable. You can then keep the fish for as long as possible, and find new homes (or build a pond) when the fish out grow the big tank. With good care, you might be able to keep the fish in a big tank for several more years. <If those fish have a lot of shubunkin blood - ie not get too big, it might be many years ... OTOH, some common will double in size yearly ...>

I can't say for sure what is best. A lot depends on the genetics of the fish as to how well it will fare in small tanks. Although the majority of commons will outgrow an aquarium (or die early because it exceed the carrying capacity of the tank), the rare fairground fish stays small and live happily in relatively small setup. The world record (Trish at age 43) is a common that only grew to 6-8" & lived in a 30 or 40 gal setup .... but that is unusual.

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