Is my tank big enough?

[Cactuspixie]

I currently have 2 comets in a 39g tank. I have bought a 65g to transfer them into, but is that going to be big enough? Or will I need to rehome one of them (the smaller pretty one- no one would take the other one!) I got the smaller one to keep the other company. If I rehome his little friend will he be bothered by that? Do goldfish get lonely?

I do 30% pwc twice a week atm and levels are spot on. Also, the gravel in their current tank is not going into the new tank- it's chunky white gravel that maintains ph. But geez it collects muck! I hate to think what it would look like if it wasn't thoroughly vacuumed twice weekly.

Will having regular 3mm river gravel in the tank cause any dramas? (Since they've spent almost a year with the ph gravel)

Tia. Cactus.

 

[librarygirl]

Short-term maybe, but long-term they'll ideally need a pond.

"- Commons, comets, shubunkins, other single tail variants require a minimum of 50-100gallons per fish or 5-10gallons per inch of fish in a pond setting and realistically should NOT be kept in aquariums due to their potentail size (12-18inches)."

From http://www.myaquariumclub.com/goldfish-101-11174823.html

 

[Cactuspixie]

Short-term maybe, but long-term they'll ideally need a pond.

"- Commons, comets, shubunkins, other single tail variants require a minimum of 50-100gallons per fish or 5-10gallons per inch of fish in a pond setting and realistically should NOT be kept in aquariums due to their potentail size (12-18inches)."

From http://www.myaquariumclub.com/goldfish-101-11174823.html

Wow. Thanks for that link. Amazing information- it's scared me right off owning goldfish!

 

[Fishanatic]

Yes, LibraryGirl is right. personally, I recommend at least a 120 gallon for a commet, as they need a lot of room to swim:L

 

[Sharpchick]

A 65 gallon would be great for 3-4 fancy goldfish. The comets are, as the other posters said, more suitable for a pond.

 

[Cactuspixie]

A 65 gallon would be great for 3-4 fancy goldfish. The comets are, as the other posters said, more suitable for a pond.

Bah! :-( I'm stuck with the bigger comet- no one would want him because of the ugly masses he has on him. No one has ponds here because of the water restrictions and high cost of water, so that's not an option either. The white comet is very pretty and any LFS would take him, but what if he was purchased by someone who stuck him in a smaller tank- or like my neighbours- stuck him in a tank and NEVER did water changes (they only top it up!!).

 

[jlk]

A 65g is a big improvement over their present tank. Start with this then you can figure out where to go from here. Just keep on top of your water changes. Rehoming your guy with the growths will be next to impossible and the chances of your lfs selling the other guy to an irresponsible owner are good, unfortunately. So, my advice is simply to make the best of your situation. If, in the near future, they are outgrowing this tank as well then you will need to figure out what your next step will be but moving them to the larger tank will buy you time to figure this out. Good luck!

 

[germanyt]

A 65 gallon would be great for 3-4 fancy goldfish. The comets are, as the other posters said, more suitable for a pond.

Went browsing images to see some comets. Found this pic.

It's a 20 gallon tank with a comet, moor, and koi.

 

[germanyt]

Bah! :-( I'm stuck with the bigger comet- no one would want him because of the ugly masses he has on him. No one has ponds here because of the water restrictions and high cost of water, so that's not an option either. The white comet is very pretty and any LFS would take him, but what if he was purchased by someone who stuck him in a smaller tank- or like my neighbours- stuck him in a tank and NEVER did water changes (they only top it up!!).

If there is a pet store nearby I'm sure they'll take it.

 

[jlk]

Went browsing images to see some comets. Found this pic.

It's a 20 gallon tank with a comet, moor, and koi.

I dont see a moor or a koi, just two large common goldfish. Its very unforunate situation for these fish.

 

[germanyt]

I dont see a moor or a koi, just two large common goldfish. Its very unforunate situation for these fish.

I don't see the Koi either. It was in the description of the photo by the person who took it.

 

[Koikeeper99]

I dont see a moor or a koi, just two large common goldfish. Its very unforunate situation for these fish.

Top right of tank the moor and koi are up there.

 

[Oohitsae]

A 65g is a big improvement over their present tank. Start with this then you can figure out where to go from here. Just keep on top of your water changes. Rehoming your guy with the growths will be next to impossible and the chances of your lfs selling the other guy to an irresponsible owner are good, unfortunately. So, my advice is simply to make the best of your situation. If, in the near future, they are outgrowing this tank as well then you will need to figure out what your next step will be but moving them to the larger tank will buy you time to figure this out. Good luck!

I have to agree with this.
See what happens when they begin to outgrow this tank, hopefully by then you'll be able to get a large enough tank for them, or meet a friend with a pond. I know you said that it's rare for there to be ponds there, but I'm sure there are a couple somewhere if it comes to that.
Goodluck with them! I guarantee they have a much better chance with you than going back to the LFS even with not a large enough tank, atleast you know how to care for them properly.