Newbie Needs Help With Rescued Wedding Fish

[Towelie]

Last night was my brother's wedding. It was a very nice ceremony and all that, nice weather. But at the reception, I noticed that some of the tables had Goldfish in small bowls as centerpieces. I own 1 beta fish (used to have 2 until a couple weeks ago) so I instantly felt bad for these guys. Several drinks in, I decided that I was going to rescue all of the fish, since nobody knew what was going to happen to them. Anyways, I went onto the dance floor to cut a rug near the end of the night, and when I returned to my table, the two goldfish were gone. There was only one centerpiece left at one of the tables, so I hid it under my chair until I left at the end of the night.

When I arrived home, I was far too many drinks in and I had two goldfish in a small cup. I topped up my now fishless 5-gallon tank I had my second beta in (RIP Chong) with some water that I'd left out last week to let the chlorine evaporate. I carefully released both of the Goldfish into the previously used beta tank, dug up the air pump, goldfish food, and package of air stones that I got with the tank but never used, and hooked it all up.

So, here are my questions.

Are these two goldfish in immediate danger sitting in this water that recently had a beta in it for a year, and still has two bamboo plants growing in it?

I'm vaguely aware of the concept of beneficial bacteria from doing research when I got the two beta fish last year, and I just looked up the N cycle so I have a basic understanding of that. That being said, could I skip doing a fishless cycle in a brand new 20 gallon tank if I transfer the rocks and plants from the Beta tank into the new 20 gallon tank with the two goldfish?

Lastly, with a 20 gallon tank, will I only be able to have these two goldfish and nothing else besides snails in the tank? I read that each goldfish needs 10 gallons of water for a good quality of life, but could I have two goldfish and a plec in the tank? Or would the plec require another 10 gallons of water itself?

The fish themselves are small, I think they are regular fantail goldfish. They aren't the fancy ones.

Thanks in advance for the help, The pet store closes in an hour, so any quick answers would be great.

 

[jsoong]

Hi & welcome to AA!

Are you sure they are fantails?? If they are the usual feeders, they would be commons & they will not do well in a 20.... Commons need to be in ponds. <Check the tail ... fantails should look like the pic in my avatar.>

2 fantails will just barely fit in a 20 gal if you really take care of the tank. If you want to add more fish, or for less maintenance, go for a 40 gal breeder or bigger. Even with a big tank, you would not want a common plec with goldfish ... get only a bristle nose or rubberlip (the dwarfs) and that is only if you get a 40 gal. I wouldn't add anything to a 20 gal with 2 goldfish except maybe a snail or 2.

NO, the goldfish will not be in immediate danger in the 5. How long had the tank been fishless? If it is more than a few days, it is likely no longer cycled. You are going to have to re-cycle the tank with the fish. The plants will help a bit, but 2 goldfish will make lots of waste. You should be doing daily water tests & changes as needed. You can expect accumulation of ammonia & nitrites in the next few days even if the tank retained its biofilter (Betta don't have much bioload compared with goldfish, so the biofilter, even if it remained intact, will be inadaquate.)... so the fish will be in danger shortly ....

There is no point doing a fishless cycle in the new tank if you already have fish. You will have to cycle one way or another, and putting the fish in the bigger tank will make the process easier on you & the fish.

 

[Towelie]

Ah, you're correct, they are commons - so should I take them to a pet store, then? No point in keeping them around if they are pond fish.

If so, then I guess I'll go ahead and do a fishless cycle on a new tank and get something other than a goldfish. Seems like they need a little bit more room than I have available in my small apartment.

Edit to add: Thank you for the welcome! This seems like a great forum.

 

[jsoong]

Unless you are willing to invest in a 120 gal 6 foot tank, it is not advisable to keep commons in aquariums. Yes, they will live for a while, but usu. die within a few months as they grow too big for their tank. Best thing to do is to give them away to someone with a pond ... Those fish generally end up as feeders if you return them to the lfs.

Definitely go ahead & do a fishless cycle in the 20 gal ... you may try seeding from the betta tank to speed things up. Meanwhile, you have time to really plan out the tank with suitable inhabitants.

 

[Jason7894561230]

+1

 

[brimac41]

Live fish for centerpieces ? Maybe it is because I am a dude and have never paid attention to that kind of stuff (but I guess being a fish guy I would have noticed live fish in the middle of my table) , but does this happen often ? Or was this someone being creative ?

Sorry for being off topic , just interested .

 

[glassbird]

It is, unfortunately, all too common. I have put the kibosh on this "lovely idea" at two weddings in my own family. Fortunately, I found out about the plans long before the ceremonies, and put my foot down. People just do not think about what will happen to the fish during the party, and afterwards. I had to explain that the fish would be suffering through the reception (loud noises, glasses and dishes being banged and knocked on the table, crowded into dirty water, flashes of light from multiple cameras, etc...), and then most likely flushed alive afterwards (assuming they survived). Or just tossed in the trash, with the wilting flowers.

I am hoping that the original poster is able to have a word with his brother and the brother's new wife about what they did to these animals. Probably easier said, than done, I know.

 

[brimac41]

Huh , I did not know this . The things people do , but nothing surprises me anymore .