Overstocked goldfish

[corinne118s]

Long story short I bought a goldfish starter kit with two baby goldies not sure the type. They are in a10 gal and im doing 50% wc every week atleast. No I did not cycle before hand. This happened about a month ago before I did research. I just assumed a starter kit would actually be suitable for the fish it is meant for. My mistake

Anywys how bad is this? The fish seem healthy now- one fish got ammonia burn the second week which is when I started to research this. They are better now very active and I'm only feeding a small amount every 4ish days until I get the cycling under control. My question is- do I really need to move them and what do I do? I cannot have a bigger tank atleast until august when I move to a bigger apartment. I'm worried if I take them back they will die in the petstore.

Ive heard so many different answers. A lot of people think 10gal is fine and a lot think 29g is minimum for one goldfish. Is this a space issue or water issue? I can dedicate time for PWC and invest in a strong filter. Right now I hve 2 stock filters and several plants

 

[jlk]

The pic is a bit blurry- do your goldies have single tails or double tails (and i only see one)? If you are unsure, could you post pics of each fish? This is an important piece of information here in order to be able to access the best direction for you to approach your present situation.

 

[jlk]

Also important- do you have a test kit for checking your water parameters?

 

[corinne118s]

The one that's hard to see is in front of the sculpture that one is a fantail and the other looks like a koi fish at a Japanese restaurant (best I can describe). Yes I can measure I tested for ammonia when I saw the burns and it was high so I've been up with my PWC and now is still there but not mich

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Long story short I bought a goldfish starter kit with two baby goldies not sure the type. They are in a10 gal and im doing 50% wc every week atleast. No I did not cycle before hand. This happened about a month ago before I did research. I just assumed a starter kit would actually be suitable for the fish it is meant for. My mistake

Anywys how bad is this? The fish seem healthy now- one fish got ammonia burn the second week which is when I started to research this. They are better now very active and I'm only feeding a small amount every 4ish days until I get the cycling under control. My question is- do I really need to move them and what do I do? I cannot have a bigger tank atleast until august when I move to a bigger apartment. I'm worried if I take them back they will die in the petstore.

Ive heard so many different answers. A lot of people think 10gal is fine and a lot think 29g is minimum for one goldfish. Is this a space issue or water issue? I can dedicate time for PWC and invest in a strong filter. Right now I hve 2 stock filters and several plants

First can you post some close ups of the fish so we can ID them?
If they are fancy goldfish they require 20g for the first fish and 10g for each fish after that. If they are pond fish they require a MUCH larger set up or an actual pond.
Space AND water quality are the issues here. Fancies grow to 6-12 inches and pond goldfish can grow 18 inches. If good water conditions are not provided the fish can suffer from disease and stunting. IMO 50% once a week is not enough. You would need to do at least twice if not three times a week PWC. Goldie's are messy creatures and require large amounts of water to dilute the large amount of waste they produce. They also require filtration 10x the size of their tank.
Goldfish do most of their growing in the first 3 years of life so the more space you can provide them with the better.

 

[corinne118s]

Ok well I'm assuming the one is a pond fish looked up pics I can't grt anything in this lighting now. I guess I'll b taking him back.. Can I even do that? Could I keep the fantail in the 10g for awhile?

 

[corinne118s]

Ok it's definitely a fantail and common goldfish. Is the fantail ok in 10g? I keep reading it's fine

 

[jlk]

Without a pic, its difficult to id the koi-looking fish (may be a common, comet, shubunkin, or a baby koi). Ok- heres the bad news. The second fish in question (koi looking 1) will outgrow this tank VERY quickly (as in a few mths) and realistically does not belong in an aquarium environment unless it is very large. Commons/comets/shubunkins would need atleast 50+ gallon tank for one fish. A koi grows over 3ft & can live over 200yrs of age- you would need a large pond to house even a single one. I would either return or rehome this fish to pond where he belongs & will be happy.

The fantail really should have atleast a 20gal tank to himself. The minimum rule for fancies is 20g for the first fish, 10gal for each fish after. If you would like a buddy for him, you will need atleast a 30gal tank. The issue is both one of space and water. Fancies can grow to be 10-12+ inches & carry a tremendous bioload. They also do most of their growth in the first 2-3yrs of life- adequate amounts of healthy water prevent goldfish from being stunted.

Now, the question of the day- can you keep the fantail by himself in a 10g short-term? Very short term with proper test kit that tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, & ph because the water conditions will have to be closely monitored. Regular (2-3x wk) water changes will be a must to keep him healthy as possible. I would start looking for a tank upgrade as soon as possible in the meantime. Hope this helps! Please do not hesitate to ask any questions!!

 

[corinne118s]

Yikes I guess I'll rehome/return both. Thanks for the input I feel terrible I put thefish through this