Stressed goldfish/ Moving Goldfish

[elizae]

Long story short, I have acquired 3 adult comet goldfish that are about 7-9 inches long without their fins, who lived in a 30 gallon their entire life with 6 other fish the same size. Currently they’re in a 20 long with lots of filtration. They’ve been smacking into the walls and just generally being unhappy. But their fins are up and they’re eating (but they’re goldfish so what’s new).

I have gotten a 90 gallon aquarium to solve this problem. But I’m worried with all this extra space that they will completely freak out and hurt themselves, they’ll stress themselves out more, or I will mess something up.

I haven’t had a tank bigger than 40 gallons and this is more than double that. Any tips for the goldfish or just in general? I haven’t set it up yet, the base of it needs work done.

[BBradbury]

Hello eliz...

I would set up the tank and add some floating plants to help stabilize the tank water. Let the tank run for a few days and then drip acclimate the fish for twenty minutes or so. Then, you can release them into the new tank.

You can add a little standard aquarium salt to the new tank water. I would use a teaspoon or a bit more for every five gallons of new, treated tap water. You can fill the new tank and as long as you have no fish in it, you can add the salt directly into the tank. Salt will ease the stress on the fish and boost their immune system. I keep several tanks of Fancy, Standard and Comet Goldfish and I always use salt in the new tank water.

You're wise to get a larger tank for your Goldfish. They're bred commercially these days and sizes can range from 3 to 4 inches to 12 and more. You never know about Goldfish genetics.

Keep me informed and if you have any other questions, feel free to post them.

B

[elizae]

Thank you so much. I’m afraid the tank won’t be up for at least a week or two because the base that came with it isn’t as sturdy as I hoped it would be so it’s currently under construction.

What should I do as far as filtration? One filter? Two?

I saw these fish when they were first bought 3 years ago. They were tiny feeder fish, the size of minnows. They’re huge now. I have two fancy goldfish myself but they’re nowhere near this big.

Will I have to monitor the salt like you would a marine tank? I don’t want to accidentally over salt my fish lol

Edit: I also now just realized this thread is in the completely wrong category, must have misclicked oops

[SaraB]

Yeah comet goldfish are one of (if not) the largest goldfish. They will appreciate the extra room in the 90 gal.
It depends on the type of filter you are using. Canister, you might be able to get away with one. HOB definatey run 2.

[elizae]

Do you have any filters you’d recommend?

I’m also thinking these fish are stunted a little, maybe they’ll have a growth spurt or they may not well see. They may not be comets, all I know is that they were feeder goldfish. Two have short fat bodies and short tails and the other one has a long flowing tail and is bigger than these two

[SaraB]

They could very well be stunted. I reccomend canister filters over HOB filters but it's up to you. HOB filters are easier to clean but tend to die faster. Canister filters are harder to clean but they work a lot better imo. I also reccomend you get an airstone for extra water movement.
I think I have a fluvel 406 in my 55g but there are other models you can look at. I just chose the 1 of the 2 options I had.

[elizae]

I did some quick research and came down to pen-Plax cascade. Should I go for the one meant for 100 gallon aquariums or 150?

[SaraB]

I'd over filter with goldfish, they are extremely messy (but you already know that). It will reduce the water changes you need to somewhat.

[elizae]

Would that filter still work if I ever decided to turn this aquarium into a community tank?

[SaraB]

It should. If you are planning on having fry in the tank you may want to add a sponge covering to the intake.

[elizae]

I hope they don’t have fry! They’ll probably eat them before I would even know lol.

Also, kind of dumb question, but should I wait to cycle the canister before I put them in, or put them in and just try to limit the effect of a fish in cycle?

[SaraB]

If you are comfortable with a fish in cycle I would move them asap.

[elizae]

Ill try to handle a fish in cycle to the best of my abilities. I do have Prime, but is there anything else I should have ready just in case?

I will be pulling all old substrate and filter media into this aquarium too

[SaraB]

If you move all the stuff from the old tank you should be fine. You could also try adding some beneficial bacteria from a bottle.

[elizae]

I’ll see what I can do.

Thank you so much for the help. The base should be finished and the canister should arrive by the weekend. Hopefully these fish will be in by Saturday/Sunday.

Oh and just a personal preference question, white or black sand?

[BBradbury]

Originally Posted by elizae

Thank you so much. I’m afraid the tank won’t be up for at least a week or two because the base that came with it isn’t as sturdy as I hoped it would be so it’s currently under construction.

What should I do as far as filtration? One filter? Two?

I saw these fish when they were first bought 3 years ago. They were tiny feeder fish, the size of minnows. They’re huge now. I have two fancy goldfish myself but they’re nowhere near this big.

Will I have to monitor the salt like you would a marine tank? I don’t want to accidentally over salt my fish lol

Edit: I also now just realized this thread is in the completely wrong category, must have misclicked oops

Hello again...

I use simple dual sponge filters. They don't cost much and even with the air pump to run them, the cost is minimal. They do a good job of getting air into the tank water. The key to healthy Goldfish is removing and replacing at least half the tank water every week. Goldfish are heavy waste producers and use a lot of oxygen, so large, weekly water changes are a must.

Salt is essential to the health of fish with scales or really for any fish. You just dissolve a teaspoon in every five gallons of water. If you have a 55 gallon tank and removed half the water, you'd need rough 8 tablespoons of salt. I'm sure you can do the math. There's 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon.

B

[elizae]

Week update: Postal services have lost items for the stand.
I’m doing 50%ish water changes on the goldfish every other day, or every two days, depending on what time permits. They are not happy. They’re eating and their fins are up most of the time but they are not happy campers

I’ll compare the filters. It’ll certainly be cheaper which is better but they’re goldfish, and as you said produce a lot of waste, and sponges don’t have much mechanical filtering.

Thank you very much