New to fish keeping - help? :)

[Fishygrace]

Hi!! I am pretty new to fish keeping. I have a 10 gallon with three goldfish rescued from a bio experiment, some java moss, and some hornwort. (I can't upgrade to a bigger tank right now but the goldfish are small now, and I'll be able to upgrade eventually. I do know that they grow really big though. Hoping to keep them happy and healthy until they get big!!)

Do you have any suggestions as to what filter is best for a 10 gallon tank? I have a tetra whisper 10i right now but have not heard great things about it. Cheaper is better obviously but I want something that won't fall apart and it needs to be very very quiet, as I'm in college and don't want to annoy my roommate once school opens again. So I can spend a bit if needed.

I'm thinking about adding in a few cloud mountain minnows and nerite snails. Suggestions as to where to order from? I have to order online for obvious reasons.

I also heard that you can use something to filter the tank that doesn't require you to change cartridges? I am super unsure as to what that is, exactly, but if anyone could explain that would be amazing!

And general tips would be cool too. Sorry for the long post and thank you so much for the help!

 

[SaraB]

I've heard the tetra whisper gets pretty loud over time. I usually go with aqueon brand things but with 3 goldfish in a small aquarium you will be doing a lot of water changes anyway.
I wouldn't add any more fish right now either. Goldfish are messy and produce a lot of waste. Try feeding them only once a day, if you do it at the same time you'll never forget or overfeed.

Do you know what type of goldfish you have? Just regular comet goldfish or one the fancy types?

 

[Fishygrace]

I've heard the tetra whisper gets pretty loud over time. I usually go with aqueon brand things but with 3 goldfish in a small aquarium you will be doing a lot of water changes anyway.
I wouldn't add any more fish right now either. Goldfish are messy and produce a lot of waste. Try feeding them only once a day, if you do it at the same time you'll never forget or overfeed.

Do you know what type of goldfish you have? Just regular comet goldfish or one the fancy types?

Thank you for the advice! Yeah I've heard that too about the tetra. It's not too bad right now but I don't want it to suddenly be loud and have to either unplug it or live with it while a new one ships.

I have two comets and one fantail. Would it be smarter to rehome 1 or 2 or them to reduce the bioload? I have friends with bigger tanks who could probably help me out.

I was also thinking about adding in some cherry shrimp. Thoughts?

Thanks again for the help! Learning about this stuff makes me happy

 

[SaraB]

Yes rehoming 1 or 2 would help. Im pretty sure the comets will get bigger than the fantail.

Cherry shrimp will probably be eaten, your idea of a snail would be safer.

No problem. I like learning everything i can about fish as well.

 

[Skai]

I second the rehoming thought and nerite snails over shrimp. I have also heard snails ship a bit better? Not sure as I've never gotten shrimp.

As to your question about not needing to change cartridges... idk. There are filters out there that don't take cartridges that you just add bulk filter floss to (which is cheaper, which I like) or a sponge filter which has no cartidges either but can be unsightly to quite a few. If you're talking some additive that boasts never having to change water or filter media, my first instinct is to say that's a scam and waste if money. Nothing is going to remove the need fully to replace media or water. There are some systems that are very low maintenance but in a ten gallon with gold fish, I doubt highly one could be set up.

 

[Fishygrace]

I second the rehoming thought and nerite snails over shrimp. I have also heard snails ship a bit better? Not sure as I've never gotten shrimp.

As to your question about not needing to change cartridges... idk. There are filters out there that don't take cartridges that you just add bulk filter floss to (which is cheaper, which I like) or a sponge filter which has no cartidges either but can be unsightly to quite a few. If you're talking some additive that boasts never having to change water or filter media, my first instinct is to say that's a scam and waste if money. Nothing is going to remove the need fully to replace media or water. There are some systems that are very low maintenance but in a ten gallon with gold fish, I doubt highly one could be set up.

Okay thank you! Another question about the goldfish, is the high tank requirement primarily due to the high bioload? If so could I get around this using a filter that's more suited to a 20 or 30 gallon tank?

 

[Skai]

A bigger filter would help with bioload. The plants you said will also help. But the large tank requirements are for bioload and pure size of the fish so while it helps to upgrade the filter it won't make up for having that additional water volume.