URGENT! what Would you do in this situation? (regarding 2 goldfish)

[Jed Fish]

We were given a goldfish in a 12L UNCYCLED tank (she scrubbed entire tank + filter & gravel day before giving fish to us) with a broken filter, so, TODAY we upgraded to a much bigger tank w/ filter, gravel, toy & light etc.

We have paid for another small goldfish at the petstore, but have not brought it home as we are unsure if we should start a new cycle with 2 goldfish, or, start the cycle with the original fish, then after 6-8 weeks, add the new one.

What would you do? Buy the new goldfish tomorrow or wait? The goldfish at the store is very unique, it is light orange with a black upper lip, looks like a mustache, so we want this one in particular, although we are unsure if the store would keep this fish on hold for us for 6-8 weeks without selling it.

We still have the old tank that the original fish came to us in, so could we put the original fish back into its tank, fill it with fresh water, and do very frequent water changes, as the filter is broken? Then we could get the new one in the new tank, and once the new tank is cycled with the new fish, we could put them together in the new tank? We REALLY dont want any fish deaths.

 

[tangs27]

You can put them both in the new tank now and do a fish in cycle. The only down side is that goldfish produce A LOT of waste so with 2 you may end up doing 2 or more water changes a day to keep ammonia at a safe level.

 

[Alan79]

If you are keeping Comets I would not count on the small black marking staying present beyond the juvenile stage anyway so it may not be a big issue if the fish gets sold. Some other goldfish breeds will hold their markings, but every Comet i have kept has been some variation of orange and white when they mature and lose all black marks eventually.

 

[Tank Girl]

How big is the new tank? Are the goldfish fancies or comets?

 

[Jed Fish]

thanks for all your help everyone

The original fish is a comet, but the one with the black marking is a fantail
The tank is 40L

 

[Tank Girl]

40 liters is only about 10 gallons. This won't make you very happy, but a tank that small isn't nearly big enough for one fantail. It is WAY too small for a comet. Comets are pond fish and they really don't belong in aquariums. They may be small now but they won't stay that way for long. You will have nothing but problems if you try to keep them in it. I wouldn't recommend keeping two fancies in anything smaller than a 40 gallon. And you will need a LOT of filtration and weekly water changes of 75-80%. I don't say any of this to criticize, only to help you be successful in keeping them.

 

[Jed Fish]

I appreciate your help and I agree that 40L is too small, but it was all we could get. Would you recommend re-homing the comet? Would the 40L tank stunt its growth? It was living in a tiny 12L tank for a year before we rescued it, poor thing. I will do a 25% water change right now, and will do another the day after tomorrow, so every second day a 25% water change, is that ok?

 

[Tank Girl]

I would definitely recommend re-homing the comet, preferably to a pond. If he has to stay in the 40L for now, please do at least 50% changes every day. The cleaner the water, the healthier it will be. They foul the water incredibly fast and need heavy filtration (especially bio filtration) to keep the water clean. You don't mention it's size now, but I'm guessing that it must have been very tiny when first put in the 12L? They can get get quite large and most people don't have aquariums big enough to accommodate them. It's kind of like trying to keep a Great Dane in a closet.

If you are still planning on getting the fantail, the 40L will not be large enough, either. The barest minimum would be 80L and more would be better. If a larger tank isn't possible, then please consider other fish that would be comfortable in a small tank. A Betta, for example. They are beautiful fish and would be very happy in a 40L.

Thanks for caring so much and being open to advice! So often, people ask for advice and then get upset because they don't like what they hear.

 

[trennamw]

What Tank Girl said ...

It's not just the toxic water but the space. Not having enough room is stressful, which harms their health in other ways.