50g goldfish tank

[scarf]

Hi,

I'm just helping my fd setup a goldfish tank for his dad's office.

It's approximately 50g.

The dimensions in metric in cm are: 100 (length) x 38 (width) x 55 (height).

It's pretty much just the tank he's keeping. The rest of the equipment he's throwing away.

I don't think they won't be interested in a fishless cycle so I'm encouraging him to do multiple water changes and fewer fish initially, which they do since they have some1 in the office that does it.

They most likely will be aiming for a limited maintenence tank (ie mainly just worry about water changes). Just wanted some1 to have a look at the equipment list:

Substrate: plain gravel. I forgot where the substrate calculater was. I'm thinking maybe 2 inches of gravel.

Heater: 250-300W heater mainly to help maintain the temperature for cold nights

Filter: Fluval 305 Cannister

Light: 100-150W fixture for medium light

Plants: elodea, any suggestions for low maintenance fast growing plants good for a goldfish tank?

Powerheads: about 2 for promote some current

Hmm... am I forgetting some things?

TIA

 

[Jchillin]

Looks like you have it covered. The normal substrate calculator is one pound per gallon. Don't forget the thermometer. If you know for sure that the light fixture will be 150w...that will produce 3wpg, which is CO2 territory. 100wpg is better if med-light is what he is going for.

I guess the plant list is dependent on the types of goldfish. Some just may nibble on them, but try java ferns, anacharis and C. wendtii.

*Off topic - What's an fd?

 

[scarf]

Thanks. That'll give me a rough idea on how much gravel I'll need.

Oh yea the thermometer. The little things...

Ok thanks for the wpg tip. I'll make it a 100w fixture then. For plants I was thinking about that low light range too. Stuff like anubias, crypts, java fern, etc...

ops... just my lazy abbrieviations. fd = friend

 

[jsoong]

One other thing - It seems they might be inconsistent with the cycling .... How about you giving them some media to kick start the cycle .... be easier on them.

A test kit would be a good idea, to help them keep on top of water changes.

Your heater is OK, but prob overkill. I have a 100W & it is keeping the temp fine at 72 <room temp - 70 day & 65 nights>. Lower watts will lessen the chance of cooking the fish if it is stuck in "ON".

I'd go low light (1 wpg) to keep algae in check. Java ferns will do well at that light level & won't get eaten.

Powerheads not really need - fancy golds don't like strong current anyway. However, if you can rig up some kind of water fall setup, the splashing & extra O2 is appreciated.

 

[scarf]

I would definately do that but I'm in Hong Kong atm (on holiday). My tanks are back in Sydney.

Test kit would be a good idea. I'll raise the idea with them. Though, honestly, I think they may be a bit lazy to implement them so I'll probably just give them a water change routine to keep up with. eg biweekly water changes for, say, about a month, then weekly water changes for the rest onwards and later add some more fish.

Oh yea, does any1 have any idea about the water change requirements for Hong Kong water. I'm used to either ageing or de-chlorinating water back in Sydney, but that water is safe to drink. The water here is not recommended for drinking, so I don't know what should be done to it. Would a dechlorinator be ok for water changes, or is there something else that needs to be done to the water?

For the heater, I was raised on the 5 x tank capacity in gallons = how many watts. So 5 x 50 = 250W. Maybe if I went for a 150 or 200W it would be enough (since they don't stock every denomination).

Though would 1.5 wpg be better for any plants that aren't low light (eg elodea)? Would elodeas grow well at 1wpg (I say well cause the gf are most likely goin to be snacking on them)?

Well I might buy one powerhead with the in venturi feature to push some of the water (at least towards the filter) and to promote water exchange with surface water movement. I suppose I might tell them to do a bubble-wand backdrop and add some airstones around the tank.

 

[coolchinchilla]

goldfish create a large bioload. I read one place that for one goldfish you need 20 gallons and 10 more gallons for any beyond the one. So for a 50 gallon plan on 4-5 goldfish.

 

[scarf]

I agree with that bioload estimate.

I personally like to stock fancies at around 10g/gf. I prefer to avoid koi, so I'm going to have a problem when my shubunkin grows up. I think I may have to offload him

 

[jsoong]

I don't think that Hong Kong water is that different. The "not safe to drink" advisory mainly is due to tropical diseases that might be transmitted, even though the water is chlorinated like everywhere else. I grew up in HK & I drank the water without boiling and I am still here. Unless things had changed a lot for the worse in 20 year, I would think that the water would be safe for fish with dechlorinator.

You might want to check with local fish keepers or lfs regarding water requirement.(There is a famous street in Kowloon side - name escapes me - where they have hundreds of shops with show quality fancy goldfish, etc. This is supposedly THE place for fish & advice.)

The 5W/gal rule for heater is for tropical fish tank ... where the temp is in the 80's. For cold water tank, lower wattage would suffice.

I think elodea requires brighter light than 1 wpg, but I don't have personal experience with that. For low light tank, your safest bet would be java ferns & Anubias (those are not snacked on by the goldies). You have much wider choices in plants with a high light setup, but the maintanance goes up.

One other thing I fogot - a timer for the lights! Consistent photo-period is crucial for healthy plants, and the timer makes it so much easier.

 

[QTOFFER]

If you can donate some media from one of your established tanks, it will speed up the cycle considerably.

 

[DepotFish]

If you add gravel make it larger gravel. Goldfish loves to play in gravel and you don't want them swallowing it. Don't worry about a heater, my goldfish stay outside in the pond until the water starts freezing over, in the extra large pond they stay in throughtout the winter and there is several inches of ice over them. They'll dig in plants, so make them good strong plants. I know nothing about what plants are strong though.

 

[scarf]

Thanks for the replies.

I've bought all the stuff and set up the tank already. I bought it from "Goldfish Street" (direct translation). That is prolly the street you're thinking of (between Prince Edward and Mong Kok?). Well I suggested they just use Prime and tap water to change the water. I doubt they would have the effort to do much more (as I said, designed for low maintenance).

Ahh, so that's what the 5W/gal rule is there for. Oh well, they've already bought a 200W heater which from what I'm reading now is overkill. Well they've connected a thermometer to it so they can monitor it 24/7.

I bought something I "think" maybe elodea. Kinda hard when you know the english words but NOT the chinese translation. When we talked to the plant lady we told her it was low light so hopefully she was being honest... lol.

My tanks are overseas. I would definately seed if I could.

And yea, I bought larger gravel so the fish don't swallow the gravel. Though I have had experience with goldfish that can sort through the gravel well so they don't swallow it.