A goldfish story and advice needed

[snowdrop7]

Hi Friends
Maybe some of you have read the long story of my experience with moving 9 goldfish from a bad small pond, to a 50 g aquarium.That was a year ago and what a beginner I was. But thanks to some terrific advice I received here, for which I am ever grateful, we all went through the nitrogen cycle successfully and my 9 goldies seem to be just fine. And I love the guys/gals!

But, they have GROWN and their size, makes me think I need to ponder the possibility of giving them to a bigger habitat: a pond???
Today I found a lovely young couple who have a scenic pond business and asked them if they would consider adopting all, or some of my cuties. NOT easy! They said they would be most happy to take them for me.
It is a wrench, we've been through so much together, but for the

, probably the best idea? Anyway I saw their 2 ponds and they seem to be very caring. They would have so much more room . . .
After all this, I'm not going to give up the hobby and am wondering about keeping maybe 2 of them (the smallest), and getting 2 or 3 Fancies that don't grow to such humongous proportions. Does anyone know what would be a good choice? Or should I give all away and start over with just Fancies. are there any that remain smallish? Or should I try freshwater tropical?
I already feel the loss

Especially because they still seem so content . . . such a peaceful community . . . I'll try to add some pics, if I find out how. Thanks so much for your help.

 

[glassbird]

I know the heartache of giving up fish, but this seems like a golden opportunity! I would be tempted to keep the two smallest. Unless you really want to try the fancys...in which case you should consider giving them all to the pond situation. It is generally not a good idea to combine fancys and commons...the commons will get all the food, and may be a bit rough on the fancys.

Keep in mind that fancys are a little harder to keep than commons. Diet seems to be the biggest issue. Many people make their own gel food, and there are recipes for that. I feed frozen food by San Francisco Bay Brand, and recently discovered Hikari Lionhead formula. I had never tried the lionhead version because I only have ryukins, but I am delighted to report that they LOVE it, and NONE of them flip belly up for half an hour after eating it! That is a big thing, for me!

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the subject. When were you thinking about giving the fish to these people? Are their ponds outdoors? Isn't it getting cold in your area, at this point?

 

[snowdrop7]

Ever faithful Friend, thank you! Well I talked to these people today and we are having very warm weather 72+ and I know I should not wait until it gets cold for the move. The ponds are outside and quite large. There are many goldfish in it of all sizes. It's a bit of a struggle . . . I'm leaning towards giving them all away, as the smaller ones will grow too.

 

[taylorodw]

Wow, they look a little crowded in there. It is a shame to have unsuitable fish that you truly care for, I know how it feels But to be honest with you, a pond is the smallest suitable habitat for common goldfish. The faster they are in the pond, truly the better off they will be.

As you may or may not know they can easily reach over 1 foot in length. For that reason, if you choose goldfish, I'd go with only fancies unless you plan on keeping a pond of your own.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Perhaps starting over is the best option. I mean, how do you pick out which ones will go and which ones will stay?! Probably easier to get completely new fish knowing that the others are happy in their new home. I think 2-3 fancies will be very happy in that tank!

 

[Cichchick79]

I just had to give away my two jack dempseys and my convict cichlids myself. Now im Cichchick with no Cichlids LOL!! I feel your pain, I looooooved them, but I cant give them the right home, so I found someone else who could. I got pictures of them tonite so that made me very happy!!!!

 

[jsoong]

I applaud you for doing the right (but hard) thing by finding new homes for your goldies. Certainly the commons will be a lot happier in a pond.

I am leaning towards rehoming all the fish & start new with fancies. If you have 2 really small fish, you might consider keeping them for a little while longer, but you will eventually have to give them up, in a matter of months.

In the pic, the smaller orange & white fish *MAY* be a shubunkin. A shubunkin will be smaller than a common and *might* be OK in a 50. <Notice all the maybe's .... some shubunkins stay small -4-6", others can get up to 8+ inches & prob will be best in a 100 gal tank ... > Before you get too excited, tho, do check for pics on the net to make sure that it is actually a shubunkin, as I cannot tell very well from a small photo.

A key feature of the shubunkin is naceous scales. The scales are dull or matted looking. If that fish has shinny scales like the others, then it is a common or a comet. Shubies also have different body & tail shape as well.

One more thing, if you do give away all the fish, it would be worth while to maintain the biofilter by keeping the tank running, and adding either pure ammonia or a pinch of fish food a day. That way, the bacteria will still be there & you won't have to cycle the tank again when adding new fish. If you go of fancies, there are lots of choices. You can have 3-4 full grown ones in a 50. Make sure you choose healthy fish, and they will live a long healthy life in your beautiful setup.

 

[glassbird]

+1 on everything from jsoong! Especially about keeping the beneficial bacteria going between the time your current fish go to their new home and you get new fish. If you decide to go with ammonia for this process, instead of flakes, check here to make sure you have the right type of ammonia, and the right dose. It is all too easy to get the wrong type of ammonia, and then you will have a real problem! (You want clear, surfactant free....when you shake the bottle you get no bubbles. No perfume, no dyes, etc...) Or just plan on getting new fish with in a day or two of rehoming the big guys.

 

[fearlessfisch]

They are beautiful fish. I can see why it is so hard...

But you are definitely doing the kindest thing for them.

 

[snowdrop7]

Boy! I really appreciate your comments and am feeling a little better about it all. Also appreciate the advice about keeping the cycle going. jsoong that must be some gorgeous tank you have and quite a mixture. Do they all get along? I'm sure we'd all love to see a pic
Anyway I do appreciate and hope I can move them without causing them to much stress. I dread that part of it. It will be next week . . .