A Fancy Question

[Ch4rlie]

Hello

Hope you all can help with a little advice here regarding fancy goldfish and tank size.

I know of a couple who 2 kids and they have 2 fancy goldfish in a 5 gallon tank and these goldies been kept in that teeny tank for the last 2 years perhaps!!

Have repeatedly hinted to them to get a bigger tank but not pushing them too much, even offering one of my own unused tanks with a bigger filter for free to give these poor fancy goldies a bigger tank to roam about in.

Now, the issue is, they only have a certain amount of space to put the fish tank in, and the space is only 2 to 2.5 foot in length but only 2 foot high maxinum.
Suggested space is basically on a dresser sideboard so there are shelves above the tank making access a bit awkward to reach into the tank but doable if tank height is maxed at about 18 inches.

(I will add under support struts under the dresser to ensure can cope and bear with the weight of tank, water and substrate etc etc)

This means I only have two tanks that would fit suitably in that space, a 2.5 foot tank with 15 inches in height and 12 inch depth, which is about 90 litres approximately.

Or the other tank which i have is a Fluval Roma whihc is 2 foot wide, 18 inch high and 12 or 15 inch wide, cant remember exactly. Again this is approximately 90 litres.

Can't really get a higher tank to fit in that space otherwise access to top and into of tank would become a real issue.

Whilst I know 90 litres is nowhere nearly enough for 2 fancies, might be ok for just one, yes, but the situation is thats all that I have available for that space and by any standard its much better than a 5 gallon tank

Not ideal. but best can do in this instance.

My question is, which tank is better for the fancies?
Option 1 - a longer 2.5 foot tank by 12 inches depth but shallower tank at 15 inches height?
Option 2 - a higher tank at 18 inches high but shorter length of 2 foot long but slightly wider depth at 14 inches?

One other thing, the Fluval Roma would be a closed tank and the other tank would be a open tank if that has any bearings, am unsure if fancy goldfish have a rep for jumping out of tanks?
I have not kept goldfish personally so have little knowledge or experience when comes to coldwater fish and set ups.

The folks do not have much in way of money to spend so its doubtful they will splash out on a larger tank, alas.

My gut feeling is the Fluval Roma is probably the best out of those two choices but opinions here would be most helpful.

 

[fluttermoth]

The longer, shallower tank would be better. Many fancies struggle with a lot of depth anyway, because of their dodgy swim bladder shape.

Fancies would not jump out of a tank, unless something was badly wrong, although normal goldfish would.

They would, of course, be better in something a bit bigger, but sometimes we have to be realistic and work with what we have; at least it'll be better than the five gallon, so good on you for sorting that out for them! Maybe something second hand might turn up cheap in the near future, if they're lucky and you all keep your eyes open on ebay/freecycle/whatever

 

[Colin_T]

Length and Width is always better for fish. Height is of little importance unless the fish is very tall, like a batfish, discus or angelfish. So go for the longer tank that is not as high (30inch long x 12inch wide x 15inch high).

Goldfish do not normally jump so covers are not normally necessary. However, covers do reduce evaporation and stops things from falling into the tank. This might include items that are kept on shelves above the tank.
If children are involved go to the local hardware store and buy a sheet of clear Perspex and cut your own covers for the tank.
You can use a Stanley knife, hacksaw or jigsaw to cut the Perspex. then use some sandpaper to smooth the edges off.

 

[Ch4rlie]

That does make sense, thanks Fluttermoth and Colin T

Good to know fancy goldies are not reknowned to jump out of tanks unless of course something is drastically wrong.

These two goldies are about 5 inches in length maybe approaching 6 inches, hard to tell really without taking them out and measuring them with a ruler or tape measure

So length of tank being a higher priority factor rather than depth, so making the 2.5 shallower tank a better option at the moment.

Just need to figure out to fit some kind of light unit to fit and since theres no plants, there are only fake plants as goldies are reknowned to destroy live plants anyway so just about any light should be ok since plant growth is not a factor at all.

Will be fitting a internal Fluval U2 filter as the folks are not keen on externals and no room for an external anyway. These U2 filters are pretty good and does exactly what it says on the tin, I do have one of these spare lying around somewhere so thats perfect.

An open top tank does not appear to be too big an issue, however I have just remembered they have 2 cats......... so may go with fitting some sort of top, perspex is an option but these tend to bend after a while due to humidity and water of tanks, I do have experiences with perspex tops tbh so will have a think about options on that.

Last thing, will a heater be a good option to add to the tank even though goldfish are coldwater, these fancies have been kept in a 5 gallon tank with no heater so far......

 

[Colin_T]

The goldfish have no need for a heater at all.

If there are no plants you could look at LED strip lights from the local hardware or lighting store. It will provide light to see the fish but shouldn't encourage algae. And low wattage will not cause too much of an issue to their power bill.

Goldfish actually require plant matter in their diet. Duckweed is an easy one to grow in ponds or tubs. You can add a handful to the tank each week and let the fish eat it.
If kids are involved perhaps grow duckweed at your place and take a bag full around when you visit (assuming they are friends).

If you use a thicker Perspex 3 or 4 mm thick, it won't sag as much. Smaller pieces sag less. You can stick strips of Perspex or even a strip of 1/2inch square wood to the top along the edges, and that will stop sagging and give you a handle to lift the covers.

 

[fluttermoth]

I agree; no need for a heater.

I keep Java fern and anubias successfully with my goldies, and it does make the tank nicer and more interesting for the fish; as you know, they don't need much light, so they might be worth trying, whichever light you go for, or with none at all; I've kept Java fern in unlit tanks.

If there are cats about definitely cover the tank! The cats are unlikely to catch the fish, tbh (me, my mum and my best friend have all kept fish and cats together for donkey's years, and I don't think any of us have ever lost a fish to a cat), but it's not worth the risk, IMHO; at the very least the cats will be pawing the water and dropping hair and whatnot in there and upsetting the fish

 

[Ch4rlie]

Thanks folks

A couple of nice tips and will keep those in mind.

Will pass on my recommendation to have the 2.5 foot tank and a few plants like anubias and perhaps some java fern if they are agreeable.

Will keep you posted and post a pic or two when time comes.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Just a little update.

The folks have decided on the Fluval Roma 90 tank as it appeals to them best and it’s covered so their cats can’t into the water.

Had a feeling this might be the case.

Anyhow, a much better tank than a tiny 5 gallon tank that’s for sure.

For the last week since Sunday I have set the tank up in my home to get the tank and filter cycled.

Cycle is coming along, just not as quick as hoped but no rush anyhow since the folks who are having the tank are having new wood flooring put in so have to wait until that’s done before I can deliver the tank etc anyway.

Have put in the tank some colourful gravel, not my choice, my boy chose it since it’s for their kids so it appeals to them. No other fish other than 2 fancy goldfish so colourful gravel will be perfectly fine.

Also added a bunch of fake plants I had lying around, a couple of nice pieces of bog wood, one with a couple bits of anubias, a standard pebble type of background poster (did think about painting back of tank black but they may want different backgrounds so that option is open for them) and a Fluval U2 internal filter. I did put in a heater but that kind of blew up and had some warm water...that’s on another thread

So here it is so far

Not to everyone’s taste but think it’s not so bad, kind of surprised it turned out nicer than I originally thought it would

 

[fluttermoth]

That looks all right

Of course, 90l for two fancies is not ideal, but it's not bad, and if they can keep up with the water changes, the fish should be able to stay healthy and grow fairly well in there.

It's great of you to help out, and it's SO much better than a 5 gallon!