A Good Link About Keeping Goldfish In Bowls

[ellena]

A friend of ours has just bought 2 goldfish. I don't have the full story, but the tank they've bought was marketed as a 'starter kit' and possibly has no filter. So, I want a good link to send them. The pinned one in the coldwater section isn't great (turns into a bit of a slanging match part way down!) So, any link talking about the size and age they should reach and the need for very good filtration, would be fab Then maybe I can talk them round to a betta which I imagine would be the only thing suitable for the tank size. Thanks!

 

[lilacamy931]

How about this site: http/www.goldfishcare.org/

Definately talk around to a betta if she is willing to filter and heat, as hopefully the tank will be adequate for that (hopefully) and there wont be any repercussions on the fish. Does she know about regular maintenance? As a work colleague of mine bought a starter kit for £12.99 and got to choose 2 goldfish with it. It had a small filter, but no info on how to cycle and the guy told her nothing about water changes. I only found out about the fish when she told me one had died and the water was super cloudy and she had had them three weeks no water changes! Managed to sort her in the end with printed articles which put her off (didnt like the idea of changing the water regularly) and so she returned the survivor back to the store (not the best thing for the fish as it would probably end) but least there was a slim chance someone responsilbe would buy it.;

 

[Honeythorn]

That link gives reasonable basics, but doesn't give info on tank sizes.

A pair of fancies need 55 gals +. A tank about 4-5 foot long basically. Common golds need a tank of 6 foot long + . To be honest commons really need to be in a pond as they grow so large and active.

Tell them to look for a 4-5 foot second hand tank. It'll cost them FAR less than buying a new one.

They'll need a large external filter to cope with the waste produced. An internal simply won't cut it. Something like an Eheim classic would work . These cost around £70 and upwards new, so again, looking for a second hand one is a good idea.

Water changes once a week,every week 25-50% replaced with clean dechlorinated water.

Plastic and silk plants weighted down will work better than live, as golds like to munch the live ones and dig them up.

If they haven't the time, money and space for any of this then they should retrun the fish as they'll only end up dying and your friends will end up wasting money buying replacements and wondering why it isn't working.

How big is this starter kit?


Something 10 gals or so, if heated could support a small tropical community. Explain that basic tropical fish require exactly the same care as goldfish, they just need a heater that's all. And an internal filter like a Fluval 1 or 2 + will do a ten gal just fine.

If you can persuade them to return the golds and go tropical, then a nice alternative to goldfish that look fairly similar is Gold Barbs. You could have a group of 5 easily, they're active fish and entertaining to watch.

Or maybe male guppies or platies, or a betta, or some harlequin rasboros, something like that .

 

[ellena]

Thanks guys, I don't know yet what size it is, but the phrase 'starter kit' is making me think, not very big. They won't go for an upgrade to suit the goldfish, that's why I'm thinking recommending something that will suit that tank would be best.

 

[Honeythorn]

If it's under 10 gals then male guppies or a betta. If it's 10 gals + then I'd say persuade them to go for gold barbs if it's the goldfish look they like.

I've been thinking a lot about the idea of replacing golds with gold barbs for smaller tanks...I feel a new thread coming on..

 

[kelly528]

No bettas in tanks 1g or under. Although they can thrive in (reasonably) small spaces, they are tropical fish and need heat (78-80 ideally). There are no heaters on the market (in north america, at least) that can safely heat 1g without cooking it so unless you want to heat the whole room up to 78, stick with bigger tanks! the 2g drum-bowls seem decent though. The only thing that suits the volume and temperature of a 1g bowl would probably be some cherry shrimp or a snail.

 

[ellena]

It's def. got no filter and from being shown the size by hand, I'd say about 5gall. So perfect for a betta (with a heater and filter!) so I'll see what I can do.

 

[ellena]

They've bought a 64l tank now apparently. I'm going over tonight to have a look. My plan is to convince them to return it and the goldfish and get something suitable for the smaller tank.

 

[KnuckleHead]

No bettas in tanks 1g or under. Although they can thrive in (reasonably) small spaces, they are tropical fish and need heat (78-80 ideally). There are no heaters on the market (in north america, at least) that can safely heat 1g without cooking it so unless you want to heat the whole room up to 78, stick with bigger tanks! the 2g drum-bowls seem decent though. The only thing that suits the volume and temperature of a 1g bowl would probably be some cherry shrimp or a snail.

Actually there is a heater available for small setups like that. A quick search at Fosters and Smith came up with this.

 

[ellena]

I have one of those in my 13l. It has no thermostat though, it just stays on all the time and should keep a tank 1-2 degrees above room temp. I'm worried this won't be enough in the winter so I've bought a newattino + which has a set thermostat at 26 degrees.
I did buy one of these second hand but the temp was all over the place, from 22 up to 33! I hope it was just faulty and this one will be OK. I think I'll test it in a beaker first.

 

[ellena]

I've been and had a look at the situation. They have bought a really lovely 64l tank with filter. They understand this can only be a temporary home for a year or so and then they have a relative with a pond where they can be rehomed.
The original 'tank' was one of these maybe a bit bigger.

So they're using that to hold the fish while they do water changes which is about all it's suitable for!
They're not up for testing, but are doing daily water changes for about 6 weeks while the filter matures. The fish look lost in there and they're really pretty little orange ones with white tails. So in all not a bad outcome, I hope they do OK