Fishy Questions

[caddica]

Hi,

We bought out daughter a National Geographic Under water aquariam for Christmas and although it's not a tropical tank, I really need some advice on some information in the booklet that came with the tank advising about setting the tank up and they type of fish that could be kept in it. It says you can have a max of 2.5" of fish in the tank and gave a break down of what breeds of fish would be best. The obvious one being Goldfish but it also said you could have 4-5 Guppies in the tank if you wanted something a little more active? When I went to buy Guppies from my local pet store they said Guppies were tropical and wouldn't survive in a cold water tank! Is this right? You would expect National Geographic to know what they are talking about.

Also my son is now asking if it's possible to set up a small tank as a tropical tank, I have only ever seen quite large tanks set up as tropical, so can you get a small plastic tank set up as Tropical or not?

I traditionally keep dogs and birds, I have had fish in the past but gave them to my Mum after her Fin Tale goldfish was left lonely due to it's friend dying.

We ended up with two small goldfish which both appear to be doing well, is there a time scale as to when they would die if they were going to, so like if they have survived the first 48hrs they will probably live long healthy lifestyle?

 

[gadazobe]

Can you advise the size of the tank as I'm not familiar with the one mentioned. Goldfish, if kept in the right environment can easily live up to 20 years!

 

[catxx]

aaaah the infamous national geographic tank.

my first tip would be sell it on ebay and buy a proper tank.
that tank you could maybe fit a Betta in but would have to keep him warm.
but thats IT

no WAY you should put goldfish in it.
goldfish proper care tips :
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=43980

it's not a good tank basically. i know it was an xmas present, and it's a trap many have fallen into.

i believe this is the tank you now have for others who are not familiar with it:
http/www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3522949.htm

 

[dwarfgourami]

Goldfish actually grow to 8 inches+ and are really unsuitable for a small tank. To give a goldfish a good life, you are talking a 20 gallon tank, at least.

Why don't you test the capacity of your son's tank by filling it with water and measuring how much goes in? And post us the dimensions as well. Then we can advise you better, once we know the size.

If this tank is really small, as I suspect, then it is probably better suited to a betta, aka Siamese fighting fish than either goldfish or guppies. Bettas come in a great variety of colours and tend to be greatly loved by their owners. And the people on the betta forum will be able to advise you on how to best set up your tank for a betta; I'm sure it can be done as I know they use all sorts of containers.

But first we need to know the size.

 

[catxx]

you could trade it in for this tank:
http/www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/s...roductId=229784

it's a 3 gallon tank, and buy a seperate 25watt heater
that could house a betta quite happily
(but replace the plastic plant with a silk plant)

 

[dwarfgourami]

Ah, catxx beat me to it. Must learn to type faster

Do you know the capacity of the Argos tank, catxx? I couldn't find it in the advert. But I am instinctively suspicious of anything that the manufacturer claims is fit to house 4-5 guppies; always makes me suspect it's not quite big enough to house a pond snail!

 

[catxx]

i THINK it's around 2 gallons ish.
i've never seen one in person, but there's been other threads about it on here.

 

[caddica]

I believe it does hold approx 2 gallons, is it a missconception to believe Goldfish only grow to the size of the enviroment they are housed in?

So can you recap for me what fish are suitable to cold water tanks and whether or not different species can be mixed in the same tank?

It makes me so mad that such a reputable name can give such inacurate advice?

Thanks everyone I will look at purchasing the other tank from Argos and transfering the Goldfish in when it is ready for them.

PS the first tank shown is the one I have, it has that little submarine scope you can use to take a close look at the fish underwater except the view isn't that good, make the fish look like they are miles away.

 

[catxx]

i'd recommend looking into getting a 10 gallon for the goldfish for now
you can probably get a cheap coldwater one for Pets at Home
they will need to be upgraded

technically they do grow to the size of their tank, but only because their bodies get stunted, their insides keep growing and well..then they die

 

[dwarfgourami]

i'd recommend looking into getting a 10 gallon for the goldfish for now
you can probably get a cheap coldwater one for Pets at Home
they will need to be upgraded

technically they do grow to the size of their tank, but only because their bodies get stunted, their insides keep growing and well..then they die

There is some debate as to what actually happens physically to a goldfish that has its growth stunted, but everybody seems to be pretty agreed that it's nothing good. A very few individual fish survive surprisingly long, but then so do some children in Roumanian orphanages... Many fish die after a few months or a year; instead of the . It is quite clear that a goldfish cannot have its needs satisfied in a bowl-sized tank.

First of all, they need a lot of oxygen, being coldwater fish. A small tank=small surface=not enough oxygen.

Secondly, they poo a lot, so produce a lot of ammonia, much more than can be handled by the filter of a small tank. A lot of goldfish in small tanks succumb to ammonia poisoning.

Thirdly, they are very active fish, they need to be able to swim around to have anything like a decent quality of life. To keep it in a small bowl/tiny tank is a bit like keeping a pony in the cupboard under the stairs. It might survive if you kept it clean and wellfed, but it would hardly be a decent life for a pony.

I can think of no cold water fish that can be adequately kept in a 2 gallon tank. Coldwater fish tend to need more tank space than tropical fish.

What I do suggest you do is to look into how you can add a cheap small heater to the tanks to make it fit for a betta. The amazing thing about the Siamese fighting fish (betta) is that it can take oxygen from the air and is a very slow inactive swimmer, which makes it the only fish that you can really keep satisfactorily in a tank under 5 gallons (as long as you do frequent water changes to deal with the ammonia).

Other options might be an African dwarf frog, or some shrimps. Again you will need a heater.

Guppies on the other hand are very active fish for their size and should not be kept in anything under 10 gallons.

 

[caddica]

Thanks everyone, for the advice. Guess what I am doing this weekend?

Fishing for a better tank! HA HA.

I am also going to email the maker of the tank and ask them why they are selling a product that is simply not acceptable for the purpose it was designed?

 

[OohFeeshy]

I've heard horror stories about injuries from the scopey thing, although I'm not sure on the degree of truth. I'm pretty sure if you emil them, they'll come up with the worst and most untrue excuse you've ever heard. I emailed Hagen before about the 3 gallon goldfish tank they sell, they said 'it's only meant to be until the fish outgrows it', which must have somehow been accidently ommited from the instruction booklet... Anyhow, if you happen to be keeping the tank, it'd be neat with some of the cooler water shrimp species in, from the pictures I've seen it's trying to make itself look like a reef tank. Are the goldfish common goldfish or fancy goldfish?