Goldfish dad by default

[goldfish_is_orange]

Hey! My little one asked for a goldie 6 weeks ago, and it has been a wild ride since!

We wend to the LFS and bought 2 orandas instead of 1, on the recommendation of the shop staff. According to him, goldfish needs friends.
Next was the tank. He recommended the Sunsun all-in-one 7L tank (big mistake!), a decision we will regret shortly after. Admittedly, we didn't do any research, and just relied on childhood memories of keeping fish. We left the shop with the goldies, tank, water conditioner, river rock substrate and some food pellets.

The first week was a nightmare for the goldies. Tank was too small and boring. On the 4th or 5th day, both of them were "gasping for air". I put them in a bowl and did a 100% water change (another mistake), put them back in after 2hours, because one of them was already floating upside-down, still gasping. It was only at this point that I read about tank size requirements for specific fish and about cycling. What the freaking heck was I doing?? I needed a new tank. Did daily 50% water changes until the new tank was delivered.

Now we have a 20G tank with a proper filter, water testing kits, some rocks, driftwood and plants for decors. It took 4 weeks to do the in-fish cycling. Happy to say my tank is fully cycled, and we have since added more plants and a common pleco. Needless to say, they have become my pets more than my kid's. Haha! I didn't think I'd care this much about pet fish, but these little ones grew on me.

I decided to register an account, because I found most of the information here, to make sure my fish are happy and healthy.

 

[Fishmanic]

Welcome to TFF . Lots of knowledgeable members here to help with your fishy questions.

Check out our contests. Please vote in the tank of the month contest which is running now.

 

[goldfish_is_orange]

Welcome to TFF . Lots of knowledgeable members here to help with your fishy questions.

Check out our contests. Please vote in the tank of the month contest which is running now.

thanks! I'll check out the contest

 

[AilyNC]

Lovely fish similar situation here as I went to get a small bow l& 2 small goldfish. Ended up with tropical and in a fish in Cycle mess. Well done on getting things under control and a lovely new tank setup.

 

[FishBearer9845]

Soooooo pretty those fish! Be careful of that pleco though, my mum had one when I was growing up and it got mahooosive.

 

[Circus]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Well done for realising that the stores advice wasn't good, you're not the first nor the last to trust what the store employee says, and then regret it! Glad the goldfish are better at the moment I'm afraid they will need a bigger tank fairly soon, a 20 gallon is the minimum for one fancy goldfish I think, @Deanasue is the goldie expert and can give you more info. But yours are babies at the moment, and will need a larger home before their growth is affected. They look a lot better than they must have in a 7L (or 7 gallon?) though! Can't imagine those two crammed into something so tiny.

Your also not the first nor last to buy a tank for your kid, only to end up being more in love with you it yourself It's a good thing though, since water tests and changes and understanding things like the nitrogen cycle and making suitable tank conditions is too much to put on a kid, so a parent really needs to be involved with tank maintenance. And a lot of kids get bored of the tank after some time, so you being invested too is best for the fish.

The common pleco... I'm so sorry, but you might want to consider returning it as soon as you can. If it is indeed a common pleco, and not a bristlenose, then it will reach more than a foot in length. 12-15 inches, and even larger in the wild. These are monster fish! My LFS doesn't even sell them, because he says most people don't have tanks large enough for these huge fish.
Take a look at one here, compared to an adult man's hand;

They get huge. There are smaller species of pleco you can get that can live with goldfish. Just bear in mind that both plecos and goldfish have high bioloads. They eat a lot and poop a lot, which means they need a lot of water changes and good filtration to keep the water safe for them, and a larger tank dilutes this more, so is much more stable than a small tank. Good luck! it's great that you're dedicated to giving them a better life

 

[FishGuest5123]

@AdoraBelle Dearheart gave some great info. Fancy goldfish (Orandas) need 20G for the first fish and 10G for each additional one. Yours will be fine for awhile in the 20G. Take the pleco back. It will outgrow the tank in no time. Get a bristlenose pleco as they only grow to about 4 or 5”. You will need to count him in the aquarium capacity too. So you will eventually need a 40G tank. If you bought him to clean up algae, food then forget a pleco. They don’t do much on the maintenance side and just another mouth to feed. I love goldfish but weekly tank cleaning and large water changes are a must. You will enjoy them as they are friendly and smart. Enjoy!

 

[goldfish_is_orange]

Lovely fish similar situation here as I went to get a small bow l& 2 small goldfish. Ended up with tropical and in a fish in Cycle mess. Well done on getting things under control and a lovely new tank setup.

Thanks! Good to know I'm not the only one who got pulled into this hobby "accidentally"

 

[AilyNC]

Thanks! Good to know I'm not the only one who got pulled into this hobby "accidentally"

Now I'm completely hooked. My toddler will sit up to say hi to the fish but nowhere near the hours I spend staring at them

 

[goldfish_is_orange]

Well done for realising that the stores advice wasn't good, you're not the first nor the last to trust what the store employee says, and then regret it! Glad the goldfish are better at the moment I'm afraid they will need a bigger tank fairly soon, a 20 gallon is the minimum for one fancy goldfish I think, @Deanasue is the goldie expert and can give you more info. But yours are babies at the moment, and will need a larger home before their growth is affected. They look a lot better than they must have in a 7L (or 7 gallon?) though! Can't imagine those two crammed into something so tiny.

Your also not the first nor last to buy a tank for your kid, only to end up being more in love with you it yourself It's a good thing though, since water tests and changes and understanding things like the nitrogen cycle and making suitable tank conditions is too much to put on a kid, so a parent really needs to be involved with tank maintenance. And a lot of kids get bored of the tank after some time, so you being invested too is best for the fish.

The common pleco... I'm so sorry, but you might want to consider returning it as soon as you can. If it is indeed a common pleco, and not a bristlenose, then it will reach more than a foot in length. 12-15 inches, and even larger in the wild. These are monster fish! My LFS doesn't even sell them, because he says most people don't have tanks large enough for these huge fish.
Take a look at one here, compared to an adult man's hand;


They get huge. There are smaller species of pleco you can get that can live with goldfish. Just bear in mind that both plecos and goldfish have high bioloads. They eat a lot and poop a lot, which means they need a lot of water changes and good filtration to keep the water safe for them, and a larger tank dilutes this more, so is much more stable than a small tank. Good luck! it's great that you're dedicated to giving them a better life

It was really a 7L. Ridiculous that they would even sell anything that small! About my common pleco (name's Jig), I'll keep him as long as I can. He has a cool personality, and really goes along well with his 'mates. I've been eyeing a neighbor's 80g tank which used to house an arowana--I assume it died, and the tank's been empty for months. Figured that could be the "upgrade" I need to keep Jig for a few more months. I'll probably give him to someone who has a pond after that, because I don't know if he'll get a good life at the LFS.
Thanks for all your tips! I'll try to get a bristlenose to take Jig's place when the time comes.

 

[goldfish_is_orange]

Now I'm completely hooked. My toddler will sit up to say hi to the fish but nowhere near the hours I spend staring at them

This is exactly what's happening. I used to have coffee breaks (still working from home because corona). Now it's staring-at-the-tank breaks.

 

[AilyNC]

This is exactly what's happening. I used to have coffee breaks (still working from home because corona). Now it's staring-at-the-tank breaks.

Pro tip: drink coffee while staring at the tank

 

[goldfish_is_orange]

@AdoraBelle Dearheart gave some great info. Fancy goldfish (Orandas) need 20G for the first fish and 10G for each additional one. Yours will be fine for awhile in the 20G. Take the pleco back. It will outgrow the tank in no time. Get a bristlenose pleco as they only grow to about 4 or 5”. You will need to count him in the aquarium capacity too. So you will eventually need a 40G tank. If you bought him to clean up algae, food then forget a pleco. They don’t do much on the maintenance side and just another mouth to feed. I love goldfish but weekly tank cleaning and large water changes are a must. You will enjoy them as they are friendly and smart. Enjoy!

Well noted. I'm cleaning and changing water every 4-5 days for now.
And, yes, I got the pleco as a "janitor fish", but he's having none of that! The problem over here is that most (I'd say 80%) bristlenoses are albinos, and those in the LFS are juveniles. Nothing against albinos, but I prefer dark ones. I'm also on the lookout for a rubbernose.

 

[AilyNC]

What?! Problem?! They're the absolute cutest Plecos (internet pic below). Once I get my new tank set up long enough I'm getting an Albino or Lemon Bristlenose