Good, Small Goldfish-compatible Cleanup Fish?

[betta one]

Hi, I will be getting a goldfish in a 5gal. tank in a few days and I wanted to know:is there a cleanup fish that is always small, wont bother my goldie, and is affordable.

Any help is greatly apprecciated

 

[Honeythorn]

Well the first thing I'm going to tell you is that a 5 gal tank will quickly kill a goldfish . Either by stunting or extremely fast waste buildup. Do not get a goldfish whatever you do. PLEASE.


Goldfish are a LARGE growing species. Normal looking types ( single tails, long straight bodies ) and shubunkins grow on average to about 12 inches , often more. Fancy sorts ( rounded bodies, double or veil tails ect ) also grow very big. about 10 inches long on average ( again, often a lot more ) and they get about as round as an average orange or a tennis ball. Often bigger. The worlds largest goldfish was a whopping 17 inches long!!.

They also have a very long lifespan. 30 years+ if kept properly.

So you see, 5 gallons will stunt the fishes growth horrifically. Their bones stop growing, because there is no space in the tank for it to grow into , but the internal organs keep on growing until they have no more space left. This prevents them from working properly and is very painful. It's a bit like forcing a great dane puppy to grow into a crate made for a small terrier. Doesn't work.

Goldfish need a tank at least 4-5 feet long minimum , so about 55 gallons , preferably even more because they are so large, messy and active. They need a lot of strong filtration because they produce a LOT of waste. They really aren't any easier to keep than tropical fish when it comes to tanks and equipment.


The only thing you can put in your five gallon is 4 male guppies, 4 male endlers ( unless you want a population explosion ) shrimps, or a male betta. You cannot put any goldfish in it. That would be beyond cruel.

And to answer your question partly, there is no bottom feeding fish that will fit in a 5 gallon. You could have a couple of ghost shrimp though.

 

[nellie_nospu]

Sorry to hijack, but what is a good cold water algae eater?
I was sold a hillstream loach by lfs, tried to set up a fast current with large filter (looked them up AFTER buying - lfs described is as perfect for my tank ) , but it suckered it's way out of the tank and onto the floor
So I'm wondering if there are any snails, shrimps....??

 

[Honeythorn]

Snails could work, don't know about any coldwater shrimp though. Is the algae on the glass? Because you can just scrape that off with a razorblade or an algae scraper and suck up any that has fallen off with the gravel vac.

I'd see how the loach got out as well, and try to block any escape routes if you have another.

 

[Sunny_Bee]

Snails tend to just add more mess, and sometimes goldies will eat them. Loaches are the only fish I've known anyone to have any success with goldies. Plecos can and will attack the goldies eventually, and ottos and cories end up as snack food when the fish get larger

Also, I 100% agree with honeythorn, 5 gallons won't cut it for a goldfish!

 

[black angel]

So you see, 5 gallons will stunt the fishes growth horrifically. Their bones stop growing, because there is no space in the tank for it to grow into , but the internal organs keep on growing until they have no more space left. This prevents them from working properly and is very painful. It's a bit like forcing a great dane puppy to grow into a crate made for a small terrier. Doesn't work.

i agree mostly with what you wrote on tank size etc, but this? you cannot analogise a crated puppy with a fish in a tank...come on. bit like saying why not put a baby into a cardboard box for the rest of its life...please just dont go there.

 

[Honeythorn]

So you see, 5 gallons will stunt the fishes growth horrifically. Their bones stop growing, because there is no space in the tank for it to grow into , but the internal organs keep on growing until they have no more space left. This prevents them from working properly and is very painful. It's a bit like forcing a great dane puppy to grow into a crate made for a small terrier. Doesn't work.

i agree mostly with what you wrote on tank size etc, but this? you cannot analogise a crated puppy with a fish in a tank...come on. bit like saying why not put a baby into a cardboard box for the rest of its life...please just dont go there.

Why not? Would the puppy in the crate not be stunted or damaged in some way ? Of course it would it's a miserable existance . Would you keep a horse in your sitting room or a small back garden for example? No of course not. So why a goldfish in a tank that is nowhere near big enough? It makes no sense in the slightest.

Keeping anything in an environment not remotely big enough for it will inevitably cause health problems of some sort eventually. Think about it. it's a fish with an average adult size of 12 inches. It WON'T fit into a bowl or a small tank without damage. Be it lack of swimming space, crushed organs from stunting ect. If you do very regular water changes on say...a ten gallon with a common goldfish in it, you remove the released hormone that stunts the growth. Ok fine. so the fish grows . But soon enough it WIILL NOT fit into it's tank and still have plenty of space to swim. Golds are active fish . It really irritates me when people say " oh I'll get a ten gallon now and get a bigger one when it grows blah blah ". WHY BOTHER? Just get a 55 gallon ( secondhand is cheaper by far and you get great deals ) NOW and save yourself the hassle of upgrading, keeping the water stats in the ten gal stable ( which would be a nightmare considering how much mess goldfish make ) and possibly harming the fish. It's pure impaitience and selfishness. If they can't afford the 55 gallon right now, then they shouldn't be keeping goldfish to begin with. If someone did that to another animal there'd be a bloody outcry.

 

[black angel]

key word...eventually.

whos to say the op wont buy a bigger tank down the line? not everyone can afford the biggest and best to start off with, i know i couldnt. ideal world would be 5 foot tanks per fish and even then it would still be stunted.

just as if you put the puppy you say in a crate. whos to say they dont buy a bigger crate. no one ever said the tank size they have is for life.

this forum is for caring for the fish as is, not for telling people what to do. care for the fish the best you can now and down the line the person with the fish will be cajoled in to getting a bigger tank in the months to come.

 

[3ndl3r]

this is going off topic people.

i agree with all honeythorn has said though, but i would never put a puppy in a crate to start with.

to the op,

i advise you not to have a goldfish in this tank. it won't support the needs of a goldfish. they are poop machines. and need strong filtration to deal with the crap they produce.
if you do add a goldfish, it will become stunted and die. So whats the point eh? You might aswell purchase more appropriately sized fish that will be able to live out their lives fully.
eg: platies, endlers, shrimp, betta etc..