Should I Get The 40 Gallon?

[attibones]

Petco is doing their dollar per gallon sale and they have a thing going where you can get a free filter (after mail-in rebate) if you buy one of the $/g tanks. So for forty dollars I could get a much larger tank than what I've got. I would really love to get angels. I have a plan to build a 100+ gallon tank in about two years, but you know how MTS works.

So would the forty gallon (probably 36x18x16, but possibly 48x12x16) be okay for angelfish? My plan is to rehome most of my fish before I move in a year, but keep the tanks. Both of those dimensions are 16 high. I'd rather go for a 36 inch long tank than the forty-eight because the space on my dresser would accommodate that length but not the 48.

If the angel doesn't work, I'd probably get a school of albino corydoras or maybe panda and some sort of rasbora or tetra.

What do you guys think? Is a forty gallon enough for one or two angels for a year? Or should I just wait on the angels and get gourami or something similar until I have the 100 gallon?

 

[simplyfish]

Angels would be fine with either. I'd say this was just big enough for them. With a tank that size you would probably be fine with a pair, but hard to guarantee they would be a pair at juvie stage.
 
I'd imagine you will find that territorially it is easier with the longer tank. Territories were once described to me as big imaginary bubbles with the fish in the middle. Part of this bubble can even be outside the tank, but woe betide if a clashing bubble comes close! 

 

[attibones]

Well with angels it is really more about height and 18 inches is considered the shortest for them, which I why I'm wondering if these slightly shorter tanks would be okay for one year. You are right that most territories are easier to set up in longer tanks, but I imagine I would only get a single angel plus some bottom dwellers. With the angel, I would not get any tetras because that would really be pushing the swimming space.

 

[attibones]

Okay, so I'm thinking I will pick up the forty gallon, filter, hood and heater and wait on getting lights. I'll probably get a gourami. Or, maybe I could do a bare bottom Goldfish tank. Probably just an oranda or something smaller. I wouldn't need the heater then either, but I'll pick one up anyway in case I decide to go tropical. Goldfish are funny guys. If I kept goldfish, I wouldn't need any gravel, maintenance would be super easy (vac twice a week) and then I'd be done. But I don't know. Decisions, decisions.

 

[Alasse]

You can put angels in a 15" high tank, just not any of the veil finned type. 18" is certainly better, but 15" is doable. As you are only keeping them there for a year, you could even do the veil types
 
As for goldfish, fancy goldies only. Comets really only belong in ponds as far as im concerned. In a 40gal you could have 3 (20gal for the 1st and 10gal for every additional). Not a fan of bare based tanks, my goldies love sifting through the sand, i wouldn't deny them the pleasure honestly

 

[attibones]

I feel like your goldy stocking is personally too low. Most people do 100 liters for the first, thirty more for additionals. If I went with goldfish, of course I wouldn't do comets. I had them in my pond and bred them a few seasons. They were as big if not bigger than my forearm. The herons thought they were tasty too. Especially the koi.

Anyway, I haven't really kept goldfish in tanks before, so maybe next time I will do substrate. Still not sure if that is my plan though. Lol

 

[Alasse]

I keep fancy goldfish and 20gal for the 1st and 10 for each after is the standard keeping ratio.....this is also what is quoted from a goldfish specific site that i frequent
 
I have a 75gal that currently has 7 fancies in it and it is going quite well, all of them are growing nicely

 

[Mamashack]

+1 with Alasse here - I've also researched goldfish needs recently due to a colleague at work being duped into purchasing 4 orandas for a 7G Biorb!! Not even enough room for half a goldfish!
They do indeed need 20 gallons for the first fish + extra 10 gallons for each additional fish. Fancies can grow to 8-12" and anything smaller that those requirements would almost certainly stunt their growth and lead to horrible side-effects. If you do go the goldfish route please don't get more than 3 for that tank, atti.

 

[DrRob]

For the extra 15 dollars can you stretch to a 65 gallon at 36x18x24? Even better if you can do the 48", although at that size you're pretty much up to your 100 gallon.

 

[attibones]

The 65 isn't on the dollar per gallon. And, as I said earlier, I can't get the 48inch one because I don't have the furniture for it. If I did, I would get it.

+1 with Alasse here - I've also researched goldfish needs recently due to a colleague at work being duped into purchasing 4 orandas for a 7G Biorb!! Not even enough room for half a goldfish!
They do indeed need 20 gallons for the first fish + extra 10 gallons for each additional fish. Fancies can grow to 8-12" and anything smaller that those requirements would almost certainly stunt their growth and lead to horrible side-effects. If you do go the goldfish route please don't get more than 3 for that tank, atti.

I was thinking maybe one. Haha. Even fancies are big.

 

[GriffinC18]

I am honestly confused on your guys goldfish, i go to my LFS and see at least 30-35 goldfish in the tank....granted i do not know what kind these are but they look pretty small. Also one of my first fish was a goldfish and i kept him in a one gallon tank with two other fish, my LFS must have a really different breed or something cause all three fish were fine and lived for awhile.

 

[daizeUK]

What confuses me is that some 20G tanks are only 2 feet long - is that really enough swimming space for a fancy goldie?
 
Griffin - the LFS overstock their tanks because the fish are not supposed to stay there for long.  Any fish will suffer stunted growth if it is not kept in a large enough tank for its needs.  A lot of people don't realise this because their goldfish often die before they get to that stage.  Goldies can live for 20+ years.
 
There are two comets stuffed into a 15G tank at my kid's nursery and it breaks my heart to see them.  They are nearly the entire length of the tank.

 

[GriffinC18]

wow! i did not know that! good to know now! i woould get one, they'd be better off in a ten gallon tank by itself than a way overstocked tank but it still wouldn't be enough so i guess i wouldn't really help it in the long run. What do you suggest to get for a 10-20gallon besides livebearers?

 

[attibones]

Well I am in New Orleans now, and I'm stopping by the petco here to pick up my gear! I'm also stopping in an LFS to see about some cherry shrimp. I'm excited!

Griffin, not to sound rude, but if you start your own thread in the discussion you can get better results there.

 

[Alasse]

1 fancy goldfish would do just fine in a 20gal 2ft tank, fancies are not zoomers lol
 
I have a 1ft fantail, he lives in a 2ftx2ftx2ft, normally with 2 other smaller fancies, but they moved out for the winter, they will move back in when the weather fines up