What is best tank size for my goldfish?

[Honey Fish]

I have a goldfish who now has been for 4 years happy In a 5 gallon tank (but probably 4.5 gal of water) so I heard I need to move him a 3 inch long goldfish into a larger tank now a have in length 39 inches to spare in width I have 8-9 spare inches what tank size should I move to I only really have the room for maybe a 15 at most what should I get

 

[Attenbruh]

I had a 17 gallon tank for my goldfish and they did ok

 

[fishyfun&fans]

Goldfish grow Huge!

 

[Sgooosh]

I have a goldfish who now has been for 4 years happy In a 5 gallon tank (but probably 4.5 gal of water) so I heard I need to move him a 3 inch long goldfish into a larger tank now a have in length 39 inches to spare in width I have 8-9 spare inches what tank size should I move to I only really have the room for maybe a 15 at most what should I get

Goldfish grow Huge!

yes!
what type of goldfish do you have op?
if its a fancy then 20 gallons is ok i guess
but id go for a 50 so it can have friends idk

 

[Attenbruh]

I had shibunkins

 

[anewbie]

If it has been there for 4 years i'd just leave it; it is likely stunted and moving it won't change that. Being stunted means not only that it will stay small but its organs have been damaged significantly shortening the life span.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

An absolute minimum of 20 gallons and better to have 30+ gallons per individual adult goldfish....since they are possibly the messiest fish on the planet, the bigger is definitely the better to assist in waste control

After 4 years, yours would be an adult. And as has already been said, it will be severely stunted in such a small aquarium for so long.

With regard to their messy behaviour, an aquarium as small as yours, you would need to be doing at least 50% to 75% water changes 3 times a week to prevent ammonia poisoning, and a painful death.

If unable to give the fish a more appropriate sized aquarium.....get a decent sized pond in the back garden for it to live in comfortably

 

[Essjay]

Please read this

Goldfish For Beginners

Types and Sizes of Common Goldfish Breeds First of all, never underestimate the size of fully grown goldfish. There are no 'dwarf' breeds of goldfish, whatever 'the man in the shop' might say; even the smaller 'fancy' types have the capacity to grow to a good six inches/15 cms in length...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Whilst it is true that your goldfish may be a stunted adult by now, it would certainly appreciate a bigger tank and I suspect you'll notice a positive difference in behaviour.
Also, the time will come when your goldfish is no more...the bigger the tank you have, the more options you will have for filling it.

 

[fishyfun&fans]

goldfish can get upto a foot long! bigger the tank the better

 

[Obsessed with fish]

hmmm, 10 gallons would be pushing it, 15 gallons minimum i think.

 

[Honey Fish]

yes!
what type of goldfish do you have op?
if its a fancy then 20 gallons is ok i guess
but id go for a 50 so it can have friends idk

I’m not sure what it is

 

[Honey Fish]

An absolute minimum of 20 gallons and better to have 30+ gallons per individual adult goldfish....since they are possibly the messiest fish on the planet, the bigger is definitely the better to assist in waste control

After 4 years, yours would be an adult. And as has already been said, it will be severely stunted in such a small aquarium for so long.

With regard to their messy behaviour, an aquarium as small as yours, you would need to be doing at least 50% to 75% water changes 3 times a week to prevent ammonia poisoning, and a painful death.

If unable to give the fish a more appropriate sized aquarium.....get a decent sized pond in the back garden for it to live in comfortably

I live in a small apartment no room for a pond

 

[Sgooosh]

I’m not sure what it is

photo? it is very easy to tell the difference
is it fat and round or is it long

 

[Guest14017]

He would be stunted by the small tank as many have said. He won't grow much beyond this point regardless of the size aquarium he is put into, so he doesn't need a very large tank.

With a 4 year old tank - ammonia poisoning is not likely. Nitrate poisoning is a bigger threat. Also, the fish is small and likely not fed much, so he probably doesn't need multiple 75% changes per week. For many, this is impractical anyway.

Stunting in goldfish does NOT necessarily affect their health or lifespan. Many, many small or stunted fish live perfectly normal lifespans and are perfectly healthy, they're just small. The oldest recorded goldfish were all stunted little runts who lived in tanks smaller than 10 gallons their entire lives.

This is NOT to say that I advocate for small tanks for goldfish, as they kill a LOT fish by ammonia poisoning as the tanks cannot handle the waste. That said - fish that aren't killed by such poisoning and are tough enough to survive it or owners who keep the tank fairly clean despite the size often have small healthy fish for many years.

With that said - a bigger tank would probably be more enjoyable for him. Get the largest tank you can and move the current filter over to that tank, and keep doing what you've been doing.