Small tank for a goldfish...

[sambi7878]

I have been long reading posts about goldfish and the often goldfish problem I encounter is not really on disease but on the tank size. It is always said that a single goldfish should stay in a tank of 10-20 gal size. But I realized, what are really the consequences of having a small tank for a goldfish? I've tried to list all I can know so that others may learn from it too...

1. Goldfish get BIG! A fancy goldfish can reach a size of 6-8 inches and a common up to a foot long. It can definitely outgrowth your small tank. You wouldn't want to have a stunted goldfish, do you?

2. Goldfish also can live 10-20 years old. A really good choice if you want to have a pet that will be with you for a long time. But if kept in a small tank, doubt it will reach 5 years.

3. Goldfish dont have a stomach and they can't digest food like you or I. Waste comes out almost after 5 minutes. So unless you plan to change water 10% every day (for the whole lifespan of the goldfish), I suggest that you have a proper tank size.

4. Goldfish needs a big surface area not only for them to swim but also for gas exchange. They are active fish that swims in all direction so a small tank will really not be of help.

5. As what on other fish, small tank size will have water and filter problem leading to stress and of course, if not given proper care will lead to disease.

These are a few i've got! I was also once a victim of wrong number of goldfish in a tank. I had 9 fancies in a 10 gal tank...lol! Now that I've learned and the fish are now living for almost 5 years, hope that I could also help others with my post.

[BlueMaxx]

Thanks for that information.

[SpongeBob]

Hi,

Being a fancy goldfish keeper (among other types of fish) I would like to correct some of the things that sambi said about goldfish.

Goldfish can live up to 40 years. The actual record of logevity for a goldie is 43 years old.

Goldfish do have a stomach. It is not large but they do have one. It is false to believe that it takes 5 min. for the food to travel from "one end to the other". If you wish to prove this, simply take some food that is not the same colour as the food you usually serve your goldie and see how long it takes for their stool to change colour. You'll be sitting there for a long time, so grab a good book and a lunch! Food is digested in a goldie, otherwise, how do you explain their growth?

As for the tank size required for a goldie, your figures are pretty accurate. The basic rule is 20gal for the first goldie + 10gal more for each additional goldie.

Another thing to seriously avoid is the mixing of regular or Koi goldie with Fancy fantail goldies. Fantails are slow swimmers and will most likely get injured by accident when colliding with a normal, fast swimming goldie or Koi.

Regards,

Sponge

[sambi7878]

Thanks for the information Spongebob! I guess my research is not that thorough enough. I just said what Ive learned from my experience and readings.

[SpongeBob]

Originally Posted by sambi7878 Thanks for the information Spongebob! I guess my research is not that thorough enough. I just said what Ive learned from my experience and readings.

No problem Sambi. It's just hard to get TRUE information out there. There are soooooooo many sources of false information that it's not even funny.

Here's a funny example. Yesterday, I was reading the FAMA ( Fresh And Marine Aquarium) magazine. There was an article about algae. They were saying that BGA ( Blue Green Algae or cyanobacter ) is NOT a bacteria but you could destroy it with penicillin! It's a well known fact that BGA is NOT an algae but a bacteria, yet they say that it is not. But they tell you it can be killed by penicillin, an antibiotic. It's a well known fact that antibiotics kill.... you guessed it, BACTERIA! DUH! If that was not enough, cyanobacter is a gram NEGATIVE bacteria and therefore, should be treated with a gram negative antibiotic. Penicillin is gram POSITIVE!

Just goes to show that even a specialized magazine such as FAMA is not always a "guaranteed" reliable source of information. Needless to say that I will not buy FAMA magazine anymore.

Kind regards,

Sponge

[sambi7878]

That's a bad article! Cyanobacter is really a bacteria and resistant to penicillin because of gram staining. Guess they didn't do their homework..lol!

Thanks again!!! Got to check out thoroughly next time before trusting these articles.

[hoofclopson]

woops............................................. .......................i guess my tank is not the right size then..........................but they seem fine...they all have room to roam........its a 30 gallon, but i have 6 fish in it.........but they goin strong................

[hoofclopson]

i have a post with an entire goldie handbook, if yall wanna look....................

Cyanobacter is really a bacteria and resistant to penicillin because of gram staining.

Huh? Resistant bacteria has nothing to do with gram staining. Gram staining is used to identify types of bacteria and whether it is positive or negative (which helps decide what type of antibiotic to use).

[igauresh]

Wow! Is it really possible for a goldfish to be that big or to last that long? That is so cool. and the goldie with the longets record was kept on a tank or was it found on the ocean or something? I am really curious, the previous goldfishes I had doesn't even reach a month and I am really saddened by this.

[manda]

gold fish are not salt water.
so no it wouldnt live in the ocean......

[Niki2105]

If i remember correctly the goldfish that lived for 43 years lived in a fishbowl. Not the ideal tank but owners mush have done daily waterchanges to have the fish able to live past a few weeks.