What to do with a Goldfish????

acocacolagirl

acocacolagirl

AC Members
Dec 2, 2004
213
0
0
So, if this goldfish that my daughter won at the county fair survies the night then what am I supposed to do with it???

Can I put it in my 10 gallon tropical tank with my tetra and coris and otos? Will it be too warm for the little guy? Can he eat what I feed the other fish or do I have to go buy food for goldfish food? Will he eat peas? How much water does he need? He is about 2 inches long but we put him in a bowl with only about two cups of water...that doesn't quite work with the inch/gallon rule but it was the only bowl we had handy.

However, maybe none of these questions are important, because after riding the merry go round and the dizzy dragon, and going through the fun house and the haunted house and being dragged around the fair for three hours I would be very surprised if it lasted very long.

The really sad thing is that when you win a goldfish, they dont tell you anything. If I didnt know better, I would have dumped it right in tap water when I got home. But I detoxed the water and floated it in a bag and put it in a dark place so it would be lessed stressed.

Well, we shall see what happens. :o
 
It is a cold water fish so you can not put it with your other fish. As for the inch per gallon rule it is a myth. Gold fish actually need a very large tank because they grow big. Unfortunatly they are cheap and the ones that they give at carnivals are feeder fish.
 
ok, so how warm is your tank running? Yes they are a cold water fish, but until you can come up with a better solution, there wouldn't be any harm to putting it in you 10 gallon. They adapt fairly well. Just aclimate it slowly (float in bag). Goldfish pellets won't hurt, but they will eat (or try to eat) anything they can fit in their mouths. I had one in my 20 gallon for a few months and I ran that at 75° F. It grew so I gave it to a friend with a 55 gallon.
 
Well, he made it through the night and is not looking too stressed currently.

My tank runs at the lowest 75, but we don't run the ac in the summer, so it can get pretty toasty in there - which I suppose will be a problem with any tank I set up. And it sounds like I am going to have to set up a bigger tank. So when I do that, does it need a filter? See how little I know about goldfish? I know they are hardy, but will a filter make my life easier as I doubt it will be my four year old cleaning the tank even if it is her fish.
 
Goldfish generally like it between 60 and 74 degrees. However, I've had them do just fine at 76-79 in a tropical tank, and in ponds, they survive water temps between 33 and the 90's! (just not for extended periods)

I've seen shops put goldfish in with their tropicals to help control the snail problems. They look out of place though..... but there is no reason that you can't keep him in your 10 gallon until he finds a permanent home... but keep an eye on how they interact, I understand that some tropicals may pick on him.

You could take him to an aquarium store that sells/stocks ponds. They also may know of a pond owner who might take him.

I'm really in the same boat, my son was given two small fantails(1") in a small bowl. I've got them in my 12 gallon eclipse right now, but I don't know what I'm going to do with them long term. I'm either going to take my own suggestion, or buy a cheap 10 gallon setup and put them in his room.
 
I believe fantail goldfish can grow to about 6 inches, and 1 fish would require 15 to 20 gallons of tank space--10 gallons would not really be sufficient.

Being a coldwater fish, temps should ideally be below 70 degrees.

Also--goldfish are very messy fish & DEFINITELY need a filter-- the bigger the better!
 
Last edited:
Your best bet with that little guy is to find him a new home. He is almost certainly a comet goldfish and if raised properly they can grow up to 2 feet and live 15 years. If kept in too small of a tank it will stunt their growth, shorten their lifespans, and possibly cause deformities.

These fish also like to live in groups. If you feel you "must" keep him, you could put him in a ten gallon for now, but not for long. If you want to go long term with him I would advise a very large tank..over 55g and that is still too small to house him properly. These fish are also very messy and require tons of filtration and water changes. He will be alot of work to keep healthy and happy.

It really burns me that those dang carnivals give away those guys without telling anyone anything about them. They think just because they are cheap they are expendable. Probably not even 2% of those guys are ever housed properly or taken care of in the way they deserve. Good luck with your little guy and I hope you can figure out what to do with him.
 
Wow...that is big.
For the time, we will keep him, and when he out grows whatever home we can provide for him, maybe he can live in my neighbors beautiful pond. He used to keep koi, but then he kept ducks and the water got murky so I don't know where the koi went, but now he just keeps water I think - very rarely do I see a duck in there. But hey, maybe by the time the little guy out grows his inside home we will have built our own pond...it is something we always talk about...oh, and her preschool also has a very beautiful well kept pond with fish in it. But as it is her first pet, we can't get rid of him too soon.
And yes, I have already noticed what a messy fish he is and its only been a day!
I bought some goldfish flakes, not pellets they didnt have any, and ate only had a nibble or two, so I still don't know that he will make it in the long run, but we will do our best for him. We can't save them all, but we can provide for what we have.
 
It might be okay I the tropical tank for a little while, but (and this is a big but) being a feeder type fish he could have all sorts of diseases. So, get him a separate tank, or put him somewhere else. If you know someone with a goldfish pond your daughter might have fun letting it go into the "wild". She could eve visit the fish later.
 
Just courious, you don't turn your ac on in the summer ????
Where do you live? You must not be from Texas.....AAHHHH the heat and humidity. I am already ready for winter......
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom