Help! Out of my element

ms_cori

ms_cori

AC Members
Apr 29, 2006
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I desperately need some help. I, stupidly, agreed to take my boyfriend's brother's fish and tank without seeing them. My boyfriend knows nothing about fish and fishkeeping so all he said was that it was a big tank and there were 3 large fish it in, one being a common pleco. Well, they brought the tank and fish today. The fish were in 5 gallon buckets. I looked and was shocked by what I saw. Not 3 fish but 5 very large fish. My boyfriend was right. One is a common pleco. The other four are comet goldfish, I think. I know nothing about goldfish. I have a tropical aquarium. I've been looking at pictures of goldfish and koi and I'm pretty sure they are comets. One is 12 inches long, one is 10 inches long and the other two are about 7 inches long. I didn't even know how big the tank was so I measured it and checked out a volume calculator online and it works out to be a 25 gallon tank. 25 gallons! And to make matters worse, these fish lived in horrible conditions. The water that was in the buckets with them was so dirty you could barely see through it. One of the 7 inch fish is missing an eye. I don't know if it was born like that or not. I do have to say that the fish look healthy. Even the one-eyed one. I have no idea of what to do. I know nothing about goldfish but I do know that the tank is way overstocked. They can't swim without bumping into each other. What should I do? What should I feed them? How much should I feed them? Any help would be appreciated.
 
Question is - what do you want to happen to them ?
If you want them to survive then i'd go and get a big rubbermaid tub, trashcan (do some googleing on which types are suitable) - they are 50+G and will give them some room to move.
Problem is - now that the tank was torn down (or if you put them in another container) you might have some mini cycle issues. Hopefully you were able to salvage a filter with plenty of bacteria still alive.
Feed VERY lightly (if at all for a few days) - as you know we tend to overfeed and especially "goldfish" can easily go a few days without food without ill effects.
This will also make it easier with the possible mini cycle. Check the water parameters often and do water changes accordingly.
Of course if you want to keep and enjoy them the rubbermaid idea is probably not the thing for the long haul... so with fish that size i guess most people would recommend a 75G tank minimum.
 
A 75 gallon tank, or any new tank, at this time is impossible, financially. I would have to find a new home for them. I did tell them to keep the filter wet in the tank water, which they did. The big rubbermaid tub or trashcan is a good idea until I can find a new home for them. Would a lfs take such large fish? And what about one-eye? Would they take it too? And in regards to feeding them while I have them, what should I feed them? My boyfriend's brother gave me a half a large can of tropical flakes. I guess that's what he's been feeding them. He also gave me a can of spirulina discs. I guess for the algae eater. Are tropical flakes good enough for these fish? Should I buy something else? Sorry for all the questions. I'm just overwhelmed with this.
 
It may be best to take them to your local fish store and tell them you cant have them as they were dumped on you. Im sure they could house them and then find homes.
 
You might find somewhere with a pond to take the fish. My parent's lfs has two big ponds, one outside and one inside, and they take big goldfish. Also, the university here has a big pond that has goldfish and such in it that would probably accept donations.
 
me and a friend took four comets to my lfs ,they put them in a big pond,i dont know about yours,i had a big goldfish problem once so i filled my neices pool with aged water and put the goldfish in,this was very temporary.
 
Send em to me! I have a nice big 800 gallon pond just waiting for some monsters. Haha.....But seriously if you live nearby I will come get em and throw em in my pond.

Chad
 
I doubt if I'm nearby. Winnipeg is not anywhere near anyone. LOL But thanks for the offer. I'm still trying to find somewhere for them. They seem to be doing fine. Oh yeah, I found out why the one fish has only one eye. Apparently, he was born that way. He's kind of grown on me. He's about 7 inches. Would I be able to keep him, by himself, in the 25 gallon?
 
Winnipeg is in Canada correct? Well I am not TOO far but I think a little too far for some goldfish. I am in southern michigan.

Chad
 
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