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[JoeHemey]

hello all i have been reading over these forums for about a week now trying to get ideas, i bought a 10 gallon tank a week ago not realizing what i got my self into. I know nothing about fish!! I bought 2 calico fantails and was looking to get at least 2 more later got any ideas. i would also like a fish that cleans the aquarium. any suggestions? i need advice in taking car of my tank the water got all cloudy but seems to be clearing up i wanted to add something to it but not sure if its a good idea. they seem to be hungry all the time i dont think i over feed them. i do it 3 times a day. also should i leave the light on all the time or turn it off at night? also whats a good temperature to keep the tank at i appreciate all the help i can get ill be looking forward to your replies as they seem to be good in the rest of the post thanks you......

Joe

 

[redwing]

It sounds like you've started doing some research so I'd do more searches on this site and through a search engine like google etc. I usually feed my fish once or twice a day at the most. About once a week I don't feed them at all. So perhaps you should cut back on food. I haven't had goldfish for a while so they may be different.
As for the lights several folks here have tanks on timers. That way the lights are on/off at specific times each day. I'm putting a timer on one of my tanks today to see if I like the idea. The best advice I can give you is research, research, research. Otherwise it's stressful to both you and your fish to learn the hard way.

 

[pinballqueen]

fantail goldfish will get a little big for that tank before too long... they are a great beginner fish, though because they're pretty tolerant of a wide range of water conditions.

Don't leave your lights on all the time. If you've got live plants, leave them on for a couple of hours a day (check out the plant forum as well....). If you have plastics or no plants, just turn on the lights when you feed or when you're actually watching the tank. Otherwise, you'll have algae, which is REALLY not fun....

I feed my goldie once a day, skip every third day. A day of fasting is good for them. They don't have a sense of "full" and will eat until they explode if you let them.... You'll have an ammonia problem if you keep feeding them that often (not flaming, just informing...).

As far as "cleaning crew" for your tank, the best solution would probably be a corydoras cat or two to eat leftovers, and maybe an apple snail to keep the walls of the tank clean. Chinese algae eater fish might also be an option. Unfortunately, even if you add a cleaning crew, your tank will still be far from maintainence-free. Nothing eats poo, you know...

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you want 4 fantails (or almost any goldfish for that matter), you'll need a much larger tank. They like to have 30 gallons for one, 10-15 for each additional one when they get bigger...the more water, the better. Bigger tanks and fewer fish mean less maintainence...I would suggest 55 gallons at least if you want that many.

Read up on cycling. There's a long post I added yesterday regarding cycling with fish that might help a little (letting you know about what to expect).

Goldfish are okay in a wide variety of temperatures, but do best in cooler water than tropical fish like. I keep mine at 72; room temperature....

It's really great that you're asking questions and wanting to learn. Welcome to the hobby! Ask as many questions as you can think of....we're here to help!

 

[val]

Hey Joe!!

Welcome to Aquaria Central, home of the largest collection of golden fishkeepers on the Internet

Good choice on the fantails. I love them and started out keeping a pair in my 10gallon tank 10 years ago now.

Good advice so far, I would think your two GF are all you'll want in your 10g. They'll get bigger, trust me. I try to feed my GF 3-4 times a day, very small amounts, because GF are largely vegetarians and as such, they're grazers. They don't need a big meal. I do miss days regularly, sometimes once a week, sometimes three days a week. A good rule of thumb to remember is that more fish will die from overfeeding than underfeeding.

I don't think you'll need any "tank cleaners" for your tank. What do you have on the floor of the tank (what is the substrate)? If it is small gravel, you'll find your GF will constantly "mouth" the gravel. As for algae on the tank, you can wipe that off with a scrubber (as long as it's never seen detergent...) when you do your water changes.

I've also found that my GF like the bubble wands that I put in the tank, which are powered by an airpump. These bubbles are not so much putting oxygen in the water as they are providing surface aeration of the water, which in turn allows the built up gasses from the fish and their waste to escape the water.

GF fantails can take colder water temperatures than you can most likely endure in your house, so unless your room gets down into the 50s, you won't need a heater, which is just one less cord coming into your tank.

Hope this helps. Come over and visit us in the Coldwater Forum...


Val