Moving goldfish from 1g to 15g tank

You can add substrate later on, yes... but actually now that I think about it, unless the plant you are planning on is a floating plant, you will have to have some type of substrate to plant it into (or you can just let it float... but wouldn't look as nice).

I only used the big al's links so that you could see what I recommend (not that I am by any means an expert either, just if I were you that's what I'd get...).

If money is tight (and who isn't money tight for these days :) ) then you may want to look at the store and see how much filters cost there, and then compare online (don't forget to figure in shipping) and see what's cheaper... the fish will not be harmed if he has to be in a 15 gallon tank w/out a filter for a few days, even a week, as long as you do water changes.

:)

~Tara
 
definitely stay away from undergravel filters, especially with goldfish.

And BTW, you ARE awesome for caring so much:D
 
Well I'm back from the pet store, $130 lighter :rolleyes:

The tank on sale was actually a 10 gallon. Duh. But I got it anyway. This won't be as good, but will it be okay, or worth it to find a good 15 gallon tank?

I also got a 100gph Penguin Mini bio-wheel filter, some gravel, plants, and a test kit.

This starter kit I bought includes an under-gravel filter. So I guess I just won't be using that. Does this site have a classifieds section?

It also came with a heater - I've heard mixed things about heaters with goldfish. Use that or no? (Yes dwayne, I know you said don't let them talk me into one. What can I say, I'm still stupid...it was in the kit! )

Seeing as this kit includes 2 things I don't need, if it would be smarter to get a 15 gallon elsewhere (Big Als?) then please tell me. Seeing as I've spent this much, I'm going to do it right.
 
You're not stupid at all!

10 gallon will be OK for a while (he's small, right, like 2 or 3"?)... I think about a year at least. That filter you got will be just fine! As far as the undergravel one - store it away in your basement, or imvho, into the trash... :p

What's the heater like - does it have a temperature you can set it to, or is it one that has a high/low reading? If it's high/low, I wouldn't use it (and don't use one at all), but if it has an actual temp you can set, then just set it low (like 68 or 70, I think) and forget about it, because it will never come on more than likely.

Um, how much was the filter you bought?
How much was the 10-gallon kit?
Did you investigate the 15 gallon tanks?
If so, how much?
Did the 15 gallon tank come w/ a light and hood?

IMHO, you have gone above and beyond the call of duty, and your fish (BTW, have you named him?) will be very happy in that 10 gallon... if you don't mind buying a larger tank in a year or so, then just stick w/ what you have.

IF you want to return the 10 and get a 15, all you really need is:
tank
hood/cover
light (nothing fancy, and would most likely come w/ the hood/cover)
And you could do w/out everything else that came with the kit... and keep that separate filter, the test kit, gravel and plants.

Remember to just use a thin layer of gravel... and then wherever you put the plant in the tank, use a little bit more to hold it down.

:)
~Tara
 
Awesome.

Another thing that might help the substrate issue a bit if you choose to go with live plants... some like to grow on driftwood and other things. Something like java fern, I've heard you can take a rubber band and band it to a decoration in the tank, like a rock or even a PVC pipe (note, goldfish don't want a PVC pipe... but they're useful for bottom feeders that like to hide). They'll grow better like that and anchor themselves to the solid object better than they will to loose substrate. After a while, the rubber band will kinda disintegrate, and when it starts looking bad you can just reach in and pull it off. By that time, it should have rooted itself.

And I'll stay stick to the 10g for now. I haven't been into this hobby for long, but I can already tell you this for a fact.... after a while, you WILL get multi-tank syndrome ;) A year down the road, you'll want to buy a 20g for your goldfish and set up a small biotype tank for some guppies or something in the 10, or something like that. Give it time and you'll be yearning for a 2nd tank anyway. :D
 
Um, how much was the filter you bought? $20.99
How much was the 10-gallon kit? $55
Did you investigate the 15 gallon tanks? No, I didn't think there was any but I'm going to call and check with them.

I bought 3 bags of gravel, thinking I was going to need to cover the UGF. They were the smaller bags, but I think they might be 5 lbs each? I think that was too much now.

Then those stupid plants were $5 each, and I got two! Also the test kit was $15.
 
I'm a bit of a noob, but I have read two books on goldfish and about 20 websites in the last couple of weeks.

The 15 gallon would have been nice but I imagine the 10 gallon will be fine for a telescope-eyed goldie for a while. If your water tests start showing bad results or it looks like your fish isn't swimming around much any more I'd go and get a 30 gallon tank and a companion! You'll be addicted to the hobby by then anyhow. Goldfish are much happier in groups. We had one in our pond cycling it for us and she never came out of her tube. We worried about her and then got her a companion two nights ago, and now she is constantly out and swimming about.

But for now, I'm sure the 10 gallon will be fine. As I said, once you have a 5 or 6 inch fish you may wish to upgrade if it looks cramped or the water values spike.

I'd definitely use gravel. The goldfish love putting it in their mouths and sucking on it. It is their live's work! As for the undergravel filter, I personally would use it--the more filtration the better, in my opinion. But more experienced people are saying it will get all gunked up, so maybe I'm wrong. Their are two schools of thought on them, I find from my reading, that's for sure. Your new filter is kick-*** anyhow.

Enjoy your fish, you are doing your best for it and that is what is important. Make sure you do some serious water changing early on and get some gravel and you are all set.


....As for the heater, it doesn't really matter one way or the other. Use it or don't...just make sure you don't set it too high. It may be nice if you keep a cool house in the winter.
 
Let me also discuss something about the "social" aspects of my goldfish ownership :)

My sister got me this fish as a birthday present. My family, her included, it notorious for making purchases without thinking them through. I'm a college student home for the summer, I go back in two weeks. Already I work 40 hours a week, take summer class, and leave almost every weekend. I found that the fish can be fine without food, but she didn't know that. So it was a bad idea on her part. She just came home with the thing and didn't tell anyone.

I was researching how to clean the tank and generally care for the fish when I discovered that my tank was much too small. I looked around and found this site from a recommendation on my car club site, www.vwvortex.com ;)

I was faced with the decision of leaving this fish as it is and letting it live a short unhealthy life, or choosing do something else. dwayne and others suggested to exchange the fish for a Betta, which I also thought was a good idea. I told my parents that I should do that, and they said my sister would be sad if I did that, because she got "Hank" because she liked him, not some other fish. A good point. But I felt it would be cruel to leave Hank in his 1 gallon hexagon tank. My parents didn't understand why, since they are under the "Goldfish bowl" myth the same as I was until I looked into it further.

So I have decided I want to let Hank thrive. One of my personal beliefs is that I should either do something to the best of my ability or not do it at all. I also welcome this "fish experience" as a growth opportunity; I've never had a living thing depend on me before. But I also believe that you should accept a gift openly, because it is what the person wants to give you.

I am moving back to college soon, and it is a 2 hour drive. I don't know how I'm going to move the fish, but I know I must buy a tank with my new location in mind. I don't think I have space for much more than this ten gallon... I would have to find out the dimensions of a 15 gallon before I could know. But I definitely don't have room for a 20 gallon, unless maybe with a stand. But that would severely limit my space in my room, and also cost me quite a bundle. (I'm also secretley planning/considering to leave Hank at home instead of taking him to school, provided I think he can receieve proper care). Still, I do not want to buy another tank in a year. I want to buy a proper tank, have Hank live a decent life, and then get out of the fish hobby. If it wouldn't upset my sister, I would just take Hank back to the store and be done with it right now. It may seem confusing why a person like myself wants to actually invest the effort if they don't even want to get into fishkeeping... well it's confusing me too :p

I resent my sister for this and I think we family should have a talk with her. She conveniently left for two weeks the day she gave me the fish, however. :rolleyes: But so far this fish has been nothing but stress for me (and for the fish itself too). I wish I didn't care so much :( I sit at work all day and get nothing done because I'm reading everything I can about Goldfish care. I worry that I'll come home to find him belly up in the tank.

I hope that if I do things right, I can eventually just let him swim freely in his tank without me having to worry.
 
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Like I said, it doesn't hurt to find out how much a 15 gallon tank is... but you're fine w/ the 10 for a year at least. :) A 15 gallon tank only may end up being cheaper (or only a few $ more) than a 10 gallon kit...

IMVHO undergravels are only asking for trouble when you have a heavy waste producer like a goldfish, and even if you have a lighter waste producer, you have to be very diligent about vaccuming the gravel and what-not... but the penguin filter is more than adequate for a 10 and even a 15!

If you bought 3 bags (of any size) gravel, that's way too much *unless it's 3 bags of 5lbs each and you're goign to use the undergravel filter*. If you don't plan to use the ugf, then return 2 of the bags. There's money back in your pocket :)

Test kit being $15, I assume it has a few tests in it... probably ammonia, nitrite and nitrates, those are the 3 important ones (then there's ph which is important, but not as much as the other 3 tests).


~Tara
 
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