proud owner of birthday party goldfish

[kelleyincolorad]

Oh, please help us out! My daughter was given a "feeder" goldfish at a party...we didn't have the heart to send it "downstream", so we bought one of those little 1 gallon tanks that has a stone filter. We thought this fish wouldn't last, but three weeks later, it's doubled in size! We got it a friend today, and now we're told it's time to upgrade the tank. I am really confused over exactly what we need...we are looking for a fairly small tank, but one that comes with some sort of filter to keep the water from getting all nasty every week. Can someone recommend a tank kit, or something similar? Also, should we stick to these two fish, or can we add anything else in the future? I had a small aquarium frog growing up and loved it...I figure it'll be a few weeks before we add anything, as we want to make sure "Nemo" and "Pearl" keep on thriving.
I am a bit overwhelmed with all the info out there, and the aquarium shops we've visited have further confused us. One guy was pushing us to buy this huge $100.00 tank, and that's just not in the cards right now!
Anyway, I do appreciate any help you can send my way!!
Thanks! Kelley in Colorado

 

[punch]

Well 1 st. off gold fish can get big! and they are regular little poop machines, I would think you need at least a 30 gal. tank for 2 (and I'm being conservitice) Even with a good filter you will want to keep up with your water changes. Check out a wal mart, I hear you can get a tank there for a 1/2 way decent price. Of course the filter and stuff will be at the low end but if you do your water changes it should be a good start till you can up grade latter.
Also check the news paper for garage sales and such.

 

[kelleyincolorad]

Thanks for the garage sale idea! I had forgotten all about them--hopefully I'll find something wonderful. I had no idea that goldfish were as "filthy" as I keep hearing they are. I have changed the water twice since we were given little Nemo, and so far so good. But, with a larger tank, I can imagine this is quite a challenge....hopefully a filter will keep it simpler?

Okay, so if we go with a 30 gallon tank, are we still limited to these two fish? We don't have a lot of large open areas that aren't in direct sunlight, so a really huge tank is kind of out of the question right now. A fellow fish owner said that the sunlight makes the water turn nasty faster?

Well, once again, I do appreciate the help, but if I am asking something that's already been discussed somewhere else, please point me in that direction so I don't waste your time.

Kelley in Colorado

 

[Cearbhaill]

Try this link