Thinking about jumping into a tank!

O

oldgeezer

AC Members
Jan 10, 2003
6
0
0
68
Williston Vt
Visit site
Went to a wedding a while back. Each table had a goldfish in a
small bowl. Wife insisted we take one home. I has to hold the darn thing all the way back, as she drove because I drank like a fish that day! Went to the local pet store and bought a one gallon
bowl. Named the fish Amos. Found myself getting attached to the little dude, wife could care less. Went and bought Amos a buddy,
named him Bob. Now got 2 goldfish in a small bowl. Thinking of buying a bigger tank, but I really don't have clue. I have been reading on the net and stumbled across this site. Hope you all can give me some guidance. Can goldfish live ok in Aqaurium?I got
my eye on a 30 gallon hex tank at the local Pet Smart. Is this an
OK tank for Amos and Bob? Is this a good place to buy fish stuff?
If I buy this can I add more goldfish? Can I add other fish?Do I need a filter for Goldfish? How do I know if Amos and Bob are males? So may questions....so little time! Thanks to anyone who can me get started.
 
I wonder what happened to all the others?

Fish are not bloody table ornaments.

But yes, goldfish live very well in aquaria. Best not kept with any tropicals, though. Their needs are a bit different.

Personally, I'd get him a 30 gallon tank and a friend.
 
I'm guessing you just have regular goldfish right? The kind with one tail.....not the fancy kind who are bigger, sometimes have bubble eyes....it's just a common goldfish?

Alright then....here we go.

Amos and Bob would love a 30 gallon tank...make sure you put it away from drafts, windows and make sure it's on a sturdy floor that can handle the weight. Put some nice dark gravel on the bottom to bring out their orange colour (are these ones orange???), buy a good filter for that tank (good one would be an Aquaclear 300), since they are coldwater fish you won't need a heater. Make sure the tank you get has a tight fitting lid. You can decorate the tank with any decorations you like (fish safe stuff sold in the fishy department at PetSmart) but use fake plants for now. Goldfish like to dig and may dig up or even eat live ones! Make sure you do 25% partial water changes once a week or once every two weeks (buy a siphon and good bucket for fish water only from PetSmart)....goldfish can be very messy! Make sure the water you add after changing it has been treated with a chlorine/chloramine remover! Change their filter about once a month, Aquaclears are VERY easy to change.

I have never bought my fish from PetSmart but that isn't to say it isn't a good store. Just make sure the fish you purchase from there look healthy, colourful...all the usual things. That goes for any store though.

You can add more goldfish with a 30 gallon, but to start I would just put Amos and Bob in there and feed them lightly until the water has cycled. There are lots of great posts on here about cycling your tank which you definately should read about.....it is a very important part of starting an aquarium. You could even leave Amos and Bob in their little home for now while you "fishless cycle" your 30 gallon. Also, never use soap or anything cleaning products to clean your tank...they are very harmful to fish.

As for adding other fish, it's probably not a good idea unless it's more goldfish. Goldfish are much messier and produce more ammonia than other tropical fish, and therefore don't live well with many other kinds of fish.

Hope I have answered some of your questions! If you have anymore just post and someone will help you out!
 
What a great way to get into fish!

Goldfish are fine in aquariums, as long as their needs are met. One of the biggest needs is space--goldfish get big! I'd say 30 gallons would be fine for 2 fish--anymore, and you'll want to go with a bigger tank.

While a lot of people love thier hex tanks, I am not a fan of them. I like rectangular and square tanks. Easier to take care of, easier to view your fish, ect. However, that's a preference. The only issue hex tanks present that can cause problem is with aeration. Regular shaped tanks have a higher surface area:depth ratio than most hex tanks provide. Since oxygen/CO2 exchange takes place at the surface, this can cause some problems. A bubbler, or vigorous surface agitation will solve the problem, as long as you don't have frequent power outages.

Petco is fine for buying fish stuff, but I wouldn't buy fish there--disease issues.

You will need a filter. Filters provide a place for the waste processing bacteria to live, and push the water through that media so the bacteria can do their job. Sounds like you don't know about the nitrogen cycle, so you might want to look into it. There are several places to read up...The Krib.com , www.SkepticalAquariast.com , Tom's Place ...The basic summary is fish produce waste that breaks down to ammonia. Bacteria break ammonia down to nitrites, which different bacteria break down to nitrates. Nitrates can be removed from the tank either with water changes, or with plants.

There are many different kinds of filters, and you can decide what works best for you. Hang-on-back (HOB) filters are great, since they're low maintenance, and you can use a variety of media (sponges, noodles, carbon when needed, etc). Under gravel filters (UGF) are very effective, but they need regular maintenance, and can be a pain if you want plants. Canister filters are pricey, but effective. Some need maintenance often, others are okay with regular cleaning.


Gender on goldfish is trickier. Adult girls are heavier bodied than males...But that doesn't help if you have one gender, or young fish! Maybe someone else can help out here.

If I were setting up a tank for goldies, here is what I would get:

Tank--30 gallon at the smallest.
Filter--I like AquaClears, I would go with an AquaClear 500, sponge media.
Substrate--I like bare bottom tanks. Maybe add a few pots, or tiles for decoration. Easier to clean, as well.
Heater--Not needed. Goldfish prefer cooler waters.
Plants--hard to say, some will get eaten, but I love floating plants, and the fish will too. Duckweed, water lettuce, ect. Maybe some water lillies in pots.
Test kit: Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate at least.
Water conditioner--ONLY if you have chlorine or chloramines in your water. Chlorine can be removed by letting the water sit for a day, chloramines should be dealt with chemically (amquel).

I would set the tank up, and use fishless cycling to avoid damage to the fish.

HTH
 
First off, welcome to Aquaria Central, the place where you will always get freindly advice. I wonder how old you have to be to qualify as an "old geezer" I looked at your profile and could not see your age. I am 43 (one of the older farts on this board ;) )

I have heard that hex tanks are more succeptable to problems than regular rectangular tanks. Things like water chemistry and the like. Perhaps someone with experience on this could chime in on this topic.

A must have item at the point your at is an aquarium water test kit. It will tell you of the basic parameters of your water like Ammonia, Nitrates, pH and less important, KH and GH. Whenever you tell of a problem you have with your fish or tank, you will invariably be asked what your water chemistry is.

You will also need to learn about the nitrogen cycle of water. Try this link and go to the Water / Nutrient Cycles folder.

(edit: looks like I was too slow on my reply LOL)

Don't be overwhelmed by all we tell you. Follow along as best you can and learn on the go and it will soon be "old hat" to you.
 
Boy, drink like a fish and you're punished by getting a fish. Hmm, there are some really dirty minds here that could come up with some more appealing punishments for their bad behavior...

Good answers, to your question, old guy. Many of us got started by getting a GF or two... Read the replies over, and if you have any more questions get back to us.

Oh, and welcome to Aquaria Central, home of some of the oldest geezers in the aquarium hobby on the net :)

Regards,

Val
 
Wow..you people are pretty impressive! So many responises so
quick.
Faramir - I thought using the fish for table ornaments was pretty bad. Don't want to tell you what happened to some of the other fish. It wasn't pretty!
Erynn - The goldfish are the kind with like three prong tails. Not sure what they are called as I had my wife pick up Bob while she was out shopping. He looks just like Amos, but is smaller. BTW, they are indeed gold.
OrionGirl - I agree with you, I like the look of the rectangle tanks, but where I want to locate the tank, a 30 gallon would be
susceptable to being walked into. A hex tank will just fit better.
I have read some on the nitrogen cycle, and now I am just more confused. The filter deal is also very confusing. From what I've read, and what you have stated, it sounds like a hanging filter is what I will probably go with. Do you know if these work ok in a hex tank?
Matak - I am 46! I have been called old geezer since I was in my 20's though. I used to coach little kids football and that was what the kids called me. Just kinda stuck. Sounds like I need a test kit
even if I keep the boys in the bowl!
Val - Thanks for the welcome! Looks like a great group of folks here.

Sooo, if I net this out, I should get a bigger tank for the little dudes, sounds like a bowl can't be the best place for them. A 30 gallon tank is good enough for a couple of fish. A hanging filter would be fine as these are the eaisiest. I should also get a test kit. I should cycle the tank before putting them in the tank. Perhaps some gravel and fake plants to start out with. I need to study and try and understand the nutrient cycle. Did I miss anything? Thinking seriously of going and getting the tank this evening, so let me know if I need to pick up anything else while at the fish store.....

Thanks!!!!!
 
There are some good books out there on keeping goldfish. You could pick one up if interested. Peruse through before buying. Don't get anything that says you should buy additives other than for chlorine/chloramine (bottled bacteria products are bunk!) It should have the basic nitrogen cycle outlined as well. Amazon.com has some good books fairly cheap, specializing in goldfish.

HOB's will work with a hex tank just fine. You should be able to grab the filter in question and take it out of the box, trial fit it in the store. I've done this many times, and other than a few odd looks, no problem.

While I agree with Faramir that fish should be a table piece, it's not your fault, and you've saved one. I just can't imagine how much it must have cost to do that....Sigh.
 
Making a list and checking it twice

If we make a list for the 'geezer to take shopping, let's not overwhelm him, keep it to the basics.

  1. Hang On Back filter
  2. Chemistry test kit that has at least: Ammonia, Nitrite, and pH
  3. Water addiditive to remove chlorine & chloramine
  4. Flake food suitable for goldfish
  5. Fish book for begginers ( I got one by Gregory Skomal)
    [/list=1]

    That's what I could think of. Any other suggestions?
 
OK, you probably have a fan tail gold fish. You put two of these in your 30g hex and they can easily grow to 6 inches long.

If you are looking for a good GF book in the bookstore or your local fish store (LFS) you could get the Barrons' GF book. A reasonable line of publications.

A good HOB filter, as mentioned previously, is the Aqua Clear, very good filter for the money. I would think an AC300 is plenty...

Got any friends who keep fish? Or go to a petshop and see if you can get some of the filter media (whether it is a sponge, filter floss or some kind of cartridge). Put some of the media into the bottom of the AC filter. This will help colonize the bacteria in your tank that do the all-important biological filtration.

While you are doing this, and getting the tank set up, feed especially sparely. You'll be introducing some stress to the fish during the process and they do better underfed than overfed.

And be sure to come visit us in the coldwater forum...

Val
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom