What to do with 4 small feeder Goldfish

J

jim123

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May 2, 2009
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So I made the mistake of over crowding my 55 gallon tank. I have 4 fancy goldfish and 4 common feeder fish. The feeders are small, but 2 of them have already doubled in size. I have since learned that they will grow really big and that I will need 20 gallons per feeder fish. This is not an option.

I can do one of 2 things. Return them to the fish store or let them go free in a local pond. I feel bad about returning them to the fish store as they may become Oscar food. Is the local pond a good option? I know that the pond has catfish. What would you do?
 
As long as the pond is yours or a friends or someone you know, who doesn't mind the goldfish, i would put the goldfish in a pond. But don't EVER Release fish in the wild..
 
NEVER RELEASE PETS OF ANY KIND INTO THE WILD!!!!!

Unless you have a pet lion or tiger.
 
i'd put an ad on your local craigslist or such, either giving them away or charging a small price. but then again, whoever buys/takes them might be feeding them to a bigger fish just like you fear the lfs will do.

other option is to take them to an lfs that you trust will not sell them as feeder fish.

do you have any friends with big enough tanks that might take them in?
 
let them grow until they are too big to be feeders then take them in. my feeders grew to between 4 and 7" in less than two months with frequent feedings. i put an add to give them away free and the lady i gave them to surprised me with a ten g set up (:
 
jim123 said:
Why not release them into the wild? They are pond fish.
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They are NOT native pond fish. Releasing them into a wild population causes all kinds of problems. They compete with native wildlife and can introduce diseases into the native population.

I repeat - DO NOT release goldfish into our natural ecosystem!

Kristina
 
jim123 said:
Why not release them into the wild? They are pond fish.
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Because it is illegal, and it is illegal for many good reasons. You can hit up the google if you want to know what all the good reasons are.

things you can do with your fish...return them to the store, get another tank, sell them, give away for free, add some flour and deep fry for a tasty snack ;)

-chris
 
As long as you contact the owners of the pond, and the pond is a man made and stocked pond you should have no problems with releasing it to a pond. Another good idea by blueriskyspike was to let them outgrow feeder size. Remember even if you put it in the pond it does not mean it will not be a feeder, as there are more things to worry about in an outdoor set up than it's tank mates.
 
Great idea bluekrissyspike. I will go with that option. They will go right to the big goldfish tank.
 
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