So, my neighbour moved and gave me his goldfish because he moved across the country.. they are in a bowl and I know that isn't right.. but I have never had goldfish before..
What do I do with them?? How much is it going to cost? And how do I know if they are healthy?
I know nothing about goldfish and would really appreciate your help.
How many do you have, and what's the size of the bowl?
it is going to depend on what kind of goldfish they are, they can be kept at room temp so need for a heater, but I would suggest a filter and moving them to a tank as opposed to a bowl or perhaps adopting it out to someone who keeps goldfish
2 goldfish, 1 inch each in a 2L bowl. I have a floating thermometer and they are usually at the bottom of the green area. They are very active and eat well so I think they are pretty healthy. I am just concerned that I wouldn't know if they were in distress.
My mother in law has a 20G tank in her basement. If I were to get that, clean and cycle it would that be big enough for them or too big?
Is there such thing as too big?
What temperature should the thermometer read at?
Is there something better for goldfish than goldfish pellets?
My 2 kids love the goldfish so I would like to try taking care of them.
If you can get that tank asap that would be great. Goldfish will not survive very long in a bowl. Their water needs to be circulated to be able to breath. They also need cycled water same as other fish. I always still recommend a heater in their tank, even though they like cooler water, just to keep the temperature steady again like other fish flucuations in temp isn't good. A good food for goldfish is a sinking type pellet or if you feed flakes, take a pinch and submerge it in the water between your finger so it will sink. Feeding alot from the surface may cause them to bloat and get a condition called swm bladder especially if they are large bodied guys like fantails or orandas. A treat they really like is frozen peas, blanch them and sqeeze out the pea from skin and feed the inside part of pea to them.
Good Luck and enjoy them
Sandy
P.S No such thing as too big for goldfish, they will get very large
so NO need for a heater
Quote from: Darth on January 09, 2013, 12:45:21 PM
they can be kept at room temp so need for a heater,
The 20 gal would be ideal. With goldfish all you need is a filter & air pump, no need for a heater. If you're concerned about distress I would look for obvious changes in behaviour, hiding, not eating etc. As for food, pellets are probably better but qutie frankly they're pigs when it comes to eating.
Quote from: dpatte on January 09, 2013, 02:47:28 PM
so NO need for a heater
thanks LOL I did mean no need ;D yes goldfish eat anything but as pointed out above stay away from floating food great advice so far
I have three in a 30 gallon overfiltered with an AC 300. My goldfish love the sinking pellets and they are constantly sifting through the gravel to get to them. It's very fun to watch. I also feed them goldfish flakes and crisps.
Yikes! Poor things! Glad to hear you're getting them into something bigger.
Get the 29 gallon up and running because it's free and it'll buy you some time. When you set it up, double the filtration for the tank because goldfish are prolific waste producers.
Then start looking for the upgrade from the 20 gallon. Although it will but you some time, it's not going to buy you much time.
To give you an example on how big goldfish can get, I have 2 of them in my 180 gallon with my koi (they go outside in the pond in warm weather). Each goldfish is 6" in the body and an additional 4-5 inches in flowy tail. I've seen bigger goldfish, so the more space you can provide, the better. If you don't think you will be able to provide the space for the fish, perhaps consider finding them a new home with someone with a pond.
Glad you are able to care for them :D
and yep, I've seen Fishnut's goldfish...they make that tank look like a small tank :D
I used to keep 2 fancy goldfish in a 55 gallon, they were quite happy in it, but they were the only two fish! :)
What are crisps?
They are type of fish food shaped like thin wafers.
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That's good food!
I also wanted to mention that goldfish do not need a heater. Yes, temperature fluctuations are bad but our houses are kept at a constant temperature and usually fluctuating much. My house is set to 22 degrees. When it gets warmer outside, the house gets warm slowly, then we put the AC on before it gets really hot. Slow occasional/seasonal temperature changes like that are not bad as long as they're slow and infrequent. Fish go through these in nature, no matter where they're from.
Just a little update...
Got the larger tank.. filtration for it.. more of the aquarium salt for fresh water fish and other doodads.. I totally forgot to ask about Crisps though.. i will get them this weekend..
What plants will thrive in their cold water environment?
Do they need a bubbler as well at a heavy filtration system?
Are there fishy creatures I can add as tank cleaners that can cohabitate with goldfish?
Or would the fishy cleaning creatures be more of a nuisance than helpful?
goldfish will destroy most plants you put in the tank
Quote from: Bloop on February 01, 2013, 05:50:07 AM
Just a little update...
Got the larger tank.. filtration for it.. more of the aquarium salt for fresh water fish and other doodads.. I totally forgot to ask about Crisps though.. i will get them this weekend..
What plants will thrive in their cold water environment?
Do they need a bubbler as well at a heavy filtration system?
Are there fishy creatures I can add as tank cleaners that can cohabitate with goldfish?
Or would the fishy cleaning creatures be more of a nuisance than helpful?
I'm sure they would love a bubbler but it's not essential, heavy filtration yes, plants are just an expensive snack, A pleco is about the only cleaner because of the cold water. But i have kept rope fish with goldfish for years and then have been more than fine, they have a great personality. .
Okay.. they seemed happy at first.. but today they were laying on the bottom of the tank.. As soon as they saw me approach they started swimming around happily enough.. but isn't laying on the bottom of the tank is a sign of illness or stress?
If they were upside down or laying on their side then theres something wrong... if they are upright and llying straight up, its either they are sleeping or resting even with lights on. very normal behavior on goldfish and koi.
Okay.. they are upright for a few minutes at a time.
My daughter has been talking about it all day long.. I am glad to know it is normal. Should I tell my boyfriend lights out in the living room at a certain time to give them a regular rest cycle? We did that with the betta in the kitchen.
Plants: With Goldfish I always go with plants that do not need to be planted in the substrate. Like it was said before GoldFish can wrek havoc on live plants (at the minimum they get up rooted).
Plants that have worked with Gold Fish for me are Anubias and Java Ferns tied to either driftwood or rocsk. Both of theses plants are sturdy (i.e. no need to know what you are doing :P) and are abondantly availabe at the LFS...
Live plants will help with your water quality..
You can also plant certain type of stem and rooted plant. I have anubias, fern, stem, and rooted plant in my gf community goldfish tank.
If you want to save your electricity go right ahead. Once they got used to the vibration of you guys aproaching the tank, even if lights are out, they will wake up and look for you.
Quote from: Bloop on February 01, 2013, 05:59:54 PM
Okay.. they seemed happy at first.. but today they were laying on the bottom of the tank.. As soon as they saw me approach they started swimming around happily enough.. but isn't laying on the bottom of the tank is a sign of illness or stress?
OMG...this is NOT NORMAL!!! I have goldfish...have had them for a very long time. They are constantly swimming. At night they just float around like zombies. Believe me...this is not normal at all.
Please take a sample of your fish water to either a Big Al's or Critter Jungle and ask them to test it for you. These fish are not happy and I am 99% sure it's because they are goldfish in a newly set up aquarium. Newly set up aquariums go through a cycling process. The first 2 stages are toxic to fish and seeing as they're goldfish, the toxin levels can get quite high...higher than fish can tolerate.
Do some reading on the nitrogen cycle of aquariums. I'll try to find a link.
Quote from: Bloop on February 01, 2013, 05:59:54 PM
Okay.. they seemed happy at first.. but today they were laying on the bottom of the tank.. As soon as they saw me approach they started swimming around happily enough.. but isn't laying on the bottom of the tank is a sign of illness or stress?
I agree that this is absolutely NOT normal, goldfish are always swimming. I'd recommend a water test as well. just go to Big als and get it done ASAP if you don't have a kit.
I've had goldfish for 12 years and have never seen this behaviour before.
i have my goldfish like that for almost 8 years... do you guys have a strong current on your tank?
every time i come home and go out of my room every morning i always see them at the bottom sleeping when i approach the tank discreetly. this is when the lights are out, even during the morning. they behave exactly how she describe them. and when i wake them up by doing a slight tap on the tank, they wake up and swim like its the happiest day of their lives.
Quote from: blueknight0303 on February 08, 2013, 01:02:42 AM
i have my goldfish like that for almost 8 years... do you guys have a strong current on your tank?
I do now but haven't always. Goldfish are constantly swimming regardless of current, tank decor, OR if someone is around their tank. Anyone who has healthy goldfish will tell you that they never stop swimming.
Perhaps yours have some kind of swim bladder issue that makes it difficult for them to swim and stay buoyant. I've seen that before. It would explain how they have managed to live for so long sitting at the bottom like that.
Think about it...they're not catfish with armor type scales or fish that are predators who lie and wait for prey. Goldfish (carp) are food if they're caught so their instinct is to keep moving. Also, they eat so much that they constantly need to be on the move looking for food. Just because they're in captivity, doesn't mean their natural instincts are inactive.
I've kept goldfish for years and agreed, it is not a normal behavior for them to sit on the bottom of the tank unless something is wrong. I had comets and fancies and both never stopped!
Hoping the fish originally in this thread are ok? no word?
hmmm... now i feel bad... ill try to post some pics just to make sure... ill make a new thread coz i dont eant to jack her thread.