# Need a quick schooling in goldfish care.



## Racoon293 (Dec 28, 2012)

My father-in-law won my two children each a goldfish at the county fair this evening. 
I'm well informed in betta care, cycling, and such thanks to y'all on this forum,
But I don't know anything about goldfish. 
I rushed out and got a 10gal. starter kit at Walmart, the two fish are acclimated and in the tank now. Added stress coat and TTS. 
I had some gravel on hand. That's the only decor in there. 
The fish are aprox. 2in long each. 

Will they be ok in the 10g. for a while till I can get something bigger?
What's the recommended waster volume per fish?

How do they do with fish-in cycling?

What kind of decor do they prefer?

Quality food recommendations and feeding regimen?

PH and water parameter ranges do they prefer? And temp. range. 

Any diseases they are prone too?

Sorry for all the questions, didn't plan on getting more fish and starting a new tank. But it happened and I'll do my best to care for them. 

Thanks in advance,

****


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## Straubrey (Aug 5, 2014)

Unfortunately, the feeder goldfish usually given away at fairs and such are generally pond type fish. They will quickly outgrow most home tanks. They will make it in a 10 gallon for a little while, but not very long. Best thing to do is find someone who has a fish pond and give them away. Fancy goldfish need 15-20 gallons each, common/feeder goldfish need much more. The commons can easily grow to over a foot long!


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## Jonthefish (Jun 16, 2014)

Let's see :-D

Will they be ok in the 10g. for a while till I can get something bigger?
What's the recommended waster volume per fish?

*They should be ok for probably a couple months tops if you do two weekly water changes , eventually aim for a 50-80 gallon tank for the two of them as they do grow pretty freakin huge ( up to a foot !!! ) also use as much filtration as you possibly can , you could almost never over-filter goldies , they are so messy !!! *

How do they do with fish-in cycling?

*Not sure sorry ... I will look it up later *

What kind of decor do they prefer?

*Sand floor , bare tank , maybe one or two ornaments ( make sure decor with no holes they could get stuck , they are very curious fish , lol ) *

Quality food recommendations and feeding regimen?

*The brand Hikari sells all types of goldfish food , and some are very high quality show fish food for good prices !! I feed my goldfish pellets twice a day and then on one day of the week blanched-shelled peas . For the pellets I would say that first blue bag in the link I posted , or if you want the really high-quality stuff ( approx. 20$ a bag at my local fish store ) one of the last three on the link I posted :-D
http://www.hikari.info/gold/*

PH and water parameter ranges do they prefer? And temp. range. 

*Temperature: 65.0 to 72.0° F (18.3 to 22.2° C)
Range ph: 6.0-8.0*

Any diseases they are prone too?

*Swim bladder if you feed them floating food ( never do this !!! Only ever feed goldfish sinking food !!! ) and a few other common fish diseases ... * 

Hope I am of help :-D


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

Will they be ok in the 10g. for a while till I can get something bigger?
What's the recommended waster volume per fish?

Agreed with Jon, they can last while, but you'll defeniatley need to find someone, get a huge pond. Single tail goldfish are the "monsters," they get really huge 

How do they do with fish-in cycling?

They are pretty hardy fish, I've realized especially in the single tail variety such as comets and commons. You will most likely be fine 

What kind of decor do they prefer?

You should choose bare bottom or sand, any kind of decor besides hard scraping ones, are fine.

Quality food recommendations and feeding regimen?

Again, I do agree with hikari, it's a high quality food. If it may be too expensive for you (online), because I can never find it at my lfs I do recommend New Life Spectrum.
I usually feed twice a day if you were wondering ^__^! Once in the morning and the other in the night around 7-8
PH and water parameter ranges do they prefer? And temp. range. 

Same as Jon, like I said, single tails are hardy 


Any diseases they are prone too?

Swim bladder, due to, too much feeding, or floating pellets. There are other diseases out there, so becareful, remember to keep up with atleast 80% water changes, I prefer 100% if it's possible in with you, because they are such poopers, and in a small tank


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## Jonthefish (Jun 16, 2014)

Do we get pics of the too ?! I reall want to see them ! Love goldies :-D


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## Racoon293 (Dec 28, 2012)

Here they are:
Sorry it's upside down, it's a pain to get pics to post right with a iPhone.


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## Racoon293 (Dec 28, 2012)

If they can make it in the 10 gal till Christmas time I can do a 55-60gal. 
Or, I looked a little bit at pond kits. I live in the south, so brutal hot summers and no shade in my yard. If I could figure out a way to give it some shade, would a pond be a better option? What would be the recommended depth?


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## Jonthefish (Jun 16, 2014)

A pond would be ideal ! I don't know too much about outdoor ponds , but I've heard they are the best option for common goldfish . They are so cute ! Love the two toned guy . Are you guys going to name them ?


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## Racoon293 (Dec 28, 2012)

The two toned one my son named Butterscotch, my daughter hasn't 
Named hers yet.


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

Gorgeous fish!
And outdoor pond is the way to go. Finding a nice shaded area with some sun in it is great, goldfish like there water to be rather cold than warm. I've never tried warm water yet with goldfish


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## Racoon293 (Dec 28, 2012)

Thanks for all the help guys. 
I just remembered I have a extra filter that come with my bettas 5.5gal
tank that I can put in for more filtration. 
I'll pick up a 2 way valve later and get a air stone going for them.


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

yeah I had a pet common goldfish that my dad got from his work. Poor thing was just getting Tap water dumped into his tank after the water got low enough for the filter to sound weird. He never had a real proper water change till he brought it home for me (about 6months). It was about 4-5" long in a ten gallon...the worst part is whoever put the goldfish in there (a bus driver) thought he needed a friend too, so they got a little Corey cat to go with him.xc idk how either lived through that but I had to return them to my LPS when he got a little larger because a ten gallon is just not big enough at all!. They are awsome pets to have tho if there kept the correct way, with enough space,filtration ect. Mine wouldn't even touch my live plants,asside from knocking them over lol. Oh how I wish I could have kept himxc. Anyways goodluck!!! there little cuties btw, and they enjoy a variety of foods, unlike bettas who can only eat bugs! Lol


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## Budgiebonkers (Apr 13, 2014)

they grow with the size tank. I have some that are about 4-5in but i have two in a 5 gallon tank they never grew any larger which they are about 1-1/2in they are almost a year i got them all the same day. Some live in a bathtub during the summer and a 10g for the winter they are happy as can be. The others live in 5g tanks.


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

That is a controversial subject. Goldfish just keep growing and growing they get pretty big too. Necessarily you want a bigger tank. Especially since they poo a lot. I do not believe they grow in whatever size tank they are in.


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

Ive heard that the reason "they grow to the size of the tank" is because of a hormone that they secrete that makes there body stop growing, but there organs keep growing, i dont know if i believe that, but either way them just "growing to fit the tank" how could this be humane? when they can reach 1 foot easily given the time to do so? and yes the waste is a big issue because man are they messy.... i just couldnt live with my self knowing that my golfish would only reach 5 inches, when i knew he should easily be about a foot long someday. how could it be comfy to live in a tank thats so small?


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

Agreed about the size kjg! And the growth eye of a old fih in a limited amount or tank room


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## Jonthefish (Jun 16, 2014)

Awesome ! Keep us updated as things happen ! Glad to hear your goldies are doing good so far . And butterscotch is an adorable name ! :3


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## SiameseFightingArt (Jun 17, 2014)

Hope you have a 50g ready for them! 0o0 GOOD LUCK


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

Good luck! When I was 11 I had a goldfish named Ned. He was in a 10g because I didn't know any better :-( Poor boy. I did love him though and he lived for about three years. Not long for a Goldie, but at the time I didn't know that...


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## Jonthefish (Jun 16, 2014)

Do we get an update ?? :3


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## Racoon293 (Dec 28, 2012)

Jonthefish said:


> Do we get an update ?? :3


One passed away. Not sure why. 
Still have the bi colored one. 
Been on the road with work so I haven't had time to decorate the tank. 
Wife's been doing 80% w/c every couple days. 
These guys are ammonia machines!

Do these guys prefer to be in pairs or groups? The one seemed kinda spastic after the other one died.


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## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I have one group of goldies, and another that is by herself. She doesn't seem to mind at all. Now, if they have been together for a long time (years), then that might tell a different story.


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## Racoon293 (Dec 28, 2012)

They were together just a week or so,(since I had them anyways) I'd rather not replace the one until I can get a bigger tank. 

Any way to tell the sex of a goldfish?


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

When determining goldfish sex, it must be during breeding season, males will get white dimple like "pimples" on the gill plate and some finnage. This is the way to go, but I still don't know when breeding season starts! There are many different ways to determine their sex but I usually use this way to determine my goldfish sex, if you would like to know more you can always try google!?


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## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Breeding season would be the definite teller, but here is a picture on a method of sexing goldfish.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I find goldfish are a gregarious species. They do seem to prefer having the companionship of other goldfish. I have three shubunkin who have been together for three or four years now, and they are always in each other's company. 

However, I think tank size and water quality is more important for goldfish than companionship. If the tank is already small, it would be better just to have the one goldfish until a bigger tank can be procured as you have said. 

It's amazing how much ammonia goldfish can produce. I remember when I put a sick black moor into a smaller, uncycled tank overnight, and by the next morning I was getting some pretty high readings for ammonia.


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

+1 lbf


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## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

My first fish were four 25 cent goldfish from WalMart. They were put in a 1.5gal. Overnight the tank was so cloudy and gross. *sigh*


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