# Algea extermination!



## emeraldmaster (Sep 6, 2012)

I had gotten two goldfish from the local walmart last week. It was my intent to split the fish in my 29 gallon with those in thw 20. the betta and tetras there though would end up in the 10. In the newly empty 29 i was going to put 2 common golfish. Well, walmart had a sale going on so i got the goldies early. Since i wasn't ready for the goldies, they went into the 10 gallon for now. They ARE NOT staying in there, but since they are babies i figured it was an okay temporary solution. I tried to ask you guys if it could work out and also how to raise them, but of course got slapped in the face because no one realized that they are babies and will not stay, but i digress. I noticed today that they were tearing up the Algea in there! Which was good since i have been at war with it for some time... Is this normal behavior? I know that they are notorious plant killers, they attacked the plastic plant that i had in there! So is it normal???


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

first question i have is this: what kind of goldfish? 29 is going to be too small for two, or even one, of 99% of goldfish, so you know.

i do believe, though, that goldfish love their algae. They need their veggies just like we do!

edit: Oh i see. common goldfish? 29 will be faaaar too small for them in no time flat.


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## emeraldmaster (Sep 6, 2012)

thank you! i gave them peas this morning. that is what one of my fish buddies told me to do once a week so i decided to do so, why i don't know... but hey, i left the room for 30 seconds and the peas vanished so i guess that they like them. you should have seen how nuts they went when i was giving the betta in the next tank over a bloodworm!


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## eatmice2010 (Jan 1, 2013)

as long as the tank is not a perminent home and they are still small they should be fine, My gold fosh loves eating his veggies, but thats if the other fish will let him get to it fisrt.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Goldfish love algae and plants. I let the algae grow on my back wall just to feed the goldfish. As for the peas, they are a good treat but shouldn't be part of a goldfish's staple diet as they are a suggary veggie and goldfish need more leafy, fibery veggies than suggary ones. Peas are not as good for digestion as most people think; the people that feed peas and then see an improvement are those who feed flake or low-quality pellet food. Any type of green in an improvement from that. Spinach is actually much better for goldfish digestions as it actually has a laxative and anti-inflammatory properties.


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## emeraldmaster (Sep 6, 2012)

How long will it take for them to grow up? I am thinking of getting a 75 gallon to gouse them in, in a few months. i just learned that they can grow a foot long! btw, thekoimaiden, i don't know why, hehe, but your avatar makes me want to trust that you have the answers... hehe...


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## aemaki09 (Oct 23, 2012)

Theres a lot of factors that determine how fast they will grow.

But the more space you give them the faster they'll grow into it. If you keep them confined, the slower they'll grow. If you feed them right, they'll grow a little faster, etc.

My baby common outgrew my 10 gallon within a month. (this was before I really did any research on goldfish) I moved him into a pond after that.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

emeraldmaster said:


> How long will it take for them to grow up? I am thinking of getting a 75 gallon to gouse them in, in a few months. i just learned that they can grow a foot long! btw, thekoimaiden, i don't know why, hehe, but your avatar makes me want to trust that you have the answers... hehe...


Lol! I actually started with goldfish and koi and moved to bettas when I needed something that could fit in a tank in my dorm. 

Like aemaki said, growth is affected by more than a few factors: food, water quality, tank size, genetics, water temp. Most of these we have under our control. At a warmer temp, the fish's metabolism is faster and they will grow faster. I'm using this method to grow my tiny baby goldies a bit more before next summer when I plan to add a 4+ in ranchu; I don't want tiny babies with a medium sized adult. Another large factor we can control is the quality and quantity of food. Lower quality flakes won't have as much nutrition as high quality gel or pellet food, so the fish won't have as much energy to devote to growth. At higher temps you can fee high quality food for some pretty impressive growth. But when the temperature is low, you don't have to feed as much food and can actually reduce their food even more if you don't want a lot of growth or waste. 

If they are fancy goldfish then a 75 gal is a great home for them! I'd actually like to upgrade my 55 gal to a 75 gal one day. But if they are the common goldfish, then it's not going to be enough in the end; however it will be fine for close to a year. Goldfish usually don't go past the 8 inch mark in a year, especially if the temp is cool and close to room temp. And an endgame tank for a common goldfish should be at least 6 feet long as they are quite active swimmers. Or a pond. I always recommend those because they are beautiful and very suited for goldfish.


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