# First Goldfish



## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

So I've been trying to resist buying this little guy since I stocked up all of my 10g tanks, but I would go into the pet store every afternoon and see him sitting in his sad, sad lonely tank that was absolutely TINY. Today I decided was the day that I rescue little Hannibal! I have no clue if it's a girl or a boy, but I named it that the moment I saw it. My whole life I always wanted a Goldfish, but I always expected it to be, well, gold. Hannibal is a white, pinky colour. He will be living in a 5g for 5-6 weeks. That cannot be changed, and is better than the God awful tank he had been in. I still need to make a net for him... 

So, here's my plan:
-See if my aunt will give me her 30g/ let me buy it off her
-If she won't, call my neighbour and ask to buy her 20g
-If all else fails, my great aunt has a MASSIVE tank for Goldfish and recently lost two and said she would take Hannibal (she has been caring for these Goldfish for over 20 years- I think she knows what she's doing )
-Make a net out of mesh for Hannibal
-Block off the sides of my 10g tanks so Themis and Artemis stop freaking out over the new guy
-Create a lid for the 5g (working on that right now, almost done)
-Redecorate the tank, the plants in there are too big
-Ask about the gender of fish
-Ask about what kind of Goldfish it is

What do you guys think? My whole childhood, it was always a dream of mine to get a small Goldfish and put it in a bowl beside my bed. But now I know better.

Here are some pics (Do you know if it's a boy or girl and what kind?) :


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

If he is going to be staying in a 5 gallon tank for that long you are going to need a filter that provides plenty of surface agitation and to be doing quite a few large water changes a week. The amount of ammonia a single goldfish can produce is astounding and in a 5 gallon tank that I am assuming has not been cycled, this is going to cause issues with water quality sooner than you think. 

He looks like he is the type of goldfish that is going to reach at least a foot or so long. My three 8 inch goldfish are making their 45 gallon tank look fairly small now so be aware that the 20/30 gallon tank may only be good for this single goldfish in the long run. The issue is that goldfish are gregarious fish and do prefer to have companionship. However, there is no way a 30 gallon tank is going to be big enough for two common/comet looking goldfish.


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

I forgot to mention in my little list there that I was planning on using either my HOB or internal filter for him as soon as I can get them thoroughly cleaned and make one of those water bottle things to go on it... Hopefully that will be done by tomorrow, right now the filters are both being soaked. What do you suggest, the HOB or the internal? The internal is meant for a 10g and I'm pretty sure that the HOB would do fine in a 20g, I'm not sure as I got it second hand.

I wasn't going to add in anymore Goldfish, but I could get a larger tank by the end of the summer, when I actually have money. I've heard Goldfish are fine alone, but perhaps that person was mislead... Any help I can get from you guys in much needed and appreciated! Thank you for responding, LittleBettaFish, going to check on the filters now!


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

LBF is right. That's a comet goldfish which can easily get over a foot long if given what he needs. Unless your aunt has a 150+ gal tank, he'd be better off in a pond. He will not be happy in a 20 gal or 30 gal for life, and it could result in stunting. Comets are not goldfish for tanks. 

As for goldfish being alone, they can manage but will be more shy and withdrawn. They are highly social fish, and mine often travel the tank in a pack. When I had a single goldfish, the poor guy wouldn't move from the corner. 

For the filter, go as large as you can. You never understand how messy goldfish are until you own one and clean the filter. In that 5 gal tank you will be looking at twice weekly if not more water changes. You might want to cycle the filter in another tank (or bucket) while doing close to 100% daily changes on the goldfish tank, and add the filter at a later time once it is cycled. 

For gender, he's really too small to tell. Generally goldfish need to be a year or so to gender them.


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

I believe my aunt keeps them in a pond in the summer, but tanks in the winter... I'm not sure. I've had my filters in my other tanks, but took them out because the flows were too strong. I'll put the HOB one on tomorrow... I now have the 30g confirmed, but can't do anything with it for a month. I'll be doing water changes every 2 or 3 days for a couple of weeks. It's all I can do for now, he seems to be okay for the time being.


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## eatmice2010 (Jan 1, 2013)

The Comet Goldfish is a bit smaller than the Common Goldfish, but even so, the environment it is kept in is a determining factor on whether your pet grows to its full potential size or is somewhat smaller. In an average 10 gallon tank, if well cared for and not crowded, they can grow up to about 4 inches (10 cm), while in a larger uncrowded tank they can grow larger generally reaching about 7 or 8 inches (17.78 - 20.32 cm). If kept in a spacious pond they can reach over 12 inches (30+ cm).


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Eatmice, the size of the tank is less determinative than the quality of the water. If the water is kept perfect, the fish will probably go ahead and grow huge anyway. My sister's comet is ten inches long without tail in a 23 gallon, despite the fact that she rarely changes the water.


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

Wow. I had been reading up on that for the past week, but I never knew that a 30g would stunt their growth that much. I know it sounds selfish of me, but I still think I did the right thing by getting Hannibal- if I hadn't, he would have either died in that pet store or he would have died in someone else's house from being in a tank smaller than the one he was in at the store (trust me, I know the people in my town :/ ). Thank you guys for all of your help... I will be scouring the Internet for more information tonight and calling the pet store owner tomorrow (it wasn't the owner I bought the fish from) to see if he's a Common or a Comet!


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## eatmice2010 (Jan 1, 2013)

Bombalurina said:


> Eatmice, the size of the tank is less determinative than the quality of the water. If the water is kept perfect, the fish will probably go ahead and grow huge anyway. My sister's comet is ten inches long without tail in a 23 gallon, despite the fact that she rarely changes the water.


Are you sure its a comet and not a common gold fish, ive seen a bunch of people confuse the two? And im sure you obviously know that it is to small of a tank for your sisters goldfish . And gold fish can live in the worst of water condition and still grow to its potential size. When i said its environment, I ment but the objects in its tank, If he did get a comet that instead of having stunt growth because of a small tank, instead he keeps growing and he leaves him in a small tank then the fish could ended up becoming deformed.


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

Update:
My pet store is closed today, but I'll call tomorrow and see what he is. I put the filter in, but both had extremely strong currents and Hannibal was freaking out. I thought maybe he'd get used to it, but after 3 hours I took one out and tried the other- same result. I have instead now put a bubbler in, not to help with filtration, but with oxygen and he's freaking out over that too :/ I can't wait to get that 30 gallon, hopefully we can get it next weekend and start setting up... I can't put him in for a while, though.


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## eatmice2010 (Jan 1, 2013)

Oh no i wasnt asking you Elsewhere lol he is deferentially a comet


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

Oh, thank you! That saves me a LOT of time, as my pet store owner is French and isn't very good with English... My aunt has said that I can have all of the sand that is in her aquarium that she used with her Cichlids... Would you suggest sand or gravel? I really don't know what's best and can go either way


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## eatmice2010 (Jan 1, 2013)

I personally don't think it realy matters, My comet has sand in his tank.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Sand is hands down the better substrate. Gravel and goldfish have a long and bad history. First it traps a ton of poop and can be a major source of nitrate in an aquarium. Without weekly vaccumming it will easily degrade the quality of the water even more. Second, goldfish like to pick at the substrate. As they grow, they gain the ability to partially swallow gravel. It can get lodged in their throats and kill them if not removed promptly.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Another alternative is large (like, really large) tumbled river rocks, although food can fall between these are get trapped. They are smooth, so goldies can't injure themselves, and too large to swallow. They also look really pretty combined with sand.


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

Okay, I'm starting to lean towards sand... My issue is, I have no clue how to clean it or get to be healthy for the fish :/ Any tips on what I can do with that?


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## waterdog (Dec 31, 2012)

Based on what I am reading here so far, I probably shouldn't post my experiences as they are far different than what I am seeing. That being said, here I go.......

There are no outward signs of sex. Much like Angelfish you have to wait for them to pair off.
Some of us like gravel as goldfish are constant grazers and working over the rocks keeps them busy. I have a 30 gallon with 7 fantails in it and twice weekly water changes are a must. I have 3 koi in a 200 gallon pond outside that are massive in the two years since I got them. Goldfish are super hardy and can survive a wide variety of conditions. (how many other fish can you truly keep without a heater?) I understand what you are looking to do and IMO I think gravel with a gravel vacum is the way to go!


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Elsewhere said:


> Okay, I'm starting to lean towards sand... My issue is, I have no clue how to clean it or get to be healthy for the fish :/ Any tips on what I can do with that?


Sand is really easy to clean. Just take a clean (never had any chemicals in it) bucket, fill it halfway with sand, and pour water in the bucket. Swish the mixture around and then pour off the water as many times as it takes for the water to run clear. It takes work, but it's worth it. Poop doesn't get stuck down in the sand. 

As for finding sand, most pet stores will carry some kind of sand. I'm partial to black sand because it will make the colors of fish really stand out. If you get any kind of sand that is intended for marine systems make sure you rinse it really well as it will likely contain some salt. Goldfish tolerate salt very well, but it's still not something you want to use unless you are fighting off a specific illness. 

And goldfish will constantly graze in the sand, too. ;-) The only difference is if any is swallowed, it will just pass through their system instead of presenting a choking hazard.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

That's actually good to hear. I have been using gravel in my goldfish tank (quite a large grain so they don't swallow it) and I was always wondering whether sand would cause more problems with impaction or not. 

Might make the switch over as my gravel is absolutely hideous!


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

Hmm... Right now it all depends on how good my aunt's sand is. She's giving me the fifty pounds that's in her aquarium right now, and it that seems okay I think I'll just do the rinsing and stick with it. But if it's not in good condition, my friend just gave me coupons for gravel at PetSmart. How she got them, I may never know, but she doesn't need any gravel  I won't have very much money when the time comes for the tank to be set up, so I'm trying to go on the cheap for him. I have a trip coming up (the fish are all taken care of for the 13 days I'm gone) and I'm already starting a second fund for the Goldfish tank XD

@waterdog- Isn't 7 fantails in a 30g overstocking? I could be totally wrong, but it just seems like a lot of Goldfish in a tank that can be relatively small for just one XD Then again, I've only been researching Comets, not Fantails.


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