Goldfish question

[tskoffina]

Today I went to a carnival with my son and my boyfriend, and my son "thinks" he won a goldfish (boyfriend threw the ball, but philip didn't notice who threw it). I took it to the pet store to ask how to keep it alive. We bought drops for the water, food, and a filter. He's in a 10 gal tank. Does anyone know if this is good? Philip named him Nemo.

 

[menagerie]

Today I went to a carnival with my son and my boyfriend, and my son "thinks" he won a goldfish (boyfriend threw the ball, but philip didn't notice who threw it). I took it to the pet store to ask how to keep it alive. We bought drops for the water, food, and a filter. He's in a 10 gal tank. Does anyone know if this is good? Philip named him Nemo.

I really wish they'd stop having live animal prizes at carnivals. Most of them die a very unpleasant death.

You are off to a great start getting it into a tank with proper filtration, water treatment and food. Now you can start decorating the tank with fun things for the fish to hide in.

 

[Aneesa's Muse]

The "general" rule for Goldfish of any kind ..fancy or just "feeder" types (Comets, to be specific) ...is 10g per fish. Sooo.. yep, Nemo will be fine in that tank for some time ..given that he is the only inhabitant.

If the drops remove the chloramines and other utility company "treatments" ..then you have the right one. Personally, I prefer to use Seachem's Prime, but there are a few that work okay ..get the job done ..etc.

In a few months, you may want to upgrade your Nemo buddy to a 20g ..just to give him optimum space and better water quality. Also, upgrade the filter ..with a 10g, you should have a filter that is guaged for 20g or more water... and with a 20g, it should have a filter made for 40g or larger. For example, I have a pair of Comets in a 40g tank ..had them 10 or so years, now ...and their filter is guaged for a 75g tank. Basically, it turns more gallons more times per hour.. gph.. and that's what you want with Goldies.

Goldfish are messy.. eat a lot.. poo a lot ...and pretty much tear up any decorations ..live or fake plants, ornaments and so on. Wilbur and Dorothy have been destroying their tank for years ..frustrating as heck! ..but it makes them happy! :wink3:

 

[tskoffina]

I'm not good with fish. He's been hanging out at the bottom of the tank staring at his reflection most of the evening. When you go over the the tank he comes to life, I think he thinks he's going to get fed, and I think he thinks the reflection is another fish. I don't have gravel or decorations in there yet, but will take care of that tomorrow. They sold me a 10 gal filter, will that work for now? Can I wait till I upgrade to a bigger tank and get a better filter, 20 gal tank, 40 gal filter? Or until the filter has to be changed? Or is it a stupid me I just wasted money and have to go buy one tomorrow?

 

[Aneesa's Muse]

If possible, just return the 10g filter and upgrade/exchange it for a 20g or even 30g filter ...maybe $5 difference in price? If you were closer, I'd give you one!

If you have a ping pong ball or a marble ..a smooth rock ..a glass blob .....you can put that at the bottom of the tank and give the fish something to "do". Of course, the ping pong ball won't go to the bottom without a hole poked in it ..and even then, it will take a day or two to sink ..but my two LOVE playing ball!

And DO NOT feed Nemo every time he gives you the "puppy stahhhvin" face.. really. It's hard to resist, but learn to be strong now... and hide the food from your little one, too. Overfeeding will kill Nemo faster than anything! (well.. besides a bigger Nemo.. lol)

 

[addictedtochins]

I'd get him a buddy

 

[tskoffina]

His food is hidden. I was told to feed him a little daily for 3-4 days, then a little more everyother day. They said he looked banged up, so may have been fighting over food. I'll give him a dragon and plants from another failed fish (beta named paco) after cleaning tomorrow. What about a crab shell temp? Have a lot of those. Was wanting a bigger tank for the crabs, so when I upgrade them, he will move on to bigger and better things. Would they really take back a filter that was used? Should I take it out now to let it dry? Say it didn't work right or something? And Philip does want to get Nemo a baby named Marlin, yes I know it's backward, he does too, but is still insisting, but I want to wait and see how it goes with one. If he survives a week he'll get a friend.

 

[Aneesa's Muse]

Any experienced, successful and knowledgeable fish person will tell you that ONE goldfish per TEN gallons of water is minimal for optimum health. If you add more fish to Nemo's 10g, you are risking his life ..stunting him with poor quality water (it will be impossible to stay on top of the water parameters with two excessive poo machines ..in just 10 gallons of water). The process of stunting him is painful and leads to certain death.

I think you are off to a good start now.. don't mess with it :wink3:

When you have a 20g or larger, then get another fish ..but Nemo doesn't need a buddy. He really doesn't.

And yes, put the filter back in the box and take your receipt ..you should not have a problem returning it. "It's not the right one ..and you want to go larger" ...that should be an acceptable reason to return/exchange it.

 

[tskoffina]

If he gets a buddy it would be in a bigger tank anyway. He seems to like to have room to swin, don't want cramped fish. Nothing's set in stone. Won't do anything until I'm sure he will be ok. Here are some pics, from cell phone.

Hope they aren't to big. How about shells? Would he like them, play with them?

 

[eroomlorac]

He's hanging at the bottom of the tank because he is probably exhausted and he looks beat up because he probably IS beat up from being jostled about in a tub from carnival to carnival. Poor guy. Ideally, a tank should be 'cycled' before putting any fish in to let the bacteria/oxygen levels get to an ecological balance. It's an ammonia/oxygen cycle that balances in the tank. Watch him closely for any signs of distress and if he has distress do a partial water change, like 25% or so until the tank is fully cycled, about 2-3 weeks. I'm glad you got him. I hope he lives a long and wonderful life with you.

 

[Essentia]

Good advice so far. The larger filter really is ideal. I had a 55 gallon with several large goldfish (they were gotten as the tiny $.10 fishies and they all lived for at least 5 years) and man are they dirty little guys. I ended up giving them to a friend with a man made pond because even with a filter for a 75 gallon talk my talk just wouldn't stay clean for longer than 2 weeks. I thought they were getting cramped in the 55 gallon anyway so it really did work out for the better. Now they have a bunch of room to swim and be fishies.

 

[HedgeMom]

When you get plants, get some live anacharis. It's an oxygenating plant that you stick in the gravel. Goldfish graze all day b/c they have no stomach. Putting anacharis gives him something to graze on. You can also feed finely chopped romaine lettuce to vary his diet.

Goldfish are known as "dirty" fish. They excrete more waste than other fish of the same size so you'll be cleaning the tank a lot more than you think. No heater, room temp is fine with goldies.

Here is an excellent goldfish forum http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/forum/index.php

 

[tskoffina]

Thanks everyone. I think I have one more question, though I'm sure I'll have more, so I'll check out the other forum later, HedgeMom. He seems to be swiming in place. This is only since the filter was put in. He's on the other side of the tank, facing the filter, and looks like he's swiming, but not moving. Is this him learning how much current the filter makes, playing, or something wrong?

 

[eroomlorac]

I think he might be resting. He has to keep swimming to keep from being blown around the tank by the current. He also could be sick. Are his fins clamped shut? Are his scales and eyes looking clear? Does he have blood streaked through his fins? Are his gills inflamed and red? If he looks perfectly fine, I'd leave him for now.

 

[tskoffina]

He looks fine to me. I don't know what you mean about fins, but they're moving around, almost like a bird flaps? His tail is wiggly. I see no blood. When I or Philip go over to the tank he seems to perk up and swim around more. I think he's trying to train me, won't work though. I know not to over feed. But he's doing the I'm pittiful thing and hoping for food anyway.

 

[eroomlorac]

By clamped fins I mean finsnot flared out but pulled down against the body. He seems fine. The only other thing I might suggest and someone has already mentioned it is many fish tend to want to be in schools, as in with others of their own. He might perk up if you got another one or two fish. But then you will need more aquarium space more quickly. I think you're doing pretty good by this little fishy. I'm glad he's with you.

 

[Aneesa's Muse]

I totally glazed over the fact that the tank isn't cycled, but you can remedy that very easily. Go to an LFS that sells BioSpira ..it will be refrigerated cuz it has LIVE bacteria in it.. and get the correct size for your tank size. If you can't find it locally, it's online. If you can't keep up with water changes to help Nemo survive the pending cycling, then try to find a neighbor or again, your LFS may share ...someone with a healthy tank that you can get some "seeded" gravel or filter material from.. to help boost your cycling process. Just be sure it's a healthy tank...

And I will say it again.. Nemo is FINE without a buddy. He could care less about a mate that he'll have to compete with for oxygen and food

You're doing GOOD!!! When you have a bigger tank, get another fish.. if you must

Oh.. and the shells should be okay if you got them as aquarium decorations from an LFS (local fish store). If you picked them up off the beach, don't put them in the tank. Shells need to be treated before they are safe, ironically.

 

[tskoffina]

They're shells for the Hermit Crabs, either outgrown, or too big, for them right now. They come from a petstore, sold for the crabs, and not the silly painted ones. What is BioSpira and what do I do with it? I need to test the water too, right? He seems fine right now with Dragon, they go nose to nose, and maybe I'm inagining it, or he's just feeling more active, but he seems more perky with him in the tank. They're about the same size. Dragon was from a beta bowl origionally, but cleaned again with hot water and given to Nemo.

 

[Aneesa's Muse]

BioSpira is the brand name for the product ..it's basically a combination of "good" bacteria that can help cycle your tank. Instead of waiting for weeks (usually 2 to 3), you can have it cycled right away ..like hours.

Hermit crab shells "should" be okay. I've had a colony of Strawberries here and know that crabs are just as sensitive, if not more so, as fish and so on. So yeah.. I'd think their shells are safe (the ones from pet stores, I mean).

Nemo is probably perking up for several reasons ..he's settling in, he's not getting the snot beat out of him for a measely pellet/flake of food ..and he likes the Dragon

 

[tskoffina]

Thank's for your help. I'll look for that today. Hopefully I can get it at one of the general type pet stores locally. I don't want to go to the fish store. I won't give them my business anymore since they had a problem giving water to their reptiles and I complained. But I have a really good privately owned pet store that should have them. He really seems to be doing better. He seems happy now. He swims around the whole tank and "surfs" with the filter lol.