Hi. I bought a 3.5 inch goldfish yesterday. also a 10 gallon tank, gravel, and some plastic doodads to decorate - all of which I cleaned very well, and set up to wait a day before I introduce the fish. I know goldfish are very dirty. What sort of filters should I get? Will any sort do? One will be enough? Also, i think my fish is in shock right now; is there anything I can do to make things easier when I introduce the fish, other than the general wait 20-minutes until it adapts to the water temperature change thing? How long should I expect it to be in shock?
2006-07-25 21:39:02 · 11 answers · asked by areyze 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
you can get a starter kit type of filter i found the best its a big roller shape sponge you attach to a pump and all the fishes waste and uneaten food get sucked out of the water and the tank stays cleaner longer, with such a big tank why not give your little fella a friend to keep him company. I've kept fish for over 20 years and never bother with letting the water stand etc as long as you only clean your tank with water and cloth, i use a toothbrush to clean the ornaments when i change the water i put my fish back into their tank, I do recommend tape safe though this gets rid of the chlorine in the water, the size of the tank you have is big enough to hold 2 fish happily.
Fish can be quiet for some parts of the day especially after changing the water just keep an eye on them do not over feed you can get tonics to put in the water especially with a new fish as they can pick things up from pet shops my oldest fish was 17 before he died my current oldest I've had for about 9/10 yrs.
2006-07-26 08:38:19 · answer #1 · answered by AARONLEE AND SASHA 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Hi, congrats on the new fishy :). Im not sure if it coicidence you got the right sized tank for one goldfish or not, but goldfish do require 10gallons per fancy goldfish to reach thier full size (about 6 inches) and lifespan (10yrs +). The golden rule for goldfish when it comes to filtration is 10x. That means youll want a filter that pumps 100 gallons per an hour. I would recommend the penguin series as they have spinning biofilters which provide extra media for good bacteria to grow. An important thing to note is that you really very rarely have to change the filter cartridge. I know the box says every 6 weeks but they also want you to keep buying stuff. Simply washing it out in used tank water when you do a water change will work. Or else you will destroy all the bacteria that has grown there and essentially cause your cycle to crash. Yes your fish probably are in shock, the best thing you can do is to put them in the tank and leave the room dark and quiet.
Im not sure if you know about the cycling process or have any test kits or anything, but this site is awesome about anwsering any questions you many have and explain cycling and such.
www.kokosgoldfish.com
good luck!!
2006-07-26 04:06:22 · answer #2 · answered by 11 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I recommend bio-wheels. They move a lot of surface water increasing the O2 content in the water. They also help maintain a healthy biological filter. I would buy a filter meant for a twenty gallon- It will keep your water crystal clear.
Your fish will be in shock for a few hours maybe even a day. There are a lot of differences between the water that he was in and the water you put him in. Not just the temperature. The water chemistry and O2 content. What can help is when you float the bag add small amounts of your tank water to the bag. It is a more gradual adjustment.
If you are not familiar with it already, look up information on tank cycling. The next 6 weeks will be really rough on your fish.
2006-07-26 03:34:55 · answer #3 · answered by Lynn 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I also have goldfish and 3 10 gallon tanks that they are in.In my 5 Gal I use just one sponge filter with 3 fancytail goldfish and my tank stays pretty clean.All of my 10 gallons have different filters that I find do very well.
I have 2 sponge filters in one,a stand up filter that has an sponge incased,and my other one is an 20-30gal filter with the charcoal filter that you have to buy.
Even though goldfish are dirty fish I find they seem to do better and the tanks stay cleaner longer when they are in small tanks(10-20gallons).
Only feed them once a day even if they act like they are starving to death.
Most times if your fish are in shock,they windup dying.
I don't believe there is anything to do for that.Let's just hope your fish are strong and healthy.
2006-07-26 00:40:24 · answer #4 · answered by linda m 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
any fiilter will do just make sure water goes through course material to remove large particles first then finer ones later. external filters tend to be more powerful and are easier to maintainand don't take up valuable tank space (but are more expensive). filters come in all sizes so you only really need one. IMPORTANT make sure the pet shop stocks spare parts for the model you buy. The best possible set up would be reverse flow bed system where the water is sucked out of the tank goes through external filter and is returned through a plate under the gravel. this stops the gravel trapping waste and increases the surface area for benefical bacteria. build up your goldfish collection slowly so you don't overload the bacteria.
When indroducing don't just float the bag you also need to adjust the fish to chemical and pH differnces. add a little tank water to bag every 5 mins to balance it out. some people use methylene blue to prevent shock. might be worth geting water tested either by home kit or through petshop to make sure everything is in range and no nasty chemicals in water
2006-07-25 21:58:40 · answer #5 · answered by onapizzadiet 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
... the purely form of goldfish ive considered live on in an unfiltered/Oxygenated tank r the undesirable feeder fish. No fancy goldfish will live on n those circumstances. They produce 3-5 cases more effective waste than the different tropical fish. besides suffocating f no oxygen ur poisoning them w the ammonia f their waste. The filter out desires 2 be two times the ability 4 the dimensions of tank if no longer superior. No fish is positive in a bowl. Even maximum ppl will tell u a unmarried beta desires a minimum of five gallons. N a minimum of 10-20 gallons in line with goldfish counting on the breed
2016-11-26 00:26:50 · answer #6 · answered by ng 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You don't need a filter for a gold fish, just change the water regularly and keep it in a cool place. gold fish originate from cold mountain springs in japan so cool water is good. you can get all sorts of stuff to add to the water, "tapsafe" "stresszyme" etc but it's not really nessecary for gold fish. once your fish is in the bowl leave it alone. you wouldn't settle well if you were suddenly dumped in a glass bowl and then on top of that some thing kept peering at you.
after a week or so it will start to recognise you and the food container. only feed a small pinch every two day! obesity is the No1 killer for gold fish.
good luck and happy fish keeping
2006-07-26 10:08:03 · answer #7 · answered by LR 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
use sum knid of tap safe solution so the tap water is ok 4 the fish to live in, also i think u did this but leave the fish in the bag of water and float it in the tank 4 3o mins so it climatises
u will deffo need a filter, i got one that uses a carbon stones and a spongle to clean the water, it connects 2 a motor thru and air line which causes bubbles and sucks the dirt out of the water
dont over feed ur fish as this makes the tank dirty quickly
2006-07-25 21:45:47 · answer #8 · answered by amie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First off, a goldfish requires a minimum tank size of 30 gallons. Second, checkout this website to get an idea of what type of filters would be appropriate: www.drsfostersmith.com
2006-07-26 04:09:06 · answer #9 · answered by NCConfederate13 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you nedd a vvvvvery good 1
2006-07-25 21:49:26 · answer #10 · answered by alvinyprime 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋