Question About Newly Purchased Fish (Introduction To New Tank) NEED HELP FAST (They're still in the bag)?

Question

Ok, what exactly do i have to do, i have 3 new goldfish and im going to introduce them into a new tank (5 Gallons). What do i have to do to get them prepared, and what do i have to prior to introduction, and after introduction to make sure they're alright. Thanks for any help, Jasio-

@ lady_crotalus

They'll be in a larger tank soon enough. Animal cruelty -.-? The store has them in a tank with 20 other goldfish, and thats a 10 gallon tank..? They're babies, hardly larger than 1.5 Inches, and i plan on cleaning the tank weekly.

Ok, how is it that a non-filtered Goldfish starter kit (2.65 gallons) can be sold.. If its 10 gallons for a single gold fish..

Answer 1

OMG, don't leave it overnight! Open the bag and roll the top of the bag down about three turns. This makes a ring of air so the bag will float upright.

Put it in the tank and get a cup. Pour a cup of tank water into the bag once every 15 minutes for an hour. This will get your fish used to YOUR water slowly. A quick change will sometimes shock and/or kill new fish.

When the hour is up, net the fish out of the bag and put them in the tank. Never, ever, put pet store water into your home tank.

Answer 2

Take them back to the store. Goldfish require 10 gallons PER baby/juvenile fancy goldfish(fantails, orandas, black moors ect), 20 gallons PER long bodied goldfish (comet, common, shubunkin)

To answer your question, you need to acclimate the fish by floating the bag in the tank for atleast 15 minutes, after 10 minutes open the bag up pour in a little bit of the tank water in the bag and float for the remaining 5 minutes, then take the fish out with a net and dump the stores water down the drain. The water that is in the tank should be treated with a water conditioner that removes chlorine and chloramines and neutralizes heavy metals.

However the fish are going to DIE because the tank is TOO SMALL for even a single goldfish. Remember that goldfish have a lifespan of 30 yrs so even if they live 1 year it is animal cruelty. Goldfish also grow to be 12-14 inches and the size of the container DOES NOT stunt the fish, poor water quality does. Poor water quality also kills the fish. Do the right thing and return those 3 goldfish to the store and get something that stays smaller.

Fish that would be fine in a filtered 5 gallon tanks:
- a single male betta
with - 2 african dwarf frogs (can go with the below mentioned)
- ghost shrimp
or

- 3 male guppes

or

- 3 white cloud mountain minnows

EDIT: ogjasio- The fish in the petstore are not at the store for a long period of time. So you cannot use that as an excuse. Obviously the store doesnt give a damn about the animals if they let you buy those 3 goldfish for that tiny tank. As soon as the ammonia spikes, the goldfish will die. You cannot keep the water parameters in that size tank with that big of a fish load stable. If you would have researched before getting goldfish you would have read that they are extremely DIRTY fish, hence why the rule for them requires it to be a large tank PER fish and the rule requires ADULT Goldfish 50 gallons PER fish.
FYI, the manufacturers of those "goldfish kits" dont give a damn about the fish, they are in it for just the money and when the poor goldfish victim dies that means that the ignorant customer is going to buy a new fish, thus making more money for the store that sells the kits.

Fred- I most certainly am not pedantric about the tank size requirement for goldfish. I know from experience and from research that the amount of waste goldfish excrete is too much for a small tank. The OP will need to do a 50 percent waterchange DAILY if he wants to keep those 3 goldfish alive.
The fish are not in the wild, and comparing the lifespan of a wild fish to a captive goldfish dying after only a few years from neglect is imbecile. The fish have no choice in anything. It is the person's responsibility to make sure the fish thrive, otherwise they have no business buying them in the first place. Those 3 goldfish will certainly not thrive in that size tank, hell i wont even give them a week to survive.

Answer 3

Rather than point Lady Crotalus out, how about googling proper environment for your goldfish.

From the first source link: "Tank Size is an important step to becoming a fish owner. In a small tank, water conditions can occur rapidly, while too large a tank can be a burden for a beginner. I recommend at least investing in a 10 gallon. Choose a tank that has more water surface and less depth. ( Rectangular ones are better suited for Goldfish.) Goldfish tend to require more space than other varieties of fish. A GOOD RULE TO FOLLOW:

1 FISH PER 10-20 GALLONS OF WATER"

2nd source link: "8. I read about the size of tank and filter that you say goldfish need, but I can only afford/only have room for the bowl I got. Is this okay?

Of course not. For the same reason you shouldn’t get a horse if you live in a one bedroom apartment, you shouldn’t get a goldfish if you can’t provide a suitable habitat for it."

3rd source link: "What does it mean that goldfish can live for decades and grow to a foot? Most goldfish keepers believe that for goldfish to thrive, they require at least 10 gallons per fish with more always better. In ponds, 30-50 gallons per fish is better. "

Next time, instead of chastising someone, try looking it up yourself. Your tank is overstocked, even for a short while. Also, there is no possible way you are going to be able to cycle a tank as small as five gallons. Take the fish back if you want to give them a proper life.

Oh, and just because the fish store had 20 of them in a ten-gallon tank, doesn't make them in the right. They expect many of their fish to either die or be sold before they get bigger.

Answer 4

Well I have to first tell you that I'am not an expert, but my fishes had 8 baby fishes who are now 2 month old. What I suggest you do is to fill up your tank and leave about 6 inches from the top empty so that they could swim and have enough room. Make sure that the water is not hot or cold, but aa bit cool. Take the fishes and gently pour them in the tank along with the water that the fishes came in. Once you are finished, pour a few flakes of fish food as required. When ever you get a chance go to your local pet store (hopefully you can go tomorrow) and feel free to ask the employees how to futher care for your fishes.
P.S. Make sure you get a filter for your tank, and an electrical thermometer would be essential also. It help keep the water at a comfortable leve in the summer and in the winter also. Last but not least, clean your tank at least once a week, but make sure that you do this by emptying half of the tank if the water is very cloudy by emptying half and replacing that half. If it's not so dirty replace one third of the water. I hope this has helped you somehow.
Sincerely yours
A Pet Lover!

Answer 5

I definetly agree with Lady Crotalus, You should listen to her. And yes it does matter what size tank they are in. They are very messy fish. The reason pet stores sell those small tanks that are supposedly for goldfish, even though they are FAR to small for them, is because they dont care. I have even noticed from some local pet/fish stores that ALOT of the employees are very misinformed. Or they have NO knowledge of even the basics on keeping fish. Which is very misfortunate for the fish keeper.Here is few links about goldfish: http://www.goldfish-care.com/goldfish_aquarium.php
http://www.goldfish-care.com/goldfish_care.php

If the 5 gallon tank is just a tank for them to be in while you set up a Much larger tank, they should be fine. But if it something you plan to keep them in, then i suggest to take them back.
Next you might want to do some research on the certain fish, you plan on buying.

Answer 6

lady_crotalus is right about the procedure for moving fish into their new home, but, I think she [and everybody else who follows the Internet rules of thumb] are too pedantic about the size requirements. I think your 3 fish will be fine in their new home provided you keep the water clean. Change about 20% of the water on a weekly or 2-weekly basis. If the fish outgrow their home, return them to the store for credit or find another home.

In the wild, very few fish would live 30 years. If your fish have a happy 5 years then I think they will have done well for themselves. Introducing new fish into a new tank is always risky until the bacteria in the tank start breaking down the dangerous forms of nitrogen, so don't be surprised if you have some losses in the early days/weeks. It doesn't necessarily mean you are a bad fish keeper.

Read lots about fish on the 'net, especially things like water changes and nitrogen cycling. Good luck and enjoy!

Answer 7

Do you utilize faucet water, i are conscious of it rather is style of an glaring ingredient that faucet water should not be used, yet i'm in basic terms attempting to hide each and every thing. additionally, i know that places like wal-mart have not got very sturdy fish, I often pass there and notice a distinctive lifeless fish in one tank. you may pass to petsmart, they frequently have very sturdy fish supplies, an ok determination, and a 14 day guarantee to your fish. in basic terms positioned the lifeless ones in a plastic bag and return them. yet another ingredient to think approximately is that in case you're letting the bag glide interior the tank long adequate, possibly you may desire to enable them to stay in there for longer. attempt a nil.5 hour to an hour, and after 0.5 of the time, mixture the rather some tank water interior the bag and close it lower back.

Answer 8

Make sure to acclimate them to the water for around ten minutes by floating them in their bag, goldfish seem to be the dirtiest fish, so be careful to keep the tank clean, being such a small size (5 gallons) Also make sure the water is well-oxygenated.

Answer 9

Lady Crotalus (or whatever her name is) has the right answer! She obviously knows fish. Follow her advice. For future reference, how she said to introduce the fish is also correct. I don't know what store you got them from, but it doesn't sound like they are very informative nor do they care where their pets end up at!

Answer 10

you should have researched this BEFORE you purchased the fish.

and to answer #1: fish can only live in those bags for 20 min. or so

let the water/fish acclimate, get some water conditioner and food