Beginers guide to gold fish?

Question

I was thinking about getting a fish to live in the kitchen (no I'm not going to eat it) but I was wondering what I'll need, do I really need to get a filter? How big a tank will I need for about 2-3 small goldfish? My kitchen gets pretty freezing in the winter, will they be alright?

Answer 1

Small goldfish are baby big goldfish. For three you need a minimum of a 29g tank & if your kitchen gets very cold you really need a heater, set low, to prevent rapid temperature fluctuations.
All fish need filters to thrive - non filtered tanks are more stressful to fish & more work for you.
IIWY I'd look at white cloud mountain minnows which could live in a 10g tank or consider the wider choice of tropical fish.
Really a 20g tank is much easier to maintain than a smaller one.
I have a 17g hex in my kitchen. It has an undergravel filter & houses a Betta and a group of apple snails. It takes about 15 minutes a week to maintain.

Answer 2

Goldfish are really dirty and so they need a lot of room. They also get REALLY big and live for a long time.(If you intend on caring for them properly) The standard for beginners is ten gallons per goldie. Hobbyist normally give them more room than that. So 2 fish= 20 gallon, 3 fish = 29 gallon.

They definitely need a filter. A big one. One designed for and aquarium size up from what you actually have. These are some of the dirtiest fish in the fishie kingdom.

A heater is not necessary. Goldfish are cold water fish. As long as it doesn't drop below 65. The comment above about drastic temp changes- water loses heat very slowly. It is very hard t temp. shock a fish by a change in the room temp. It may take a day or two for the temp to come down.

There is no such thing as a small goldfish. Baby goldfish- but they grow into the big ones.

You should expect to do a 25% water change every week or so. A water conditioner reduces the stress on the fish.

Goldfish cannot be kept with other fish. There are very few exceptions. A few types of danios do well in cold water and Dojo loaches(weather loaches) do well also. That's about it.

I think a small tropical aquarium or maybe some female bettas may be more of what you are looking for. They are smaller less maintenance. They do require a heater but for a small tank they are inexpensive.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Hi I'm a hobbyist. For three gold fish you need a tank. Rule of thumb is 10 gallons per fish. They produce so much waste and grow so quickly, anything else would be cruel. You need something like aqua safe, to make you tap water safe for fish. a siphon, to vacuum the aquarium, weekly! Yes, a filter is a must, they wont live Long without it. My Goldie's are about 10 years old. They also need a varied diet, mostly vegetables. Mines eat their pellets, lettuce, shelled peas, zucchini, the works. It can get a bit expensive. But bowls are very cruel, it shortens their life significantly. Try to go to pet smart, pet co website and down load their fact sheet. Also goldfishparadise.com is the best. Good luck.

Answer 4

Goldfish bowls suck. Get a regular 20 gallon tank for 2 gold fish and one bottom feeder like a small catfish or plecostomus to keep tank clean.
A small filter will be enough. Goldfish need lots of light to digest their food properly and tanks have lighting, bowls do not. Put real plants in water for water quality.
Do a 1/4 tank change every other week. And a 1/2 to 3/4 change every 2 months.

Answer 5

Do get a filter for it live longer and happy.
Goldfish are a very dirty fish, and a filter will not only clean the tank but also provide oxygen, ALL fish need oxygen.
A small tank won't do, unless you want to torture them.
They can handle very very low temperature, it's better for them, no need to worry about that.

Answer 6

first you could use a round gold fish bowl, and that's it, just make sure you buy water conditioner and you would need to change water just about every day....and they will be OK for a long time...
but you could also get one of those rectangle five or ten gallon fish tanks with the hanging filter ( get an AquaClear, they are very good and have a sponge media filter that you just use water to clean then replace, and you use it over and over again ..cheaper) on the back of it with a small air pump attached to an air stone to give them oxygen, and of course you still need to change the water, but this may be at least every two weeks change out about 1/4 of the water using a hose to the bottom so you get the heavier diluted minerals out of the tank, and clean the filter out two maybe once a month, ( very easy ) I would buy a very low wattage heater, gold fish can deal with cold water, they just slow down and eat less, but why, a low wattage heater will keep the water in a range at which they will move more and eat normally, so you can see them moving around instead of going into partial hibernation mode...
of course get the water conditioner to take out chlorine or chloride and other stuff in the water, keep what ever you use for the tank away from soaps and other stuff and use it only for the tank...
gold fish are a good choice they take a lot less work and are a lot more stable
good luck
smile..

Answer 7

All you need is a 2-5 gallon tank or fish bowl. Goldfish are hardy and will do just fine without heaters, filters, or other equipment. Just remember that goldfish are messy and you will need to change the water about once a week.

Answer 8

I would suggest you at least get a 10 gallon tank, filter, heater, and decorations for in the tank.

Answer 9

yea thats good for you ! You will need to get an 11 inch tank ,heater ,an yea you will need a filter. The gold fish would like some decorations to!

Answer 10

Beta fish do not want a lot area, yet you are able to purely have one in a unmarried bowl or in spite of. Goldfish can stay in communities, yet be careful the position you purchase them from because they could be about to die.