I have a 23 gallon tank, with 4 goldfish in it, they are small at the mo, will they need a bigger tank soon?

Question

I have a fluval 2 filter, an air pump and do 10% water changes evry few days, tank and fish seem in very good condition so far.

Answer 1

Yes you will definately need a bigger tank. Full bodied goldfish grow to up to 8 inches long, while the fat bodied Oranda goldfish end up a bit smaller at roughly 6 inches. While they are babies they should be alright in a smaller tank but really you are looking at trading up in less than a year or so I would think.

The recommendation is that you keep one goldfish per 20 gallons of water. I currently have 2 Orandas (a chocolate one called Starbuck and a gold/white one called Marigold who are like my babies!) and I keep them in a 30 litre tank at the moment. To a certain extent their growth will be limited a bit by their smaller environment. There are also diet factors and general health to take into account when working out the final size your fish could get to. But with 4 in there, to avoid being cruel, you are going to need a bigger tank by the time they are fishy teenagers.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Ignore all the people on here who say goldfish only grow to the size of their tank it is not true these fish get VERY big if they live long enough. For the time being you are ok. Goldfish make a lot of mess so keep an eye on the water quality as they get bigger.

Long term I would think about maybe keeping only 2 in there but this is a year or so off yet. and maybe think about upgrading your filter as well

Answer 3

The notion that "fish will only grow as big as their bowl" is not a good one. It is not accurate. No, they won't outgrow their bowl, because they will DIE before they can grow. People put goldfish in bowls and wonder why they only live a few months.

You will eventually need a bigger tank, yes. Do you have fancy goldfish? They need 15-20 gallons per fish, so you will eventually need a 60-80 gallon tank. If they are common goldies, koy, or any of those large breeds that grow to 12-24", you will need a very large tank, or a pond.

Answer 4

I presume you mean fancy goldfish and not ordinary pond fish, in which case a 3 foot tank would be the smallest i would put them in. I have had fancy goldfish 8 inches in length but most kept in an aquarium seem to peek at about 6 inches. Fish slow their growth if they are in a tank too small for them but do keep growing.

Answer 5

Goldfish need at least ten gallons a piece. They produce a lot of amonia. it is true that goldfish only grow to the size that their tanks allow but that is because they release a deadly chemically that causes their growth to stunt and usually an early death. They should be fine while they are little but you might want to consider something bigger when they grow.

Answer 6

your fish are fine as long as you have good filtration and do your water changes every week
I've had goldfish for over 35 yrs and have kept many in aquariums
that were overcrowded
I'm sure if your fish start getting really large you will know to get a bigger tank

Answer 7

23 gallons is plenty for 4 goldfish. Have a guppy day.

Answer 8

Fish are pretty funny, they only grow as big as their tank will allow it! I had six fish once (tiny ones) and I managed to kill five of them off - and I don't know how I did it all I did was clean them out and one died every day for a week. Anyway, this last remaining fishy started growing and when he had all of his mates he was about the size of my pinkie and now he is a whole hand span! Amazing! But how to kill the bugger.... (joke, of course)

Answer 9

If they are the larger, fancy goldfish variety you will need a larger tank within a year, otherwise you will be fine for quite some time.

Answer 10

Goldfish will grow to fit the size of their tank. They won't get any bigger than is comfortable for them.